AMD eBulletin – 28 March 2024
A message from your President
G’day / kia ora!
Welcome to the first AMD ebulletin for 2024! Even though this is our first edition, March feels too late in the year to reference the usual pleasantries that first editions usually include. Nonetheless, I hope the year has started off positively for you all.
AMD Council
The Adult Medicine Division Council held its first online meeting on Tuesday, 27 February. Members discussed the AMD Leadership and Management Workshop that was held in November last year, and received updates on the Regional, Rural and Remote Working Group progress, CPD Homes, Policy & Advocacy activities, workforce, and education updates. We also shared updates regarding how we are implementing our AMD workplan with its focus on:
- workforce
- equity, fairness and transparency in advanced training selection
- developing the physician leader
- rational, value and function of AMD within our College
- supporting wellbeing of trainees and Fellows.
I want to take the opportunity to thank and acknowledge the following AMD Council members who have recently finished their terms:
- Professor Steven Lane (specialty society representative – Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand)
- Dr Christine Mott (specialty society representative – Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine)
- Associate Professor Catherine O’Connor (Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine representative)
- Professor David Johnson (specialty society representative – Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology)
- Professor Clara Chow (specialty society representative – Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand).
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the below AMD Council members who have joined since the last meeting:
- Associate Professor Jacqueline Center (specialty society representative – Australian & New Zealand Bone & Mineral Society)
- Associate Professor Rathika Krishnasamy (specialty society representative – Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology)
- Dr Hui-Ping Lee (specialty society representative – Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand)
- Clinical Professor Louise Owen (Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine President-elect)
- Dr Michelle Gold (specialty society representative – Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine).
Our second AMD Council meeting is scheduled to be held in August and in the meantime, the AMD Executive Committee will progress the AMD work plan.
We hope to once more host a leadership workshop in 2024 and will keep you updated as planning progresses. Our 2023 workshop demonstrated how physician identity is closely tied to leadership, management and advocacy and the value our members place on developing these skills.
In the interim I will continue to keep you up to date with our progress in these eBulletins.
RACP Congress 2024 – Shaping Healthcare, will be in Sydney on 16 and 17 May 2024 (https://event.racpevents.edu.au/congress24/). The program is great and includes what I am sure will be inspiring and thought-provoking presentations by AMD members including the Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Oration by Don Campbell and Cottrell Memorial Lecture by Emily Banks. With Rapid Fire Clinical Updates, research presentations and updates on national programs and reforms it will be a great opportunity to learn and network with colleagues.
Elections – Aotearoa New Zealand Elected Fellow
Whilst I am talking about AMD Council, I want to acknowledge that the nominations period of the RACP elections has now concluded and the Aotearoa New Zealand Elected Fellow position on the AMD Council remains vacant. This role is now a casual vacancy and we hope to find an interested Aotearoa New Zealand member who would like to join the AMD Council. It is important to have the Aotearoa New Zealand voice and perspective heard at the AMD Council meetings. Should you be a Fellow based in Aotearoa, and would like to join the AMD Council, please flag your interest via adult.med@racp.edu.au and Lisa or Vanessa will assist you with the next steps. I’d also be happy to chat to people who might be interested to outline the benefits and expectations of the role and the value we in AMD place on the Aotearoa New Zealand voice.
As always, if you have any topics that you would like our Division to consider or any topic you would like to be included in our quarterly ebulletin, I encourage you to contact me via the secretariat at adult.med@racp.edu.au.
Professor Graeme Maguire
President, Adult Medicine Division
AChSHM President’s Post
Hello and Kia ora,
The Chapter held its 2024 AChSHM Annual Scientific Meeting and Annual Trainees Meeting, on Friday, March 15th, and Saturday, March 16th, respectively. Developed by the AChSHM ASM Organising Committee with support from the AChSHM Committee, the ASM welcomed all AChSHM Fellows and trainees, as well as general practitioners, allied health professionals, and nurses.
Under the leadership of Dr Vincent Cornelisse, the ASM took place entirely online, featuring a full day of captivating sessions centred around the theme "AChSHM ASM 2024: Bothersome Bugs and Current Complexities in Sexual Health." The agenda will explore a range of topics, including Syphilis, vulva vaginal conditions, and intricate cases. We look forward to “seeing” many of you there.
The next Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 26 June 2024.. Should you have any matters to bring up with the Committee or wish to share feedback, don't hesitate to reach out to us via our secretariat at shmed@racp.edu.au or through the AChSHM RACP Online Community (ROC).
Ka kite anō au i a koutou!
Dr Massimo Giola
Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine President
AChPM President’s Post
Hello and kia ora,
The AChPM Committee convened its first meeting on 5 March 2024.
We focused on the importance of bolstering palliative medicine training, particularly on matters related to communication delays, case study reviews and accreditation delays due to a significant backlog of work. The Training Committee is making good progress with research project assessments. However, case studies remain a challenge despite our best efforts to prioritise candidates nearing completion. Thank you to those who have generously volunteered their time to support the review panel.We still require more reviewers, so if you are interested, please send an email to the training in palliative medicine team expressing your interest in participating in this initiative
Palliative Medicine is undergoing the second wave of curricula renewal and actively participating in refining its learning objectives. During the meeting, the committee discussed the new curriculum and emphasised the need for Education, Learning, and Assessment representatives to ensure adequate resourcing to support trainees and supervisors throughout the introduction process.
Amongst other topics discussed, we were delighted to hear from Dr Christine Sanderson (clinical lead) about the very positive progress of the Rural and Remote Palliative Medicine project. This is an important piece of work endeavouring to streamline and coordinate rural palliative medicine training in collaboration with other bodies to drive needed change across the national landscape.
I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to Dr Sadie Dunn for her exceptional leadership over the years as Chair of our Training Committee. Despite challenging circumstances, her dedication and expertise in improving the program and supporting our trainees and supervisors have been commendable.She is stepping down and Dr Sophia Lam will assume the role of the new Chair. I would also like to thank Dr Chi Li and Dr Rachel Hughs who are also stepping down from the committee. Their dedication and countless hours spent reviewing training matters and leading site accreditation under difficult and under-resourced circumstances have been truly admirable
Finally, our AChPM Committee’s trainee representative Dr Patrick Elliott has completed his term with us. We congratulate Patrick on becoming a Fellow and thank him for his invaluable contribution to the Committee. We are now seeking a replacement, so please forward the EOI link to those interested.
The next AChPM Committee meeting will be held on 4 June 2024. Should you have any feedback, questions, or concerns for the Committee, please don't hesitate to reach out via the Chapter secretariat at PallMed@racp.edu.au or through the AChPM RACP Online Community (ROC).
Associate Professor Peter Poon
Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine President
Hello and Kia ora,
We held our first AChAM Committee of the year on 9 February 2024. The Committee discussed revising the workplan priorities for the year and wrapping up last year's achievements. We have approved the Chapter awards, which include the AChAM Nghi Phung Research Project Prize (applications to open on 1 June 2024) and the AChAM Indigenous Prize (applications open on 15 July 2024).
We are excited to be the host College for the upcoming IMiA 2025 Conference. This is a fantastic event that brings together our Chapter colleagues, medical practitioners and allied health professionals practising addiction medicine. Since 2013, it has been convened under a tripartite collaborative agreement between the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ (RACP) Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine (AChAM). Planning is underway, stay tuned for more details!
The Chapter is involved in the second wave of the education curriculum renewal project. Throughout this process, the curricula review working group members and committee provided feedback to the curriculum renewal team, suggesting the inclusion of non-substance addictions like gambling. Thank you to all those who have provided feedback.
The committee is planning to hold its Annual Fellows Update meeting during the APSAD conference, which runs from 30 October to 2 November this year in Canberra. Further details for the meeting including the specific date and time will be confirmed and communicated shortly.
Moreover, the Chapter is actively contributing to developing a joint AChAM/AFPHM position statement outlining a health-focused approach to drug policy. Consultation with affiliated specialty societies on the current draft is anticipated in the first quarter 2024.
The AChAM Committee will next meet on Friday 10 May 2024. If you have any feedback, questions, or comments for me or the Committee, please get in touch through our secretariat at AddictionMed@racp.edu.au or through the AChAM RACP Online Community.
Professor Adrian Dunlop
Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine President
Expressions of Interest (EOIs)
All Expressions of Interest
Your latest RACP Congress 2024 update
RACP Congress is shaping up to be an exciting event, with something for everyone. If you haven't seen the program, we encourage you to check it out, as more details have been recently added. If you are staying on after RACP Congress, here are some highlights of what to do in Sydney.
Don't forget to add a ticket to one of the social highlights of the program, the Gala Dinner when you register.
Ask an Expert
One of the features is the Ask an Expert sessions, where you can connect with other members to find out more about a range of topics such as a career as a doctor, study tips, how to get involved with advocacy and gain media coverage, and more. These one-to-one sessions will be available for all delegates during the breaks.
To submit an expression of interest to be one of our ‘experts’, please email racpcongress@racp.edu.au with the topic and some brief information on your experience with the topic.
The rapid fire clinical updates
In the rapid fire clinical updates, you can add to your knowledge by finding out more about the latest updates from a range of specialty societies.
Here are just some of the updates for you to enjoy:
- What is an obstetric physician, and considering obstetric medicine as a sub-specialty
- HIV clinical indicator testing: reducing the missed diagnosis
- Recognising Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: a clinical update
- An update on the diagnosis of gestational diabetes
- The changing face of multiple sclerosis epidemiology.
RACP Congress 2024: Shaping Healthcare is a forum for physicians to unite, collaborate, and drive the future of healthcare. Join us and take this opportunity to engage with the broader specialist community.
Register now
Attention all supervisors: Watch the recording of the powerful Culturally Safe Supervision and the Referendum Webinar now
“Culturally safe supervision is important for building trust, developing supervisors’ cultural safety, retaining Indigenous healthcare professionals, mitigating cultural bias and stereotyping, acknowledging historical injustices, aligning with ethical and legal standards, and contributing to broader systemic change.” – Dr Kimberley Male, RACP Basic Trainee and Chair of the Culturally Safe Supervision Working Group.
Watch this 70-minute webinar recording to hear from the panel of experts: Wendy Edmondson, Dr Kimberley Male and Dr Louis Peachey on the Referendum's impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees and learn how as supervisors you can provide culturally safe support. The webinar explores:
• How the referendum has and will continue to impact Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander trainees, colleagues, and patients
• How supervisors can be mindful of this impact when supervising Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander trainees
• Information for supervisors to find out more about and implement culturally safe supervision in their practice.
WATCH WEBINAR: https://elearning.racp.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=38044
To support further learning about Culturally Safe Supervision, the panel of speakers has also provided some additional resources.
This webinar was delivered as part of the RACP’s Culturally Safe Supervision project, which has been funded by the Australian Government through the Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program. This project will deliver a comprehensive suite of resources for supervisors. We encourage you stay up to date by checking the suite of resources regularly as we unveil more educational resources for supervisors. New resources are being developed over the next 12 months and will be added as they are made available.
Internal Medicine Journal
The latest issue of the Internal Medicine Journal (IMJ) is now live on the Wiley Online Library and the RACP website (log in using your RACP login credentials). Access articles tweeted on IMJ's Twitter account for free, for a limited time. The easiest way to access the IMJ is via the Wiley Online Library App, find out how you can access it.
Key highlights from the issue are:
- Do we need more COVID-19 jabs?
- COVID-19 and cardiac services in Australia: Medicare claims
- Mitochondrial disease in New Zealand
- Left ventricular assist devices in heart failure
- Cigarette smoking and adult-onset Still disease
- Budesonide with posaconazole causing Cushing syndrome
Read the journal
College Learning Series seeking topic lead for General Medicine
The College Learning Series (CLS) is a curriculum-mapped, online education resource for Basic Trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Members of the CLS Editorial Group individually review lectures to ensure they are clinically accurate and current before they go live on the CLS site. All review work can be claimed as CPD hours.
The CLS Committee is seeking a topic lead for General Medicine who would be responsible for providing recommendations to the Committee on any changes to the General Medicine lecture list, seeking out new speakers (as needed), and assisting General Medicine lecturers - particularly regarding queries around medical content. The role is an advisory one and is supported by the CLS team which looks after recording logistics, the clinical review process and upload to the website.
For enquiries or to submit your interest please contact the CLS team at CLS@racp.edu.au.
Pomegranate Health podcast – Ep104: Is the jury still out on omega-3 supplementation?
The theory that certain fatty acids are essential to the diet and associated with reduced cardiovascular risk has been controversial since it was floated in the 1950s. In 1971 Danish researchers published the results from a cross-sectional study of Inuit people living on the west coast of Greenland. They ate a fish-based diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids known as omega-3s, which were found in their tissues along with much lower levels of pre-β-lipoprotein and plasma-triglycerides when compared to controls. That association between a fishy diet and lowered cardiovascular risk has been replicated in multiple population studies since then and there are several ways omega-3 fatty acids could mediate the effect. They have anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic properties, lower circulating triglyceride concentrations and keep vessels impermeable to plaque forming lipoproteins.
For many years now clinical guidelines like those of the American Heart Association and the National Heart Foundation of Australia have explicitly encouraged dietary intake of omega-3s fatty acids for those at high cardiovascular risk. But such recommendations come despite considerable inconsistency in the outcomes from intervention studies on omega-3 supplementation over the past 25 years.
From several large RCTs there have been just as many negative or neutral associations as there have been positive ones. Professor Christian Hamilton-Craig has published a viewpoint review in the December edition of the Internal Medicine Journal attempting to explain these inconsistencies.
Guests:
- Paul Bridgman MB ChB MD FRACP FCSANZ FASE (Christchurch Hospital; St George Hospital; University of Otago)
- Prof Christian Hamilton-Craig MBBS PhD FRACP FCSANZ FSCCT FSCMR FACC (Director, Noosa Hearts Cardiology; Noosa Hospital; Griffith University; University of Queensland)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify,Castbox or any podcasting app.
Update your details with the College
Did you know that you can now update your address details online? Simply Login to MyRACP and go to “Edit my details”.
When you join the RACP Online Community (ROC), you can post questions and start discussions with other members. But did you know that the ROC also features a Member Directory and Special Interest Directory designed to help you find and connect with your colleagues?
The easy-to-use directories allow you to search by name, location, Division, Faculty, Chapter and/or specialty and are the perfect way to chat directly with other members and expand your network of contacts across the membership.
Log in to the ROC to connect with your peers.
RACP Benefits – your new lifestyle benefits program has arrived
Save on all your favourite lifestyle and service brands from leading retailers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand – with RACP Benefits. Our new lifestyle benefits portal offers you exclusive discounts and genuine savings on items in a range of popular categories. To celebrate the launch of RACP Benefits, we have some great offers for you to explore.
So log in today and take advantage of your RACP Benefits.
View career opportunities on the RACP website.