AFOEM eBulletin - 24 November 2023
As I am writing this column, the Stage B practical exams have just been held in Adelaide this past weekend. I would like to acknowledge the considerable efforts that have gone into organising and conducting these examinations. It's a reflection of the considerable effort many Fellows have provided in designing questions, scenarios, and exhibits. Other Fellows have reviewed and audited preferred answers, while others have considered the answers that would be given by a minimally competent specialist in occupational and environmental medicine. Other Fellows have given their time to staff the various stations or be the examiners. All this activity is done in confidence behind the scenes and is a tribute to the Faculty Assessment Committee and ELA staff ably led by Dr June Sim.
This reminds me that nominations are now open for the AFOEM President’s Awards and details can be found at here. .
I attended the convocation at the Brisbane City Hall on 4 November and congratulated Dr Kevin Chong on his award of Fellowship. It was an interesting ceremony with a number of new RACP Fellows bringing their young children, babies and toddlers onto the stage, much to the delight and enjoyment of the audience.
I would also like to pass on my appreciation to Dr Teri Lillington for being an excellent AFOEM representative on the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance for the past three years. AFOEM provides the only medical contribution to this important alliance. Some of the work of the MHWA can be viewed here.
Dr Kevin Tan has been formally approved by the Board as the AFOEM WA Representative to AFOEM Council.
The Faculty Presidents were recently provided with a briefing on the Education Governance Review. We expressed the need to consider the importance of specific Faculty requirements including non-hospital based training, to ensure they are not overlooked, ignored, or dismissed.
I attended two local networking events recently that were held in lieu of Congress this year. Although the attendances in both the ACT and SA were small, the opportunity to network with local physicians was valuable. I was delighted with the number of AFOEM members who attended these events. In Adelaide, Dr David Beaumont, a past president of AFOEM, conducted an abbreviated workshop based on his book, ‘Positive Medicine’. There was certainly positive feedback from the physicians who took the opportunity from their busy lives to assess their situation with respect of their current physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health. Dr Beaumont is the AFOEM representative on the Member Health and Wellbeing Committee.
In other news, the RACP has welcomed the successful passing of Federal legislation to introduce a National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry. This is a great start as we continue to advocate for the implementation of the other recommendations of the National Dust Diseases Taskforce Report.
Finally, I would like to warmly welcome Mr Lee Whitney who has been appointed as the new CEO. We look forward to meeting him at an AFOEM Council in the near future so he may develop an appreciation of our specialty.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
Nominate a colleague to recognise their outstanding contributions to the Faculty in one of the following areas:
- Education, training and assessment
- Policy and advocacy
- Trainee commitment.
Nominations close Thursday, 30 November 2023. See the website for more details and to nominate.
The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is proud to offer the 2024 Indigenous Australian and Māori Health Scholarship for Occupational and Environmental Medicine as part of the RACP Indigenous Health Scholarship Program.
The program aims to support those medical graduates and current trainees of the RACP who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori on their chosen career path to becoming a physician. The Scholarships provide a funded pathway through Basic, Advanced, Faculty or Chapter training in Australia and/or Aotearoa New Zealand.
Several scholarships are available for 2024. Applications close Thursday, 30 November 2023. For more information on all our scholarships, visit the RACP Foundation webpage.
Support your trainees by watching them compete at regional events. The best presenters selected at each event are invited to present at an RACP event in 2024. Visit the RACP Trainee Research Awards webpage for event details.
The NSW/ACT Branch of ANZSOM and AFOEM is pleased to announce that the end of year meeting will be held at the Royal Automobile Club of Australia on Wednesday, 6 December 2023. The evening will include refreshments and canapes, followed by a two-course dinner and a presentation by Dr Louise Tulloh, on 'Women, sport, exercise: from health to performance'.
Register now
Ep102: Staying on script with semaglutide
Semaglutide, branded as Ozempic or Wegovy, is an analogue of
glucagon-like peptide 1 which has glucose-dependent effects on insulin secretion. In this episode we discuss how semaglutide performs as an antihyperglycaemic agent compared to previous GLP-1 analogues and the soon-to-be launched tirzepatide. This dual agonist also binds receptors to glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, GIP.
GLP-1 and GIP are incretin hormones, secreted after food intake and involved in regulating gastric motility and appetite. The analogue therapies have resulted in weight loss of 10 to 20 percent in trials on patients with obesity or other weight-related comorbidities. For various reasons, however, they remain unsubsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This hasn’t stopped social media influencers driving up off-label demand from the wider public, creating a problem for regulators and the diabetic patients most in need.
Guests:
- Professor Chris Rayner MBBS PhD FRACP (Gwendolyn Michell Professor, Adelaide Medical School; Consultant Gastroenterologist, Royal Adelaide Hospital)
- Professor Gary Wittert MBBch, MD, FRACP (Mortlock Professor, Adelaide Medical School; Senior Consultant Endocrinologist, Royal Adelaide Hospital)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record listening reading as a prefilled learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or any podcasting app.
The RACP 2023 Member Statistics and Insights Report has just been released. This report provides an aggregated snapshot of College membership as at 30 June 2023 using member data from the College’s customer relationship management (CRM) system.
The report displays a range of characteristics of the membership including demographic measures such as age, gender and location, as well as other characteristics such as largest training sites, specialty and more. Additional analysis has also enabled the report to include trend information about various characteristics of the membership over a number of years.
To commemorate our 85-year Anniversary, you’re invited to submit your story to our 85 Year Anniversary publication. A total of 85 submissions will be curated into this keepsake publication to showcase the diverse journeys of our members and their personal connection with our College. All submissions will also be published in the College Roll.
Share your story or find out more
By completing your ‘my work profile’ you will provide us with valuable insights which we can use to make evidence-based and informed advocacy decisions for improving workforce planning. All you need to do is log in to My RACP, click ‘update my work profile’ and answer a few questions about your work activities.
Complete ‘my work profile’
Did you know that the ROC (RACP Online Community) features the latest news, events, and updates in your community? The ROC is a secure online forum that enables you to stay up to date with the latest happenings in your College and start discussions which other members can immediately see and respond to. It’s prompt and more accessible than email and helps you to expand your network of contacts across the membership.
Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or log in via MyRACP.
Find out more
Take advantage of our amazing offers this November. We bring you savings on automotive, health insurance, tech, whitegoods and more. Log in and save with your Member Advantage.
Member Advantage Australia
Member Advantage Aotearoa New Zealand
AFOEM contact details
AFOEM Faculty enquiries (including Council and committees):
AFOEM Executive Officer
Email: afoem@racp.edu.au
AFOEM Education and Training enquiries:
Adella Song
Education Officer
Email: occenvmed@racp.edu.au
AFOEM Examination enquiries:
Examination Coordinator, Assessment Services
Email: faculty.examinations@racp.edu.au
AFOEM training site accreditation inquiries:
Site Accreditation Unit
Email: accreditation@racp.edu.au
AFOEM CPD enquiries:
Email: mycpd@racp.edu.au