I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Training Meeting (ATM) held in Brisbane on 17 and 18 May. There were 55 trainees registered for this ATM. This ATM was historic as this is the last cohort to train under the current system. From 2026, trainees will require prerequisite experience and postgraduate qualifications in occupational medicine before entering our advanced training program. The program ran very smoothly and on time because of the outstanding organisation by Dr Clare Wood and Dr Andrew Lingwood, supported by our excellent staff, Jane Konjevic and Eva Kosinski.

The ATM covered topics including exam advice and preparation, occupational hygiene, the stress on, and wellbeing of, clinicians, occupational medicine in defence, environmental medicine, and how to undertake research projects. There were 13 very high-quality research presentations including systematic reviews, clinical audits and applied research. It was most evident that trainees had put a lot of time and effort into both their projects and their presentations. Congratulations to Dr David Cleveland for winning the Ramazzini Prize for his research on intradermal hepatitis B vaccination. 

Subsequent to her presentation at the ATM, Dr Catherine McDougall, the Chief Medical Officer for Queensland, posted on LinkedIn that occupational physicians have the appropriate expertise to advise on how to address the health and wellbeing of clinicians.

For those trainees needing site visits, these will be included in the ANZSOM meeting in Melbourne in October. Because of the lack of Congress this year, the RACP has approved the Ferguson-Glass Oration being presented at the ANZSOM ASM 2025.

Don’t forget to register for the hybrid AFOEM Annual Members Meeting being held at the RACP premises on level 27, 1 O’Connell Street, Sydney or online from 6pm to 7 pm AEST on Wednesday, 28 May. Reports will be provided by the President, Chair of the Policy and Advocacy Committee, Chair of the Education Committee and Chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Committee. I am delighted that both the RACP President, Professor Jennifer Martin, and the CEO, Steffen Faurby, have accepted the invitation to attend. Following these updates, and announcement of awards and prizes, I will hand the presidency over to the incoming President, Dr Armand Casolin. 

For those who have not yet met Dr Casolin, he has over 30 years' experience in occupational medicine. He joined RailCorp in 2005 as the Chief Health Officer and is now the Chief Health Officer for Transport for NSW. He was a foundation board member and subsequent Chair of the Australasian Medical Review Officer’s Association.   Armand has published numerous research papers in international journals, is President of the International Union of Railway Medical Services, and past Chair of the AFOEM Faculty Training Committee, AFOEM Policy and Advocacy Committee and Chief Medical Officer’s Council. He has a particular interest in training, so will be ideally placed to oversee the implementation of the new curriculum and training program.

As this is my last post in my role as your President, I want to extend my gratitude to all our committee members and staff for their exceptional advice and support throughout my term. Words cannot express the extent of my appreciation. From what I have witnessed over the past three years, the passion, expertise and professionalism of our members, and staff, ensures a promising future for our Faculty.