AFRM News – March 2025
Recently, the AFRM executive reviewed the list of medals and awards available across the College.
Many AFRM members are likely to be aware of some of the AFRM specific awards that are awarded each year. However, I would imagine that, like me, most members are not aware of the long list of other College
awards and medals available to all members including those in AFRM. But when we looked at which AFRM members had received these honours, the list was extremely short. In fact, we are only aware of a few nominations of AFRM members for College awards over the years.
That is not to say we don’t have members deserving of recognition. I bet if we thought about it, we could each name a few notable AFRM members who have made amazing and influential contributions to developing/promoting rehabilitation medicine as a specialty, clinical and research work, teaching and supervision of trainees, and indeed Faculty committee work. We all know people who have made a difference to our specialty at a local, state, national or international level. Yet we aren’t very good at formally recognising their work.
So, below is a list of some of the College medals that we thought might be relevant to AFRM members. These are awarded by the RACP every year, so it would be great to see more AFRM members on the nominations and recipients list. I will note that not all awards are currently open for nominations but will be at different times during the year. Have a look at this list and start having a think about the members you might consider nominating. I know I have a few in mind. What names would you attach to each award?
John Sands Medal - presented to a Fellow in recognition of a significant contribution to the welfare of the College. Only a Past College President is excluded. Eg perhaps people who have been on multiple Faculty committees over many years.
College Medal - a Fellow who makes a significant contribution to medical specialist practice, healthcare and/or health of community through physician activities. This is not about working for the College but the community impact through physician activities.
RACP International Medal - recognises a member who has provided outstanding service in developing countries.
RACP Medal for Clinical Service in Rural & Remote Areas - recognises a Fellow who has provided outstanding clinical service in rural and remote areas of Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Jennifer Mann
AFRM President
Bi-National Rehabilitation Position Statement Update
We are pleased to announce that Professors Maria Crotty and Chris Poulos have been appointed as Co-Chairs of the
Bi-National Rehabilitation Position Statement (BNRPS) Working Group. This group is focused on establishing core principles and minimum criteria for best practice rehabilitation medicine services, with the aim of guiding and shaping the future development of rehabilitation medicine for the next decade and beyond. Following their meeting in March, we look forward to sharing more updates as this project progresses.
The AFRM Trainee Committee Needs You
Are you interested in presenting at this year’s AFRM Annual Trainees Meeting (ATM)? This online, one-day event in October presents an excellent opportunity for rehabilitation trainees to learn from leading experts across various fields. If you're interested in participating, please contact
afrm@racp.edu.au. The Committee is open to a broad range of topics, so feel free to submit your ideas.
Declaration of Interest Reminder for Committee Members
Appointed committee members are required to update their Declarations of Interest (DOI) form annually. Please contact us if you require the template or email your completed DOI form for 2025 to
afrm@racp.edu.au
The RACP Foundation offers Fellowships, scholarships, grants, and prizes to members dedicated to advancing healthcare.
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John Sands Medal: presented to a Fellow for significant contributions to the welfare of the College.
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College Medal: awarded to a Fellow who has made a significant impact on medical practice, healthcare, or community health through physician activities.
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There are also various other
Medals and Prizes that recognise the exceptional contributions and achievements of our Fellows and trainees.
Make an impact
Discover how you can get involved and make a difference by volunteering for an exciting opportunity within your Faculty.
Our updated
events list provides a great opportunity to gain new insights, broaden your knowledge, and network with your colleagues.
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Visit the College website for our full list of events.
Stay up to date with the latest news from the trainee community and discover ways to enhance your training.
Unfortunately, the recording of the Annual Trainees' Meeting (ATM) held on 26 October 2024 will not be published as originally planned. An eDM has been sent to inform trainees of this update.
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Did you know that you can update your address details online? Simply log in to
MyRACP and go to 'Edit my Details'.
AFRM contact details
Member enquiries
Phone: (AUS) 1300 69 7227
Phone: (NZ) 0508 69 7227
Email: memberservices@racp.edu.au
AFRM Faculty enquiries (including Council and Committees)
Ruby Nelson, Executive Officer
Email: afrm@racp.edu.au
Aotearoa NZ AFRM Committee
Executive Officer, DFACs AoNZ
Phone: +64 4 460 8142
Email: nz_afrm@racp.org.nz
Aotearoa NZ office
Executive Officer, DFACs AoNZ
Phone: +64 4 460 8142
Email: nz_afrm@racp.org.nz
AFRM education and training enquiries
Education Officer
Phone: +61 2 8247 6237
Email: rehab@racp.edu.au