Pot-pourri eBulletin - 12 July 2024
Our RACP paediatricians are concerned about the impact social media can have on the health, wellbeing and development of children and young people. We'll soon be releasing an opinion piece calling upon parents, educators, health professionals and policymakers to work together to explore sensible and appropriate limits on children accessing social media. Watch this space for more information.
While the College has recently named those RACP Fellows recognised in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours list, I’d like to draw attention to those who are our PCHD colleagues, and to personally congratulate them on their outstanding contributions to our local, national and international communities.
Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division
- Professor Sharon Ruth Goldfeld FAFPHM, FRACP: For significant service to paediatric medicine as a clinician and academic, and to public health research.
- Associate Professor Christine Jeffries FRACP: For significant service as a paediatrician, to rural and remote medicine, and to the Indigenous community.
- Conjoint Professor Tracey Anne O'Brien FRACP: For significant service to cancer medicine, to medical research and education, and to professional bodies.
- Clinical Associate Professor Christine Philippa Rodda FRACP: For significant service to paediatric endocrinology, to medical research, and to tertiary education.
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division
- Professor Asha Clare Bowen FRACP: For service to medicine in the field of clinical disease.
I’d like to highlight a recent episode of the excellent Pomegranate Podcast which speaks to a matter of increasing importance: cultivating a rural workforce. The episode focuses specifically on the shortage of health practitioners in the regions, noting that: Even in regional centres, the density of physicians by population count is two thirds what it is in the major cities (and) by the time you get to large rural towns it’s just over a third that baseline. The podcast discusses opportunities to lift recruitment and retention. This means improving the experience for trainees and the esteem for rural medicine in the eyes of the profession at large. Featuring guests Professor Graeme McGuire, Dr Sarah Straw, and Associate Professor Matthew McGrail, you can find the podcast link and transcript here.
Professor Nitin Kapur
PCHD President
Several positions are available on PCHD committees, including Chair positions for the PCHD Policy & Advocacy Committee and PCHD Research Committee. Please consider applying for suitable positions and/or encouraging your colleagues. If you have any questions about any of the PCHD committee positions, please contact Paed@racp.edu.au.
All Expressions of Interest
Foundation Awards for 2025 – don’t miss the opportunity to apply
PCHD trainees and Fellows are eligible to apply for most awards.
- Research Entry Scholarships provide stipend support for researchers in their early career - closing date Tuesday, 16 July 2024
- Research Development Grants provide funding for smaller research projects for beginning researchers. Applicants can undertake a short-term or part-time research project - closing date Wednesday, 31 July 2024
- Travel Grants intended to support short periods of research. They may be used to cover travelling or re-establishment costs for those taking up a postdoctoral fellowship overseas or research training – closing date Wednesday, 31 July 2024
Please refer to the RACP Foundation website for information on specific eligibility requirements for each award.
RACP Trainee Research Awards
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The RACP Trainee Research Awards (TRAs) provide a valuable opportunity for trainees to present their research at an Australian regional or Aotearoa New Zealand event. The best presenters from each local event are invited to present their work alongside recognised researchers at an RACP event.
The RACP Trainee Research Award Symposium 2024 is a free hybrid event open to members and non-members of the RACP taking place on Friday, 26 July 2024 – Register now.
Support the 2023 award recipients when they present their research in the Council Room in the historic RACP building at 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Faculty trainees are encouraged to apply for the RACP Trainee Research Awards. Applications open from 1 July to 31 August 2024.
Please see the website for further details and eligibility criteria.
Calls for Nominations
The Neil Hamilton Fairley Medal is one of the RACP’s most prestigious awards acknowledging an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of medicine.
The Award honours the internationally renowned work of esteemed Australian physician, Brigadier Sir Neil Hamilton Fairley KBE CStJ FRACP FRCP FRCPE FRS. Sir Neil Hamilton Fairley is remembered as a visionary whose knowledge and persistence led to numerous vital contributions in medicine. Nominations close 31 July 2024.
The Eric Susman Prize is a prestigious award for the best contribution to the knowledge of any branch of internal medicine. The Eric Susman Medal is presented at the RACP Convocation Ceremony. Nominations close 31 August 2024.
Full details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage or email the Foundation Team for more information.
Changes to PBS authorities from 1 July 2024
Just a reminder that from 1 July 2024, Services Australia will only accept details of the proposed PBS prescription (and PDF form where appropriate) when seeking PBS authority approval via the post.
Once processed, the assessment outcome will be sent to you via the post. If approved, you will need to endorse the original PBS authority prescription with the PBS Approval Number and PBS item code.
It’s important to note that all original prescriptions Services Australia receives via the post that are written on or after 1 July 2024 will be immediately returned to you. Services Australia will retain a copy of the prescription for processing.
Services Australia has a broad range of educational resources on the Health Professional Education Resources website. This includes simulations, podcast and an infographic on the Online PBS Authorities system. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate contact: Authorities.comms.change@servicesaustralia.gov.au
Commonwealth funding available for RRR projects
Do you have a project idea aimed at supporting non-GP specialist medical trainees and workforce in regional, rural, and remote Australia? Apply for a Commonwealth funded Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program grant.
FATES offers an innovative funding pool to encourage projects that support:
- flexible specialist training
- training support
- accreditation practices.
Applications for FATES Round 4 funding are now open and close Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
Please refer to the STP page on the RACP website for details on how to apply, key dates and what the priority areas are that the Department is looking to support.
If you have questions or need clarification around the eligibility of a planned project, please email stp@racp.edu.au.
Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) Program Webinar
Do you have a project idea aimed at supporting non-GP specialist medical trainees and workforce in regional, rural, and remote Australia?
Join us for a webinar designed to provide the latest general information on the FATES Grant Opportunity, what the FATES program is, the eligibility criteria, how to apply for the current round 4 funding in July and more.
The FATES objectives are to:
- improve and promote a positive medical education culture and support quality specialist medical training in regional, rural, and remote Australia
- reduce barriers and improve incentives for entering regional, rural, and remote medical practice
- improve the imbalance of distribution of the non-GP specialist medical training arrangements and workforce, particularly in areas of unmet need
- attract and support First Nations trainees to grow the First Nations workforce towards population parity.
For those wishing to expand their knowledge of this exciting new grant opportunity, this webinar taking place on Monday, 15 July at 5pm (AEST) should not be missed. Places are limited, so register now.
Take the new Fellow survey
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Did you complete a RACP Advanced, Faculty or Chapter training program between 1 April 2022 and 31 May 2023? Then you are invited to complete this year’s New Fellow Survey to share your experience as an early career physician.
The 15-minute anonymous online survey will ask respondents how their RACP training program has prepared them for Fellowship. Feedback will help us provide tailored resources and support for members and make evidence-informed improvements to our training programs.
The survey is open until Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 11.59pm AEST.
For more information about the anonymous 15-minute survey, including confidentiality and how the data will be reported, please visit the New Fellow Survey page on the RACP website.
Thank you to those Fellows who have already participated in this year’s New Fellow Survey.
Find out more and take the survey here.
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health publishes original research articles of scientific excellence in paediatrics and child health. The latest edition is now live and available to view online.
Some topics include:
- Advanced therapies for gut inflammation
- Vaccination of children and young people
- Paediatric inflammatory bowel disease
Read the journal
Podcast [Case Report] 32yo with abdominal pain two years after pancreas-kidney transplant
A fascinating case discussed by trainees and consultants to demonstrate a structured approach to diagnostic reasoning and case presentation. The case is that of a 32-year-old woman presenting with constant and dull abdominal pain that had been sudden in onset. The pain is accompanied by nausea and vomiting but bowel habits were unchanged. The patient has a history of type 1 diabetes and a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant two years prior to the presentation. There is no history of rejection of pancreatitis and serum creatinine appears normal. The attending nephrologist walks through the elimination of differential diagnoses typical of any patient and of particular relevance to a transplant patient.
Guests
Dr Stephen Bacchi (Lyell McEwin Hospital)
Dr Amitjeet Singh (Lyell McEwin Hospital)
Dr Chiang Sheng Lee FRACP (Lyell McEwin Hospital; University of Adelaide)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record listening and 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.
https://www.racp.edu.au/pomegranate/view/case-report-32yo-with-abdominal-pain-two-years-after-pancreas-kidney-transplant
Did you know that you can now update your address details online? Simply Login to MyRACP and go to “Edit my details”.
Did you know that you can tag your ROC posts so other members can easily find them? Tagging increases the visibility of your posts and makes your content searchable. Adding a topic tag enables you, and your colleagues, to find information on a specific topic by simply searching for the tag that’s been used. It is helpful way to find information if you don't know where to start.
Completing your member profile is another good way to increase your visibility and engage with other members. It helps build your network by allowing other members to learn more about you, your work, and your interests. This can lead to new opportunities for networking and collaboration.
Visit ROC tips to find out more.
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.
Pomegranate Health podcast: Your contributions welcome
The RACP podcast, Pomegranate Health, has published over 100 episodes since starting out eight years ago.
To provide more frequent and focused content we’re seeking contributions from our speciality societies, committees and affiliated professional organisations.
To hear what this would sound like, listen to the episodes tagged [IMJ On-Air]
These episodes feature authors published in the Internal Medicine Journal being interviewed by the relevant section editor.
They have covered themes as varied as asthma management, hospital-acquired complications, causes of readmission and the JEV outbreak.
You already spend considerable time preparing lectures and webinars for your colleagues.
Audio podcasts provide an easy way to reach thousands more around the world.
Each episode gets downloaded around 6500 times over the first 12 months from publication, with 21 per cent of listeners located outside of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
All you need to do is to organise one or more presenters and an interviewer familiar with the material. The podcast producer will coordinate an online recording lasting about one hour and then edit it down before publication. The intention would be to ‘brand’ regular episodes from your specialty society or organisation in the same way that we’ve done with [IMJ On-Air].
Please send any questions or ideas to podcast@racp.edu.au
View all career opportunities on the RACP website.
To submit an article for publishing in Pot-pourri, please email paed@racp.edu.au. The article should be no more than 350 words. If you would like to submit an image with your article, it would be assumed that you have received appropriate permission to use the photo and it needs to be of high resolution, above 300 dpi. Please note that articles may need to be edited by the RACP Communications Team.