Pot-pourri eBulletin - 19 February 2024
I am delighted to welcome you all to another year by congratulating the following award recipients from our own PCHD Fellowship:
Aotearoa New Zealand New Year Honours:
Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM)
- Dr Scott Duncan MacFarlane – for services to health.
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM)
- Professor Francis Harry (Frank) Bloomfield, for services to neonatology.
Australia Day Honours:
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
- Clinical Associate Professor Jenny Louise Hynson FRACP, for service to palliative care medicine.
- Dr Ramananda Kamath FRACP – for service to paediatric gastroenterology.
On behalf of the PCHD membership, I want to thank all of you for your extraordinary contributions. The full list of RACP Honours recipients can be found on our website.
On Friday, 15 March, the College is hosting a face-to-face forum with our affiliated Specialty Societies. This marks the second consecutive year of the event. Representatives from over three-quarters of both the PCHD and Adult Medicine Division affiliated societies, along with the Presidents of both Divisions, will join the College President to discuss crucial collaboration areas such as training, workforce, CPD, and advocacy. This presents an excellent opportunity to address key priorities, and I look forward to representing the PCHD as your President.
Speaking of our affiliated specialty societies, please see the update below from the Australian Association for Adolescent Health (AAAH). Throughout the year we’ll be inviting societies to contribute items to this newsletter, in an effort to bring our organisations and membership closer together. I recommend the AAAH article to you and urge you to keep a lookout for updates from other groups in upcoming editions of Pot-pourri.
Registrations for RACP Congress 2024 are now open and the program is coming together. This is constantly being updated as more details are confirmed, so please check in regularly. I’m particularly thrilled that Dr Camilla Kingdon is attending and will contribute to the Women in Medical Leadership session on the first day. Dr Kingdon is the President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and her perspective will make this session a must-see component of the program. Another must-see is our own Howard Williams Medal session on the morning of day two, featuring medal recipient Professor Alistair Gunn and his presentation “The development of therapeutic hypothermia; from bench to cotside”. The closing keynote, Shaping the Physician of the Future, includes a vital trainee perspective presented by paediatric registrar Dr Aidan Tan.
These are just some program highlights so far with more to be announced, such as speakers and content for the exciting new Rapid Fire Clinical Update sessions, which are being presented by our specialty societies. And let’s not forget one other very important reason for attending Congress: to meet up with old friends and new at social events such as the Welcome Reception and Gala Dinner. Registrations are open and Early Bird pricing for Fellows and Non-Members is available until Friday, 23 February.
Immediately following the event, on Sunday, 19 May, the Chapter of Community Child Health will hold their annual Chapter Satellite Day at the College’s new space at 1 O’Connell Street Sydney, with a social event to take place the evening before. The Satellite Day is a great opportunity to bring together Chapter members to share learning within the Chapter of Community Child Health frameworks, and sessions will align to Category 2 CPD. The program is currently being fine-tuned and I’ll be happy to announce here when it is finalised and registrations open. I’m sure it will be a valuable and energising event. Chapter members should check in on the CCCH ROC for updates.
Professor Nitin Kapur
PCHD President
News from the Australian Association of Adolescent Health (AAAH)
The Australian Association for Adolescent Health – a health promotion charity and the peak body for adolescent to young adult health and wellbeing in Australia – fosters collaboration, connection and learning with a growing membership of health professionals, researchers, policy makers and young people.
We have a range of upcoming events for AAAH members and youth health networks including:
AAAH 2024 Youth Health Conference
-(email-signature).png?sfvrsn=b4e6d81a_1 "2024 AAAH Youth HEALTH (350 x 50 px) (Email Signature)")
Join us in sunny Brisbane in the heart of the city for three days of networking and learning from the latest findings, practices and models of care in adolescent and young adult health and wellbeing. The AAAH 2024 Youth Health Conference is an opportunity for you to come together with other physicians and healthcare professionals, young people, researchers, academics, youth advocates and policy makers.
For event details and registration go to: AAAH 2024 Youth Health Conference | Brisbane (aaahyouthhealthconference.com.au)
Members-only forums with the Department of Health
In 2023-24 AAAH are running members-only forums with the Department of Health. This is an opportunity for AAAH members to share their views and expertise with key teams within the Department of Health and Aged Care in relation to a range of youth health topics. Please see below for topics of individual forums:
To join these important conversations and get discounts for our Youth Health Conference, please join AAAH as a member. Membership is free for young people under 26 years, low cost for students and invaluable for anyone involved in adolescent to young adult health and wellbeing.
Expressions of Interest (EOIs)
Please keep an eye on the EOIs page on the College website for vacant positions
All Expressions of Interest
RACP Congress 2024
RACP Congress returns in May 2024 at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney. Be part of Australasia's leading specialist event and help us drive the conversation on "Shaping Healthcare". This two-day event provides a forum to exchange knowledge, engage with thought leaders, receive the latest specialty society clinical updates and networking opportunities. Don't miss yourchance to help shape the future of healthcare - mark your calendar for RACP Congress 2024 on Thursday, 16 and Friday, 17 May.
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.
Hurry, the 15 per cent early bird special ends this Friday, 23 February.
Register now
Survey: Clinician approach to neonatal resuscitation – do you use the neonatal or paediatric ANZCOR algorithm?
Neonatal resuscitation outside of the delivery room is a rare, but high stakes clinical scenario. Two distinct resuscitation algorithms apply in the neonatal period: newborn (3:1 compression to ventilation ratio) and paediatric (15:2 compression to ventilation ratio, asynchronous ventilation once intubated). There is no human experimental data to inform the decision regarding at which postnatal age the paediatric algorithm should supersede the neonatal algorithm.
This survey seeks to understand the clinician, environmental and patient factors that might influence the decision to use the algorithm. In addition, it seeks to determine if any robust mechanisms exist to capture important clinical information in a neonatal resuscitation, and link these to survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes to inform future practice.
This survey will take you approximately 5 minutes and can be accessed here.
Australian Department of Health and Aged Care MBS compliance activities
In December 2021 the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care ran compliance activities in relation to concerns they had regarding Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebates for hospital (75%) and non-hospital (85% and 100%) services. The activities resulted in some providers adjusting their claiming, however other providers continue to claim the 85% rebate for what appear to be hospital-based treatments.
The Department has written to the College to ask us to let you know that they will shortly be re-running this compliance activity to recover overpayments and to influence behavioural change. They will be conducting audits in tranches of approximately 30 providers which are expected to commence in late February 2024.
If you have any comments or queries about this compliance activity, please email Marisa Skinner, acting Director, Public Hospital Compliance Section at hospitalcompliance@health.gov.au.
Advanced Training Curricula Renewal – wave 3 specialties
There is still time for you to participate in wave 3 of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Advanced Training Curricula Renewal (ATCR) program.
You can:
These opportunities close on Wednesday, 21 February 2024.
Our Advanced Training Curricula Renewal webpage provides more details on those specialties involved in wave 3 of the project.
With a week left to nominate for one of many rewarding roles and/or provide feedback, those who are still considering how they can best participate are encouraged to email curriculum@racp.edu.au.
You can also share our curricula redesign information sheet with colleagues who may be interested in getting involved in curriculum redesign.
Create your own report with the MBA’s Medical Training Survey interactive dashboard
The Medical Board of Australia’s Medical Training Survey 2023 Interactive Dashboard is now live.
Explore and compare results and topics local to your training setting or region. Training setting specific data is only available if >10 trainees responded.
The RACP actively uses MTS results to drive enhancements within training settings, training programs, and to develop strategic approaches that enhance our services and contribute to a positive shift in the culture of medicine.
Further details about the survey can be found on the Medical Training Survey website.
New 2024-2025 STP support projects applications are now open
Did you know you can apply for Commonwealth funding for Specialist Training Program (STP) support projects through The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)?
The RACP is accepting new applications for upcoming support projects that provide support for, and clearly benefit, existing STP trainees in settings outside traditional metropolitan teaching hospitals, including regional, rural, remote and private facilities. Projects that provide cultural safety training in Indigenous healthcare settings will also be considered, and these can be whole-of-College activities aimed at cultural and/or behavioural change.
Please refer to the STP page of the RACP website for details on how to apply, key dates and what the priority projects are that the Department is looking to support over the next 24 months. Facilities can submit more than one application ranging from short-term to multi-year projects. Applications must be received on or before Monday, 11 March 2024.
Final review and approval is made by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
International Women’s Day 2024
Join us for a special online event - Making it happen: Work flexibility in healthcare webinar on Wednesday, 6 March - where we convene a panel of doctors from different specialisations to discuss how to effectively implement flexible workplace practices in a variety of healthcare settings and how to sustainably continue a career in medicine after career breaks or life changes.
This special event will occur in the lead up to International Women’s Day 2024 on Friday, 8 March, which features the theme Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress and examines pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and girls everywhere.
Find out more about International Women’s Day 2024 or register for the webinar.
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 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.
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”.
Hear the latest news first on the ROC
Do you know that as part of your membership, you now have access the ROC (RACP Online Community)? The ROC is a secure online platform where you can post questions, share information, and start discussions which other members can immediately see and respond to. If you haven’t used this type of platform before, think of it as a virtual town hall for the entire College and a series of different online common rooms for different Divisions, Faculties and Chapters. It’s prompt and more accessible than email and is a great way to expand your network across the College.
Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or log in via MyRACP.
RACP Benefits - something new is coming
Our new lifestyle benefit portal with a range of offers and discounts from leading brands across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand is almost here.
Look out for our launch email on 28 February.
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
Career opportunities
View all career opportunities on the RACP website.
Pot-pourri submissions welcome
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.