Welcome to our second edition of the PCHD Pot-pourri newsletter for 2026. I’m pleased to be able to give you an update on priorities and activities since our last newsletter in March.
It was my great pleasure on Saturday, 30 May to attend the latest convocation ceremony at Sydney Town Hall. As well as welcoming 54 new PCHD Fellows to our community, we had the pleasure of seeing their joy shared with their families and loved ones, which always makes for a very special occasion. To add to the celebrations, Professor Wayne Cutfield, an Aotearoa New Zealand PCHD Fellow and previous Howard Williams Medal recipient was awarded the RACP College Medal. Professor Cutfield is a paediatric endocrinologist widely known as a founder and leader of endocrine training in paediatric diabetes, thus is an extremely worthy recipient of this prestigious award. I also wish to congratulate the joint winners of the PCHD 2024 Examination Medal in Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Lauren Madigan and Dr Erica White, who were presented with their awards at the ceremony.
An important part of my role as PCHD President is to chair the PCHD Council, which met for their second meeting of the year on 14 May. We invited RACP CEO Steffen Faurby to attend to speak to recent governance issues and to take questions from Council members. Aligned to this item, Council also discussed recent conversations circulating among PCHD members regarding establishment of a separate Paediatric college.
Further to this, Paul Hotton, Aidan Tan and I attended a meeting coordinated and chaired by Jacki Small to discuss calls for a separate paediatric college. We attended in the spirit of member engagement and to hear the views of paediatricians. The consensus from the meeting was that the membership needed to be asked their views on this and that due diligence relating to the process, accreditation, curriculum and additional costs to members needed to be undertaken. As PCHD President I remain open to all such exploratory conversations as long as they are undertaken with transparency, respect, inclusivity and in the pursuit of good governance.
I’d like to draw your attention to another article in this newsletter, written by PCHD President-elect Dr Paul Hotton. Dr Hotton will become President of PCHD in 2028 and has for the last five years been Chair of the Chapter of Community Child Health Committee. He reflects on achievements over those years, as well as bidding a well-earned retirement to previous Chair Dr Chris Pearson and welcoming the new Chapter Chair Dr Alicia Montgomery. I commend his article to you.
It has been a very busy few months since my last update, and I’ve outlined below some of the activities that have engaged my attention and time as PCHD President. If you have any questions about any of these activities, I’d welcome hearing from you via Paed@racp.edu.au.
RACP and Specialty Society Presidents’ Forum
Held at the RACP’s Sydney office on 13 March 2026, this year’s event welcomed leadership from 50 RACP-affiliated specialty societies and organisations, as well as the College President and President-elect and Presidents of the RACP Divisions, Faculties and Chapters. A full-day agenda included several breakout sessions: Education and Training, Continuing Professional Development, and Workforce Insights and Action. A session on collaboration invited the specialty society viewpoint, and there was a case study on partnership; GenMed Horizons Project. A summary of actions at the day’s conclusion gave clear indication of a keenness to maintain active two-way communication and involvement between the College and our specialty society colleagues.
Asia Pacific APPA Webinar on Suicide Prevention
I was honoured to present in March at the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association (APPA) webinar on suicide prevention, sharing insights from my work on Victoria’s Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity (CCOPMM) on building safer systems to prevent youth suicide. My co-presenters for the session were Professor Dr Vitharon Boon-Yasidhi (Thailand) and Dr Ravivarma Rao Panirselvam (Malaysia).
The session focused on lessons from statewide mortality reviews, preventable harm, and system level reforms needed to strengthen suicide prevention for children and young people. It was a privilege to engage with regional leaders and champions for child health from across the Asia Pacific, united by a shared commitment to addressing this critical issue.
Aotearoa New Zealand PCHD Council meeting and Victoria Tasmania Trainee Committee in March
I sat in on both of these committee meetings to stay in touch with matters important to our Aotearoa New Zealand colleagues and our PCHD trainees. It was very interesting to hear about policy priorities and planning for the Aotearoa NZ election. At the trainee meeting, shared concerns were discussed, showing excellent engagement from trainees. I commend their passion and commitment.
Dr Michael McDowell Oration
The inaugural ASDP Michael McDowell Oration was held in Melbourne, Victoria in March. This new annual oration, presented by the Australasian Society for Developmental Paediatrics (ASDP), honours the significant contributions of Dr Michael McDowell to the field of neurodevelopmental and behavioural paediatrics. This year Professor Frank Oberklaid AM was invited to provide the oration. I attended the event and heard Professor Oberklaid speak on the history of developmental paediatrics in Australia, the changing morbidity, his views on training needs into the future, and his call for a separate paediatric college.
Thriving Kids
Together with Dr Paul Hotton, Dr Saniya Kazi and the RACP Policy & Advocacy team, I met with Professor Oberklaid during April to discuss next steps with the Thriving Kids initiative, including from both the Federal and State/Territory perspectives. We will continue our engagement with the relevant stakeholders at the Commonwealth and jurisdiction agencies to ensure our expert advice continues to shape implementation and guarantee any concerns are raised early.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD reforms continue to take shape across many jurisdictions in Australia. Dr Hotton, the Policy & Advocacy team and I met with the National Legislation Harmonisation Advisory Group leaders at the beginning of April to discuss advice they are preparing for the Health Ministers regarding GP involvement in ADHD management. We were pleased to have the opportunity to provide input and feedback on their proposal to ensure robust guidance is provided for consideration by the Ministers.
I was pleased to be invited to attend the RACGP WA ADHD GP Symposium held in Perth in March, in partnership with the WA Department of Health. The program brought together GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, pharmacists and lived experience advocates with a shared focus on improving ADHD care in Western Australia. The sessions covered GP training and workforce reform, safe prescribing, non-pharmacological care, First Nations health, co-occurring conditions, and importantly, collaborative models of care between GPs and paediatricians, including a dedicated session on shared care in paediatric ADHD.
From an RACP perspective, it was encouraging to see strong paediatric representation and genuine inter-College engagement. I also had the opportunity to meet with Dr Ramya Raman, RACGP WA Chair and RACGP Vice President, whose leadership and commitment to collaboration were evident throughout the day. This symposium was a good example of what can be achieved when WA paediatricians, the WA State Committee, and partner colleges work together. With RACP now having a nominated paediatric clinical lead contributing to ADHD reform, WA provides a practical illustration of what is possible when reforms are clinically led, well governed, and genuinely collaborative.
We have had several opportunities to interact with the media on this topic, including this article (behind paywall).
I have been appointed to the Expert Advisory Panel for ADHD reforms in Victoria, and I have also been invited to advise on a proposed Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) prescribing pilot in Victoria. Together with RACGP and RANZCP, we have written to the Premier of Victoria to express our concerns about stimulant medication prescribing through the VVED.
Recent stakeholder meetings
I recently met with Dr Mike Freelander MP together with Dr Hotton and Policy & Advocacy Manager Justine Watkins, to discuss several key paediatric priorities, including the Specialist Fees Inquiry, Thriving Kids, MBS reform, ADHD care, new Autism work, exploring GP paediatrician credentialling and our new Immunisation position statement coming soon.
I also attended a Preventive Health Roundtable at Parliament House, hosted by Dr Sophie Scamps MP. The Roundtable focused on population-level measures to reduce overweight and obesity, with discussions on the evidence for, and feasibility of regulation to restrict unhealthy food and drink marketing to children and introducing a levy on sugar-sweetened beverages. The Roundtable brought together MPs and key health stakeholders to examine why progress has stalled and to identify practical next steps for implementation. This is aligned with RACP’s Switch off the Junk campaign that we launched in 2023 to draw attention to the need for regulation of junk food advertising. Please join the campaign; go to Switch off the Junk and add your name to the petition today.
Submissions
We recently responded to the Northern Territory’s Inquiry into the Care and Protection of Children Legislation Amendment (Every Child Matters) Bill 2026, providing a submission that reinforces the importance of culturally safe, community-led approaches to improve safety and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Our submission builds on the RACP policy statements on Health Care of Children in Care and Protection Services and Indigenous Child Health in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and highlights the critical role of investment in population health approach to child protection through prevention, addressing the social determinants of health, early intervention, community-led decision-making and culturally respectful practice in ensuring children’s safety and wellbeing, and reflects the strong advocacy position held across PCHD.
19th Asia Pacific Congress of Pediatrics, July, Sri Lanka
I have been invited to attend the APCP2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and I am delighted to be presenting on the following three topics:
- Improving communication skills for clinical practice and clinical exams (pre-Congress Workshop)
- Neuroaffirming Autism Care: a practical guide for paediatricians
- At risk, in care, often invisible: Paediatricians as advocates for vulnerable children
The theme of the conference is “Redefining Pediatric Care – Blending Equity, Excellence and Technology”. I hope to see some of you there.
IPA Child Development Program – National Pilot in Mexico
As Coordinator of the International Pediatric Association (IPA) Child Development Program, I’m pleased to share that the program has successfully completed a national pilot in Mexico, with survey results now available. This pilot represents an important early step in understanding child development and paediatric primary and specialist care capacity at a national level, using structured data to inform future program development. The findings are encouraging and highlight both strengths and areas for further work.
This is an exciting milestone for the IPA Child Development Program. The results will inform next steps, including refinement of the approach and consideration of broader international implementation. I will continue to keep RACP members updated as this work progresses and as opportunities for engagement arise.
Youth Appropriate Health Care position statement launch
I am so pleased that the new RACP Youth Appropriate Health Care position statement has been launched. Professor Simon Denny, Chair of the Youth Appropriate Health Care Working Group, and Dominique Rose, member of the RACP’s first Youth Advisory Group launched the document at the Australian Association for Adolescent Health (AAAH) Youth Health Conference held in Sydney in April. This was followed by Professor Denny and Kya Hurihanganui, member of the Youth Advisory Group, presenting at the RACP LIFT26 Rapid-Fire Clinical Updates event “Paediatrics and transition to adult-care” in Auckland in early May. The document and presentations have been warmly welcomed, and dissemination of the new statement and recommendations are in progress to members and key stakeholders, including government and health officials, as well as healthcare services. I thank the Youth Advisory Group, Working Group physicians, RACP Policy & Advocacy and other RACP members who provided input during consultation, for delivering such an important advocacy tool.
2025 Examination Medal in Paediatrics & Child Health
It is my great pleasure to congratulate Dr Susanna Lees Watts of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand who has been awarded the 2025 Examination Medal in Paediatrics & Child Health. This Medal is awarded to the trainee with the highest aggregate combined percentage in the RACP Written and Clinical Examinations in Paediatrics & Child Health. I trust you will also join me in sharing congratulations to Dr Lees Watts for her hard work resulting in this achievement.
Death of Professor Alistair Gunn
I was saddened to hear recently of the sudden death of Professor Alistair Gunn (Aotearoa New Zealand). Professor Gunn was our 2024 Howard Williams Medal recipient, presenting at that year’s RACP Congress on his specialty topic of “the development of therapeutic hypothermia, from bench to cotside”. Sidelined at the last minute by illness, Professor Gunn nevertheless graciously pivoted from attending in person to presenting via Zoom, working with then-PCHD President Professor Nitin Kapur to deliver an informative and very entertaining session. He was by all accounts a remarkable man and paediatrician, and he will be sorely missed.
Dr Niroshini Kennedy
PCHD President