AMD eBulletin – 23 September 2022
A message from your President-elect
Tēnā koutou kātoa | Greetings to all
Ko Ingarangi te whakapaparanga mai engari | English is my ancestry however
Kei Queensland au e noho ana | I am living in Queensland
He AMD President-elect au i RACP | I am the AMD President-elect at RACP
Ko Brian Wood au — I am Brian Wood
Tēnā tātou katoa | Greetings to one and all
In light of last week’s Te Wiki o te Reo Maori language week, above I have shared with you a form of my pepeha, introducing who I am and where I am from.
AMD Executive Committee Member — Associate Professor Tim Walker
I am pleased to introduce you to another member of the AMD Executive team, Associate Professor Tim Walker, who currently sits as the Chair of the Adult Medicine Divisional Education Committee (AMDEC) for Australia.
Tim is a Newcastle-based academic gastroenterologist. With a global health interest, he is also involved in assessing overseas trained physicians for comparability with FRACP training. Prior to starting work at the Calvary Mater Newcastle, Tim worked overseas in Rwanda for six years where he oversaw undergraduate and postgraduate internal medicine education, and still engages in regular outreach work to Rwanda, as well as in Alice Springs and Moree.
He is passionate about the College updating training, education and assessments to become more flexible, educationally sound, and attractive to doctors from Indigenous, rural and remote backgrounds. Tim feels the Adult Medicine Division (AMD) has much to offer in advocating in this area, given the rapid changes in practice, education and medical resourcing we have experienced taking place, and which has been accelerated by COVID-19.
AMD Workplan 2023 to 2025
The AMD Executive Committee last met on 14 September to discuss and work on its workplan for the next three years. The aim of the workplan is to set a unified direction for all the complex specialties that work within adult medicine. This has been discussed at AMD Council, and the AMD Executive Committee has come up with the following five goals to work on:
1. Improving the capacity of adult medicine to respond to workforce needs.
This will include a variety of aspects with the aim that all our systems are suitable and nimble enough to improve workforce planning within our frame of reference. These will be used to assist with the future requirements across our health systems.
2. Ensuring equity, fairness, and transparency in selection to Advanced Training.
This has been on our workplan previously and is an issue that needs ongoing work. It is an incredibly complex situation as employment is not managed by the College. It is considered important as it is an issue regularly raised by our trainees.
3. Supporting and growing the Physician Leader.
Ongoing work has taken place on this, and we hope to have exciting news about this regarding a workshop we plan to run straight after Congress in Brisbane next year.
4. Articulating the function of the AMD.
AMD is the largest Division in the College, which makes it unusually complex. It is important to clarify exactly what we aim to deliver, and how we might benefit our stakeholders in the future.
5. Supporting the wellbeing of AMD Fellows and trainees.
There was unanimous support for continuing to engage in wellbeing efforts at AMD Council, and we wish to support a variety of initiatives to assist with this going forward.
The AMD Executive would be interested in hearing from you with any thoughts regarding any of the workplan items above.
ROC
A reminder to members to visit the AMD Community and the Chapter Communities within the ROC (RACP Online Community). This platform provides a fantastic opportunity to connect and collaborate with your peers. Keep an eye out on the ROC for the webinars being run by the AMD Specialty Societies.
If you would like to discuss any of the above, I encourage you to reach out to me via the secretariat at adult.med@racp.edu.au or on the ROC.
Best wishes
Professor Brian Wood
President-elect, Adult Medicine Division
AChSHM President’s Post
Kia ora koutou,
The 2022 AChSHM awards are now open. Please consider applying now or forwarding to someone who you think would be interested in applying.
Awards currently open:
Please save the date for the 2023 AChSHM Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) meeting to be held on Saturday, 18 March 2023. The ASM will be accompanied by the Annual Trainee Meeting on Friday, 17 March 2023. The ASM Organising Committee, led by Adjunct Professor Darren Russell, last met on 12 August 2022 to discuss the speaker and program details. Stay tuned for more information.
I encourage AChSHM Fellows to consider applying to represent on the AChSHM Committee, or forwarding the opportunity onto someone who may be interested. The closing date is 30 September.
The Training Committee in Sexual Health (TCSHM) is seeking to increase its review panel to assist with case study and/or project marking for Advanced Trainees. Marking guidelines with FAQs will be sent to new markers to assist the process. For information on joining our marking panel, or to request an EOI form, please contact the Sexual Health Medicine Education Officers via shmedtraining@racp.edu.au. Please remember to submit your updated CV, along with the completed EOI form.
Our next AChSHM Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, 24 November 2022. If there are any items you would like to raise with the Committee, or if you have any feedback for us, please feel free to contact us through our secretariat at shmed@racp.edu.au.
Ka kite anō au i a koutou!
Dr Massimo Giola
Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine President
AChPM President’s Post
Hello and kia ora,
Firstly, I would like to congratulate Dr Catherine D’Souza on receiving the 2023 AChPM Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Discipline of Palliative Medicine. Dr D’Souza is a leader in palliative medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has a strenuous clinical practice as the sole palliative medicine specialist, and volunteers for many opportunities to promote palliative medicine, and to support her colleagues and students.
Congratulations also to Dr Sarah Bishop Browne who received the AChPM Best Trainee Research Project Award for her project titled An audit of current practices to assess, diagnose and manage oral candidiasis in patients admitted to a specialist palliative care unit.
I am pleased to advise that the spirituality training workshops will be held on Tuesdays across four consecutive weeks in November, starting on Tuesday, 8 November 2022. The spiritual dimensions of palliative care have been designed for Advanced Trainees in Palliative Medicine, AChPM Fellows, Allied Health, and any doctors and nurses interested in the spiritual care of their patients.
Thank you for the feedback provided by our trainees around delays in project and case study marking. I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that your Committee has already, and will continue to strongly advocate for urgent improvements in relation to these and related matters, including better resourcing of our administrative team.
With this in mind, we are still looking for members to join the Palliative Medicine Marking Panel. The panel assists with case study and/or project marking for our Advanced Training and Clinical Diploma trainees. To apply please see the following expression of interest details.
Volunteering your time and expertise to mark case studies and research projects can assist in you fulfilling your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements, and can be included on your CV – though we understand that this is not the key motivation in helping. Thank you to those who have already put their hands up.
Please be advised of the release of a culturally appropriate collection of tailored resources to support the provision of palliative care at home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. The caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families project aims to help connect family, culture, community, country, and the spiritual wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when care at home is preferred.
Lastly, please note that expressions of interest are open for an AChPM member to join the Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine Committee. Apply by 30 September 2022.
The next Chapter Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, 27 September 2022. I look forward to reporting back to you. Do you have a question for your Chapter Committee? We welcome any feedback or comments, so please feel free to contact us through the Chapter secretariat at PallMed@racp.edu.au.
Associate Professor Peter Poon
Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine President
Hello and kia ora,
Please be advised that the AChAM Indigenous Prize is currently open for applications and closing on 1 November 2022.
This prize offers medical students, junior medical officers, and registrars who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or Māori, the opportunity to attend the International Medicine in Addiction (IMiA) Conference in 2023. The prize also provides educational and networking opportunities to connect and meet influential healthcare professionals, exposure to career pathways, and supports an understanding of the health needs of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori people. Recipients also gain insight into the work RACP conducts to help Close the Gap – achieving equitable access to health and better outcomes for Indigenous people.
Please save the date for the 2023 International Medicine in Addiction Conference (IMiA), which will be held in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, from 17 to 19 February 2023 as a face-to-face event. The Conference will explore the following themes: collaborate, innovate and survive. Bringing together expert international and local voices, this event should not be missed.
Some of the speakers presenting at the 2023 IMiA are:
- Dr Julie Bruneau – the Canada Research Chair in Addiction Medicine and Professor in the Department of Family and Emergency Medicine at Université de Montréal.
- Dr Denise Hien – Vice Provost of Research in the Chancellor-Provost’s Office, Director and Helen E. Chaney Endowed Chair in Alcohol Studies of the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.
- Professor Val Curran – Professor of Psychopharmacology at University College London (UCL) where she established the UCL Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit in 1996. She is a founding member of the charity DrugScience, Research Lead at local NHS drug treatment services, and an advisor to the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform.
Lastly, all AChAM Fellows and trainees are invited to the AChAM Fellows update meeting that will be held during the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD) conference on Monday, 10 October, from 12.35pm to 13.20pm (ACDT) / 13.05pm to 13.50pm (AEDT) / 15.05pm to 15.50pm (NZDT).
The AChAM Committee will next meet on Friday, 28 October 2022. If you have any feedback, questions, or comments for me or the Committee, please get in touch through our secretariat at AddictionMed@racp.edu.au.
Professor Adrian Dunlop
Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine President
Expressions of Interest (EOIs)
All Expressions of Interest
College medals, prizes, and awards
If you know someone deserving of recognition for their outstanding contributions and achievements, now is the time to nominate them for these prestigious College Awards:
- The John Sands Medal recognises a Fellow who makes a significant contribution to the welfare of RACP and its members.
- The College Medal is aligned to the College motto hominum servire saluti. It is awarded to a Fellow who makes a significant contribution to medical specialist practice, healthcare and/or health of community through physician activities.
- International Medal recognises a member who has provided outstanding service in developing countries.
- Medal for Clinical Service in Rural and Remote Areas recognises a Fellow who has provided outstanding clinical service in rural and remote areas of Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Mentor of the Year Award recognises a Fellow who has made an outstanding contribution to mentoring or provided a high level of support and guidance throughout training.
- Trainee of the Year Award recognises a trainee who has made an outstanding contribution to College, community and trainee activities.
Complete nominations must be received by Friday, 30 September 2022. Full details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage.
RACP President's Indigenous Congress Prize
The RACP President's Indigenous Congress Prize is open to medical students, junior medical officers and RACP trainees who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori. The selected applicant will receive support to attend RACP Congress 2023 to gain educational and networking opportunities and exposure to career pathways within the College. Applications close on 30 November 2022.
Chapter prizes, scholarships, and awards
AChAM
AChAM Indigenous Prize is open to medical students, junior medical officers and registrars, who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori. The prize provides an opportunity for the recipient to attend the International Medicine in Addiction Conference in 2023. Applications close on 1 November 2022.
AChPM
Margot Nott Scholarship in Palliative Medicine is for residents in South Australia undertaking or about to commence training in the RACP Advanced Training in Palliative Medicine Program. Valued at up to $20,000 per annum for up to three years, this scholarship has been established to assist with training fees and provide stipend support. Applications close on 30 September 2022.
AChSHM
Penelope Lowe Prize is awarded to the best presentation of a case study by an AChSHM trainee at the AChSHM Annual Scientific Meeting. The prize includes $1,000 and a certificate. Applications close on 30 September 2022.
AChSHM Indigenous Scholarship offers medical students, junior medical officers, registrars and physician trainees who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori, the opportunity to attend the AChSHM Annual Scientific Meeting in 2023 with registration and expenses covered, plus one year of mentoring support from a member of the AChSHM Committee. Applications close on 31 October 2022.
AChSHM Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sexual Health Medicine recognises the outstanding contributions made by Fellows for either an outstanding contribution to education and training, or an outstanding contribution to research. Nominations close on 15 October 2022.
RACP scholarships — opening soon
ANZAN Indigenous Scholarship for Advanced Trainees in Neurology
The Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) is offering an annual scholarship that provides support to an RACP Advanced Trainee who identifies as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori and is undertaking the Advanced Training Program in Neurology.
See the website for more details. Applications open on 1 October 2022.
RACP Indigenous Health Scholarships
The RACP Indigenous Health Scholarship Program aims to support those medical graduates and current trainees of the RACP who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait islander or Māori on their chosen career path to becoming a physician. The scholarships provide a funded pathway through Basic, Advanced, Faculty or Chapter training in Australia and/or Aotearoa New Zealand.
Several scholarships are available for 2023:
- College Indigenous Australian and Māori Health Scholarship
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Scholarship.
Applications open on 1 October 2022. Further details on these scholarships are available on the RACP Foundation website.
Changes are coming to your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Over the next few months, a number of changes will be happening to your CPD. These changes to your CPD will take place from the beginning of 2023 onwards, and will impact RACP Fellows in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and those practising overseas.
You are encouraged to keep a look out for important updates, new frameworks, and core requirements.
The CPD Team and the CPD Committee will be available to support you through these changes, and to answer any questions you might have.
Don’t miss out on completing your 2022 Training Survey
Thank you to those who have completed their Physician Training Survey* or Medical Training Survey.
Both surveys close on Saturday, 8 October 2022. Don’t miss your opportunity to share your recent physician training experiences. Your feedback provides the RACP, training settings, and specialty committees with insights to help strengthen your medical training. Survey results:
- help identify and address wellbeing issues
- provide training settings with data to encourage improvement
- inform training setting accreditation activities.
Physician Training Survey
If you are a trainee in Aotearoa New Zealand or an educator in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand, complete your anonymous survey via the unique link sent from our research provider Big Village. Information about the survey is available on the Physician Training Survey page.
Medical Training Survey
If you are a trainee in Australia, your anonymous Medical Training Survey can be accessed after renewing your registration with the Medical Board of Australia. Visit the Medical Training Survey webpage for more information.
Questions?
For questions about the survey, contact the Training Survey team at trainingsurveys@racp.edu.au.
*The Physician Training Survey has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) – Concord Repatriation General Hospital of the Sydney Local Health District 2019/ETH12472.
If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the research study, email the Executive Officer of the Ethics Committee at SLHD-concordethics@health.nsw.gov.au or phone +61 (0) 2 9767 5622.
Advanced Trainees and New Fellows — join us at the National New Fellows Online Forum
Advanced Trainees and New Fellows in Australia are invited to attend this interactive and informative forum to learn about all the things you need to know when entering Fellowship.
Join us on Thursday, 13 October 2022 at 7pm to 8.30pm (AEDT) / 6pm to 7.30pm (AEST) / 6.30pm to 8pm (ACDT) / 4pm to 5.30pm (AWST).
Register
Internal Medicine Journal – September 2022
The September 2022 issue of the Internal Medicine Journal (IMJ) is now live on the Wiley Online Library and the RACP website (log in using your RACP login credentials). Access articles tweeted on IMJ's Twitter account for free, for a limited time. The easiest way to access the IMJ is via the Wiley Online Library App, find out how you can access it.
Key highlights from the issue are:
- Cannabis, cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol in sport: An overview
- Overview of recent advancements in asthma management (IMJ On-Air)
- Stroke in patients with cancer in the era of hyperacute stroke intervention
- Virtual clinic for positive faecal occult blood tests enhances early access to bowel cancer screening and is well received by patients
- Improving compliance with venous thromboembolism prophylaxis guidelines in obese inpatients.
Read the journal
Putting the patient at the centre: Healthcare Leaders’ Summit postponed
The Putting the patient at the centre: Healthcare Leaders’ Summit has been postponed. The summit will be convened at a later date and will be informed by the work of the Health Reform Working Group, for which we are currently seeking expressions of interest.
The Health Reform Working Group provides thought leadership and advanced expertise to the College Policy & Advocacy Committee (CPAC) and other College bodies on health reform, service integration and multidisciplinary care, helping us to drive innovation and better patient outcomes across the health system.
Pomegranate Health podcast — Ep85: The ASD Odyssey — a reply
Ep85: The ASD Odyssey — a reply
The National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia aspires to streamline referral pathways so that children can get the right help as early as possible. Despite the best intentions of many clinicians, there are drivers in the health system that make implementation difficult.
There are constraints in the way specialists can be reimbursed for time spent managing a case through the diagnostic process, and the extent of developmental disorders in the community may not be reflected in the depth of training in this area.
In this podcast we hear about some breaking research into a highly accurate diagnostic screening tool that could reveal just how prevalent ASD is in the community.
Guest
- Dr Paul Hotton FRACP (Staff Specialist in Community Child Health and Child Protection, Sydney Children's Hospital Network, and Chair of the RACP’s Chapter of Community Child Health)
Subscribe to email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or any podcasting app. Fellows of the RACP can claim CPD credits for listening via MyCPD. For a transcript and further references please visit our website.
Pomegranate Health podcast —IMJ On-Air
IMJ On-Air: Recent advances in asthma management
This is the first episode of a new podcast format called “IMJ On-Air” inspired by the RACP’s Internal Medicine Journal (IMJ).
In each episode of IMJ On-Air, we will have a guest host interviewing authors of a recent article. Often these will be clinical perspective reviews which summarise the latest in management of major medical disorders.
In this episode we have leading respiratory physicians from the Royal Melbourne Hospital presenting current best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of severe asthma. They explain why inhaled corticosteroids have become so ubiquitous, and comment on the remarkable impact that monoclonal antibodies have made to the field. They discuss the lifestyle factors that can be modified to improve outcomes, and why so many people with severe asthma go undiagnosed. Finally, they reflect on the lessons learned from the 2016 “asthma storm” that sent 3,000 people to emergency rooms in a single evening.
Guests
- Associate Professor Daniel Steinfort FRACP (Royal Melbourne Hospital, Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne)
- Dr Ashleigh Witt (Royal Melbourne Hospital)
- Associate Professor Nur-Shirin Harun FRACP (Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre)
- Professor Jo Douglass FRACP FThorSoc (Director of Research at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. To claim learning credits login to MyCPD, review/amend the prefilled activity details and click save. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or any podcasting app.
Specialty Societies webinar series
A number of upcoming webinars presented by the AMD Specialty Societies are available for College members to attend. Explore and register for the upcoming webinars in the events list at the bottom of this update.
Get involved in RACP Online Learning
The College offers an extensive collection of online learning resources designed to support members with their professional development and lifelong learning needs. These cover important topics such as cultural safety, digital health, genomics, advocacy, quality and safety, and more. Don’t forget to claim CPD credits for time spent on RACP Online Learning.
Browse the online learning resources
Palliative Medicine Pain Management Online Learning Resource Development Working Group – accepting EOIs
Join this Working Group which advises on the topic structure for the required pain management online course and ensures that the new version of the course aligns with best practice.
Peer Review the Training Support Curated Collection – accepting EOIs
Peer reviewers are invited to assist in reviewing the Curated Collections, which are online resource libraries that include key readings, courses, resources and tools on specific topics. The new Collection provides useful, high-quality resources to support trainees through their training journey.
Find the latest updates on the ROC
Subscribe to the RACP Online Learning thread on the ROC to stay on top of the latest courses, resources, and learning and support opportunities available to you.
Feedback on AMA private health insurance discussion paper
The College recently provided feedback on the Australian Medical Association (AMA)’s discussion paper on reforms of the private health system in Australia, a whole of system approach to reforming private healthcare. The feedback has been derived from some individual member comments as an early entry into this complex discussion. It does not commit the College to a position on the proposal but calls for further policy development and consultation.
Read the discussion paper
Raising awareness of FASD
In August and September, the College participated in raising awareness to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), the leading cause of non-genetic developmental disabilities in Australia. This work culminated with international NOFASD Day on Friday, 9 September. The central role of health professionals in having early conversations and the need to combat stigma were key messages of the campaign. The College also promoted resources for health professionals from the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education’s (FAREs) Every Moment Matters campaign, which the College has endorsed.
Access the resources
The ROC is turning 1 — Celebrate ROCtober
The ROC is turning one on 30 September 2022 and we are celebrating in ROCtober.
Make sure you log in to the ROC every day to see what’s happening in your community and take part in our first birthday celebrations.
Mentor Match - now available on the ROC
Mentor Match is an innovative program to help you connect with other members, based on your mentoring preferences and professional goals. Mentors provide guidance, advice, support, and feedback to mentees. While mentees are given the opportunity to develop personally and professionally and receive constructive feedback to improve performance and outcomes.
Register as a mentor or mentee and kickstart your mentoring relationship today.
New training module on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and end-of-life law
A new online training module from the Queensland University of Technology’s End of Life Law for Clinicians toolkit is now available. The module was designed in collaboration with First Nations health professionals and discusses legal considerations when caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families at the end-of-life. The module forms part of an existing series that can be completed at no cost. To access the existing toolkit and the new module, register here.
Your spring savings are here!
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Other news and events
News
Upcoming events
- Financial wellbeing webinar: Boost your financial health — 24 September, 9am AEST
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) webinar — Thursday, 29 September
- Culturally safe palliative care for Aboriginal patients: Learnings from Central Australia — 4 October, 6pm AEDT
- Antibody-mediated neurological disorders — 5 October, 6pm AEDT
- Specialists Together: Climate change and sustainability of the NT workforce — 8 October, 9am to 12pm ACST
- Exercise and bone health — 11 October, 6pm AEDT
- Diabetes Summit 2022 — 15 October 2022, 9am AEDT
- Financial wellbeing webinar: Succession and wealth legacy — 20 October, 7pm AEST
- A life course approach to preventing diabetes during pregnancy: The role of nutrition — 25 October, 7pm AEDT
- Movement disorders — 25 October, 6pm AEDT
- National Health Workforce Summit — 27 to 28 October
- Specialists Together: Cross-culture communications and nephrology in remote settings — 29 October, 9am to 12pm ACST
- Management of serious infection in patients on biologics and immunosuppression — 31 October, 7pm AEDT
- Financial wellbeing webinar: Reducing financial stress as a new or established staff specialist — in person on 5 November, 9am to 12pm AEST
- 2022 ACTA Annual Scientific Meeting — 7 to 8 November
- Palliative care in conflict settings: The case of Gaza — 8 November, 6pm AEDT
- Spirituality training workshops — 8, 15, 22, 29 November, 4pm AEDT
- Combination approach for STI prevention — 14 November, 6pm AEDT
- Chronic Disease Management Summit — 22 to 23 November
- Specialists Together: NT sepsis protocol — 26 November, 9am to 12pm ACST
Save the date
- COVID-19 webinars – Thursday, 17 and 24 November
- 2023 MyCPD Framework Explained — 22 November, 6pm AEDT
View career opportunities on the RACP website.