The President's Message – 2 August 2024
Dear members,
Many of you may not be aware we have RACP Fellows who are senior decision-makers in key operational areas of the College. Last month I spoke with Professor Inam Haq FRACP FRCP who leads our Education, Learning and Assessment team.
This month I’m introducing Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu, our College Dean. Kudzai is a Melbourne-based infectious diseases physician. As Dean, she has a very broad remit but at the moment is particularly focused on workforce issues. I recently interviewed Kudzai, and we’ve marked the video with the topics covered so that you can jump ahead to any content that particularly interest you.
In other news, we recently farewelled Associate Professor Mitra Guha (right) from her last Committee meeting for the RACP. Also with me is Associate Professor Rana Bhatia (left).
Mitra is well known to many of us, but for those of you who don’t know her, she is an Adelaide-based retired endocrinologist who has made an enormous contribution to our College over the years at both state and national level. She is also a former RACP Board Director.
Rani is a general paediatrician, specialising in immunology and allergy at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital and an academic in Child Health at The University of Newcastle. She’s the binational lead for the College Learning Series Paediatrics and Child Health Program. If you haven’t had a chance to look at this please do so – a number of our Fellows have given hours of time and expertise to contribute to this over the years and it’s an amazing resource and one that is the envy of our international colleagues.
Both have been heavily involved in the College’s Education Committee, which does the vital work of guiding and approving many of our Education, Learning and Assessment programs.
We’ll miss Mitra, and as President, I invite you to join me in thanking her for her many years of selfless service to her College and the wider community.
Kind regards,
Professor Jennifer Martin
RACP President
The RACP Trainee Research Awards Symposium was held in our historic building at 145 Macquarie Street last Friday, 26 July. The breadth of the research topics and excellence of the presentations made by the 14 emerging researchers is clear proof of the talent of our trainees. The presentations each had been selected from competitive events in their regions in 2023 to present at the 2024 Symposium. This was followed by a celebratory dinner on the Macquarie Terrace where there was the opportunity to talk informally about their research and other aspirations with Professor Jennifer Martin, RACP President; Kudzai Kanhutu, the College Dean and members of the Grants Advisory Committee.
Pictured (left to right): Sarah Le Roux, RACP Foundation; Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu, College Dean; Professor Jennifer Martin, RACP President; Professor Andrew Mallett, Grants Advisory Committee; Dr Emily Rice, Western Australia presenter; Dr Michael Hoskins, Western Australia presenter; Dr Sonia Sawant, Northern Territory presenter; Dr Matthew Wong, Queensland presenter; Dr Ngaire Keenan, Aotearoa New Zealand presenter; Professor David Heslop, Grants Advisory Committee; Dr Nicolas Smoll, Queensland presenter; Dr Hannah Uebel, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory presenter; Dr Henry West New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory presenter; Dr Alice Rogers, South Australia presenter; Camille Mercep, RACP Foundation; Professor Graham Lieschke, Grants Advisory Committee Chair; Associate Professor Atul Malhotra, Grants Advisory Committee
The 2024 RACP Trainee Research Awards
Applications are now open for the 2024 RACP Trainee Research Awards. Don’t miss this unique opportunity where you could be selected to present your research at next year’s Trainee Research Awards Symposium. Visit the RACP Foundation website for more information.
Eric Susman Prize 2024 close Saturday, 31 August 2024
The Eric Susman Prize is presented by the College for the best contribution to the knowledge of any branch of internal medicine. The deserving Fellow will have demonstrated an outstanding and lasting contribution in the areas of research, teaching and/or clinical medicine. Details regarding the application process and selection criteria are available on the website.
Call for nominations for the College Meritorious Awards and Medals for 2025
Now is the time to nominate a deserving colleague who you think should be recognised for their outstanding contributions and achievements. Nominations are being called for these prestigious College Awards and close on Monday, 30 September 2024:
Congratulations to two of our members, Dr Janani Thillaindesan and Dr Jye Gard, for winning awards through the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE). The 2024 awards were presented in front of an audience of peers at the annual ANZAHPE Conference.
These awards honour outstanding individuals or teams that demonstrates excellence in innovative and research-informed education for students from health professions to support excellence in the delivery of patient-centred health professional education in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Janani Thillaindesan
Dr Janani Thillaindesan is a Sydney-based geriatrician. She won the ANZAHPE Clinical Education Award (supported by Richard Hays) for her work on Enhancing geriatrics care and medical education through microlearning.
Dr Thillaindesan previously had her ground-breaking research program funded by the RACP Foundation through the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Research Establishment Fellowship ($50,000). Her research goal was to improve the care and outcomes of hospitalised older adults.
Dr Jye Gard
Dr Jye Gard is a Melbourne-based general paediatrician. He won the Flinders University ANZAHPE Award for his enthusiasm, impact and leadership in medical student and paediatric trainee teaching. Dr Gard is on our Paediatrics and Child Health Council.
Supporting our supervisors’ vital work
Many of you have told us about the growing pressures on supervisors, including increasing workloads and reduced capacity to fulfil supervisory roles. It’s crucial that we have a robust evidence base about your current challenges, support needs and advocacy priorities.
If you are a supervisor or educational leader, we invite you to take five to 10 minutes to complete the 2024 Supervisor Voices Survey. Your feedback will inform updates to our services and prioritise advocacy efforts aimed at better supporting you.
As we prepare to implement our new curricula to train the next generation of physicians, gathering feedback on supervisor workload, wellbeing and support needs is vital. Responses are confidential and anonymous and will only be used for quality improvement. If you have any queries, please email Member Services.
Find out more l Complete survey
Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Mark Butler, announced Australian children with cystic fibrosis now have access to cheaper medicines earlier under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) thanks to the Australian Government.
We welcome this announcement, as do our paediatricians and respiratory physicians, who are thrilled with the Government's action here. Access to cheaper medicines under the PBS will have life-changing impacts for children with cystic fibrosis and their families.
"This is fantastic news – we knew it was coming but always glad to see it finalised" says Professor Nitin Kapur, President of the Paediatrics and Child Health Division and respiratory and sleep physician at the Queensland Children's Hospital.
Media release
We are thrilled to have launched new silicosis webpages on the RACP website to support physicians and other medical practitioners. Our occupational and environmental medicine and respiratory physicians have been strong advocates on workplace silicosis, associated with engineered stone. This has led to the introduction of significant actions to eliminate this preventable disease. Most recently, a ban on engineered stone across Australia came into effect on 1 July 2024. The refreshed webpages set out the important reforms that are still needed, as well as information about the new National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry, which requires mandatory reporting of all patients with silicosis.
Find out more
All trainees are invited to an informative flexible training webinar on Wednesday, 25 September 2024, hosted by the RACP NSW/ACT Trainees' Committee. It will cover topics related to flexible and part-time training, featuring three speakers who will each present for 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A session.
The event aims to offer advice from experienced trainees on flexible training and job-sharing. These integral and often stressful aspects of a trainee's life will be addressed through discussions on available options, balancing work priorities, and setting reasonable expectations. Attendees will be better equipped for success and feel less alone in their journey.
Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and support for your training journey.
Register now
Listen now
A fascinating lecture on mental health in the medical workforce at RACP Congress 2024 has been trimmed down for audio. It was opened by Professor Neil Greenberg, an occupational psychiatrist with more than 23 years in the UK Armed Forces. His extensive research within defence and health settings has informed a very pragmatic understanding of the impact of trauma and relationships in the workplace.
Professor Greenberg overturns some entrenched beliefs we have about the presentation and management of mental illness, as does guest host Dr David Beaumont from the College Member Health and Wellbeing Committee. He reflects on the role of the Committee and how his own understanding of health has shifted in response to personal distress.
Guests
- Professor Neil Greenberg FRCPsych, FHEA, MFMLM, MInstLM, MEWI, MFFLM (Kings College, London; March on Stress)
- Dr David Beaumont FAFOEM (Positive Medicine, Director; RACP Member Health and Wellbeing Committee)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health webpage for a transcript and supporting references. Log in 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.
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Ask questions, share resources and connect in a private group
The RACP Māori members Facebook group is a secure forum to promote whakawhanaungatanga between Māori trainees, Fellows and select staff from the College.
We invite you, our RACP Māori members to join the Facebook group to:
- build on your existing connections within the Māori membership
- share training experiences, tips, resources and upcoming events
- establish two-way communications between Māori members and select RACP staff (the RACP Hauora Māori Team).
Please note you will need to be logged on to Facebook and have your Member Identification Number (MIN) to join the group, which can be found at the top of this email communication.
Join the group
The recording of the launch event for the 2023 report of the MJA–Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: sustainability needed in Australia's healthcare sector is now available.
Dr Greg Stewart, former RACP Board member and Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM) President, and current AFPHM NSW Committee Chair, presented at the launch. The presentation shared the College’s work in the climate change and healthcare space.
Watch recording
RACP Māori members are invited to attend the Inaugural Trainee Wānanga (Māori trainees) or Māori Health Hui (Māori Fellows) on Friday, 30 August from 9.30am to 6pm in RACP’s Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington office. The events are complimentary and catered.
The events have thought-provoking sessions and are dedicated to fostering whakawhanaungatanga within the Māori caucus and nurturing tuakana teina relationships among trainees and Fellows.
The Inaugural Trainee Wānanga is supported by the New Zealand Resident Doctors' Association and Specialty Trainees of New Zealand. Attendance at the Māori Health Hui can be counted towards Category 1 Educational Activities under RACP’s MyCPD Framework.
Register by Friday, 16 August and read the programs on the event website.
Register now l Read programs
More you may be interested in
As healthcare workers who dedicate our lives to helping others, it’s important to take the time to care for ourselves. We would like to remind everyone that it's okay to not be okay. If you need someone to talk to, you can reach out to the RACP Support Program. It's a free, 24/7 and completely confidential support service that is delivered externally through Converge International.
Whether you have something worrying on your mind, are finding getting out of bed to be a struggle, or just feel like talking to someone for helpful, judgement-free advice, this free support service may be just what you need.
Find out more
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