2022 DIT Award Winners

2022 DIT Award Winners

AMA (NSW) recognises outstanding doctors-in-training with the 2022 DIT Awards. This year’s winners have made exceptional contributions to medicine and continue to have a positive impact on their colleagues and patients. 

2022 DIT of the Year: Dr Adrian Siu
Dr Adrian Siu is an intern at Bankstown-Lidcombe and Campbelltown Hospitals and is also the AMA (NSW) DIT Representative for Network 2. From the onset of his medical training, Dr Siu has demonstrated a passion for medical education. He is also an advocate for community healthcare, and an inspiration to colleagues to achieve clinical excellence. 

Why did you choose medicine?
After graduating high school, and unsure of my career pathway, I decided on a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) due to my interest in science. After finishing my degree, I became frustrated by the business and sale-orientated nature of community pharmacy. Therefore, I began to see medicine as the perfect profession which combines science, the human body, and patient interaction – with my core belief of social justice and enacting positive social change. I was then later accepted into the medicine program at the University of Wollongong and have not looked back since.

What qualities make you suited to this career?
I strongly advocate for patient-centred care, I’m also a collaborative team player, strong communicator, empathetic, and passionate about holistic healthcare. From the beginning of my medical training, interacting, and advocating for patients has always been the most enjoyable aspect of medicine. 

Tell us about a patient/doctor interaction that has impacted you.
During my ED rotation, I came across a non-English speaking lady in her mid-70s with a CT-diagnosed mass in her pancreas. Her family were also present and stated that she had never been to hospital and rarely saw her GP. Knowing that the patient spoke little English, I sat down and carefully explained the findings of the CT scan and that she would need to be admitted for further investigations under the on-call surgical team. Having never been inside a hospital, the patient and her family explained that she was not prepared to stay overnight. However, I carefully and professionally explained the reasons why and with the help of her family, she was eventually convinced to be admitted. To me, it was through professionalism and taking my time with the patient that allowed for a positive outcome. In the end, she even asked if I would be on the ward the next day to look after her. Ultimately, she trusted me as a doctor, and this case reminded me that every doctor-patient interaction may be the difference between a patient trusting you or your colleague in the future.

What do you find most rewarding about being a DIT?
I once thought that medical school was all the education you needed to be a doctor. However, after nearly a year as an intern, it is clear to me that there is still a lot of medical learning and professional growth that is required. While this may seem daunting, it does not deter me, and rather it inspires me to achieve and learn more. To me, the term ‘DIT’ perfectly encapsulates the true beauty of medicine, where there is an expectation for life-long learning, and constantly striving towards clinical excellence.

Something my colleagues don’t know about me is….
When I was younger, my childhood dream was always to be a pilot and fly. Hopefully one day I may somehow combine my childhood dream of flying with my love of medicine!

If you could go back to day one of internship, what would you tell yourself?
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”  There will be times where you don’t know everything, and you may feel like the most stupid person in the room. But always remember a few points – trust in your training, be bold, ask questions, talk to your mentors, and most of all – enjoy the whole experience! 

What does receiving this award mean to you?
As the recipient of the 2022 DIT of the Year, I feel honoured and thankful to have this prestigious award bestowed upon me. As an intern there are many days that I have left work often feeling drained and devoid of energy. However, I have managed to relish every opportunity that has been presented before me and have not regretted a single moment. In the process, these experiences have ultimately helped shape my personal and professional development as a medical practitioner.

2022 Registrar of the Year: Dr Mithila Zaheen
Dr Mithila Zaheen is a Basic Physician Trainee at Westmead, Blacktown and Hornsby-Ku-ring-gai Hospitals and has held numerous leadership roles within her hospital community. Dr Zaheen is admired for her compassion for patients and colleagues, and dedication to her education and training, as well as her advocacy and volunteer work. 

Why did you choose medicine?
I’ve always been someone who wants to make a difference, and I was drawn to medicine primarily because it is a career driven by service. During my general practice placement, I was able to recognise that doctors do not simply provide healthcare, but they are intimately involved in peoples’ lives as they act as navigators through times of hardship and joy. Having the chance to develop close relationships and care for someone when they are vulnerable is a truly humbling and rewarding experience. I also love the problem-solving aspect of medicine. 

What qualities make you suited to this career?
I think my friends would describe me as someone who is determined, ambitious and motivated to make changes. Having grown up in Western-Sydney and being of Bangladeshi background, I am passionate about advocating for access to healthcare for disadvantaged and minority groups. I always felt that pursuing a career as a doctor would equip me with the necessary skills and knowledge to serve those in need, so medicine felt like the right fit for me, and I hope to engage in aid work in the future.

Tell us about a patient/doctor interaction that has impacted you.
Being a junior doctor in Western-Sydney and managing patients from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds has been challenging and very rewarding. On my cardiology rotation last year, I had the pleasure of treating a lovely 30-year-old gentleman with end stage heart failure. Unfortunately, he was an overseas visitor from a non-English speaking background who could not return to his own country due to the pandemic. He was stuck in Australia, unemployed with no access to Medicare subsidies, minimal social support, and was feeling extremely isolated – on top of a new, life changing diagnosis. The immunology, cardiology and hospital pharmacy teams worked collaboratively to devise a treatment plan that would improve the patient’s quality of life, at the most affordable cost. Thankfully, financial support was able to be secured, and the patient was followed up in clinic and remained symptom free, thanks to our teamwork and advocacy. Working with the multidisciplinary team to help support these disadvantaged patients has left an impact on me, and it is times like this when it all feels worth it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a Registrar?
Stepping up into a registrar role has been a challenging and enriching experience. Having that extra responsibility and managing sick and deteriorating patients has been tough at times; however, being more actively involved in decision making, patient care and developing rapport with patients and their families has been especially rewarding. Teaching and mentoring junior doctors and medical students has been a highlight, as I finally have enough experience to pass on some pearls of wisdom.

Something my colleagues don’t know about me is….
I am a self-taught ukulele player! I am far from being an expert, but I find it a great way to relax after a long day at work (much to the dismay of the rest of my household!).

If you could go back to day one of internship, what would you tell yourself?
Enjoy being an intern! Internship was a stressful, but it was also a lot of fun going through the first stage of your medical career with a lovely group of colleagues. I’d also tell myself to try to check in on my colleagues and offer to support them from time to time, as burn-out is a major issue among junior doctors that needs more awareness.

What does receiving this award mean to you?
I feel truly humbled and honoured. I’m very grateful to be surrounded by so many supportive mentors, colleagues, and juniors. I will continue to strive to be the best advocate, mentor, doctor, and friend that I can be.

2022 Supervisor of the Year: Dr Danielle Unwin
Dr Danielle Unwin is a Supervisor in the Emergency Department at Westmead Hospital. She is highly respected by DITs for her excellence in leadership, commitment of teaching skills and mentorship, and
well-liked for her ‘everyday’ empathetic and understanding support
and advice. 

Why did you choose medicine?
According to my parents, I told them I hoped to be a doctor since I was in primary school. I was the first in my family to attend university, so there are no medical role models in our family and no life events that precipitated my aspirations. I think perhaps it was the detective side of medicine and solving a problem that attracted me as a child. Interestingly, my sister works in the same field so perhaps there was something in our childhood that pointed us both in this direction. 

What qualities make you suited to this career?
There are many qualities needed in a medical career but working in an Emergency Department you need to have sound communication and people skills, decisiveness, and the desire to work in an unpredictable environment. I think I bring these qualities and also a continued passion for medicine and always evolving and learning. I enjoy working in the multidisciplinary team that ED is, as a leader and also a mentor. I think the juniors learn as much from as I do from them.

Tell us about a patient/doctor interaction that has impacted you.
So many come to mind which all have shaped who I am and how I practice as a doctor. It is a privilege to advocate on the behalf of patients’ and their family. Personally, a simple thank you has always had a significant impact – It makes me feel I have made a difference for that person and ultimately helped them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a supervisor?
I enjoy watching the evolution of junior doctors from terrified day one interns, to capable and confident trainees and eventually consultants. But it’s not just about the medicine and their career – for me it’s about actually ‘knowing’ who they are as a person. It’s understanding what else is happening in their world and then giving guidance and advice. It’s a privilege to watch them grow and succeed. 

Something my colleagues don’t know about me is….
I am a fairly open book – many know I love shopping, exercising, eating out and socialising……but I don’t think many would know that I enjoy gardening.

If you could go back to day one of internship, what would you tell yourself?
Perhaps I would tell myself that you are not an imposter and that you are ‘enough’. I think my Western-Sydney public school background often made me think that I was a fraud which I now know many years later is not true.

What does receiving this award mean to you?
I am honoured and appreciative to be nominated for this award… let alone to win. The time I have been able to spend with the junior doctors and relationships that have developed are a reward in itself.