President’s Word January / February 2017
January 30, 2017
DIT Diary: Summer Burnout
January 30, 2017
FROM THE CEO
In the medical profession’s pursuit of health equity and justice, some doctors stand out for their work in caring for the community.
Being the CEO of AMA (NSW) is a very fortunate job. Aside from getting to work with impressive doctors on important health issues, sometimes you can also be lucky enough to have special experiences like getting to take Professor Sir Michael Marmot to the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation. Sir Michael (or Michael as he prefers) emailed the AMA last year to advise that he was coming to Sydney for the Boyer Lectures and asked if there might be any AMA people he should meet during his visit. We suggested he might like to travel to Campbelltown to visit Tharawal.
The visit was organised by AMA (NSW) President Brad Frankum and it was an extraordinary experience for both of us to see Tharawal through Michael’s eyes and also to see how all of the staff of Tharawal reacted to being visited by one of the world’s leading experts in the social determinants of health. I can say without any hesitation that Michael was genuinely moved by his experience at Tharawal. The visit was the motivation for this edition of The NSW Doctor in which we cover the extraordinary work of doctors, nurses and allied health staff in caring for our community, particularly those more vulnerable. These doctors are making a real difference and they are an inspiration to us all.
In this edition, we are also proud to announce our new partnership with Specialist Wealth Group, which was established in 2013 and provides holistic, quality financial planning for medical and dental professionals. Specialist Wealth Group provides risk insurance (life insurance and income protection), business and general insurance, and financial advice.
On a much sadder note, I wanted to acknowledge the recent loss of two young doctors, Dr Ann Formaz-Preston and Dr Chloe Abbott.
Ann was an exceptional doctor who had just been accepted into the Obstetric and Gynaecology Training programme. She was killed in a cycling accident just prior to Christmas.
Chloe tragically passed away in January. She was a physician trainee and Vice Chair of AMA CDT. In addition to being a dedicated doctor, she was a much-loved colleague. Our thoughts are with her family and colleagues at this time.