President Dr Peter Roberts MB BS FACEM Area Director, Emergency Medicine
Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service
New South Wales
I am currently working at Ryde Hospital Emergency Department in Sydney as director of the ED. I am also network director for Emergency Medicine for Northern Sydney, Central Coast Area Health Service.
In the past I have been a CMO, and my first job after obtaining my FACEM qualification was setting up a private ED at the Hills Private hospital. During my time there, we got together with the Sydney Adventist Hospital and with the help of ASCMO and ASEM set up the organisation that runs the Spring Seminar.
I think ASEM has an opportunity to provide a service to emergency medicine practitioners in Australia and New Zealand, and those workers mean a lot and are worth supporting.
Immediate Past President Dr Gayle McInerney New South Wales
Dr Marcel Berkhout Private Practice Subcommittee (Newsletter Editor) Victoria
Marcel
commenced his early medical career in WA in 1982 before becoming a
trainee in rural general practice on Tasmania's East Coast in 1985.
When his wife got a job in Melbourne, Marcel changed career directions
and embarked on terms in Emergency Medicine: initially at PANCH under
Mick Westmore; then at the Alfred Hospital under Linus Dzuikas - before
turning his hand to sessions at Epworth Hospital ED under Jeff
Wassertheil’s Directorship.
Private
EDs those days were still conceptually new in Australia and provided
another career option for entrepreneurial EM doctors. In 1994, Marcel
was invited to join such a team which launched and ran WA's first
private ED at St John of God, Murdoch under Paul Mark’s Directorship.
Walking into a brand new purpose built hospital provided Marcel a
fantastic opportunity to help develop the unique structure of this ED
from it’s beginnings..
In
1998, Marcel returned to Victoria and has been working full-time in the
ED at Epworth, Richmond ever since. Marcel has elected to remain a CMO,
and enjoys working in an ED that values the need for dual streams of ED
practitioners.
As
a hobby Marcel has, since 2000, worked as a tour doctor for a high end
tour group that takes him all over the world. This year he will cruise
the Baltics and Norwegian Fjiords in July.
Marcel
would enjoy hearing from ASEM members wishing to raise matters
or, hopefully, contribute an article or letter for the newsletter.
Marcel may be contacted on: mfberkhout@gmail.com
Dr Rick Lowen Victoria
Dr
Rick Lowen is a former rural procedural General Practitioner who has
worked in Emergency Medicine for the past 24 years – mostly at
Emergency Department (ED) Director level at provincial, metropolitan
teaching and private hospitals in Victoria.
He is Victorian Councilor and Past President of the Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine www.asem.org.au.
He was an active driver in reforming Health Law in the early 1990s in
regard to Blood Alcohol collections by doctors in Victoria and, in
the late 1990s extending provider number access for ED trainees working
in private hospital EDs. . In
the 1990s, as a member of the Victorian Ministerial Consultative
Council of Critical & Emergency Care Services, he participated in
reviews of State Emergency Department & Critical Care Services
and has since participated in other health care reviews including the
review of Retrieval Services in Victoria. He
works half time in EDs as a clinician and the remainder as a visiting
Medical Director of 3 small rural hospitals in Victoria. He is
co-founder, co-owner and a Director of Bed Brokers www.bedbrokers.com.au as well as a Director of Emergency Staffing Australia.
Dr Adam Janson (Hon Treasurer) Victoria
Dr Paul Helliwell Northern Territory
Dr Ian Brandon Queensland
Dr David Spain Queensland
Dr Robyn Carey New Zealand
I
am 47 years old and started Medical School at 29, after completing a
Masters in Philosophy at Princeton University, NJ, USA. I am married
with four children, and now work as a Medical Officer at Timaru
Hospital, located in the South Island of New Zealand halfway between
Christchurch and Dunedin. The hospital has approximately 150 beds and
we see about 16,000 patients per year. When I started in 2001 there was
only one Casualty Officer who worked 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Now
we have three full-time Medical Officers and one permanent Medical
Officer who works 6/10 Emergency and 4/10 ENT. We cover the Emergency
Department from 8am to 11pm every day.
While
working at Timaru Hospital I completed a Fellowship of the Accident and
Medical Practitioners Association (F.AMPA). In June 2006 AMPA gained
full accreditation from the New Zealand Medical Council. AMPA, in
conjunction with The University of Auckland, offers a distance learning
programme in accident and medical care suitable for doctors working in
24 hour clinics and hospital Medical Officers. AMPA also develops and
audits Standards for Accident and Medical Clinics and through the New
Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation publishes material related to
medical care. It is my hope that through being on the executive of
both AMPA and ASEM I can contribute to closer ties between the two
organisations.
Dr Peter Arvier (Sub Editor EMA) Tasmania
I
have been the Tasmanian Councilor since 1997 and have worked in
emergency medicine in Tasmania for the past 15 years. Most of my
working life has been spent in rural and regional hospitals. I have
just returned from a year working in rural Canada which was a fantastic
experience both professionally and personally. I am currently just
completing a Masters degree by research on training and education of
non-specialist emergency medicine doctors working in rural and regional
hospitals. It was this research that took me to Canada as the dual
pathways of emergency medicine training in that country may be relevant
to the Australian setting.
I have a passionate belief in improving
all issues of recruiting, retaining and training health professionals
in rural areas.
I believe ASEM can play an increasingly
important role in being an advocate for doctors working in smaller
emergency departments. Like other states, the Tasmanian hospital
system has major difficulties in attracting and keeping medical staff
and I believe much more can be done to improve the current situation.
Organisations like ASEM have a vital role in being a voice for doctors
not represented by other traditional organisations.
Dr Joy Treasure South Australia
My background is twelve years working as a procedural rural GP in South Australia, including overlap of rural practice with emergency department employment since 1998. My current employment is as staff specialist in the Emergency Department at Lyell McEwin Hospital, in Adelaide, which is an urban district hospital seeing about 50,000 patients per year (mixed adult and paed ). Some cases need to be transferred on to other hospitals for subspecialty care, but the casemix is comprehensive and satisfying.
I am also involved with a teaching project known " Rural Emergency Skills Program " in which a group of ~ ten persons are working together to take emergency medicine training weekends to rural SA. I am part way through a Masters in Clinical Education via UNSW ( by distance education ). My hope for ASEM in SA is to attract more members by targeting CMO type staff of both the public and private hospitals in SA. I am excited by the possibilities of Australia assisting in emergency medicine education in developing countries. I have a strong belief in empowerment (especially of rurally based doctors ) by education and training.
Dr Sashi Kumar Australian Capital Territory
Dr.
Sashi Kumar trained in Chennai, New Zealand and Australia. He is a
Senior Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine and Honorary Lecturer in
Emergency Medicine at the Canberra Clinical School which is affiliated
to the University of Sydney and at the Australian National University in
Canberra. He is the Site Medical Commander for Disasters in the
Australian Capital Territory . He is a member of the National EMST/ATLS
Committee and directs the EMST courses in Canberra for over 12 years.
He has directed and instructed EMST/ATLS courses in New Zealand ,
Singapore, Papua New Guinea and New York. He was awarded the National
EMST Scholarship in 2000.
He is a practising Emergency Physician in a
major trauma hospital. His special interests are Trauma, ENT, Disaster Medicine and Orthopaedic Trauma. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the
National AMST/ATLS committee having directed courses since 1992 and
recently instructed a course in Fiji.
Dr Guy Buters
Western Australia
Dr Aniello Iannuzzi New South Wales
Aniello
has been a rural doctor in Coonabarabran since 1997, where he runs a
practice with his wife Eve, also a rural doctor. In addition to the
surgery, Aniello is a VMO at the local hospital. Aniello has an
interest in emergency medicine and is an instructor for EMST and CCrisP
courses. He is also a senior lecturer with Univeristy of Sydney and
University of Notre Dame. Other teaching duties include the supervision
and examination of medical students and GP registrars. Aniello is also
actively involved in AMA and ACRRM, having held a number of senior
positions in both organisations. Aniello enjoys reading,
philosophising, winemaking, tennis and soccer. Anniello was co-opted
onto ASEM Council at this years Strategic Planning Day in Sydney.
Amanda Dwyer
ASEM - Office Manager
Introducing
Amanda Dwyer who is the new Office Manager for ASEM. Amanda grew up in
country Victoria but now lives in Melbourne with husband Stu, their 2
adored children and soon to be, new arrival (Amanda's 2nd child) due in
early June.
Amanda
trained as an organic Chemist completing a BSc (hons) at Monash
University before working briefly in research for the CSIRO, where she
was a part of a world renowned Polymer Research group that won the
CSIRO medal. Before joining Bed Brokers in mid 2008, Amanda had also
worked in diverse other areas such as scientific marketing, and Program
Co-ordination - the latter with Draeger Safety Pacific, where she
managed the Victorian Legislative Interlock Program on behalf of Vic
Roads. (If you are a convicted Drink Driver and wish to have your
license returned to you, the Courts can insist that your license is
conditional upon having an Interlock, a breathalyser, in the vehicle).
Being
a Victorian girl, Amanda loves all sports, especially AFL, Rugby League
& Rugby Union (her Dad grew up in Sydney so she grew up watching
all three!) as well as painting which she does between work and family
(but not as often and she’d like)
Amanda
is in the ASEM office every Monday to Wed, 8am to 4pm. She is
approachable on all ASEM matters and what she can’t answer at the time,
will take advice on and get back to you.
Please feel free to ring her,
or other staff on 03 9701 5675 if you have any ASEM related enquiries
or just email her via info@asem.org.au
Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine ASEM PO Box 627 Noble Park Vic, 3174 Ph: 61 3 9701 5675 Fax: 61 3 9701 5811 Email:info@asem.org.au
