Held in the Roundhouse at Crystalbrook Kingsley with a spectacular view of the city skyline, the lunch opened with an address by Dr Danette Wright, RACS NSW State Chair, followed by Sharon Rewitt, CEO of the Newcastle Region for Ramsay Health Care. Sharon spoke on Ramsay’s major facilities in the Hunter region, their active engagement in the local community supporting a range of initiatives and her joy in seeing more women coming into the medical profession.
Following the main course, Krithy Pillay, Territory Manager at Medtronic, spoke on the company’s work developing medical devices, therapies and solutions to treat chronic diseases and health solutions. Within their workplace, Medtronic has pursued practical solutions to benefit all employees, including normalising flexible work and fostering a culture of respect. Women now represent 48% of leadership positions within Medtronic.
The highlight of the lunch was hearing from paediatric surgeon Professor Patricia (Trish) Davidson, who served on the RACS Council from 1998 to 2006, including as Deputy Censor-in-Chief in 2002 and Censor-in-Chief from 2003 to 2006, where she provided leadership in surgical education.
A graduate of the University of Glasgow, she trained in paediatrics and surgery before establishing her career as a paediatric surgeon in Newcastle in 1991. She later held senior executive roles in healthcare, including as President of Children’s Healthcare Australasia and as Executive Medical Director of Hunter New England Health and Executive Director of HNE Kids.
An Honorary Professor at the University of Newcastle, she has served in numerous national child health and governance leadership positions. She is currently on the Ahpra and Ronald McDonald Boards and the Health Advisory Board of Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Trish was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2022 for her significant contributions in medical administration and to professional associations.
In her keynote speech, Trish spoke on the development of her career, the challenge of being a female surgeon in her native Scotland and her decision to ultimately pursue a career in paediatric surgery. She shared her journey in leadership, explaining how like surgical skills, leadership skills are learned and how she developed them through undertaking a range of courses.
Trish explained how investing in a life outside of medicine meant a stable life, embracing her identity as not just a surgeon, but also as a friend, wife, parent, grandparent, sailor and skier. In an engaging Q&A session, Trish provided insights on engaging with executive leaders in your organisation as a clinician, how to prioritise things to say yes to and picking your battles.
The lunch concluded with a presentation by Gina Salib, Partner at MedX Finance, who spoke on their wide range of services available for Australian medical professionals and the value that specialists can provide to their clients.
It was a delight to see such a strong turnout for the event. Thank you to our esteemed sponsors from Ramsay Health Care, Medtronic and MedX Finance for their support. We look forward to doing more events in the future in NSW and beyond.