About the Rural Surgery Section

• to ensure the provision of quality surgical care to the populations of regional, rural and remote areas of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand;
• to advise the College on the scope and nature of surgical practice in regional, rural and remote Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand;
• to advise and assist the College with workforce issues relating to the provision of surgical services including recruitment, retention, training and support for surgeons working in regional, rural and remote Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand;
• to recommend to the Fellowship Services Committee, which funding bodies the College should liaise with to maximise the number of hospital training places suitable for Surgical Trainees in regional, rural and remote areas;
• to consider incentives to attract Younger Fellows to geographical areas of particular need;
• to promote and co-ordinate Continuing Professional Development programs for rural surgeons, and
• prepare and coordinate the Rural Surgery scientific program at the ASC.

The Rural Surgery Section nominates a representative to the following bodies:

• The Conjoint Committee
• General Surgeons Australia (GSA)
• Board of General Surgery
• RACS Regional Committees
• RACS Council (if no rural councillor then co-opted rural councillor nominated by Rural Surgery Section Committee)
• other relevant internal and external bodies, committees and associations as needed.

The Section is governed by a Committee as per the Sections Terms of Reference (PDF 276.1KB) reporting to the RACS Fellowship Services Committee.

Rural Surgery Section Committee (RSSC) 2021-2024

Dr Bridget Clancy -  Chair
Dr Jacinta Cover - Deputy Chair
Mr Julian Speight - Member (Aotearoa NZ)
Dr Sarah Coll - Member (QLD)
Dr Shehnarz Salindera - Member (NSW)
Dr Genevieve Gibbons - Member (WA)
Dr David Brown - Member (NSW)
Dr Henry Duncan - Member (NT)
Dr Chetan Pradhan - Member (SA)
Dr Benjamin Scott - Co-opted, RACS Trainee Association representative
Dr Damian Fry - Co-opted, Clinical Director Rural Coach Program
Dr Mahiban Thomas - Co-opted, Trauma representative
Mr Brian Kirkby - Co-opted, Rural representative, Board in General Surgery
Dr Melinda Van Oosterum - Co-opted, Rural Representative, Conjoint Committee for the Recognition of Training in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (CCRTGE) and RACS Endoscopy Committee
Dr Nicola Hill - Co-opted, Councillor Aotearoa NZ
Associate Professor Kerin Fielding - Co-opted, Councillor & Rural Health Equity Steering Committee Chair
Dr Jenny Chambers - Co-opted, Councillor
Mr Sabu Thomas - Co-opted, WA/Central Australia Representative
Dr Chris Phoon - Co-opted, Aotearoa NZ Orthopaedic Representative 
Dr Roberto Sthory - Co-opted, Aotearoa NZ
Dr Kesley Pedler - Co-opted, Younger Fellow Representative