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 New Zealand;
• to advise the College on the scope and nature of surgical practice in regional, rural and remote Australia and 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 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 92.12KB) reporting to the RACS Fellowship Services Committee.

Rural Surgery Section Committee (RSSC) 2019/2020

Dr Bridget Clancy - Chair (VIC)
Dr Jacinta Cover - Deputy Chair (WA)
Dr Sarah Coll - Member (Qld), Councillor
Dr Jenny Chambers - Member (NSW), Councillor
Dr David Murray - Member (Tas)
Dr Shehnarz Salindera - Member (NSW)
Mr Sabu Thomas - Member (NT)
Mr Julian Speight - Member (NZ)
Dr John Lengyel - Member (NZ)
Mr Adrian Aitken - Member (Vic)
Mr Quentin Ralph - Member (SA)
Associate Professor Kerin Fielding - Co-opted (NSW), Councillor
Dr Damian Fry - Co-opted (Qld), Clinical Director, Rural Coach Program
Mr Mahiban Thomas - Rural Representative to Trauma Committee (NT)
Dr Roderick McMurray - RACSTA Representative (WA)
Dr Melinda Van Oosterum (NSW) - Co-opted Member, (NSW)
Mr Brian Kirkby (QLD) - Co-opted (Qld), Rural representative, Board in General Surgery, Acting Rural Representative,
Vacant - Conjoint Committee for the Recognition of Training in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (CCRTGE),
Vacant - Rural Representative to the RACS Endoscopy Committee