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In This Section
  • Council Highlights February 2020
  • Council Highlights June 2020
  • Council Highlights October 2020
  • Council Highlights February 2021
  1. HOME
  2. NEWS AND MEDIA CENTRE
  3. Council Highlights
  4. Council Highlights February 2020

Council Highlights February 2020

On this page

  • Election results
  • Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Medical Council of New Zealand Accreditation
  • Council governance
  • College name change
  • Regulation/policy recommendations
  • International Engagement Committee
  • Te Rautaki Māori, Māori Health Strategy and Action Plan 2020 - 2023
  • RACS awards
  • New Zealand New Year and Australia Day Honours
  • Admissions to Fellowship
  • Recent publications

The Council met at the RACS Melbourne office on 27-28 February 2020.  The current members are:

Office bearers

Mr Tony Sparnon (President) 
Mr Richard Perry (Vice President)
Associate Professor Julie Mundy (Treasurer)
Associate Professor Phillip Carson (Censor in Chief)
Dr Sally Langley (Chair Professional Development & Standards Board)

Office holders

Associate Professor Christopher Pyke (Chair Court of Examiners)
Mr Adrian Anthony (Chair Board of Surgical Education and Training)
Dr Jennifer Chambers OAM (Chair Prevocational & Skills Education Committee)
Associate Professor Kerin Fielding (Chair IMG Assessments)
Mr Bruce Hall (Chair Professional Standards)
Professor David Fletcher AM (Chair Professional Development)
Ms Ruth Bollard (Chair Fellowship Services)
Professor Andrew Hill (Chair Research and Academic Surgery)
Mr John Crozier AM CSM (Chair Surgical Audit)
Ms Annette Holian (Chair External Affairs)
Dr Greg Witherow (Deputy Treasurer)

Fellowship Elected Councillors

Dr Sarah Coll
Dr Christine Lai
Dr Maxine Ronald
Professor Owen Ung
Professor Henry Woo
Dr Lawrie Malisano

Specialty Elected Councillors

Professor Mark Frydenberg AM
Dr Geoff Lyons
Mr Christopher Perry OAM

Co-opted Councillors

The Hon Rob Knowles AO (VIC Expert Community Advisor)
Ms Souella Cumming (Expert Community Advisor)
Dr James Churchill (Chair, RACSTA)
Professor Richard Turner (representing Tasmanian Fellows)

Observers

Dr Rod Mitchell (ANZCA President)
Dr Upeksha (Pecky) De Silva (Chair Younger Fellows Committee)
Dr Rebecca Jack
Professor Mark Ashton
Professor Raymond Sacks
Dr Mark Dexter

Invitees

Mr Mahiban Thomas (NT Committee Chair)
Professor Deborah Bailey (QLD Committee Chair)
Mr Paul Bumbak (WA Committee Deputy Chair)
Mr David Watson (Manager QLD Office)
Tracey Lam (Board/Council Secretary)

In attendance

Mr John Biviano (Chief Executive Officer)
Ms Emily Wooden (Dep CEO/COO)
Professor Julian Archer (EGM Education)
Ms Sophie Lukeis (EGM People & Culture)
Mr Etienne Scheepers (EGM Fellowship Engagement)
Mr Richard Lander (EDSA NZ)
Professor Guy Maddern (Surgical Director Research & Evaluation)
Ms Anne-Maree Martin (Executive Assistant to CEO, Minutes)

Election results

Congratulations to the following elected Councillors who take office at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 14 May 2020.

President, Mr Tony Sparnon
Vice President, Associate Professor Julie Mundy
Treasurer, Dr Greg Witherow
Censor in Chief, Associate Professor Phillip Carson
Chair Professional Development & Standards, Dr Sally Langley
Chair Pre-Vocational & Skills Education, Dr Jennifer Chambers OAM
Chair Surgical Audit, Mr John Crozier AM CSM
Chair Fellowship Services, Ms Ruth Bollard
Chair IMG Assessment, Associate Professor Kerin Fielding
Chair Research & Academic Surgery, Professor Mark Frydenberg AM
Chair ASC, Conference & Events, Professor Owen Ung
Chair Professional Standards, Professor Andrew Hill
Chair BSET, Mr Adrian Anthony
Deputy Treasurer, Dr Christine Lai
Chair Global Health, Ms Annette Holian
Chair Professional Development, Dr Lawrie Malisano
Chair Court of Examiners, Associate Professor Chris Pyke

Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Medical Council of New Zealand Accreditation

The Australian Medical Council have requested a follow-up re-accreditation visit for June 2021, with a submission due in early 2021. Specialty societies will be engaged as appropriate. For further information, contact the EGM Education [email protected]

Council governance

Council approved the formal scoping of alternative governance models suited to the College as a membership organisation, with aspects such as specialty representation to be explored with stakeholders.  For further information, contact the CEO [email protected]

College name change

Council approved the establishment of a working party, comprised of Councillors, to scope a College name change.  For further information, contact the CEO [email protected]

Regulation/policy recommendations

There is a new conceptual framework around policies and how we operate.  Policies will be reviewed and College staff will be educated on the difference between regulations, policies and procedures and the necessary approvals.  For further information, contact the CEO [email protected]

International Engagement Committee

A new  International Engagement Committee and Terms of Reference was approved.  For further information, contact the CEO [email protected]

Te Rautaki Māori, Māori Health Strategy and Action Plan 2020 - 2023

Council approved the Te Rautaki Māori, Māori Health Strategy and Action Plan 2020 – 2023.  For further information, contact the EGM Fellowship Engagement [email protected]

RACS awards

Congratulations to the following RACS award recipients

Gordon Trinca Medal
Associate Professor Andrew Kurmis FRACS 

Rural Surgeons Award
Mr Richard John Kyngdon FRACS 

Henry Windsor Visiting Lectureship
Professor Michael J Solomon FRACS

New Zealand New Year and Australia Day Honours

Congratulations to the following award recipients

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM)

Dr Donald Murray MacCormick CNZM FRACS

Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Professor Peter Joseph McCluskey AO FRACS
Dr Neil Robert Wetzig AO FRACS

Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Mr John Charles Batten AM FRACS
Professor Pierre Henri Chapuis AM FRACS
Dr John Paxton Collins AM FRACS
Dr Vedella May Hinckley AM FRACS
Dr Michael Kwok Leung AM FRACS 

Medal (OAM) in the General Division

Mr Phillip Nicholas Antippa OAM FRACS
Dr Antony Robert Graham OAM FRACS
Dr David John Marshall OAM FRACS
Dr Samiul Joseph Sorrenti OAM FRACS
Mr David Mackie Skeete Workman OAM FRACS

Admissions to Fellowship

Congratulations to the following who have been admitted to Fellowship recently.

General Surgery

Dr Andrea Cross, New Zealand
Ms Megan Thomas, New Zealand
Mr Gregory Turner, New Zealand
Mr Jen Jie Chu, New Zealand
Dr Kasra Raufian, QLD
Mr Yang Huang, WA
Dr Helen Pham, NSW
Dr Julie Flynn, VIC
Mr Asiri Arachchi, VIC
Mr Jonathan Yi Ter Fong, TAS
Dr Ruben Rajan, WA
Dr Anik Sarkar, NSW
Dr Calista Spiro, ACT
Dr Rajith Mendis, NSW
Dr Peter Yoon, NSW
Dr Sara Clark, NSW
Dr Denbigh Simond, NSW
Dr Matthew Lyon, QLD
Dr Kevin Lah, QLD
Dr Chin Li Tee, QLD
Dr Peter O'Donohue, QLD
Dr Steven Due, SA
Dr Anthony Farfus, SA
Dr Sheila Fitzgerald, NSW
Dr Ronald De Roo, WA
Dr Feifan Yang, NSW
Dr Yen-Ni Yu, NSW
Dr Jessica Preece, VIC
Dr Anna Lowe, QLD
Dr Tara Luck, VIC
Dr Thomas Tiang, VIC
Mr Swee Tan, VIC
Dr Michelle Larkin, NSW
Dr Takako Yabe, NSW
Dr Savitha Bengeri, NSW
Dr Khuong Nguyen, QLD
Dr Jurstine Daruwalla, VIC
Dr Omar Mouline, QLD
Dr Sergei Tsakanov, NSW
Dr Jessica Wong, VIC
Dr Alistair Rowcroft, VIC
Dr Alexander Papachristos, VIC
Dr Chamila Chandika Wewelwala, VIC
Dr Olukunle Onasanya, VIC
Dr Kim Bade, WA
Dr Abdallah Elsabagh, WA
Dr Josephine Xu, NSW
Dr Richard Gartrell, NSW
Dr Hasanga Jayasekera, VIC
Dr Michelle Zhiyun Chen, NSW

Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr Sheraz Anjum, NSW
Mr Nicholas De Giorgio-Miller, New Zealand
Dr Simon Perkins, QLD
Mr Wayne Hoskins, VIC
Dr Ganesh Balendra, QLD
Dr Nicholas Jorgensen, QLD
Dr Piet Rogers, WA
Dr Douglas Kingwell, WA
Mr Anuruthran Ambikaipalan, VIC
Dr Eugene Chung, NSW
Dr Akshay Kamra, NSW
Dr Jeevaka Amaranath, NSW
Dr David Sime, VIC
Mr Mohammad Zafar, NSW
Dr Lucas Annabell, VIC
Dr Tristan Rappo, NSW
Dr Andrew Salipas, VIC
Dr Jobe Shatrov, NSW
Dr Rafik Asaid, VIC
Dr Andrew McBride, QLD
Dr Sarah O'Reilly-Harbidge, NSW
Dr Matthew Rackham, SA
Dr Jason Chinnappa, NSW
Dr Patrick Lim, NSW
Dr David Graham, WA
Dr Samuel Duff, WA
Dr Daniel Cohen, NSW
Dr Claire Bolton, SA
Dr Julia Kirby, VIC
Dr Ferraby Ling, VIC
Dr Jean-Louis Papineau, WA
Dr Raymond Yu, SA
Mr David Owen, VIC
Dr William Lumsdaine, NSW
Dr Verinder Sidhu, NSW
Dr Rajat Mittal, NSW
Dr Milford McArthur, QLD
Dr Nikki Hooper, New Zealand
Mr Kieran Hirpara, QLD
Dr William O'Callaghan, QLD

Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery

Dr Nicholas Fitzpatrick, VIC
Dr Daniel Stephen Cox, NSW
Dr Phillip James Patrick Sale, NSW
Dr Catherine Barnett, QLD
Dr Brendan James Perry, QLD
Dr Laura Lamprell, WA
Mr Benjamin Chan, New Zealand
Dr June Xi Zhen Huang, NSW
Dr Alice Coombs, WA

Paediatric Surgery

Mr Kiarash Taghavi, VIC

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Mr Fu-Yu Yang, New Zealand
Dr Tam Quinn, VIC
Dr Vachara Niumsawatt, VIC
Dr Ian Loh, VIC
Dr Iraj Ahmadi, VIC
Mr Miguel Cabalag, VIC

Urology

Mr Hau Choong Aw, VIC
Dr Andrew Strahan, QLD
Dr Rasha Gendy, NSW
Dr Kenny Rao, VIC
Dr Patrick Teloken, WA
Dr Matthew Roberts, QLD
Dr Athina Pirpiris, VIC
Dr Hao Wang, NSW
Dr Yuigi Yuminaga, NSW
Dr Nikhil Suhas Sapre, VIC

Vascular Surgery

Mr Leonard Shan, VIC
Dr Sara Qi, VIC
Dr Nedal Katib, NSW
Dr Samantha Peden, QLD
Dr Robert Tewksbury, QLD

Neurosurgery

Dr Snigdha Saha, WA
Dr Adrian Praeger,VIC
Dr Sophia Roser, NSW
Dr Imogen Ibbett, QLD
Dr Alistair Jukes, NSW
Dr Bryden Dawes, VIC
Dr Christopher Daly, VIC
Dr Ruth Mitchell, VIC
Dr Hari Haran Ramakonar, WA
Dr Idrees Sher, VIC
Dr Piers Thomas, VIC

Recent publications

The following have recently been published in peer reviewed journals.

  • Chan JCY, Gupta AK, Stewart S, Babidge W, McCulloch G, Worthington MG and Maddern GJ. (2019). “Nobody told me”: Communication Issues Affecting Australian Cardiothoracic Surgery Patients. Thorac. Surg., 108(6), 1801-06. [10.1016/j.athoracsur.2019.04.116]
  • Cloney T, Vinluan J, Chen A, Retegan C and McCahy P. (2019). Stakeholder’s perceived value of surgical audit data provided by the Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality. Health Information Management Journal. [10.1177/1833358319885223]

  • Curtis K, Gabbe B, Shaban RZ, Nahidi S, Pollard Am C, Vallmuur K, Martin K and Christey G. (2020). Priorities for trauma quality improvement and registry use in Australia and New Zealand. Injury, 51(1), 84-90. [10.1016/j.injury.2019.09.033]

  • Gostlow H, Vega CV, Marlow N, Babidge W and Maddern G. (2019). Participant perceptions of the Laparoscopic Simulation Skills Program. ANZ J. Surg., 89(11), 1365-67. [10.1111/ans.15411]

  • Young E, Stewart S, McCulloch GAJ and Maddern GJ. (2019). Appendicectomy mortality: an Australian national audit. ANZ J. Surg., 89(11), 1441-45. [10.1111/ans.15439]

  • Cameron PA, Fitzgerald MC, Curtis K, McKie E, Gabbe B, Earnest A, Christey G, Clarke C, Crozier J, Dinh M, Ellis DY, Howard T, Joseph AP, McDermott K, Matthew J, Ogilvie R, Pollard C, Rao S, Reade M, Rushworth N, Zalstein S and On behalf of the Australian Trauma Quality Improvement Program c. (2019). Over view of major traumatic injury in Australia––Implications for trauma system design. Injury. [10.1016/j.injury.2019.09.036]

  • Aitken RJ and Maddern GJ. (2019). Learning from death. ANZ J. Surg., 89(11), 1355-56. [10.1111/ans.15452]

  • Brennan N, Price T, Archer J and Brett J. (2019). Remediating professionalism lapses in medical students and doctors: A systematic review. Educ. [10.1111/medu.14016]

  • Curtis K, Gabbe B, Vallmuur K, Martin K, Nahidi S, Shaban RZ, Pollard C and Christey G. (2020). Challenges to trauma care delivery for Australian and New Zealand trauma clinicians. Injury. [10.1016/j.injury.2020.01.003]
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