The AMA recognises outstanding contributions to our profession

At NatCon last weekend, the AMA President granted its highest award, the AMA Gold Medal, to Laureate Professor Nick Talley and admitted six members to the AMA Roll of Fellows.

The Gold Medal is presented for exceptional service and was awarded to Professor Talley in recognition of his outstanding services to medicine, including publishing the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA).

Professor Talley, who accepted the award at NatCon on Saturday 30 July 2021, is a Distinguished Laureate Professor at the University of Newcastle. He is considered to be one of the world’s leading gastroenterologists and an outstanding clinician and educator.

Dr Khorshid said Professor Talley’s outstanding contribution to medicine included oversight of the AMA’s Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), as Editor-in-Chief, which had adapted to the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic by reorienting the peer review process and adopting pre-press publication to ensure emerging evidence of COVID-19 was presented in a timely way.

Under Professor Talley’s leadership, the MJA had achieved a very high impact factor with the number of citations of articles published to make it one of the top 17 medical journals globally. Read more about this here. 

AMA President Dr Khorshid said, “As a result of Professor Talley’s leadership and drive, the latest vital information about the novel and emerging COVID-19 pandemic was presented in a scientifically-rigorous way to inform clinicians so we could take up the fight on the frontline armed with the latest insights.”

Also at NatCon, six colleagues were admitted as AMA Fellows following consideration by the Federal Council. The Roll of Fellows recognises outstanding contributions to the profession of medicine from AMA members.

Congratulations to these Fellows:

• Professor John Burgess for his contribution as President of AMA Tasmania in the early stage of the pandemic, following service in multiple AMA positions over 31 years of membership.
• Dr Suzanne Davey, who has held multiple AMA positions in the ACT, in General Practice forums and in service to doctors’ health programs over 24 years of membership.
• Associate Professor William Tam for his service as President of AMA South Australian, his membership of the South Australia and Federal AMA Boards and his role in establishing and leading the Australian Chinese Medical Association.
• Dr Dilip Dhupelia, who has been a consistent voice for rural medical practice and has served as President AMA Queensland until this time last year.
• Dr Danielle McMullen, who as President of NSW is the AMA voice in that State as it works through its response to the Delta strain of COVID-19. She also served as an AMA Federal Board member with particular distinction, showing astute governance skills as a Director.
• Dr Andrew Miller, the immediate past President of AMA WA, who has taken medical advocacy to a new level of cut through, for his long career of medical leadership and, in particular, for his extraordinary contributions to the voluntary assisted dying debate in WA and the management of the pandemic.