Meet the 2023 DiT of the Year Dr Natasha Abeysekera
Introducing award-winning AMA Doctor in Training Dr Natasha Abeysekera, who kindly answered our questions about her career and interests.
Name
Natasha Abeysekera
Pronouns
She/Her
State/Country
Queensland, Australia
Role in AMACDT
I’ve been involved with the AMA since I was a medical student.
Since graduating I have been heavily involved with the AMA Queensland Council of Doctors in Training, as Communications Officer (2020), Deputy Chair (Jan-Jun 2021, 2022) and Co-Chair (Jul-Dec 2021). I have also recently been appointed to the AMA Queensland Climate & Sustainability Working Group.
Specialty
I am currently a Principle House Officer (or Unaccredited Registrar) in Dermatology
What drew you to medicine?
To me, medicine is just about the coolest job in the world — we are able to help patients by problem solving, be involved in research, and advocate for communities. It’s a huge privilege and I am constantly inspired by the work we all do.
Who is your greatest hero or inspiration?
As corny as it may be —my mother is my greatest hero. She is fiercely independent, kind and generous. My mother immigrated to Australia when I was 1 year old and has shown me firsthand the power of hard work and determination. She is the most positive person I know and is my constant cheerleader.
How do you like to reset/destress (or rephrase to look after wellbeing?)
I have a ridiculous number of hobbies but I find the most effective for destressing are knitting and pottery. With knitting, you have to have some level of focus on what is in front of you and so can’t be distracted by work/anything too mentally consuming. I am a particular aficionado of ceramic wheel throwing (and pottery in general) for similar reasons. I have also never forgotten the words of one of my pottery teachers during my very first lesson (where I was awful), “It’s just clay, it will be okay”.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years
I will probably still be the same kooky pottery-doing knitter but hopefully a bit better at both!
What is your top advocacy priority and why?
I couldn’t possibly pick just one! But if I absolutely had to narrow it down to my top two, they would be:
- the mental health and wellbeing of our medical community
- climate health and environmental sustainability.
There are many issues I am passionate about but these two are probably the ones I have been advocating for the longest time.
As a community, we have been discussing the mental health of our colleagues/friends/family for over 100 years and yet the facts remain:
- 50 per cent of doctors in training experience moderate to high levels of psychological distress
- doctors in training are working unsafe hours increasing their risk of developing mental health conditions and suicidal ideation
- female doctors suicide at 2.27 times the rate of the general population
- male doctors suicide at 1.41 times the rate of the general population.
Similarly, we have long since been aware of the threat of climate change to health and wellbeing (and equally the opportunities that exist through adaptation and mitigation). We are living in an age where our patients are experiencing the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on their health. In June 2022, the Australian Government lodged an updated more ambition target to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The targets are now:
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030
- net zero emissions by 2050.
Whilst committing to more ambitious targets is in theory better, the current policies and commitments in place are insufficient to support the Paris Agreements’ 1.5oC temperature limit. Further to this, based on current actions outlined in the Australian Government’s long-term strategy, it is unlikely that Australia will achieve the net zero by 2050 target.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for DiTs at present?
Again, tough question.
Although there has been changes over the years, the mental health and wellbeing of DiTs still remains an ever-present concern. This is a multi-factorial challenge relating to many issues, including unsafe working hours, increasing costs associated with selection into vocational training programs (without any guarantee) and so much more!
What advice would you give to DiTs who would like to be more involved in advocacy?
My two most hated phrases are “back in my day things were worse” and “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. No one is trying to discount anyone’s experiences but it’s safe to say there are still issues today affecting DiTs. I believe that DiTs have a powerful important voice to share, particularly when we unify and stand together.
My advice is that it’s never too early or late to become involved — take the first step and enjoy the journey!