AMA awards recognise outstanding achievement

The AMA’s 2024 Gold Medal was awarded to Professor Caroline de Costa — a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a clinician to 2016 — for her leadership in reproductive health, Pacific health and Indigenous health in regional Australia.

AMA President Professor Steve Robson he was absolutely delighted to present the highest AMA award to Professor de Costa noting she was a “trailblazer who has shown in her work an absolute commitment to ensuring everybody, even in the most remote parts of the country, have access to the highest quality reproductive healthcare.”

Associate Professor Suzi Nou was awarded the AMA 2024 President’s Award for her outstanding advocacy work on private practice.

“Associate Professor Suzi Nou is an exceptional anaesthetist who is highly respected by her colleagues,” Professor Robson said.

“We honour Suzi for advocating strongly for specialists to maintain their independence for public patients in private hospitals, amid the looming threat of bundled and managed care in the private sector.”

Kealey Griffiths, a University of Queensland medical student, received the 2024 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship.

Ms Griffiths said the $11,000 a year scholarship would relieve financial pressure and allow her to focus her efforts on her studies and medical placements as she sets her sights on a career in psychiatry.

Professor Robson said Ms Griffiths was an impressive medical student “who has all the makings of a fantastic doctor and psychiatrist, where she will have a very important role in assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”

Anaesthetist, researcher and teacher, Professor Andre Van Zundert, was awarded the AMA 2024 Excellence in Healthcare Award in recognition of his commitment to medicine, research, teaching and volunteering.

Professor Robson said Professor Van Zundert's efforts in healthcare were exemplary, and are matched equally by his efforts in many other fields.

"Professor Van Zundert is a wonderful anaesthetist, anaesthesia researcher and teacher. He is also a volunteer supporting Brisbane’s homeless Brisbane and has served with NATO Peacekeepers as military medical director."

Dr Clara Tuck Meng Soo and Dr Dinesh Palipana were each awarded AMA’s Diversity in Medicine Award for their outstanding contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the medical field.

Professor Robson said both doctors the compassion and empathy of both doctors had made a profound difference in the lives of countless individuals and families across Australia.

Dr Soo, a Canberra-based general practitioner known for her dedication to the LGBTIQ+ community, has been instrumental in promoting the rights and well-being of transgender and gender diverse people. 

Dr Palipana is an emergency doctor living with quadriplegia. He was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia. 

He is a passionate disability advocate, dedicating his professional life to working, teaching and researching health. 

Professor Helena Teede and Dr Sarah Whitelaw were awarded the AMA 2024 Women in Medical Leadership Award, in recognition of their influence on national health policy by promoting gender equity and diversity as fundamental pillars of healthcare.

Professor Robson said Professor Teede and Dr Whitelaw were gender equity trailblazers.

“I am delighted to honour these two incredible doctors who have shown an unwavering commitment to improving women's participation in healthcare and leadership.”

For the past decade, Dr Sarah Whitelaw has been at the front lines of health as a senior specialist emergency physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) and an advocate for the AMA.

Dr Whitelaw's influential advocacy has earned national recognition, contributing to systemic changes in healthcare leadership and policy. As chair of the AMA equity, inclusion, and diversity committee, Dr Whitelaw led the development and implementation of major policies, including the AMA's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Plan 2023–25.

Professor Teede spearheaded the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) initiative, which is a national program with 24 large scale partners including the AMA.

The Australian Medical Association’s Doctor in Training of the Year Award went to Dr Amireh Fakhouri for taking a courageous and principled stand for fairness and the rights of doctors in training, with Professor Robson noting Dr Fakhouri “was selfless and showed enormous courage in standing-up for the rights of her colleagues, ignoring the potential cost to her own career.”

Dr Fakhouri had been involved in a groundbreaking legal case that highlighted systemic underpayment of doctors in training and the need for reforms in the healthcare sector.

Dr Keeth Mayakaduwage was presented with the AMA Women’s Health Award. Dr Mayakaduwage’s extensive research, in collaboration with Safer Care Victoria and the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence, has significantly advanced Australia’s understanding of the complexities of stillbirth and the importance of evidence-based practices.

Professor Robson said he was extremely honoured to present the AMA Women’s Health Award to Dr Mayakaduwage, as his contributions to women’s health and stillbirth prevention cannot be understated.

“Dr Mayakaduwage has shown incredible dedication to this extremely important cause, not only through his research, but also through his various roles on international and national women’s health committees.”