Dr Kate Kearney, AMA Board Chair, steps down
After four years of dedicated service, Dr Kate Kearney is stepping down from the AMA Board and her role as Chair.
Statement from AMA President, Professor Steve Robson:
After four years of dedicated service, Dr Kate Kearney is stepping down from the AMA Board and her role as Chair.
Dr Kearney joined the AMA Board in June 2020 during the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. By October 2022, she had ascended to the role of Board Chair, where she has since left an indelible mark on AMA governance and Australian healthcare more broadly.
As a leading academic and clinical cardiologist, Dr Kearney’s leadership has been instrumental in steering the AMA through some of the most turbulent times for Australian healthcare in recent history.
Most recently, Dr Kearney led the Board through the development of the AMA's Strategy 2024–2027, managed the crisis of AMA WA withholding federal fees and successfully communicated to members the need for the Tasmanian AMA to become a branch of the Federal AMA.
Her leadership led to a resounding vote for unity, with 95 per cent of members who voted at the AMA's recent Annual General Meeting supporting the merger, as well as generational reforms that will ensure stronger and more modern governance of the AMA.
On top of her commitments to the AMA, Dr Kearney has dedicated her career to addressing the growing problem of heart failure in the rapidly rising number of congenital heart disease patients who are now reaching adulthood.
Her pioneering contributions have garnered international acclaim, leading to her recent appointment as an assistant professor at the University of Texas, where she is spearheading an adult congenital heart disease heart failure program with a supporting research program.
The AMA extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr Kearney for her unwavering leadership, visionary guidance and service. She embodies the spirit of the AMA, from her beginnings in the Australian Medical Students Association to her tenure on the Council of Doctors in Training and beyond. We congratulate Dr Kearney on her recent appointment and reluctantly farewell her from the AMA Board.
We wish Dr Kearney continued success with her young family, her stellar and now-overseas career, and eagerly anticipate the next chapters of her medical journey. The Board will vote on the next Board Chair shortly. In the interim, Dr Andrew Charles Miller, AMA Deputy Board Chair, will lead the Board.
Professor Steve Robson
AMA President