AMA National Conference 2010 - AMA Roll of Fellows

AMA Fellowship formally recognises outstanding contribution and service to the AMA and to the medical profession.

Dr Pesce said that the four new Fellows were richly deserving of the honour.

“The new Fellows have all achieved much in their medical careers and have worked tirelessly for the AMA to improve conditions for doctors and to make the Australian health system work more effectively for patients and communities,” Dr Pesce said.

The AMA welcomes the following new additions to the Roll of Fellows:

Dr David John Doidge ANDREW

Dr David John Doidge Andrew graduated from The University of Melbourne in 1968 and joined the AMA the following year.

On graduation, Dr Andrew worked in Auckland, New Zealand, before working as a visiting medical officer at The Royal Children’s Hospital and The Royal Women’s Hospital.  Dr Andrew also worked as an obstetrics and gynaecology registrar in Wellington and Auckland in 1972 and 1973.  In 1971, Dr Andrew joined the Royal Australian Navy Reserve.  He retired with the esteemed rank of Surgeon Commander in 2009.

Dr Andrew practised as a general practitioner for the Whittlesea and Epping Medical Group from 1974 to 1975 before starting a solo practice in Epping in 1976.  He retained this solo practice until 2009.

Since joining AMA (VIC) in 1969 and becoming an active member in the late 1970s, Dr Andrew has served as:

• Secretary and Chair of Northern Subdivision

• AMA (VIC) Council representative for the Northern Division of General Practice

• AMA (VIC) representative for the Department of Veteran Affairs on the Local Medical Officer Advisory Committee

• Member of the AMA (VIC) Section of General Practice

• Treasurer of the Section of General Practice

• Member of the AMA-RACGP Liaison Committee

Throughout his career, Dr Andrew has worked as a locum doctor intermittently in rural Victoria.  He has been a strong advocate for doctors working in rural areas and for rural health.

One of Dr Andrew’s major concerns for the medical profession is the loss of obstetric skills in the new generation of doctors.

Outside his active role with the AMA, Dr Andrew has also served as the Director of the Northern Division of General Practice.

Dr Andrew has been a long-time supporter and active member of the AMA.  Through his various roles, he has made an outstanding contribution to the organisation.

Professor Gary Cornelis GEELHOED

Professor Gary Cornelis Geelhoed graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1976 and joined the AMA in December 1975.

He has been actively involved in AMA medico-political activities for many years and has worked tirelessly on behalf of his colleagues in seeking to advance improvements to the health system and patient care.

He has given outstanding service to the AMA both at State and Federal level and to the community of Western Australia.

Professor Geelhoed is a paediatrician and an emergency physician in full-time practice as Head of the Emergency Department of Perth’s tertiary paediatric hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.

He has had a long association with the AMA as a hospital clinical staff representative and on AMA committees.  In 2001, he was also Chairman of the Clinical Staff Association of Princess Margaret Hospital.  In these capacities, he was faced with alleged impropriety against practitioners in Princess Margaret Hospital in 2001/02 in parallel with the renegotiation of salaried arrangements by AMA (WA) at that time.  The allegations were underpinned by reports to the Health Insurance Commission and assertions by the Premier, criticising the medical profession.  The matter was also referred by the Government to a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry and to the Auditor General.  The outcome of the process, which was the subject of very significant media publicity including personal attacks directed at Professor Geelhoed, was that the profession was exonerated.  Professor Geelhoed’s conduct throughout this showed his leadership qualities, strength of character, and capabilities in dealing with government and the media.

Professor Geelhoed was elected as a member of the AMA (WA) Council in 2005.  This followed on from his election to the AMA Senior Salaried Practitioners Committee and the Inter-Hospital Liaison Committee in 2003/04, for which, in 2006, he commenced a two-year term as its Chairman.  This committee represents senior members of the AMA (WA) employed in the public hospital system in Western Australia. He has also served on numerous AMA (WA) committees. In these capacities, he has served the Association long and hard through a number of difficult issues, including in very complex and ultimately very successful industrial negotiations.

Professor Geelhoed subsequently became a member of the AMA Executive in 2006, Senior Vice President in 2006 and President in August 2008.  He then became a Federal Councillor of the Federal AMA in 2008.

Professor Geelhoed has also been an AMA (WA) representative to the Federal National Conference for some years and served on the Federal AMA Taskforce on Indigenous Health, Public Health and Child & Youth Health Committee, attended the AMA Council of Salaried Doctors, and is a member of the Federal AMA Economics and Workforce Committee.

He is a frequent and respected commentator in the media on Federal issues from a WA perspective, advocating the AMA’s collective position on matters such as emergency medicine, public hospital funding, capacity and quality issues, beds, national registration and various public health matters such as Aboriginal health.

In addition, Professor Geelhoed was elected to the Council of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation for Western Australian (ASMOF) for a number of years and is State Secretary and a Federal Councillor, where he continues to represent the interests of salaried medical practitioners at a national level.

Professor Geelhoed has made a significant contribution to medicine in Australia and the wellbeing of members of the Association as a leader in his field and activities and service on behalf of the AMA at a State and Federal level.

Dr Paul Francis JONES

Dr Paul Francis Jones’s contribution to the AMA has been considerable over a period of many years.

As the Federal Councillor representing the AMA (ACT), Dr Jones is an active member of Federal Council, the AMA Council of General Practice and the Finance Committee.

Dr Jones has been active in AMA and medico-politics for a very long period – both at the local and Federal levels.  His counsel is respected and his views sought on various general practice issues.  However, he also ably negotiated for his VMO colleagues on their contract terms and conditions in 2006 and 2009.

Dr Jones was educated at St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill and the University of Sydney, from where he graduated with MBBS in 1978.  He came to Canberra in 1979 and has been in general practice since 1981.

Dr Jones’s entry in the Medical Directory of Australia is brief – to say the least – and reflects his self-effacing manner.  However, his achievements, although not heralded, are nonetheless quietly impressive.  We are not able to adequately cover Dr Jones’s extraordinary contribution in this short time, however, here are just a few.

Dr Jones has represented the ACT on the AMACGP for some years, he has represented general practice at the AMA’s National Conference and, until recently, he held the positions of GP Advisor, GPVMO in the Transitional Care Unit and Director of the Medical Education Program at Calvary Hospital.

He also served as a member of Calvary Hospital’s Community Council.  He has actively supported the AMA’s Family Doctor Week and is not averse to tackling the hard issues for general practice and patients.  He is a fearless advocate for independent general practice.  He is an educator.  He is a politician.  And for almost a decade, Dr Jones has been Treasurer of the AMA (ACT), President Elect and currently serves as President. 

In 2005, Dr Jones was awarded the President’s Award for his commitment to the Association, his colleagues and his profession.

Dr Jones is highly respected by his peers and others outside the profession. 

He was appointed a member of the ACT Health Minister’s GP Taskforce and chairs the ACT GP workforce working group – a coalition of related organisations and the ACT Department of Health.  He has forged new and sustainable links with the ACT Division of General Practice for the benefit of the general practitioners in the ACT.

Federal Council colleagues will know of his quiet, yet confident manner, when addressing issues of concern to the profession, and his colleagues at the Federal level can attest to his contribution to the Finance Committee and to the now “mothballed” committee on healthy ageing.

Associate Professor Andrew KEEGAN

Associate Professor Andrew Keegan is the immediate past president of AMA (NSW) and continues to assist with his enormous expertise in public and private hospital practice.

Professor Keegan joined the AMA after graduating with MBBS (Honours) from the University of Sydney in 1980.  He was elected to Council in 1999.  He has served on the Hospital Practice Committee and the Finance and Organisation Committee and remains Chairperson of the Hospital Practice Committee. 

He was Vice President from 2004 to 2006 and President of AMA (NSW) from 2006 to 2008, during the Nile inquiry into Royal North Shore Hospital and the subsequent Garling inquiry into the NSW health system.

Professor Keegan attended hearings during both these inquiries.  These significant reviews have had national implications for the medical profession.

Professor Keegan was also involved in the AMA (NSW) response to the medical indemnity crisis.  As President, he also led initial negotiations regarding major amendments to the National Registration Scheme with the NSW Government.

Professor Keegan is a gastroenterologist with a distinguished record in practice, publications, teaching and presentations.  He is a member of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association, the International Society of Biomedical Research on Alcoholism and the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 

He is a visiting consultant gastroenterologist/hepatologist at Nepean Hospital and Nepean Private Hospital.

Professor Keegan also has a long-standing involvement with medical education and health administration.  He is Adjunct Associate Professor, Sydney Medical School Nepean at the University of Sydney.  Among his many local appointments he has been the Chairman of the Nepean Hospital Medical Staff Council and of the Wentworth Area Health Service Medical Staff Council.

He is also on the Gastroenterology Executive of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation. 

 

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28 May 2010

CONTACT:  John Flannery                           02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761

                Geraldine Kurukchi                     02 6270 5467 / 0427 209 753

 

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