AMA SA announces new Board Directors

AMA SA President Dr John Williams is pleased to announce the appointment of four new ordinary directors to the AMA SA Board.

The following appointees (in no particular order) will work with President Dr John Williams, CEO Nicole Sykes and current directors to advance AMA SA’s strategic plan and shape the future of the organisation:

• Dr Bridget Sawyer
• Dr Shriram Nath
• Prof. Ted Mah
• Prof. Tarun Bastiampillai.

They will join Dr Williams, Vice President A/Prof Peter Subramaniam and Independent Board Director Megan Webster, commencing their terms on 17 October 2024.

Seven AMA SA members nominated themselves for Board selection. The successful candidates were chosen by members of AMA SA Councillor via secret ballot at the  Council meeting on Thursday 22 August.

Dr Williams has congratulated the new directors and thanked all candidates for their nominations, which he said reflected the high regard for the association.

He’s also thanked Dr William Tam, Dr Guy Christie Taylor and Dr Michelle Atchison for their service and commitment to the AMA SA Board throughout their tenure.

Dr Bridget Sawyer

Dr Bridget Sawyer, a GP based in Adelaide, was added to the AMA’s Roll of Fellows at the National Conference earlier this month. She completed her training in general practice in the UK in 1987 and moved to Australia in 1990 taking up a role with the Royal Flying Doctor Service based in Broken Hill, NSW.

After two years of working there she moved to Adelaide, initially working as a GP until establishing her sports medicine practice.

Dr Sawyer is a member of the South Australian Sports Medicine Association and was president from 2011 to 2013.

She has worked with elite athletes in netball and basketball, both domestic and international competition and was the race doctor for the Paracycling World Cup in January 2024 and the Women’s Tour Down Under from inception until 2023. Dr Sawyer also worked at Paralympic HQ for the Rio Games and sites that as a professional highlight.

Dr Sawyer said she applied for the position of Ordinary Director to the AMA(SA) Board because of the important role AMA plays at both the state and federal levels negotiating health reform.

‘The Committee of General Practice will be pivotal in the successful implementation of My Medicare and the multi-disciplinary team model,’ Dr Sawyer said.

‘I believe I can contribute to the ongoing consultation process, progressing from the workshops and committee work of the last few years.’

Dr Sawyer said she plays an active role in promoting AMA SA, particularly in her role as a member of SA Health’s Ambulance Ramping Taskforce.

‘A good indication of our effectiveness is that the AMA is always asked for its opinion and invited to be part of the consultation process,’ she said.

‘I am keen to see that this continues and hope to be able to play my part on behalf of all AMA members.’

Dr Shriram Nath

Dr Shriram Nath completed his medical training, including advanced training, at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, India.  

His interest in leukaemia and lymphomas led him to Kuwait before he moved to Melbourne in 2004. He completed his haematology training in Melbourne and Adelaide in 2009. 

Dr Nath has worked in the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Alfred Hospital, and as consultant haematologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA Pathology and Adelaide Cancer Centre. 

He currently works as a Haematologist with Adelaide Haematology and in the laboratory with Clinpath Pathology. He has been on the AMA SA Council representing pathology for the past six years.  

Dr Nath told Councillors he believes in AMA SA’s strategic plan and the power of the organisation’s collective voice.

He said good primary care is the bedrock of a good healthy population and junior doctors are the AMA’s most valuable asset.

‘My aim has always been to find a way to improve the system for their training and work-life balance,’ Dr Nath said.

‘Exposure to the private system is lacking in current training, especially for specialists in SA.’

Dr Nath said his varied experience will be an asset to the Board.

‘I can bring a perspective from the rich culture of India where I was born and my experience working in three different countries – across the public and private systems, in both clinical and laboratory settings,’ he said.

Professor Edward (Ted) Mah

Dr Edward (Ted) Mah is the Professor of the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University and Immediate past Head of Orthopaedics at Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN).

He is a director at North Adelaide Specialist Centre, which provides specialised service in hand and microsurgery, and elbow and shoulder reconstruction surgery.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Dr Mah has worked with and for the orthopaedic community both locally, nationally and internationally.

Prof. Mah told councillors he will help manage the financial sustainability of AMA SA at a time of transition under the new constitution.

‘I’m there to hold the Board steady,’ Prof. Mah said.

‘I have the experience, passion, energy and conviction to work with Board members to ensure matters are dealt with efficiently.

‘Good governance and sound financial management is critical to any organisation and the AMA is no exception.’

Professor Tarun Bastiampillai

Prof. Tarun Bastiampillai studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating in 1996.

He completed psychiatry training at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in 2004. He subsequently worked as a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS, based in London, for two years before returning to South Australia in 2007.

Prof. Bastiampillai has been a Clinical Director of mental health services in the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (2010-14) and was previously the SA Department of Health and Wellbeing, Executive Director of Mental Health Strategy between 2015-17.

He is currently SALHN Mental Health research lead, Professor of Psychiatry at Flinders University and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Monash University. He has specific research foci on healthcare systems, mental health policy, schizophrenia and suicide epidemiology. He is a Clinical Analytics advisor within the SA Department of Health and Wellbeing.

Prof. Bastiampillai told councillors that a thriving AMA SA is vital to the integrity and functioning of South Australia’s healthcare system and that the organisation’s financial position is critically important.

‘We need to understand and interrogate the needs of our membership base and have a strategic focus on improving membership numbers,’ Prof. Bastiampillai said.

‘We also have to work out strategies to gain revenue from non-membership sources.

‘I respect the tradition and history of AMA SA, but also recognise the importance of modernisation.’