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Annual Presidents' Reports

2006 - A/Prof Phillippa Poole (cont...)

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IMSANZ Website

The IMSANZ website continues to expand and improve. There are now over 80 Critically Appraised Topics (CATs), along with several talks, resources in teaching evidence-based medicine, position papers, guidelines, links to other societies' websites etc. We have received some suggestions through the membership survey as to the website might better meet CPD and other needs of our members. If you have other suggestions, please contact IMSANZ or Andrew Bowers. Thanks to Mary and her team for the effort put into making this a professional and user - friendly site.

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Scholarships and Fellowships

Travelling Scholarship.

Trainees Paul Huggan (NZ) and Alex Fisher (Aust) were recipients of the 2005 IMSANZ Travelling Scholarships ($5,000) to attend the 8th European School of Internal Medicine meeting in Alicante, Spain in October 2005. IMSANZ also provided a travel grant to Dr Richard Luke from Hawkes Bay, NZ, to attend this meeting. The ESIM meeting will be held near Lisbon this year in late August and we hope to send one or two trainees and possibly one consultant physician faculty member.

To date there have been two nominees for the travel awards but none for IMSANZ's other awards in 2006. Please consider nominations for:

  • Best Scientific Publication in Internal Medicine - $2,000
  • Excellence in Clinical Education - $1,000
  • Research Fellowship - $10,000
Advanced Trainees Award for Best Paper presentations

These awards continue to be given at the RACP / IMSANZ meetings. The IMSANZ free papers session at this meeting will be held on Tuesday 9 May. Please support those presenting and consider how we might encourage more research presentations, including from trainees, at our meetings. Thanks are due to Roche Pharmaceuticals for their continued generous sponsorship.

In New Zealand, the trainee awards are generously sponsored by the De Zoysa Family Trust.

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Newsletter

The newsletter continues to go from strength to strength and once again many thanks are due to our hard-working editor, Michele Levinson, and her support crew Mary Fitzgerald and Arnold Espinola. The newsletter is circulated to our sister societies, and looks polished in comparison. Although the range of articles from a relatively small society is excellent, we would welcome more articles in the areas of CPD, initiatives in workforce development and service delivery, especially in non - metropolitan areas. More articles from New Zealand would be good too!

In writing this I have just received word from Michele that she wishes to resign from the Editor role. Naturally we are very sorry to see her step down, but take this opportunity to formally thank her for her excellent contribution to the society.

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Membership Survey

This was sent out with your annual subscription notices. Around 50% of you have returned these. This feedback will allow us to be more responsive to you, the membership. The findings will be discussed by Council and summarised in an upcoming issue of the IMSANZ newsletter.

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Consultancies and Representations

Over the last 12 months, IMSANZ Council has provided input, feedback or endorsement to discussion papers and policy documents. Some of these are:

  • NZ Institute Economic Research paper on Workforce to meet the needs of the ageing population
  • NZ National Health Committee Discussion Document on People with Chronic Conditions
  • NZ Health Workforce Advisory Committee "Fit for purpose and for practice"
  • NZ Rural Hospital Doctors' proposal to become a vocationally - registered scope of practice in NZ
  • Australian Asthma Objectives for Health Professionals Curriculum
  • RACP Ethics of Relationship with pharmaceutical industry
  • RACP Alcohol Policy
  • RACP response to the Draft Productivity Commission Report
  • RACP governance review

Les Bolitho chairs the revitalised AACP, with primary roles in addressing physician remuneration and workforce issues in Australia.

Many members of IMSANZ have been involved in a range of other activities. This representation is so valuable in ensuring that the generalist perspective is added when important decisions are made. I'd like to thank all of you who do represent IMSANZ and general medicine on RACP committees and other stakeholder bodies.

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Links with other GIM societies

IMSANZ continues links with European societies through our long-standing involvement with the European School of Internal Medicine and now, through the lead up to the 2010 WCIM congress, with ISIM. However, these societies have both generalist and subspecialty members and there is no truly international GIM forum. Ian Scott attended the US SGIM meeting in New Orleans in 2005 to participate in a forum on 'The Globalisation of Internal Medicine'. I have been fortunate to represent IMSANZ at subsequent fora at the Canadian Society meeting in Toronto and SGIM in LA in April 2006. The discussions with respect to globalisation of GIM are proceeding along two lines

  1. learning from and supporting sister societies in fostering general medicine
  2. considering ways that such a federation of societies might contribute to efforts to reduce global health disparities.

GIM representatives from several countries have agreed to organise a forum and an 'internationalisation of general medicine' programme thread through an opportunity provided at next year's SGIM meeting in Toronto from 25-27 April. Thereafter it is anticipated a biennial globalisation congress will 'piggy-back' with another major GIM meeting.

A paper co-authored by Peter Greenberg comparing the evolution of GIM in Australasia, the US, Canada, Argentina, Japan, and Switzerland was published in JGIM 2006;21:197-200.

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Membership and Councillors

IMSANZ members currently number 416, with around 50 of these being trainees in general medicine. This is an increase on last year and is very heartening. We aim to reach 500- please encourage all your colleagues and trainees to join.

The direction of IMSANZ is overseen by Council with representation from all Australian states and territories, and New Zealand. Council members are elected as metropolitan or non metropolitan representatives, and two are trainees. This year we farewell from Council Leonie Callaway (Qld), Christian de Chaneet (WA), Patrick Gladding (NZ AT) and Jaye Martin (WA). Michele Levinson (Vic) has also tendered her resignation from her Victoria metropolitan Councillor role and as Newsletter editor. Our grateful thanks are due to all these Councillors for their inputs, and their continued advocacy for general medicine.

New Councillors are Jo Thomas (Australian AT), Dawn DeWitt (Vic), and Ingrid Naden (NZ AT). We welcome them warmly to the table. This year we also coopted the chairs of the two general medicine SACs, James Williamson and Denise Aitken. Already this closer relationship is strengthening our respective approaches to development of the general medical workforce, and our thinking around what constitutes acceptable general medical training.

There are still some significant vacancies on Council - the Australian Vice - President / 2007 President Elect, and any representation from Western Australia. The newsletter editor role is also now vacant. Council will be addressing these as a matter of urgency.

Council is committed to looking for opportunities to contribute to, and influence, RACP, health board and government policies around health systems and workforce, so that general medicine continues to flourish. Many of you are doing this very effectively at local level. Please consider taking on a Council role for two years to ensure the momentum continues.

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Special Thanks

Our special thanks are due to Ian Scott. During his term as President, Ian worked extremely hard and with vision to provide IMSANZ with a strong endowment of policies, processes and resources. This year, Ian has continued to lead implementation of the Restoring the Balance recommendations and has acted for you as the Australian Vice President. Ian, your support and advice have been sincerely appreciated.

Mary Fitzgerald has provided unstintingly warm and professional support to Council, the membership and me, this year. I appreciate it has been particularly difficult for her in terms of distance, yet communications are managed regularly and effectively. Thanks Mary, most sincerely for your efforts on our behalf.

Apart from a little chaos on the teleconferences at times, I've thoroughly enjoyed working with Council, over this year, and look forward to further constructive deliberations in 2006/7. Thanks for your efforts and your personal support.

Finally, thanks to all of you, the members. Our society IS an exceptional group of doctors, all motivated by a willingness to care for anyone who needs it. This extends to colleagues too. Proof of this may be found in the essence of IMSANZ meetings, where true fellowship and refreshment of one's spirit reside.

I'm honoured to lead IMSANZ until its 10th birthday next year towards its key goals, but assured of friendship and fun along the way.

Phillippa Poole
President, IMSANZ
8 May 2006

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