Left to right: Dr Bruce Ashford, A/Prof Payal Mukherjee, Prof Anand Deva, A/Prof Kim-Chi Phan-Thien, Dr Andrew Bean, Dr Albert Shun, Dr Narayanan Jayachandran, Elizabeth Coady, Dr Valerie Malka, Dr Pecky De Silva
Chair's Report - March 2025
Dear Colleagues
Since our last newsletter the vote for the constitutional change was held and successfully passed, with 82.6% of the fellowship voting in favour. We now have an interim board that includes A/Prof Kerin Fielding (NSW), Prof Owen Ung (Qld), Dr Nicola Hill (AoNZ) and Prof Mark Ashton (Vic), along with non-surgical experts who bring essential skills to the board. Meanwhile, the Board Governance Working Party is developing the appointment process for the new board, which is set to be in place by the end of 2025.
Council elections were recently held, and I am grateful to have been elected alongside Dr Andrew Ellis, an orthopaedic surgeon from NSW. Our term will begin in May after the College AGM at the RACS ASC. Prof Henry Woo was also re-elected, and the other NSW surgeons on the Council are Dr Greg Keogh, Prof Ray Sacks and Dr Mark Dexter.
In May, A/Prof Kerin Fielding will step down after 2 years as the College President. We sincerely thank her for her dedication and hard work. We also welcome Prof Owen Ung as the new President. Prof Ung previously worked at Westmead Hospital before moving to Queensland.
On Saturday, 2 November 2024, we hosted the NSW Registrar's Paper Day followed by the NSW Surgeons' Evening. Prof Anand Deva was awarded the 2024 Graham Coupland Medal and delivered a fantastic lecture on his academic career. Congratulations to all the award recipients from that evening! We look forward to seeing you at the 2025 Registrar's Paper Day and Surgeons' Evening on Saturday, 1 November 2025.
As we navigate challenges in surgical services across NSW, we believe it is crucial to engage with NSW Health and the Ministry on key issues such as elective surgery, public clinics, access to surgery and workforce concerns. To drive meaningful change, the RACS NSW Executive Committee have organised a roundtable with the major stakeholders to explore ways to improve the system for our patients. This important discussion will take place in late April.
The RACS ASC will take place in Sydney from 3-6 May at the ICC. This year's program is outstanding, featuring Dr Glaucomflecken - a renowned American comedian and ophthalmologist - who will be a guest speaker at what promises to be a highlight of the conference. Be sure you register now to take advantage of the early bird rates!
2024 Award recipients
• NSW Merit Award, Dr
Valerie Malka
• Service to the
Community award, Dr
Narayanan Jayachandran and Dr
Albert Shun
• Recognition of Outstanding Service, A/Prof
Payal Mukherjee and Dr Andrew Bean
• Graham Coupland Lecture and Medal, Prof
Anand Deva
• Michael
Donnellan award, Dr
Bruce Ashford
• Women in Leadership award, A/Prof
Kim-Chi Phan-Thien
• Annual Medical Student award, Elizabeth Coady
• Papers Day - Scientific Lab Based award, Dr Mark Ly
• Papers Day - Clinical Research award, Dr Krishna Kotecha
