SA Surgeons Charity Ball 2025

The SA Surgeons Charity Ball returned for its fourth instalment on Saturday 15 February 2025, with the location being the newly renovated Playford Hotel, North Terrace Adelaide.

The event was attended by over 160 guests comprising of Fellows, Trainees, other medical professionals, staff, partners and a range of sponsors.

The event raised more than $36,000 for Interplast, an organisation that sends teams of volunteer plastic surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region. Attended by the Proudman Family, Dr Tim Proudman was also acknowledged on the evening.

Thank you to the SA Younger Fellows Advisory Committee who helped organise the Ball, as well as the generous event sponsors, the RACS supporting staff and of course our excellent hosts at The Playford Hotel.

A great success and a testament to the generosity of the state’s surgical community.

Annual Scientific Meeting 2024

At the recent RACS WA, SA & NT Tristate Annual Scientific Meeting 2024 held from 1 – 3 August in Broome, a powerful keynote address by Dr. Rajesh Sehdev, an Emergency Physician from Townsville who has been advocating for Clinician wellbeing at Department, Hospital, State & College levels for many years, captivated the audience.

His presentation, titled "Civility Saves Lives", focused on a critical yet often overlooked aspect of healthcare: the impact of civility and incivility on medical professionals and patient outcomes. In an era where clinical excellence is paramount, Dr. Sehdev’s insights underscored how respectful communication and professional courtesy are integral to fostering a healthy, effective healthcare environment.

Dr. Sehdev’s presentation formed part of a comprehensive program crafted by Meeting Conveners, Assoc. Prof. Ming Yew and Dr. Sharon Lee, that facilitated critical discussions amongst attendees on the theme of ‘Culture, Accountability & Diversity’. 

RACS South Australia looks forward to welcoming delegates at the Tristate Annual Scientific Meeting 2025 in Adelaide, where an extensive scientific program on the theme of ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’, with a focus on topics surrounding surgical history, rural and remote medicine and training, will be offered in September 2025.

BDO Seminar: Are you retirement ready?

Thank you to BDO for hosting a seminar for Members at the RACS SA Office on Wednesday 15th May. Lachlan Kennett and Hien Tran, Partners of BDO presented an insight on how to prepare for retirement at any stage of your career.

Specialist Medical Colleges Career Workshop 2024

On Tuesday 19 March at U-City Function Centre, approximately 150 medical students and interns from across South Australia, got to hear firsthand from representatives from Medical Colleges about what a future in the various medical specialities may look like. Current Trainees, Younger Fellows and experienced practitioners  gave brief presentations to share their personal experiences in their respective specialities. Following the presentations, event attendees had the opportunity to have one on one discussions with College representatives, and ask about opportunities within the College.

Dr Alicia Lima general surgical Trainee, represented RACS and spoke about her experiences as a surgical trainee and her journey with the College.

SA Papers Day and Annual Dinner

On 3 November the South Australia (SA) state office hosted a highly successful papers day, where medical students, Trainees and Younger Fellows showcased there research to determine the winners of RP Jepson Medal and the Justin Miller Medal.

The awards are named in honour of two of the state’s most distinguished vascular surgeons. The RP Jepson Medal is awarded to the best research paper and presentation, and the Justin Miller Medal awarded to the best clinical paper and presentation.

In total 20 presentations were made across the two categories, with the event also providing participants with the opportunity to discuss their presentations and receive feedback from the judges. The judges comprised of former RACS president Dr Tony Sparnon, RACS SA Chair Associate Professor Amal Abou-Hamden, RACS SA Committee member Dr Nadia Wise, and the Dean of Medicine at Adelaide University, Dr Danny Liew.

Congratulations to Dr Luke Traeger who won the Justin Miller Medal for his presentation ‘Pyridostigmine to accelerate gastrointestinal recovery after colorectal surgery – a double-blinded randomised controlled trial’.

Congratulations also to Dr Harleen Kaur who won the RP Jepson Medal for her presentation ‘Patient-Derived Organoid Culture: Advancing Personalised Chemotherapy’.

The annual dinner also featured the presentation of the Sir Henry Newland Award, which was awarded to Associate Professor Robert Bauze for his long and distinguished service to surgery and the South Australian community.

Later in the evening the annual Anstey Giles Lecture, which was delivered by South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. The highly respected police commissioner has become one of the most recognisable faces in South Australia following the COVID-19 pandemic. In his lecture, Commissioner Stevens spoke of ’Leadership in a time of crisis‘ where he discussed the many challenges the police force faced during the height of the pandemic, the learnings that can be taken away, as well as the achievements that he is most proud of.