Truly inspiring: Doctors who make a real difference

Four recipients of awards at The Royal Australian College of GPs annual conference have been described as inspirational by President Dr Michael Wright at an event in Brisbane.

The winners of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards have all made a difference to their communities and Dr Wright said it was a real honour to recognise their achievements.

“The Aunty Val Dahlstrom Award for Aboriginal Health Excellence was awarded to Dr Liza Robertson, a senior GP at Wuchopperen Health Service in Far North Queensland.

Dr Robertson cultivated strong relationships with the local community. A reliable and sought-after GP in situations that involve complex trauma, emergency presentations and palliative care for adults and children.

“Dr Robertson is such a dedicated leader,” RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Chair Dr Karen Nicholls said.

“She’s committed to supervising medical students, registrars and fellow GPs, ensuring her significant skills and experience are shared widely to enhance the clinical care the entire community receives.

The Standing Strong Together Award went to Dr Ai Lee Heng.

This award has celebrated partnerships between GPs and communities and is presented each year to a GP who has gone that extra mile working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve patient health outcomes.

“As a registrar at First People’s Health and Wellbeing in Victoria, she has become a trusted GP of choice for many patients in the community,” Dr Nicholls said.

“Her understanding of First Nations health in its full scope, encompassing physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing, has led to a model of culturally informed and individualised care, which makes such a difference.”

Gold standard of general practice

The Growing Strong Award that celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training who demonstrate significant commitment to giving back to the community, went to Dr Myora Stone, a proud Quandamooka woman who sought out her first-year placement at Yulu Burri Ba Corporation for Community Health on the outskirts of Brisbane, to strengthen ties to her mother’s country and community.

While raising a young family, Dr Stone also commenced a Masters in Public Health, and as a part of those studies, developed a key patient resource in consultation with mob for Yulu Burri Ba’s Birthing in the Community Program, Jajum Bajara.

“Her supervisor identified her unwavering commitment to providing a gold standard of general practice care, desire to enhance patients’ experiences, and to contribute to self-determination and health literacy,” Dr Nicholls said.

Keisha Calyun was the recipient of the Rising Strong Medical Student Award, that celebrates an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander medical student who shows a strong interest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and a career in general practice.

“Ms Calyun is a driven, passionate student and her commitment to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health began even before she commenced her medical studies,” Dr Nicholls said.

Lasting impact

“While working at the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia, she developed a scholarship to fund other Aboriginal medical students to attend the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress.

“She has identified general practice as a career that will offer her the opportunity to make a lasting impact in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health across a range of settings, which is great news.”