Flinders Professor of Cardiology Derek Chew has received the Royal Australasian College of Physicians 2017 Mentor of the Year Award.
The award recognises an RACP Fellow who makes an outstanding contribution to mentoring or providing a high level of support and guidance throughout training.
Professor Chew, who has a Masters of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health in quantitative methods, has worked to establish an official mentoring program at the Flinders Medical Centre which gives each advanced trainee in cardiology a senior staff member to share their experiences and gain guidance.
“From an academic perspective, Professor Chew actively engages trainees, colleagues and allied health professionals in scholarly work; and is generous and attentive in his collaboration,” the award nomination from Flinders trainees says.
“As a distinguished and internationally recognised researcher, his passion for research and innovation have convinced many of his colleagues on how important their own engagement in research is – both in their own careers and the healthcare system.”
At this month’s awards in Melbourne, the RACP President Dr Catherine Yelland said: “It was a great pleasure to personally award the RACP Mentor if the Year Award to Professor Chew at the RACP Congress.
“Reading through the nomination put together by trainees who have worked with him, it is clear Professor Chew is a worthy recipient who has positively impacted the lives of many around him,” Dr Yelland said.
Professor Chew is a clinical and interventional cardiologist and runs a wide range of clinical trials and research in cardiovascular medicine.
He is a Senior Principal Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Outcomes Research, the Regional Head of Cardiology for the Adelaide Health Service (Southern Region), Head of the Flinders Clinical Trial Centre, and Chair of the Statewide Cardiology Clinical Network. His clinical and research career is centred on the translation of current and future therapies and technologies in cardiology to improved patient outcomes in a clinically effective manner.
Katherine Hospital general and acute care physician Dr Simon Quilty was recipient of the RACP Medal for Clinical Service In Rural and Remote Areas 2017. In conjunction with Rural Doctors Association of Australia, he is involved with the Remote North Australian Hospital Doctors Network and is an Honorary Research Fellow of Menzies School of Health Research. He works with Flinders and James Cook University to encourage medical students to embrace careers in remote health.
The recipient of the College’s prestigious Neil Hamilton Fairley award was Professor Roger Reddel, Director of the Children’s Medical Research Institute, and Lorimer Dods Professor at the Sydney Medical School. The John Sands College Medal was awarded to Clinical Associate professor Michael Hooper, and annual Eric Susman Medal went to Professor Steve Vucic, a clinical academic and translational researcher at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
Most of the awards are presented in recognition of contributions made to the College and to Medicine as well as academic achievements.
They are an acknowledgment made by peers and determined by nominations submitted.
The RACP trains, educates and advocates on behalf of 15,750 Physicians and 7,000 trainee physicians in Australia and New Zealand.