President's Report 2009
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President’s Report 2009 on the pulse Delivered by Dr Leo Mahar Volume XXI No 3 September 2009 It gives me pleasure to report on the considerable help to the running of our young colleagues we must activities of the Cardiac Society, the the Society and that meeting. endeavour to overcome these and Board and the various Councils over I would also like to congratulate provide the best possible training the last year. Jim Wilkinson, Dan Penny and for Cardiologists of the future. David Winlaw for the tremendous Firstly we must thank the Organising success of the World Congress of There has been some call for a Committee for the wonderful Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiac national matching programme meeting that they have put on here in Surgery in Cairns in June this year. between those interested in Sydney. In particular, I would like It was reported as a marvellous Cardiology training and positions meeting, with excellent attendance to thank the Chair of the Organising available inside some States and and excellent weather and a Committee, Peter Macdonald, the amongst States. The College Chair of the Scientific Committee, satisfactory financial outcome. would, of course, like to become Chris Semsarian, Lea Delbridge involved in this. After vigorous from the ISHR and Patricia I would now like to report on the discussion in the Board, we feel Davidson who organised the activities of the four major Sub- Affiliate Programme. Committees of the Board. that the procedures in the States so far have some way to go before we The Annual Scientific Meeting Cardiology Training can roll this out to a national continues to grow and prosper. This After 10 years of very hard work programme. There is of course the year in Sydney we have had close to David Richmond has resigned as justified fear from the smaller 2400 registrants, the largest meeting Chair of this Specialty Training States that they do badly from ever. The venue is wonderful. The Committee (STC) in Cardiology. national training programmes. Sydney weather has been excellent. We thank him for his considerable We continue to have the format of efforts over those years and wish The STC in Cardiology sits the meeting beginning on Friday and him well in the future. Peter Steele between the College of Physicians concluding on Sunday, preceded by was appointed the new Chairman and the Cardiac Society and is satellite meetings of various of this sub-committee which is a answerable to both. The Councils. I should particularly considerable undertaking. The sub- Cardiology curriculum was sent to mention the ANZET09 meeting committee now overseas the the College and is yet to be which again has been a wonderful training of 170 people and this is received back. We are hoping success with 540 registrants. It is the time-consuming and difficult. The there will be progress on this in the third of the interventional meetings aim is to provide very good near future. This covers the sponsored by the Cardiac Society extensive knowledge and and we hope that they will continue. cardiology training and experience experience required in adult It is already planned for Adelaide to our young colleagues as well as Cardiology and the paediatric 2010. ANZET has now grown to meeting the service demands of Cardiology curriculum is almost such a size that it has a permanent metropolitan and regional hospitals secretarial presence in the Cardiac as best we can. This sometimes finished. Society Office. This has been of leads to disappointment for some smaller hospitals whose training One area that we have not so far programmes are not recognised but addressed adequately is training in the quality of the training is grown up congenital heart disease. paramount. The Board resolved The Board has encouraged a small two years ago to extend Cardiology group of people interested in this Training to three core years, area (both paediatric Cardiologists starting from 2010. This was done and adult Cardiologists interested in recognition of the enormous in congenital heart disease) to amount of material that has to be develop a curriculum and a training covered including exposure to programme. This is an area of real surgery and electrophysiology. need both now and into the future. This has led to some difficulty in (Continued on page 3) rostering. In the best interests of Volume XXI, No. 3, September, 2009 On the pulse A publication of The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand A.C.N. 003 635 505 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: +61 2 9256 5452 Fax: +61 2 9247 7916 Email: [email protected] http://www.csanz.edu.au Issue Dates Copy Deadline More information December 2009 10 November 2009 Christine Boyle Views expressed in “on the March 2010 10 February 2010 [email protected] pulse” are not necessarily June 2010 10 May 2010 Tel: +61 2 9256 5453 the views of the Cardiac September 2010 10 August 2010 Fax: +61 2 9247 7916 Society or its Board. The Board President: Honorary Secretary: Leo Mahar Michael Ward Hon Asst Sec/Treasurer: President Elect: Regional Committees David Brieger James Cameron Chair, CSANZ Cardiac New Zealand: Elected Board Members: Imaging Council: Chairman: Andrew Hamer Roger Allan, NSW John O’Shea Secretary: Dave Tang Philip Aylward, SA John Atherton, QLD Chair, CSANZ Joseph Hung, WA Electrophysiology & Pacing New South Wales: Ian Meredith, VIC Council: Chairman: Roger Allan Philip Roberts-Thomson, TAS Stuart Thomas Secretary: Nigel Jepson Harvey White, NZ Chair, CSANZ Interventional Council: Victoria: Affiliate Representatives: Andrew MacIsaac Chairman: David Prior Trish Davidson (Nurse rep) Secretary: Andrew Taylor Julie Redfern (Allied Health rep) Clinical Practice Adviser: Michael Feneley Queensland: Chair, Scientific Chairman: Will Parsonage Committee: Executive Officer: Secretary: Karam Kostner Len Kritharides Lynne Portelli Paediatric Representative: Admin Officers: South Australia: Robert Justo Christine Boyle Chairman: Joseph Montarello Anne Mar Secretary: Matt Worthley Stephanie Johnston Elected Board Member – Surgeon: Chair, STC: Western Australia: Julian Smith Peter Steele Chairman: John O’Shea Secretary: Mark Ireland National Heart Foundation of Australia: Tasmania: Roger Allan Chairman: Don McTaggart Secretary: Andrew Thomson Chair, New Zealand Regional Committee: Andrew Hamer Editor, Heart Lung and Circulation: David Brieger Richmond Jeremy Editor 2 | ON THE PULSE, SEPTEMBER 2009 President’s Report (Continued from page 1) are grateful. The Scientific particular technique. Appropriate Committee overseas the running of training and experience is required Continuing Education and the Annual Scientific Meeting and for credentialing to produce a Recertification Committee appraises and recommends various quality examination and report. To (CERC) scholarships awarded by the this end, a committee has been set Andrew MacIsaac has done a great Society. In addition, Len has been up comprising of three job in chairing this Committee one of the main organisers behind Cardiologists, three Radiologists and which develops and reviews the Indigenous Cardiovascular three Nuclear Physicians as a con- guidelines for continuing education Health Conference which starts just joint committee to recognise and recertification. Over the last before the Annual Scientific appropriate training in this field. It year, they have reviewed the Meeting concludes. I wish that has been a difficult process. I think guidelines of the support facilities meeting every success. we have achieved a satisfactory for primary percutaneous coronary outcome particularly for patients intervention, paediatric cardiac Heart Lung and Circulation getting a quality examination. I catheterisation, pharmacological Richmond Jeremy continues as would like to particularly thank stress testing and are currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and it Michael Feneley, our Practice involved in the selection and continues to flourish. Its index Adviser, Stephen Worthley and creation of performance measures rating is now 2 which is excellent Daniel Friedman for their very for quantifying the quality of for a comparatively new journal. considerable input into this area and cardiovascular care. CERC also they, of course, will be our reviewed guidelines for Marfan’s I was on the Board when we took nominees for this conjoint Syndrome, management of familial this journal over from the Australian committee. long QT syndrome, management of Society of Cardiac and Thoracic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Surgeons. I was concerned that it The Budget outcome came as a familial hypercholesterolaemia and may be a millstone around our neck. surprise to many of us. Despite the assessing fitness to drive. All of Thanks to the undoubted drive and rhetoric of consultation the 20% these guidelines are available on the expertise of Richmond Jeremy it is reduction in coronary angiography CSANZ website and also some are flourishing. It is now self fees came as a complete bolt from to be reviewed further. supporting. Richmond has been the blue. It was unilateral and very helpful with special editions to undiscussed. We have protested Professional and Ethical cover the proceedings of the most vigorously but have yet to hear Standards Committee (PESC) Society. back from the Department. These Jim Cameron has continued to do an changes take place from the 1st of excellent job running this Government Issues November, although no one has Committee and has worked hard on There are three major issues that I been officially notified in writing. the review of the