Scott Kitchener
This has been a year of change for the Journal. After a long and colourful career. CAPT Jenny Graham has departed from active service with the ADF and also her role on the AMMA Executive as the Editor of the Journal. She not only w ill be. but had been sorely missed – a tribute to her efforts during service to the Association. Prior to her departure the Executive discussed and accepted a proposal to establish an Editorial Board recognising the significant logistic effort required to produce this publication. ConcuJTent with this move will be a level of rigourt hat will further elevate the Journal into the scientific health literature. The strength of submissions to the Journal , the Annual Conference and the growth of the Association both support t his direction. The Board will accommodate the close association of military and veteran ‘s health and the increasingly academic nature of this field in Australia by including representatives from the Universities actively researching and teaching the field.
The President of the Association will sit as Chair through the initial stages of governance from the
Editorial Board. The Board will then review the publication process for the Journal towards an efficient means of disseminating scientific and academic in formation of military and veteran’s health in addition to documenting the activities of the Association. Towards the latter. accepted abstracts of the AMMA 2006 Conference w ill be published in t he next edition of the Journal and will appear in future years as an annual supplement to the Journal.
Your suggestions and advice will be sought at the Annual Conference in Brisbane. Comments are also welcomed per email.
Finally. this edition includes the usual eclectic mix of papers reflecting the diverse nature of health care practice in the military. Papers range from historic contributions to contemporary issues in military health of sports medicine, nutrition. surgery and occupational health. My sincere thanks to the authors of these papers and other contributors who have submitted papers not yet published in the Journal.
Thank you for your continued support of Australian
Military Medicine.
Dr Russell Schedlich
As we go to press. the Australian Military Medicine Association/Defence Health Services joint Organising Committee are putting the final touches to the programme for the 2006 AMMA/DHS conference being held at the Brisbane Convention Centre from 19 to 22 October. The Organising Committee has been working tirelessly to put together a Conference that is packed full of h igh quality papers as well as prov i ding delegates the opportunity to mix with their colleagues in a relaxed environment.
The DHS and AMMA came to an agreement earl y this year to co-host this conference. with AMMA being given the responsibility for management under the guidance of a joint Organising Committee.
We are honoured that the Defence Minister. Dr Brendan Nelson. will be opening the Conference. Being responsible for the political leadership of t he ADF as well as being a medical practitioner. Dr Nelson is sure to provide a unique perspective on military medicine in his Opening Address.
The Conference has an impressive list of Australian and international keynote speakers. including Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer. who will read papers on a wide variety of military medical matters.
This w ill be an even t not to be missed. and I look forward to catching up with you all in Brisbane.
Members of the Defence Health Service continue to work at a high pace to supp011 operational and exercise deployments of the ADF. and t he level of activity remains undiminished.
There is continuing focus on the risks of deployments. particularly on those that impact on the long term health of veterans. The 2006 conference will be our opportunity to support the scientific and professional development of the science of military medicine and health.
Australian Military Medicine is also undergoing significant change. Council agreed last year to join with the Defence Health Service. t he Cent re for Military and Veteran ‘s Health and other professional bodies involved in support research and study into military medicine and heal th to establish an Editorial Board to guide the development of the journal and to provide editorial support for its publication.
The new Editorial Board consists of: Russ Schedlich. President AMMA.
- Editor-in-Chief
- Scott Kitchener, Grants Officer. AMMA Peter Leggat, Defence Health Services
- Keith Horsley. Depa11ment of Veteran Affairs
- Graeme Can nell, Defence Health Services
- Malcolm Sim, Monash Un iversity
- Bob Stacy, CSR
The Board will be meeting during t he Conference to map out concepts and a plan for the evolution of the journal wit h a view to having it internationally recognised as a forum for publication of research and comment on military and veteran’s heal th.
The Board will be pleased to receive any thoughts on how best this may be achieved.
I look forward to catching up with you all at the
Conference in Brisbane in October.
DR RUSSELL SCHEDLICH
Russ Schedlich graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1979 and sta1ted working in the Royal Australian Navy the following year. After time at sea a nd in major shore Establishments. he specialised in underwater med icine. and in 1986-88 undertook a posting to the Institute of Naval Medicine in the Un ited Kingdom. Returning to Australia. he served as Fleet Medical Officer from 1989-90 and then completed a Master of Public Health the following year. In 1 992. he was appointed Medical Officer-in-Charge of Balmoral Naval Hospital, and the following year joined Maritime Headquarters to develop the concept. design and operational development of the Primary Casualty Reception Facilities in the Navy’s ex-USN amphibious transport ships. In 1996 he was for the second time appointed as Fleet Medical Officer. being promoted to Captain shortly afterwards. In September 1 998. he was given the additional position of Head Naval Health Branch. In December 1999, Russ transferred to the RAN Reserves after nearly 23 years of service. and following 12 months in a civilian capacity at Fleet Base East Medical Centre, HMAS Kuttabul, moved to Broken Hill as Director Medical Services. Far West Area Health Service. In August 2004, he transferred to the NSW Health Department in the medical workforce area, grappling with issues around medical practitioner and specialist numbers and their education and training. Lifestyle beckoned in 2006 after his three children left home, and he is now Executive Director Medical Services in Rockhampton, living in a beach front unit and once again contemplating the sea.
LTCOL SCOTT KITCHENER
LTCOL Scott Kitchener is a Reserve Consu ltant in Tropical Medicine and Clinical Research. He holds a position as Associate Professor at the Centre for Mil itary and Veterans Health in addition to Principal Research Fellow at the James Cook University School of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. His civilian work includes research and post-graduate teaching at University of Queensl and, research at the Wesley Research Institute and private practice as a Public Health Physicia n. He has been a member of AMMA since inception, recently being elected to the Executive.
LTCOL PETER LEGGAT
Joined the Australian Regular Army in 1987. He was posted to variou s units. including the historic 2 Field Ambulance in Townsville. Lieutenant Colonel Leggat is currently serving in the Defence Health Services, Army Reserve, Queensland, and is the nominee of the Head. Defence Health Service. on the Board of Australian Military Medicine. His day jobs are Associate Professor and Acting Director of the Anton Breinl Cent re for Public Health and Tropical Medicine. James Cook University and Visiting Medical Officer at 5 Aviation Regiment, Townsville.
DR KEITH HORSLEY
Specialist Adviser (Healt h Studies) with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. He has been involved in research of Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans. Nuclear Test participants, and those involved in F- Ill maintenance. He is a graduate from the University of Queensland in medicine and public administration
PROF. MALCOLM SIM
Professor Malcolm Sim is an Occupational Physician who is Director of the Monash University Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH). His main research interests include the human health effects of occupational and environmental chemical and other exposures, occupational disease surveillance,veterans’ health and exposure assessment in epidemiological studies.
LTCOL GRAEME CANNELL
Graeme Cannell graduated from the University of Queensland with qualifications in science and a doctorate in biological chemistry. Subsequently he completed other postgraduate studies in education, management and information technology. His career has covered 30 years in research with interests in toxicology, pharmacology, mathematical modelling, organ perfusion, cell culture and analysis. He has served in the Reserves for 23 years and holds the position of SO 1 Research within Defence Health Services
LTCOL BOB STACY
As one of the founding members. Bob Stacy is no stranger to AMMA. He has worked within the areas of human factors and mi litary medicine for over 32 yea rs supporting l arge organisations. including Defence. Telstra. BHP and Melbourne Health. He was the winner of the 2004 Eric Wigglesworth National OHS Education Medal, and i s a Research Fellow of the University of Ballarat and a Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia. Bob has a Bachelor of Science in Ph ysiology and
Human Performance from the University of New England; a Master of Science in Ergonomics and Human Factors from the Loughborough University of Technology. in the UK; and a Doctorate from the University of Ballarat in OHS and organisational development. Bob is CUITently working with CSR as their Group Manager Occupational Health and Safety.
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