For the first year, the Association’s new awards and grants system was implemented. The following awards and grants were announced at the 2000 Conference.
Weary Dunlop Award
The Weary Dunlop Award, named after our first life member, is awarded to the best original paper presented at the Annual Conference and is worth $500. The Conference Organising Committee this year decided that a panel of past winners should do the judging of this award, and Council has agreed that this should become the practice for the future. In Hobart, there were not enough past winners to do the judging unassisted, and the Panel consisted of Annette Owttrim, Peter Sullivan, John Tumer and Amanda Dines.
The Panel judged Rob Lewin and Richard Mallet’s paper – A comparison of 20 metre shuttle run test (20mSRTJ scores and time loss due to injury for the first six months of training at ADFA from 1999-2000 – as the conference’s best, and worthy winners of the Weary Dunlop Award.
Patron’s Prize
The Patron’s Prize is awarded by the Association’s Patron to the best paper published in a peer-reviewed journal during the year and is worth $250. Our Patron, Major-General John Peam awarded the prize to Dave Newman for his original research published in Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine on “patterns of physical conditioning in Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 pilots and the implications for +Gz tolerance”.
Journal Editor’s Prize
The Journal Editor’s Prize is awarded by the Editor of Australian Military Medicine for the best paper published in the journal and is worth $750. Our Editor, Andy Robertson awarded the prize to Neil Westphalen for his two-part article on Australia’s involvement in the Boxer Rebellion.
Essay Prize
Last year’s topic for the Essay Prize was “Post Deployment Syndromes”. However, no entries were submitted.
The topic for next year’s Essay Prize is “The future role of IT in military health”. Contributions are required to be submitted to the Secretariat by 30 June 2001.
Research Grants
The AMMA Research Grant is provided to assist in research being undertaken by members of the association in aspects of military health and is worth up to $1,000, which may be granted in full, in part, or divided between several applicants. There were two applications for the Grant, both of which Council considered were worthy of support. As the Essay Prize has not been awarded this year, Council has determined that this year’s Essay 551 Prize be combined with the Research Grant and the whole divided equally between the two applicants.
I am therefore pleased to announce that Mike O’Connor will receive $750 towards his research into pregnancy outcomes in ADF personnel and John Newlands will re¬ceive $750 to continue his research into the effect of the menstrual cycle on vision.
