Associate Professor Brian Owler Elected AMA President
Sydney neurosurgeon, Associate Professor Brian Owler, was elected Federal President of the Australian Medical Association last week at the AMA National Conference in Canberra. A/Prof Owler has taken over from Dr Steve Hambleton whose three years in the top job have come to an end.
A/Prof Owler is a driving force and the face of the ‘Don’t Rush’ anti-speeding campaign, and he appears on billboards and in television ads warning of the risks and damage associated with road accidents. He is also a prominent campaigner for stronger laws to minimise alcohol-related violence, and greater community education about the health harms caused by alcohol abuse. He actively promotes the benefits of vaccination.
A/Prof Owler said that one of his first priorities is to have talks with the Government about the AMA’s concerns about patient co-payments and other Budget decisions, including public hospital and Indigenous health funding.
Melbourne hospital specialist, Dr Stephen Parnis, was elected Vice President. Dr Parnis has vigorously campaigned on emergency access targets in hospitals and improving work conditions for hospital doctors. He has also worked to reduce the harm caused by smoking and alcohol in the community, stamp out attacks on health workers, and improve end of life care.
See the video of A/Prof Owler’s and Dr Parnis’s inauguration in the Sunday 25 May Session 2 segment:
See the ABC News segment screened on Sunday 25 May:
