Dr Emma Hodge
MBBS MPH MHNut GCertEd (Careers)

Dr Emma Hodge is a current RACMA candidate, Queensland's only Medical Education & Wellbeing Registrar and Clinical Lead (Medical Wellbeing) for the Medical Wellbeing project within the Office of the Chief Medical Officer. As the AMAQ CDT Wellbeing Special Interest Group (SIG) Lead for the past two years, Dr Hodge has played a pivotal role in shaping statewide wellbeing initiatives, collaborating with Queensland Health’s Medical Workforce Wellbeing Reference Group and Doctor’s Health Queensland, alongside extensive engagement with doctors in training at various forums, conferences and AMA events. An Associate Lecturer at UQ, Dr Hodge also has achieved a Master of Public Health and Master of Human Nutrition, as well as several first author international journal publications. Her passion lies in advocating for changes at a systematic level to enhance the training experience, career progression and wellbeing of doctors in training.
 
“As CDT Chair, I am excited about the opportunity to lead and advocate on behalf of my colleagues, championing initiatives that improve education, wellbeing and workforce sustainability for all doctors in training.
My goals include strengthening engagement within the CDT, particularly among SIG members and hospital representatives, to ensure our initiatives have widespread impact. I am eager to advocate for improved training experiences in regional hospitals, address barriers to specialty training and work with specialist medical colleges to enhance accreditation flexibility in regional settings.
The wellbeing of doctors in training remains at the heart of my advocacy. Having led initiatives that contributed to Bundaberg Hospital achieving the highest Resident Hospital Health Check grade in Queensland, I am committed to supporting CDT members to drive similar systemic improvements in their own hospitals.
Additionally, I am keen to progress the ward call survey recommendations into a federal position statement and work towards their implementation across Queensland hospitals. Ensuring safe working conditions, promoting practitioner wellbeing and enhancing career opportunities for doctors in training will be my priorities as CDT Chair.”

As a dedicated advocate for doctors in training, I am eager to continue my involvement with the AMA Queensland Council of Doctors in Training in 2025. My roles as Co-Chair (2021), Deputy Chair (2021–2022), and Communications Officer (2020) have shown me the impact AMA Queensland can have on junior doctors' lives.

Key Priorities for 2025

1. Addressing the Principal House Officer (PHO) crisis - unregulated PHO expansion has led to junior doctors being overworked and undervalued without clear training pathways. I will advocate for:
   • transparent training pathways and accountability from hospitals and colleges.
   • better career support, including mentorship and structured educational opportunities.
   • stronger protections with fair contracts and reasonable workloads.
2. Expanding virtual education for rural and remote trainees - rural doctors face training barriers. I aim to: 
   • implement virtual masterclasses and on-demand educational content.
   • advocate for equitable professional development leave and funding.
3. Advocating for safer working conditions - junior doctors deserve safe workplaces. I will:
   • support a confidential reporting system for bullying, harassment, and unsafe workloads.
   • push for stronger protections, including safe hours, supervision, and mental health support.

Why me?
My experience with AMA Queensland, Queensland Medical Women’s Society and leadership roles in hospital and advocacy settings drive my passion for meaningful change. I am committed to supporting doctors in training, especially in rural and remote areas, to ensure we have the education and protections needed to succeed.

I am a junior doctor working in Bundaberg with a passion for public health, medical advocacy and policy. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of AMA CDT in 2024 as Education and Training Committee Lead and I am eager to continue contributing to the work of the committee through whichever position is needed. I am a current elected member of the AMA Federal Council - the national decision making body for the AMA, and in this role I represent my own views but also that of junior doctors in Queensland and Australia wide. Being part of my local AMA enables me to fulfil this role to the best of my ability and also contribute that I have learned back to Queensland. I have vast experience in medical politics and advocacy mainly through the AMA Federal Council, AMA Public Health Committee and AMA Medicolegal and Ethics Committee. I also am a Past President and Board Director of the Australian Medical Students' Association. 

I am excited to put forward my nomination for the position of Deputy Co-Chair of the AMA Queensland Committee of Doctors in Training. Over the past two years, I have been an active member of the committee, advocating for the interests of junior doctors in Queensland. I served as Deputy Chair of the Junior Medical Officers Forum of Queensland (JMOFQ) last year and will continue as Chair this year, working closely with key stakeholders to address issues such as workplace conditions, training opportunities, and doctor wellbeing.

My passion for advocacy stems from witnessing the challenges faced by junior doctors, including excessive workload demands, access to quality training, and the need for stronger protections around safe working hours. If elected, I will focus on:

• Workplace conditions: Ensuring fair rostering, safe hours, and addressing burnout through better hospital support systems.
• Education and training: Advocating for improved access to protected teaching time, equitable training pathways, and clearer career progression.
• Wellbeing and support: Strengthening resources for mental health and workplace support, with a focus on sustainable work-life balance.
• Access to workplace entitlements: Working to ensure that junior doctors' rights and entitlements (e.g. leave provisions) are upheld and supported.

I would be grateful for your support and look forward to the opportunity to continue serving our profession and representing the interests of Queensland junior doctors.

I am a paediatric trainee and have worked at both regional and tertiary level Queensland hospitals since graduating from the UQ School of Medicine in 2017. I have personally experienced burn out last year, partly due to being in a less than ideal work environment. Luckily, I have also had the chance to see what a vast difference working in a well staffed, supportive department and hospital system as a whole can make. I have a keen, vested interest in the well-being of my junior doctors and would love to have input as a deputy co-chair to promote the well being of and foster the education/training experience of my colleagues.

Given my level of post graduate experience, my training at various hospitals exclusively within QLD and my personal experience with burnout and genuine care of the well being of junior doctors as a whole, I believe I am well suited to the role of deputy co-chair. I have experience in leadership positions in the past (however, these past few training years have provided time for little else than exam study and a focus on career progression) and am keen to take on an active, state wide role as an AMA deputy co-chair to make QLD the best state for junior doctors to train in. Thank you for your consideration of my application.

I am excited to nominate for the role of Deputy Co-Chair of CDT AMA Queensland to support the elected Chair in their work.

As a doctor in training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, I am passionate about women’s health and deeply committed to advocacy.

My leadership and advocacy experience includes:

• Chair of Prevocational Obstetrics and Gynaecology Queensland (2024)
• Events Lead, Queensland Medical Women’s Society (2022-2025)
• RANZCOG Wellbeing Advocate (2022 - ongoing)
• Chair of A Better Culture, IMG (2023 - ongoing)
• Basketball Captain for Maharashtra State level matches in India

As an international medical graduate, I once felt like an outsider and struggled with imposter syndrome. However, through perseverance and dedication, I have achieved leadership roles across multiple committees in Australia.

Having worked in rural, regional, and tertiary hospitals, I have seen and experienced first-hand the struggles doctors face at all levels. In one of my hospital placements, I was among the first to stand up against bullying and discrimination, which led to a major cultural shift in the workplace.

With my experience in wellbeing and my ongoing involvement in junior doctor health initiatives, I hope to drive positive change that improves the health and wellbeing of doctors in training. My commitment to wellbeing has been recognized with two nominations for RANZCOG wellbeing awards in the past two years.

As Deputy Co-Chair, I will be able to identify challenges faced by doctors in training, raise awareness, and advocate for meaningful solutions.

I would like to be part of the AMA Queensland CDT to advocate for junior medical professionals and the patients they care for by working with governing bodies to make meaningful policy change to create sustainable working conditions and improve patient outcomes. 
 
Throughout my years as a junior doctor, I have experienced extreme burnout, navigated the difficulties of being part of a medical hierarchy, and continue to overcome various obstacles that come with trying to get onto a specialist training pathway. Through this experience, I have become passionate about supporting medical students/junior doctors navigate the highs and lows inherent to the medical profession. 
 
As part of my vision for 2025, my first priority is to develop strategies at the local, state-wide and national level to protect junior doctors against burnout. Firstly, reducing rates of junior doctor burnout would involve establishing local networks to foster support/mentorship, encourage peer-to-peer debriefing, and create increased awareness around protecting the wellbeing of junior doctors. On a larger scale, I want to gradually make changes towards abolishing toxic workplace cultures including eradicating workplace bullying/harassment, auditing working hours and adherence to the MOCA. I also want to make active steps towards de-destigmatising mental health issues amongst junior doctors. Further to this, I want to help development networks that encourage professional development, promoting collegiality rather than toxic competition. Finally as part my vision, I also want to invest in creating sustainable workplace practices given the current climate crisis, and utilise the power of digital health.