Medical Educators have been honoured at the 2024 Fraser Coast Medical Education Awards.
Hosted by The University of Queensland Regional Clinical Unit and Hervey Bay Hospital Medical Education Unit, over 120 attendees gathering to celebrate excellence in medical education across the Fraser Coast.
These annual awards honour outstanding educators who play a crucial role in guiding medical students and junior doctors as they advance in their medical careers. Nominations are sought from medical students and junior doctors across various categories, including Outstanding Junior Educator, Outstanding Senior Educator, Outstanding Multidisciplinary Team Educator, Outstanding Support Staff, and Outstanding Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) Program Assessor.
The awards recognise not only the support provided by the medical cohort but also the significant contributions of multidisciplinary teams and support staff in educating and assisting junior doctors.
The winners for 2024 are:
- Outstanding Senior Educator: Dr Himali Ihalagama, Staff Specialist O&G
- “Always went above and beyond to teach and include us in valuable learning opportunities. She is an inspiration in regards to modelling kindness and respect for every member of the team”.
- Outstanding Junior Educator: tied Dr Zhuang Hui Mark Le, Surgical Principal House Officer and Dr Chean Mak, Medical Registrar
- Dr Le – “Enthusiastic, approachable and fantastic PPT / resources. Teaching was very relevant for medical students and was happy to answer questions related to progression beyond medical school, has been really helpful”.
- Dr Mak – “Very knowledgeable and helpful Registrar. Always willing to lend a hand to help, but also pushes Juniors to think independently and offer their own ideas of treatment plans. A great mentor, and really helps fellow Juniors grow”.
- Outstanding Multidisciplinary Educator: Melissa Davis, Clinical Nurse, Medicine Department
- “Advocates and protects junior doctors. Mel is an incredible mentor - knows her stuff, and always helps out the struggling ward call juniors. She had a trick or approach for everything!”
- Outstanding Support Staff: Rachel Jaycee, Clinical Director Support Officer, Medicine Department
- “Excellent work, supportive, understanding and prompt responses. I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to nominate her”.
- Outstanding WBA Program Assessor: Dr Tom Alexander, ED Registrar
- “Provides great feedback, incredibly helpful to my development”.
Dr Himali Ihalagama, Staff Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology was awarded the Medical Educator of the Year award, having received the most nominations in total. This is the second time Dr Himali has taken out the top gong, having been the first to receive this Award at the Inaugural Awards ceremony in 2022.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said she was incredibly proud of the dedication and excellence displayed by the educators, who go above and beyond to support the development of our future doctors.
"These awards showcase the outstanding commitment of our staff in nurturing talent and growing our own medical professionals right here on the Fraser Coast," she said.
"By celebrating the achievements of our medical and support teams, we strengthen our ability to grow our own and retain skilled professionals who are passionate about delivering quality healthcare to our community."
Head of UQ Regional Clinical Unit Hervey Bay Dr Rudi Prasad said the journey of medical education is a shared effort, where everyone plays a role in inspiring, guiding, and mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers.
“Education is at the heart of everything we do, and providing a positive learning and training experience helps our medical students feel valued and supported as they grow into skilled professionals,” he said.
"We commend not only our doctors but also the multidisciplinary teams and support staff for their profound impact on the training and development of our medical students and junior doctors, who benefit from their dedication and expertise every day."