AMA conference to celebrate 50 years

FORMER UK health minister Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham will be one of the keynote speakers to appear at the AMA National Conference, which will celebrate the association’s 50th anniversary in Melbourne next weekend.

Lord Darzi is one of the world’s leading international figures in health reform and will provide the conference with a personal reflection on clinical leadership in health systems and may also share some insights into health reform processes in the UK. 

Other keynote speakers will include chief climate commissioner Professor Tim Flannery, Médecins Sans Frontières Australia president Dr Nick Coatsworth and Health Workforce Australia chair the Hon James McGinty.

AMA president Dr Steve Hambleton said the 2012 conference would be a chance to celebrate “50 years of extraordinary success in political advocacy, policy development, public health improvements and membership support”.

“The AMA is today one of the ‘giants’ of political lobbying in Canberra.

“[The conference] will look back over a strong history of political influence and celebrate the many gains we have made for the profession, for patients, for the health system, and for the Australian community.”

This year, for the first time, the conference program will be available on Medical Observer’s new iPad app (25 May edition, available from 22 May) and will include the program, speaker bios and live Twitter feed.

The Twitter feed (#amanc2012) will run throughout the three day conference starting from Friday 25 May.