Cream of the crop take out top honours

DR AILEEN Traves and Dr Pam Turnock have been named the GPET/Medical Observer GP Registrar and GP Supervisor of the Year respectively at the 2011 GPET Convention.

The awards, now in their eighth year, were presented during a ceremony at Canberra’s National Convention Centre this morning by GPET chair Professor Simon Willcock, who praised the quality of entrants across each category.

Dr Traves, who undertook her training with Tropical Medical Training in Queensland, was recognised for her work in the Paediatric Outreach Program.

“I know some of the other nominees and what great work they [do], so it was a great surprise to have won the award,” she told MO.

Working in the most remote areas of the Cape York and Torres Strait regions, Dr Traves has acted as a mentor and teacher to medical students, has worked as a registrar liaison officer, and served on the General Practice Registrars Australia board.

“I really enjoy the work up there and I love the communities I work in,” Dr Traves said.

“I can’t see myself leaving.”

GP supervisor Dr Pam Turnock, from Central and Southern Qld Training Consortium Ltd, was recognised for her commitment to teaching, which she said was as rewarding for her as for the young doctors she mentored.

“They give youthful enthusiasm, they give genuine interest,” Dr Turnock said.

“Most importantly in busy general practices… they can give patients time, and it’s a commodity that’s not all that plentiful in the clinical lives of most GPs.”

The GPET/Medical Observer Environmental Encouragement Award went to Sydney-based regional training provider and GP division WentWest for reducing its carbon footprint and promoting positive behavioural change in the workplace.

Dr Christine Ahern from North Coast GP Training meanwhile took out the GPET/MIMS Medical Educator of the Year Award.