Council 2020 - 2021

AMA(SA) Councillors

The council is responsible for:

  • determining questions and matters of policy for the association;
  • making by-laws about ethical considerations (including handling complaints related to the profession); and
  • making recommendations to the Board of Directors about representing the association on all matters of policy with government or other stakeholders.

Office Bearers

Dr Chris Moy
Email

Dr Chris Moy MB BS, FRACGP, FAMA

President AMA(SA) & Vice President AMA

Dr Chris Moy is a full-time general practitioner working at large group practice in Parkside. He graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1991 and he has worked in general practice for over 20 years. His interests include aged care, palliative care and health communication systems.

read more

Chris has served on several aged and palliative care related committees in South Australia including the CNAHS Falls Prevention Steering Committee, the Expert Advisory Panel of the SA Advance Directives Review, the SA Health End of Life Decision Making Project Working Group and the SA Health Resuscitation Planning Advisory Group. He is the current Chair of both the Adelaide PHN Central Adelaide Clinical Council and GP Palliative Shared Care Program Operations Consultative Committee, and he also remains a member of the SA Health End of Life Prescribing Working Group.

On a national level, he represented the AMA on the Telehealth Advisory Group which oversaw the initial implementation of Medicare funded telehealth across Australia. In 2012 he was appointed to the Independent Advisory Committee of the national Patient Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) where he developed an understanding of the serious usability problems that had arisen in the PCEHR. This led to membership of the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) Clinical Usability Program Steering Group which was instrumental in contributing to the repair of the PCEHR, now known as the My Health Record, and later, appointment to the My Health Record Operations Management Committee.

He is currently a Patient Digital Safety Adviser for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, and a member of the Privacy and Security Advisory Committee of the newly formed Australian Digital Health Agency.

As well as his involvement on AMA(SA) Council and Board, Chris is a member of the AMA's Federal Council- serving on both the Federal AMA Medical Practice Committee and Ethics and Medico-legal Committee since 2014, and chairing the latter since 2016.

Chris was inducted into the AMA Roll of Fellows in 2015.

His wife, Monika, also works in general practice, and they have two teenage children. Away from work, Chris enjoys Crows-specific AFL and, more tellingly for his generation, Xbox games.

Dr Michelle Atchison
Email

Dr Michelle Atchison BM BS, FRANZCP

Vice President AMA(SA) & Chair of AMA(SA) Council

Dr Michelle Atchison graduated from the Flinders University Medical School in 1985 and after an intern year at the Royal Adelaide Hospital began psychiatry training at the Repatriation General Hospital. After an aborted attempt at academic psychiatry, she settled into private practice in 1995 with a focus on psychiatric problems arising from traumatic stress. A large proportion of Michelle's patients are war service veterans. Other interests include civil medico-legal work, including criminal injuries compensation and WorkCover.

read more

Michelle also assisted in setting up the Medical Panels for South Australia. She is a foundation member of the new Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry.

Michelle is an accredited College examiner. In recent years she has become active in the politics of psychiatry, and now chairs the SA Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and represents South Australia at the federal College level. She sees her role as promoting private practice interests amid significant public practice changes.

Michelle has completed a Graduate Diploma in Art History and in another life would be consulting in art work for medical rooms – if only she had the time.

Contact Dr Michelle Atchison

Associate Professor William Tam
Email

A/Prof William Tam MB BS, FRACP, PhD

Immediate Past President AMA(SA)

Associate Professor William Tam obtained his medical qualifications from the University of Adelaide in 1993, and became a gastroenterologist and Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2000.

read more

His PhD thesis on reflux disease and Barrett’s oesophagus provided opportunities to learn advanced endoscopic techniques in Tokyo and Amsterdam. He consolidated his endoscopic training with a post-doctoral fellowship at the Middlesex Hospital in London in 2003, a position which also entailed honorary lectureship at the University of London.

On his return to Adelaide in 2004, Associate Professor Tam was appointed to key positions at both the Lyell McEwin Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital.

He is currently State Reference Member for the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, committee member of the Australian Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Association, and is chair-elect of the Australian Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Association. 

He became a state councillor for AMA(SA) in 2012, and also joined the AMA(SA) Executive Board in 2012.

A/Prof Tam is actively involved in clinical research, teaching and endoscopic training and has participated in the World Gastroenterology Organisation sponsored teaching program in Fiji. In 2012, he was awarded honorary professorship at the Beijing PLA General Military Hospital. He is also a past-president of the Australasian Council of Chinese Medical Associations (Australia and New Zealand).

Federal AMA Councillors

Dr Hannah Szewczyk
Email

Dr Hannah Szewczyk

Doctors in Training Representative & Federal Councillor's Proxy

Dr Szewczyk is currently working as an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Service  Registrar at SALHN. Obstetrics and Gynaecology is her passion and field of interest and she is currently working and undertaking further study and research in this area with a plan to apply for training in South Australia.

read more

As a female, junior doctor working in a time where junior doctors are faced with a training bottleneck that continues to worsen and is leading to increased competitiveness, pressure to perform, burnout and mental health issues, and a person living in a world where there are overwhelming threats to our health, wellbeing and planet, Hannah feels that she cannot sit by and do nothing.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) exists to represent and support doctors and to advocate on behalf of Australian communities on issues pertaining to health. The AMA leads health policy debates and has a strong voice that can make a difference when it comes to the issues that we are facing as doctors and as members of the community.

Hannah's experience as a member of council on the Flinders Medical Students’ Society (FMSS) executive committee and the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) council gave her a love for policy and advocacy and an understanding of the processes of a council. It is this experience, and her belief in the influence of the AMA, that has led to her interest in becoming a member of the AMA(SA) Branch Council.

Dr Matthew McConnell
Email

Dr Matthew McConnell MBBS, MPH, FAFPHM

Federal Councillor

Dr Matthew McConnell is a public health physician working in the Country Health SA Local Health Network. He has more than 10 years' leadership experience as a medical professional and educator.

read more

Matthew's accomplishments include developing health care strategies, integrating service models, improving quality and enhancing surveillance. He has been a lecturer at the University of Adelaide, involved with teaching medical students and healthcare professionals in medicine, public health and clinical practice.

Matthew is a member of AMA Federal Council, representing physicians.

Dr Michelle Atchison
Email

Dr Michelle Atchison BM BS, FRANZCP

Vice President AMA(SA) & Chair of AMA(SA) Council

Dr Michelle Atchison graduated from the Flinders University Medical School in 1985 and after an intern year at the Royal Adelaide Hospital began psychiatry training at the Repatriation General Hospital. After an aborted attempt at academic psychiatry, she settled into private practice in 1995 with a focus on psychiatric problems arising from traumatic stress. A large proportion of Michelle's patients are war service veterans. Other interests include civil medico-legal work, including criminal injuries compensation and WorkCover.

read more

Michelle also assisted in setting up the Medical Panels for South Australia. She is a foundation member of the new Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry.

Michelle is an accredited College examiner. In recent years she has become active in the politics of psychiatry, and now chairs the SA Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and represents South Australia at the federal College level. She sees her role as promoting private practice interests amid significant public practice changes.

Michelle has completed a Graduate Diploma in Art History and in another life would be consulting in art work for medical rooms – if only she had the time.

Contact Dr Michelle Atchison

Ordinary members

Dr Andrew Russell
Email

Dr Andrew Russell MB BS, FRACP

AMA(SA) Council - Ordinary Member

Andrew is a 30-year veteran of the public health system in South Australia. 

read more

After graduating from the University of Adelaide and completing an internship at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), he started basic physician traineeship at TQEH. After research and advanced training at FMC, he worked at Repatriation General Hospital (RGH) in cardiology and general medicine, at FMC and is now at Noarlunga Health Services.

He is an RACP Fellow and has been a member of the RACP state committee in South Australia for several years in various roles. Andrew has found the supervision of trainees from residency to consultant practice to be a particularly rewarding part of his work, as are the relationships he has formed with both patients and colleagues of all crafts for complex chronic disease management. 

Andrew has been a member of the AMA(SA) throughout his career, and believes the AMA is best positioned to influence the delivery of patient care and express the expertise of doctors at both a state and federal level.

Dr Daniel Byrne
Email

Dr Daniel Byrne MBBS, FRACGP

AMA(SA) Council - Ordinary Member

Daniel Byrne is a GP. He has practised at Happy Valley in the southern metropolitan area of Adelaide since 1995.

read more

He is a former chair of the RACGP in South Australia and the North Territory and has been an examiner for the RACGP Fellowship.

Danny lectures in general practice at Flinders University. His research includes studies into primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Dr Nimit Singhal
Email

Dr Nimit Singhal MBBS, FRACP

AMA(SA) Council - Ordinary Member

Dr Nimit Singhal is representative for public hospitals on AMA(SA) Council. He is a consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Adelaide, Lyell McEwin and Ashford hospitals, and a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Adelaide. Hia main area of interest is cancer in the elderly.

read more

Nimit is actively involved in clinical research and undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. He has mentored and supervised oncology trainees through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and has been involved in other college activities. He is also an active member of the Research Ethics Committee.

Dr John Williams
Email

Dr John Williams MB BS, FRACGP

AMA(SA) Council - Ordinary Member

Dr John Williams is a general practitioner practising in Port Lincoln. In addition to the usual GP duties, John has a special interest in skin cancer diagnosis and treatment. He helps at the Port Lincoln Hospital's emergency department and attends to inpatients.

read more

John graduated from Adelaide University in 1993. This was followed by some time in paediatrics at the Women's and Children's Hospital, obstetrics at Flinders Medical Centre and general practice in rural and city locations. 

He has also spent time in hospitals (plastics and emergency) and general practice in the UK. 

Outside medicine John has studied jazz music at the Elder Conservatorium and continues to perform locally and compose for short films. Family life with his wife and daughter is central to John.

Dr Penny Need
Email

Dr Penny Need FRACGP

AMA(SA) Council - Ordinary Member

Dr Penny Need is a general practitioner and practice partner practising in the north-eastern area of metropolitan Adelaide.

read more

Penny completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Adelaide in 2005. She has a Diploma in Child Health and a Diploma in Clinical Education, and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She also works as a senior medical educator for GPEx, the general practice training organisation for South Australia. 

Penny enjoys the full spectrum of health care that general practice offers and has special interests in women's and children's health, and mental health.

She is a mother of three boys and enjoys basketball, water skiing and jogging in her very little spare time. 

 

Dr Rajaran Ramadoss
Email

Dr Rajaran Ramadoss MBBS, MD (Int. Med), FNB (Crit. Care), FCICM, M.Med (Peri-op Med)

AMA(SA) Council - Ordinary Member

Rajaram Ramadoss is a consultant and deputy director in the Intensive Care Unit at Lyell McEwin Hospital. He is also a consultant in intensive care at Calvary North Adelaide and Western hospitals and a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide.

read more

Specialty Group Representatives

Dr Clair Pridmore
Email

Dr Clair Pridmore MB BS (Adel), FRACP

Public Hospital Doctors Rep

Dr Clair Pridmore is a paediatric neurologist, currently employed as a Staff Specialist at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH). She did her basic training at the WCH and most of her advanced training overseas, at the Hospitals for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London; the Institute of Child Health, London; and the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. She feels the clinical and life experience gained working overseas in these centres of excellence, in big cosmopolitan cities, has proved invaluable.

read more

Clair is committed to providing high-quality health services for children and teens in South Australia and has worked hard to improve services for children with neurological disorders. She has a special interest in children and families living with epilepsy and continues to work to improve outcomes for this group of patients.

She is well aware of the inequity existing in the delivery of health services for children in this state and the Northern Territory (NT). Those who live in rural and regional South Australia and NT are clearly disadvantaged, particularly Indigenous children. Clair would value the opportunity to help address this disparity.

Clair has a research interest in the genetics of epilepsy. Her interests outside medicine include music (piano), masters rowing, bushwalking, tennis and bridge.

Contact Dr Clair Pridmore

Dr Bridget Sawyer
Email

Dr Bridget Sawyer MBchB, MRCGP(UK) AMA(M)

General Practice

Dr Bridget Sawyer completed her training in general practice in the UK in 1987, after time spent working in rural New Zealand.

read more

She moved to Australia in 1990 taking up a role with the Royal Flying Doctor Service based in Broken Hill, NSW.

After two years of working in a fascinating job and appreciating the Australian bush, she moved to Adelaide, initially working primarily as a GP until establishing her sports medicine practice.

She is a member of SA – Sports Medicine Association and was president from 2011 to 2013.

She has worked with elite athletes in netball and basketball, both domestic and international competition, as well as with the Australian Paralympic Committee.

She was also part of the Australian team for the Rio Paralympics which she found a valuable and rewarding experience.

Her current clinical role is with The International Spine Centre. She continues to work as a GP with a musculoskeletal focus.

Dr Patrick Quinn
Email

Dr Patrick Quinn MBBS, FRACP

Paediatricians

Dr Patrick Quinn is a paediatric allergist and clinical immunologist who practises in North Adelaide and Beulah Park.

read more

He is a senior lecturer in the paediatric program for fifth-year MBBS students at the University of Adelaide; a staff specialist in the Department of Paediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital; and a private consultant allergist and immunologist in Beulah Park.

Patrick is an active member of the Australasian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (ASCIA) and a member of the ASCIA paediatric and immunodeficiency committees.

He is a member of the Transplantation in Primary Immunodeficiency (TAPID) Working Group and the SA Pathology Primary Immunodeficiency Working Group.

Dr Shriram Nath
Email

Dr Shriram Nath BM BS, FRCPA

Pathologists

Dr Shriram Nath completed his medical training at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, India, and went on to advanced training at the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, India.  

read more

He has a special interest in leukaemia and lymphomas. This led him to Kuwait before he moved to Melbourne in 2004. He completed his haematology training in Melbourne and Adelaide in 2009. 

Dr Nath has worked in the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Alfred Hospital, and as consultant haematologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA Pathology and Adelaide Cancer Centre. 

He now works with Adelaide Haematology at the Ashford Specialist Centre. 

Dr Nath also follows his laboratory haematology interest by working on a sessional basis at Clinpath Laboratories.

Dr Edward Greenrod
Email

Dr Edward Greenrod FRANZCO, MBBS, GDPH, BA

Ophthalmologists

Dr Edward Greenrod is an ophthalmologist specialising in diseases of the cornea and anterior segment of the eye.  He has particular interests in corneal transplantation, ocular surface disease, refractive and cataract surgery.  He has published on outcomes of corneal transplantation in different populations and modern transplantation techniques. 

read more

Edward grew up in Adelaide and completed his training in Melbourne. He subsequently spent several years as a fellow and consultant surgeon in Perth, London and Greece. On returning to Australia, he was the director of the corneal service at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne before returning to Adelaide in 2017. 

He currently serves on the RANZCO SA state branch committee and is the director of Adelaide Eye Surgeons in Norwood.

Edward enjoys playing tennis, piano, camping and hiking with his family.  He is married to Dania, another ophthalmologist.

Prof Edward (Ted) Mah
Email

Professor Edward (Ted) Mah PSM, BM BS, MD, FRACS, FAOrtho.A, GAICD

Orthopaedic Surgeons

Doctor Edward (Ted) Mah is the Professor of the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University of SA and Head of Orthopaedics at Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN). He is the Director at North Adelaide Specialist Centre to provide specialised service in Hand and Microsurgery, as well as Elbow and Shoulder reconstruction surgery.

read more

In a career spanning for more than 30 years, Dr Edward (Ted) Mah has worked tirelessly with and for the orthopaedic community both locally and internationally.

Dr Jill Robinson
Email

Dr Jill Robinson MBBS (London), FRANZCR

Radiologists

Dr Jill Robinson has a longstanding interest in women's imaging and a well-deserved reputation in the field of breast imaging.

read more

She worked as a clinical assistant to Prof Laszlo Tabar in Sweden and was Clinical Director at BreastScreen SA from 1993 to 1999. She currently holds the position of Senior Visiting Medical Specialist at BreastScreen SA.

Dr Robinson's areas of interest include:

  • Breast MRI
  • Interventional breast radiology
  • Mammography
  • Women's imaging.

Dr Peter Subramaniam
Email

Dr Peter Subramaniam MBBS (Melb), FRACS (Gen Surg), FRACS (Vascular)

Surgeons

Peter is an accredited vascular and endovascular surgeon. He began consultant practice in Adelaide in 2001 with appointments at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Ashford Hospital, St Andrew's Hospital and Calvary Group of Hospitals. Following the amalgamation of the vascular service at TQEH and the RAH in 2015, Peter is now a Staff Vascular Surgeon at the RAH. He is also a visiting specialist at several regional (Mt Barker, Stirling and Riverland Regional) hospitals. Peter's area of interest include endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, distal bypass grafting for limb salvage, carotid interventions (stenting and endarterectomy) and targeted carotid screening for stroke prevention.

read more

Peter is the President-Elect of the ANZ Society of Vascular Surgery.

Dr Simon Macklin
Email

Dr Simon Macklin MBBS (Univeristy of London), FRCA (UK)

Anaesthetists

Simon graduated from the University of London, St Thomas' Hospital Medical School in 1984 and subsequently anaesthesia training at three major teaching hospitals in London. He became a specialist in anaesthesia in 1994.

read more

Simon migrated to Adelaide with his family in August 1995 and commenced work at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, joining Stace Anaethetists in 1997. He continues to work in both public and private anaesthesia.

Dr Tarun Bastiampillai
Email

Dr Tarun Bastiampillai MBBS, B Med Sc, FRANZCP

Psychiatrists

Tarun Bastiampillai studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating in 1996.

read more

He completed psychiatry training at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in 2004. He subsequently worked as a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS, based in London, for two years before returning to South Australia to work at the QEH in 2007.

Since 2010 he has been the Acting Regional Clinical Director of mental health services in the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network and Clinical Director for mental health services in the inner southern region, based at Flinders Medical Centre. 

In 2013 he was appointed Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Flinders University School of Medicine, with a specific focus on mental health systems research. His other research interests include e-mental health and psychopharmacology.

Tarun is the treasurer of the SA branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

He advocates for the rights of mental health patients and for designing mental health services to effectively meet their needs. He is particularly interested in understanding the complex interface between healthcare, politics, sociology and economics.

Other Groups

Dr Hannah Szewczyk
Email

Dr Hannah Szewczyk

Doctors in Training Representative & Federal Councillor's Proxy

Dr Szewczyk is currently working as an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Service  Registrar at SALHN. Obstetrics and Gynaecology is her passion and field of interest and she is currently working and undertaking further study and research in this area with a plan to apply for training in South Australia.

read more

As a female, junior doctor working in a time where junior doctors are faced with a training bottleneck that continues to worsen and is leading to increased competitiveness, pressure to perform, burnout and mental health issues, and a person living in a world where there are overwhelming threats to our health, wellbeing and planet, Hannah feels that she cannot sit by and do nothing.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) exists to represent and support doctors and to advocate on behalf of Australian communities on issues pertaining to health. The AMA leads health policy debates and has a strong voice that can make a difference when it comes to the issues that we are facing as doctors and as members of the community.

Hannah's experience as a member of council on the Flinders Medical Students’ Society (FMSS) executive committee and the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) council gave her a love for policy and advocacy and an understanding of the processes of a council. It is this experience, and her belief in the influence of the AMA, that has led to her interest in becoming a member of the AMA(SA) Branch Council.

Dr Simon Lockwood
Email

Dr Simon Lockwood MBBS, FRACGP

Regional Representative: Northern

read more

Email

Mr Emerson Krstic Flinders University

Student Representative

read more

Email

Ms Shehani Gunasekera Adelaide University

Student Representative

read more