Introducing AMAV's new President, Dr Jill Tomlinson
25 May 2023
AMA Victoria’s new President is Dr Jill Tomlinson.
A highly respected plastic reconstructive surgeon who works in her own private practice, Dr Tomlinson has contributed significantly to the AMA over a great many years, through her advocacy for the profession and through her passion for digital health and diversity.
Dr Tomlinson has chaired the Australian Health Digital Agency’s Specialist Toolkit Steering Group and co-chaired the Victorian Department of Health’s Clinical Informatics Council. Her personal advocacy showed errors in APHRA directions in the use of social media, resulting in changes to regulations in 2014.
Within AMA, Dr Tomlinson is the inaugural Chair of the Digital Health Subcommittee and has built a committee with remarkable digital health expertise. Her work has resulted in the development of the AMA Digital Health Vision Statement – Preamble 2021: a clearly defined perspective on the future of digital health in Australia.
Dr Tomlinson has received national awards and held medical leadership positions in organisations including the Victorian Medical Women’s Society, the Australian Federation of Medical Women, and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. She has been a specialty editor with the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery since 2012 and is a published author in international journals. Dr Tomlinson is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a faculty member of the RACS Academy of Surgical Educators, and a PADI certified deep scuba diver who has run two marathons!
Dr Tomlinson says her priorities for AMA Victoria in the next two years include:
- Healthcare workforce matters including planning, funding, and wellbeing.
- Primary care and general practice, including payroll tax.
- Mental health including upholding the importance of the medical model (so that the views of medical specialists are included within Victoria’s mental health reform).
- Health system sustainability (workforce, fiscal, environmental, public hospital, aged care, and general practice).
- Digital health initiatives to drive improvements in safety, quality, and efficiency.
- Dealing with delayed and deferred healthcare resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Equity and inclusion: noting the social determinants of health (e.g., housing, poverty, social inclusion, access to affordable and quality healthcare, early childhood development, and education); and
- Rural and regional health.
Listen here to AMA Victoria President, Dr Jill Tomlinson speak with Neil Mitchell on her first day in the role. And look out for an in-depth interview with Dr Jill Tomlinson in the upcoming winter edition of Vicdoc, including a formal farewell to former AMA Victoria President, Dr Roderick McRae.
The new AMA Victoria Vice-President is Dr Simon Judkins. As Emergency Department Director at Echuca Health, Dr Judkins is passionate about rural healthcare, and will also support Dr Tomlinson to advocate on important issues such as mental health, clinician wellbeing, access to community care, health system reform and healthcare environmental sustainability.
AMA Victoria looks forward to an exciting term ahead under the leadership of Dr Tomlinson and her team. If you have any advocacy concerns you would like to raise, please email us at amavic@amavic.com.au.
