AMSA 2023 Embolus Publication

EMBOLUS 

END OF YEAR 

PUBLICATION 

2023 

AMSA 2023 

ACHIEVEMENTS

AMSA SUMMARY 2023 

2 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

OF COUNTRY 

The Australian Medical Students’ Association would like to 

acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which 

this publication was made, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin 

nations. We recognise their continuing connection to land, 

water and community and pay our respects to their Elders 

past, present and emerging. We extend our respect to 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders reading our publication.

TABLE OF 

CONTENTS 

Contents....................................................................3 

Thank you.................................................................4 

What is AMSA.........................................................5 

National Executive..............................................7 

Initiative & Representative Groups.......23 

Embolus newsletter...........................................39


4 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - 

THANK YOU 

Thank you to AMSA initiative & representative 

groups, members of AMSA national executive 

and volunteers across AMSA who provided 

written information and/or pictures for this 

publication. This is the first time an Embolus 

End-of-Year publication was created. The aim 

was to create a publication that provided a 

snapshot of what is AMSA and AMSA 2023 

achievements. At the end of this publication is a 

collation of the Embolus newsletter sent via 

Mailchimp.


6 

WHAT IS 

AMSA? 

The Australian Medical 

Students’ Association (AMSA) is 

the peak representative body 

for medical students in 

Australia. We represent over 

18,000 medical students and 

our organisational mandate is 

to connect, inform and 

represent the emerging health 

workforce. 

AMSA is a not-for-profit, with 5 main 

branches as shown on the next page. 

National Executive 

As shown, AMSA is overseen by the 

National Executive (who are recruited from 

across the country). The National Executive 

is responsible for the management and 

governance of the organisation. 

AMSA’S mandate is 

executed in four primary 

ways: 

Advocacy 

Leadership 

Research 

Resources & events 

More information about the National 

Executive 2023 achievements can be found 

on page 8.


7 

WHAT IS 

AMSA? (CON‘T) 

AMSA Representative Groups 

These groups work to mobilise the 

collective political capital of the 

emerging health workforce in order 

to advocate on issues that are 

important to medical students. These 

groups bring diverse lived experience 

to the AMSA community and support 

self-determination in health and 

education policy and strategy. More 

information can be found on page 23. 

AMSA Initiative Groups 

These groups represent the interests 

and lived experiences of key student 

populations and coordinate events, 

campaigns and resources to connect 

and inform medical students on their 

respective areas of expertise. They 

work to bring diverse lived 

experiences to the forefront of our 

education and advocacy. More 

information can be found on page 28.

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE 

8 

NATIONAL 

EXECUTIVE 

08 

09 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

President 

Vice President Internal 

Vice President External 

Treasurer 

Sponsorship Officer 

Volunteer Engagement Officer 

Student Engagement Officer 

National Coordinator 

Secretary 

Policy Officer 

IT Officer 

Events Officer 

Public Relations Officer 

Publications and Design Officer


9 

PRESIDENT 

TISSHAPAA SIVAGNANAN 

As a part of the ‘core four’ team (President, 

National Treasurer, Vice President External and 

Vice President Internal), the President oversees 

AMSA’s running day-by-day. The core four’s six 

priorities for the 2023 AMSA year was: AMSA on 

the ground, AMSA Advocacy, Securing our 

Finances, AMSA events, Our volunteers and 

building Human Centric Infrastructures. The 

President has been extensively involved in AMSA’s 

internal and external activities. 

For example, in the external sphere, the President has been involved with: 

Drs4Drs 

Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) 

Medical Student Councils 

Medical Student Societies (MedSocs) 

Rural Maternity Healthcare 

Parliamentarians (e.g. Emma McBride, Malarndirri McCarthy, Julian Leeser, Lidia Thorpe, 

Jason Clare, Anne Ruston, Melissa McIntosh, Gordon Reid) 

AMA 

AMA Federal Council 

Council of Doctors in Training 

Funding and Health System Reform Committee 

Council of General Practitioners 

Ethics and Medico Legal Committee 

Public Health Committee 

Mental Health Committee 

Ethics Diversity and Inclusion Committee


10 

VICE PRESIDENT 

INTERNAL 

ANGI FRENTIU 

The VPI oversees the internal 

management of AMSA, to help “build a 

team that reflects AMSA’s vision and 

aspires to create a stronger, safer and 

more inclusive AMSA”. 

Key achievements in the VPI role this year include: 

Centralising the AMSA volunteer recruitment process 

We aimed to continue the streamlined approach to AMSA callouts by having monthly 

central call-outs to avoid overcrowding on our social media, maximise medical student 

engagement with AMSA callouts, and to strengthen our branding. 

National Volunteer Pipeline Database (NVPD) 

The NVPD was developed to centralise and organise internal documents into one 

spreadsheet. This database is essentially a platform that contains links to documents, 

templates, presentations and information guides that AMSA Groups may use over the 

year, to ensure that all Chairs have easy access to the most updated versions of these 

files, at all times. 

Internal Policy Review 

AMSA internal Policies are reviewed every 2 years. Some policies reviewed this year 

were: Volunteer Expectations on Alcohol Consumption and AMSA Volunteer 

Expectations on Social Media 

National Handover Protocol 

The National Handover Protocol is a new strategy developed from amalgamating 

previous handover attempts in AMSA and current industry practices to ensure the 

process is centralised, streamlined and supported at all stages. All handover resources 

and guides as well as the individual handover document for all Senior AMSA Leaders 

(yourselves) are now stored in a centralised drive to ensure institutional memory. 

Diversity and Welfare Survey 

Conducting and publishing the results of this internal survey


11 

VICE PRESIDENT 

EXTERNAL 

GABRIELLE DEWSBURY 

The VPE oversees the external image of 

AMSA, and is extensively involved in the 

organisational advocacy work, for example, 

the Cost of Living Campaign and rural 

healthcare. Below is a little summary of 

one reactive advocacy campaign: Medical 

Students in the Cost of Living Crisis: a 

reactive advocacy campaign 

“The purpose of this campaign is to obtain a strong understanding of the cost of living 

pressures faced by medical students from all backgrounds, share stories and raise awareness, 

then use this alongside our policy base to lobby for changes. As an extremely prevalent issue 

that many students are currently facing, AMSA needs to advocate for medical students and 

ensure they are supported throughout their degree, and ensure the financial barriers to 

medical student education are addressed.” Key components of this campaign have included: 

Financial barriers of medical school admission 

Discussions with UCAT and GAMSAT 

Solution based meetings with members of parliament 

Alleviating the costs of living for current medical students 

Cost of Living Forum 

Cost of Living Survey for medical students 

Advocating for paid placement 

Collaborating with Medical Education for evaluation of current AiM programs 

Creating the Cost of living Website for medical students 

Lobbying for more accessible housing 

Lobbying member of parliament and senators such as Janet Rice, Jordan Steele, Jason 

Clare, Amanda Rishworth”


12 

TREASURER 

JEFF MA 

The Treasurer manages AMSA’s financial 

aspects to ensure that there is sufficient 

funding for AMSA activities. 

Working alongside the Deputy National Treasurer Sarah Broome, the treasurer works 

to fortify AMSA’s financial standing and ensure its long-term solvency. Key tasks 

achieved this year include 

Handling duplicate and outstanding invoices 

Proactively chasing down delinquent accounts 

Collaborating with the AMA to adopt stricter credit assessment protocols and 

enhance credit control policies 

Enrolled and completed the NFP Financial Governance Course to enhance capacity 

of financial management


13 

SPONSORSHIP 

OFFICERS 

METH PRATHAPASINGHE & HUMAID SHAIKH 

The Sponsorship Officers work closely with AMSA groups and events teams to manage 

sponsorship interests and strengthen AMSA’s new and existing sponsor relations. Key tasks 

include the production and distribution of the National Prospectus, regular communications 

with AMSA’s major partners and proactively seeking new sponsorship opportunities. 

Key Achievements: 

Sponsorship income had met targets thanks to the hard work of all the Sponsorship 

officers in AMSA 

Setting up systems to streamline sponsorship communications across AMSA, such as the 

Sponsorship Tracker 

National Sponsorship team meetings have been conducted which allowed us to keep the 

Sponsorship officers updated 

Ensured sponsorship targets are well defined, our priorities and procedures are 

understood by the entire team, and that deliverables are provided in a timely and 

adequate manner for upcoming AMSA events 

Standardised Sponsorship handovers by creating a simple, easy-to-understand document


14 

VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT 

OFFICER 

JASMIN BANWAIT 

The VEO oversees AMSA’s Initiative Groups: 

AMSA Global Health, Vampire Cup, Mental 

Health, AMSA MedEd and AMSA 

International, and works closely with the 

Vice President Internal to engage volunteers 

through upskilling, professional 

development plans, strategic planning and 

any new projects they may develop. The 

VEO facilitated growth of AMSA’s internal 

systems and both proactively and reactively 

support AMSA’s volunteer and advocacy 

portfolios where needed. 

A sweet summary of your role? 

“Over the year as VEO, I have had the opportunity to work closely with AMSA Groups and Key 

Volunteers and the National Advocacy Team to support their initiatives and oversee team 

dynamics. In addition, my role has focused on improving volunteer experience through 

upskilling workshops, document databases, national handover and well-being events and 

surveys.” 

Your greatest achievements? 

“Working with AMSA Groups and seeing numerous of their events be fruitful and very 

successful! 

The development of the National Volunteer Pipeline Database. I love hearing that it has 

made the roles of volunteers easier :) 

Establishment of the National Leaders Network, an upskilling initiative for key AMSA 

volunteers”


15 

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT 

OFFICER 

MARYANNE LI 

The SEO coordinates AMSA’s social 

media, promotional materials, 

merchandise and manages initiatives to 

improve student and volunteer 

engagement. 

Coordinates AMSA social media 

Coordinates promotional material, merchandise and personnel for AMSA Reps to run O-week 

Coordinates the AMSA Careers Series 

Works with AMSA groups and event teams to promote their initiatives 

Identifies areas for improved student and volunteer engagement 

Manages the Engagement subcommittee 

Manages the AMSA Podcast team 

Assists in smaller volunteer events throughout the year 

Social Media 

This period has been quite busy with callouts for many positions coming into 2024. In the 

interim, workflow has been maintained, with thanks to my incredible subcommittee who work 

tirelessly to ensure enquiries are managed within a timely manner. 

The AMSA Ampoule Podcast is currently within recording and editing stages - with 

recruitment completed for a podcast episode focusing on the nuances and challenges in rural 

health. Looking to hopefully release a new episode in the near future! 

Handover underway with the SEO role potentially transitioning towards two different 

incoming officers - the 2024 SEO and incoming CPO! Ongoing discussions with the 2024 core 

team on the future momentum of engagement. 

Merchandise 

Currently there is stock of AMSA socks and T-shirts for sale, given the online format of 

councils this year, feel free to correspond with me directly to purchase one of these! 

Whilst there are ongoing discussions regarding an AMSA stall, much of this has been placed 

on hold due to possible transitioning to a new site. Inventory and merchandise will be made 

available to the incoming team.


16 

NATIONAL 

COORDINATOR 

JOSH LOWINGER 

The National Coordinator oversees and facilitates 

collaboration with the 23 AMSA Representatives and 

Student Medical Society Presidents. Key tasks of the role 

include advocating for AMSA Reps and Medical Societies to 

the National Executive, and relaying information between 

the groups and societies. The National Coordinator is also a 

part of the National Advocacy Team, which works on 

student advocacy on a local, state and national level. For 

example, the National Coordinator attended a Canberra 

press conference to represent AMSA. 

Key achievements/highlights of the year include: 

National Internships Webinar 

Coordinated alongside all MSC chairs with over 650 attendees across the night from all 

states and territories, with experts and stakeholders 

National Presidents’ Retreat 

Inaugural National Presidents’ Retreat held in-person in NSW 

Goals: 

Facilitating Medsoc president connection 

Identifying similar issues faced across universities 

Communicating AMSA’s advocacy priorities and actions 

Strongly helped to connect all medical schools and facilitate collaboration on advocacy 

projects, events and a supportive MedSocs community


17 

SECRETARY 

MADELYN DEIGAN 

The secretary is an intensive and dynamic role 

responsible for establishing, overseeing and 

optimising internal AMSA communication platforms. 

Communication platforms include: Slack, Google Suite 

and the AMSA Directory. For example, the Secretary is 

tasked with creating AMSA accounts for all new 

volunteers, as well as collating internal archives to 

improve institutional memory 

A sweet summary of your role? 

“My role as secretary is to be a central point of communication between all the AMSA teams, 

and internal and external stakeholders. Day to day there is a lot of answering emails, 

organising meetings, onboarding new volunteers and completing other secretarial tasks to 

help the Nat Exec and AMSA to run smoothly.” 

Your greatest achievements? 

“My greatest achievement has been making connections and working closely with other 

secretaries and team-leads. Problem solving together and empowering others to utilise google 

suite to better organise their drives and emails has been one of the highlights. Also being able 

to upskill in IT things with the help of our amazing ITO, which allowed me to pass on skills to 

others.”


18 

POLICY 

OFFICER 

CONNOR RYAN 

The Policy Officer Proactively identifies areas for 

development within the policy base; works closely 

with the Global Health Policy Officer to plan the 

introduction of new policies and the policy review 

cycle; and Works closely with the National Executive, 

particularly in proactive and reactive advocacy, 

ensuring advocacy is consistent with our policy base. 

Role summary 

The PO facilitates policy development through: 

Consultation of key volunteers and groups and supporting efforts to hear student voices; 

Supporting AMSA reps through the policy review process to survey student opinion and 

feedback, through Think Tanks and Policy Review Teams; 

Recruiting teams of policy authors to write policies in advance of each National Council; 

Recruiting a National Policy Subcommittee consisting of a National Policy Secretary and 

National Policy Mentors as necessary to support policy authors; and 

2023 Achievements 

In 2023, the aim was to enable policy to be the beating heart of AMSA by: 

1.Improving the policy author experience, with a focus on retention 

Feedback from policy officers was overwhelmingly positive. This year introduced an applicationbased 

lead author, enabling a meritocratic progression pathway within the policy space. This saw 

experienced authors returning as lead authors. 50% of policy authors for council 3 were returned, a 

marked increase from 25% in the last policy round. Also, there was a focus on decentralising policy 

from QLD and VIC. This went well with the proportion steadily dropping from 76% to 63.5% to 50%. 

This has been matched with improved Think Tank processes across the board. 

2. Ensuring proactive use of policy through Policy Action Teams (PATs) 

Policy Action Teams have been realised and they have done great work - from audits to media 

releases to government submissions to letter campaigns, PATs have done what they were designed 

to do: action our new policies in a targeted way. 

3. Increasing representativeness of our policy through consultation 

A solid system for internal consultations was established and the future aim is to expand to 

external consultations.


19 

IT 

OFFICER 

ANIRUDH SHETTY 

The National IT Officer manages AMSA’s website, 

database and internal IT systems. They are a point of 

contact and support for Event IT officers and work 

alongside many teams within AMSA. This year, a 

major focus of IT was reworking AMSA’s services to 

ensure all services and subscriptions were as costeffective 

and multi-purpose as possible. 

A snapshot of tasks completed in the 2023 year: 

IMIS 

Renewed the IMIS contract (AMSA website platform) for the 2023 year and fixed O-week 

membership, removed older members from database (~4000 accounts), streamlined the 

event creation pipeline 

Prepared future website framework because IMIS will not be used in 2024 

Created a streamlined Media Release pipeline 

Events 

AMSA event subgroups are were able to extract data from the iMIS platform with little to 

no input from the Nat ITO by using their native APIs this year 

Restructured the council web app 

Onboarded a new deputy ITO (yay) 

Created registration for with Council 2/3, IFMSA, RHS 

Other 

Restructuring the Google Drive in collaboration with the National Secretary to 

Restructuring email and groups system to make it consistent within AMSA 

Altering the Mail system to reduce the amount of spam emails sent to AMSA volunteers 

Setting a new signature system


20 

EVENTS 

OFFICER 

SHREYA MAGO 

The National Events Officer support the National Convention, 

Global Health Conference, Rural Health Summit, National 

Leadership, and Development Seminar, National Council and 

prospective bid teams. This officer advocates for and 

represents Event Team interests to the Executive and Board. 

Some of the tasks include: working with the board to ensure 

timely recruitment of event teams, assisting in team 

induction, handover and upskilling, and acting as the main 

point of escalation for all event teams and as the liaison 

between the event teams and the AMSA National Executive. 

Careers Conference 

2023 saw the success of AMSA’s first ever Careers Conference, with over 350 registrations, over 

20 academic speakers, and 23 sponsors 

National Convention 2023 

The 2023 National Convention was held at Gold Coast this year and was a huge success, from a 

great ticket sale launch to rapidly sold out accommodation. Albert and the team should be 

commended for their hard work, particularly over the last few months. Some great initiatives 

include the Risk and Welfare training nights held for working volunteers and teaming with Qpay 

to allow easier registration and resales. 

Rural Health Summit 

Held in the Northern Territory in 2023, Kyle and Senuri and the team had been successful in 

creating an educational and immersive academic and cultural program. This was the first AMSA 

events held in the Northern Territory and had approximately 80 delegates. It received 

commendation from delegates, sponsors and speakers alike. In addition, the academics were a 

key highlight of the event - with workshops with organisations such as Careflight joining us for a 

spotlight on retrieval medicine. 

National Councils 1, 2, and 3 

Councils 1 & 3 were online, whilst Council 2 was held face to face in Queensland 

Other priorities in the event space 

I have also developed the National Events Resource Centre and delivered upskilling to the 

GHC24 and MEL24 teams on topics such as AMSA-Life balance and running a subcommittee.


21 

PUBLIC RELATIONS 

OFFICER 

MIHAN DE SILVA 

AMSA’s Public Relations Officer manages AMSA’s national 

image and protects AMSA’s representation in the media. The 

officer works closely with the President and VPE to further 

AMSA’s external advocacy though contact with the 

government and external stakeholders including the AMA. 

Summary of 2023 year: 

IMIS 

Renewed and updates volunteering upskilling resources for media and public relations, 

including the Media 101 Package 

Delivery of media upskilling at National Advocacy Retreat, Global Health Executive and 

Management Team Retreat and AMSA National Advocacy Team, 

Received media and campaigns training from AMA Media Team in AMA Federal Office in 

Canberra 

Worked with the ABC to increase student interest in general practice 

Liaised with Senator Pocock’s Officer on ‘Raise-the-rate’ campaign targeting the cost-ofliving 

crisis and sent National Coordinator Josh Lowinger to speak in a Parliament House 

press conference representing medical students around Australia 

Briefed and secured positions for medical students to attend ABC Q+A in Melbourne and 

Sydney in relation to the GP workforce shortages and cost-of-living crisis


22 

PUBLICATIONS AND 

DESIGNS OFFICER 

SHANI NGUYEN 

The Publications and Design Officer 

coordinates and creates regular and 

informative publications which showcases 

AMSA and engages our member base. The 

publications falling under the PDO role are as 

below. 

A snapshot of 2023 achievements 

AMSA 2023 Orange Guide 

Published on our Yumpu platform on the 16th January 2023, this guide introduces all students 

to the diverse medical students contributing to AMSA’s national and local work. 

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/67475940/amsa-orange-guide-2023 

AMSA Starting Medicine Guide 

This guide serves as a platform to answer commonly asked questions about studying medicine, 

especially for students who have just started medicine. 

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67544276/2023-starting-med-guide 

AMSA Internship Guide 

This guide was the first guide with the PDO subcommittee. This was a massive undertaking and 

outlines the current internship application process and available positions for each Australian 

state and territory. 

The guide has over 52, 820 words and sits at 232 pages. 81 hospital networks are detailed in the 

guide 

The updates to the 2023 AMSA Internship Guide included: Adding 8 new hospitals networks to 

the internship guide across the states of Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and 

Queensland, addition of Acknowledgement of Country, addition of disclaimers to AMSA 

publications, 2-year prevocational framework infographics (kindly provided by Lauren Wright- 

Hill) 

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/67955155/amsa-2023-internship-guide 

Monthly Embolus newsletter 

Sent to AMSA members at the end of every month, it summarises AMSA news for each month. It 

is sent via Mailchimp to subscribed members and the end of this publication!

AMSA REPRESENTATIVE GROUPS 

23 

AMSA 

REPRESENTATIVE 

& INITIATIVE 

GROUPS 

23 

24 

25 

28 

29 

AMSA Rural Health 

AMSA International Students’ Network 

Vampire Cup 

Social Prescribing Working Groups 

Other: National Convention 2024


24 


RURAL HEALTH 

2023 Achievements Summary 

Stepping into Medicine career talk with rural high schools including 

Tralralgon College in Victoria 

• Specialties in Rural two-part webinar series - in partnership with the 

Regional Training Hubs 

• RANZCP Psychiatry bursaries for 5 applicants at $1,100 each 

• Published Frontier! Edition "Reflections on Rural Health" with enough 

articles submitted for a second edition 

• Stop Beating Around the Bush social media campaign interviewing people 

from marginalised communities rurally 

• Internship social media campaign interviewing rural interns from different 

states across Australia 

• Getting Real, Getting Rural social media campaign sharing topical rural news 

• Released a survey on the perspectives of medical students and factors 

affecting their career choices in collaboration with Monash University and 

GPSA, to help with policy making to increase rural generalism and GP interest 

• ARCSSS preliminary survey research paper was published on ARJH about 

the experiences of students at rural clinical schools: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37551553/ 

• Designed AMSA Rural Health hoodie merchandise for the committee 

• Organised an in-person retreat for the committee at Phillip Island, Victoria


25 

AMSA INTERNATIONAL 

STUDENTS‘ NETWORK 


AMSA ISN Events 2023 

AMSA ISN Info Night 

AMSA ISN Internship Night 

Pathways To Canada 

Pathways To USA 

Canadian Medical Board Exam 

AMSA ISN JDTP Night 

AMSA ISN Visa Night 

AMSA ISN Publication 

AMSA ISN Internship Guide 2023 

Added the latest updates to the application process for all 

states across Australia, with specific information involving 

international students 

Included general information about CV building and 

English language tests 

Changes to statistics 

External relationships 

Quarterly meetings with University international medical 

students representatives 

Held meetings with the respective representatives from 

various Universities in Australia 

Discussed challenges and ways to improve education, quality 

of life and opportunities for international medical students 

Discussed issues regarding internships for international 

medical students and raised them to AMSA National

AMSA INITIATIVE GROUPS 

30 


VAMPIRE CUP 

2023 Final statistics 

2645 donations in 2023 - 810 whole blood donations, 1810 plasma donations and 

25 platelet donations 

7935 lives saved 

Vampire Cup 2023 podium - 391 donations from James Cook University, 276 

donations from University of Queensland, and 227 donations from Griffith 

University


30 


VAMPIRE CUP 

New Meta Suite account and Facebook page, coupled with previous Instagram 

account 

AMSA Vampire Cup 2023 Facebook page 

218 likes and 307 followers now on Facebook page since starting in February 

this year 

286 new Instagram followers in 2023 

2.5K users reached with a recent post, with 65 reactions, 36 comments and 16 

shares 

Another post with 3.6K users reached, with 72 reactions, 44 comments and 29 

shares 

Donor/Recipient stories 

54% increase in donors from the University of Queensland Medical 

Society (UQMS) 

33% of James Cook University Medical Students Association (JCUMSA) 

cohort donated in 2023


30 


VAMPIRE CUP 

DonateLife 

During July, our DonateLife social media campaign raised awareness about 

the Australian Organ Donation Registry. The campaign aimed to educate that 

despite our support (76%) for organ/tissue donation, only 36% are registered 

on the Australian Organ Donation Registry 

We can open up this conversation and help the 1800 Australians waitlisted for 

an organ transplant and the 13,000, currently on dialysis, find a potential 

donor 

Strength to Give - Australia’s stem cell donor registry 

Over 110,000 Australians (and millions more overseas!) are living with blood 

cancer. By joining the donor registry, you could save someone’s life. 

Recipient story : Pamela was diagnosed with a blood cancer at the age of 24. 

For years after, she underwent many treatments, including chemotherapy, 

radiation and an autologous transplant, that were all unfortunately 

unsuccessful. Then, she was given the option of a donor stem cell transplant, 

which required a matching donor. However, her Lebanese background made 

finding a donor match quite challenging. Her brother, Matt, created a 

Facebook page to spread the message, which gained national and 

international media attention. Her story prompted many people to join the 

bone marrow registry, and eventually, Pamela received a successful cord 

blood stem cell transplant. Her story inspired the creation of Lebanon's first 

bone marrow registry, and she later even went to Lebanon to raise awareness 

of this scarcity. Pamela went on to receive the fantastic news that her cancer 

was in remission in December 2013.


38 

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING 

WORKING GROUPS 


1. We ran two SPSC webinars, providing students to discuss social 

prescribing with experts and learn about its application in a case study, 

and learn about social prescribing around the world. 

2. We ran a workshop about social prescribing at AMSA Global Health 

Intensive with experts from around Australia to teach students about 

social prescribing and its application through mentor-led case 

discussion. We also collaborated with AMSA Med Ed to create an OSCE 

station for their clinical years OSCE to demonstrate how social 

prescribing can be woven into a mental health consultation. 

3. We spearheaded social prescribing advocacy, with the inclusion of 

social prescribing in three AMSA policies: Refugee & Asylum Seeker 

Health, Mental Health Support Structures and Health Promotion & 

Protection. 

4. We worked with local and international academic leaders in social 

prescribing, including the Australian Social Prescribing Institute for 

Research & Education (ASPIRE). We sent a delegate to the 2023 

Environment, Activity, Connection & Health (EACH) Conference - the first 

social prescribing academic conference in Australia. At this conference, 

the 2021 AMSA Social Prescribing policy was cited and discussed by 

academics as an example of national policy making led by students - 

meaning that AMSA is a leader in the Australian social prescribing space. 

We are also working with ASPIRE and other social prescribing leaders to 

create more opportunities for student involvement and education. 

5. We were consulted by representatives of the Queensland state 

government as part of their implementation of the findings of the 

Parliamentary Inquiry into Social isolation and loneliness, to discuss 

implementation of social prescribing and student perspectives. We were 

also consulted by researchers from Connect Local/Bolton Clarke to 

provide feedback on a program they are creating to increase awareness 

of social isolation.


38 

OTHER: 

NATIONAL CONVENTION 2024 

As we approach the end of what has been an action-packed year in the world of 

M24 National Convention, I'm thrilled to share with you some exciting progress 

and developments. It has been an incredible journey so far planning and 

preparing for what promises to be an unforgettable 5-day medical student 

conference. AMSA National Convention is not just an event; it's an experience 

that brings together the brightest and most passionate minds in the medical 

field. We are committed to making this year's event even more memorable, with 

the enthralling academic timetable, an exceptional conference venue, and 

thrilling social nights. 

Our academic program has been carefully curated to provide you with a 

comprehensive and enriching experience. We’re securing an impressive lineup 

of renowned speakers, experts, and thought leaders who will delve into the 

latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities in the medical field. M24 

will take place at the prestigious Pullman Melbourne on Albert Park. Situated in 

the heart of Melbourne, this state-of-the-art facility offers the perfect 

environment for us. You’ll enjoy have access to top-notch facilities, 

comfortable accommodation, and stunning views that will enhance your overall 

experience. While our academic program will undoubtedly inspire and educate, 

we also know how to have fun! Our social events promise to be the highlight of 

your conference experience. From the closing night gala to themed parties and 

excursions and ConGames day, there will be ample opportunities to relax, 

unwind, and connect with fellow attendees. Get ready to create unforgettable 

memories both inside and outside the lecture halls. 

I’m so excited to share what we have in store for you. Our team has poured their 

hearts and souls into creating an event that reflects the values of AMSA and the 

aspirations of the medical community. Convention is more than just a 

conference; it's an opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive in a supportive and 

inspiring environment. 

So, mark your calendars and join us on this incredible journey from 26-30 July 

2024, and stay tuned for more updates and announcements in the coming 

months. Until then, keep the excitement alive and spread the word at your uni! 

Yours in Orange, 

William Browning 

Convenor, 2024 National Convention

EMBOLUS NEWSLETTER 

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January 

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N O T E : M O N T H L Y 

E M B O L U S R E L E A S E D T O 

A M S A S U B S C R I B E R S V I A 

M A I L C H I M P

JANUARY 2023 

EMBOLUS 

P R E S I D E N T ’ S W E L C O M E 

W H A T ’ S U P C O M I N G F O R 

A M S A 

Welcome to the Australian Medical Students' 

Association (AMSA)! My name is Tish and I am 

incredibly honoured to be your AMSA 

president for 2023. We are the peak 

representative body for the 23 medical 

schools and over 17 000 medical students 

across Australia. We strive to connect, inform 

and represent all medical students as they 

embark on a journey that will see them 

become Australia's future health workforce. 

AMSA is an incredible avenue to strengthen 

your interests within medicine or pursue your 

passions external to medicine, while meeting 

like-minded medical students from all walks of 

life from across the nation. The AMSA Embolus 

is an effective way to stay updated on 

everything that is happening with the AMSA 

sphere. From advocacy, events, initiatives to 

volunteer callouts and contributions to 

publications, the Embolus can serve as your 

one stop shop in 2023. Whether this is your 

first day in medical school or you are well into 

your medical student journey, there is a place 

for you within AMSA! 

Yours in Orange, 

Tisshapaa (Tish) Sivagnanan 

AMSA 2023 CAREERS CONFERENCE 

Calling all medical students! AMSA is excited to announce it is running its first 

ever Careers Conference on March 29th & 30th 2023 at the amazing Adelaide 

Convention Centre, located conveniently near the CBD! 

We encourage you to come along to discover the infinite possibilities for your 

future career. Learn about training opportunities, how to choose a pathway, 

careers outside clinical medicine and skills to become workforce ready. We have 

several exciting keynote speakers renowned as leaders in the medical field 

coming along to share their wisdom, passion and how they got to where they are. 

Highlights of the academic program include: 

Junior Doctor Finance 101 

CV Writing Workshop 

Consulting Careers 

Health Leadership and Management 

Included in your ticket will also be a cocktail evening where you can get to know 

your fellow delegates and network with seniors in your area of interest!

JUST GRADUATED? 

A Welcome from the Australian Medical Association, Council of Doctors in Training 

(AMA CDT). 

Congratulations on your graduation from medical school and welcome to the junior 

doctor community! 

Finishing medical school is a huge achievement! No doubt you've worked extremely 

hard, made some life-long friends and seen yourself grow in ways that you weren't 

expecting. As an AMSA member it's likely you've had memorable experiences while 

attending events, met colleagues from around the country and are aware of some 

of the issues facing medical students and doctors in training. From the day you 

commence your internship until the day you receive a fellowship from a specialist 

college (if that's the career path you choose), you will be considered a doctor in 

training (or DiT). 

Being a DiT is great. There are so many opportunities, work is always interesting, 

you'll meet great people and will earn a decent income. There are, however, some 

challenges facing DiTs. Training bottlenecks exist and entry into certain pathways 

can be competitive, with many doctors spending a significant time working in the 

often unsupported service registrar space. General practice trainees don't have 

access to the same entitlements and remuneration as hospital based trainees. 

Training costs and examinations fees are increasing significantly, and the culture of 

medicine can be sometimes still be problematic impacting doctors' health and 

wellbeing. 

These are some of the major priorities that we are working to address as the AMA 

Council of Doctors in Training (AMA CDT). Even though change can be slow, change 

is happening and there is momentum for improving the issues above. Over the few 

years that I have been involved with CDT there has been increased buy-in on these 

issues from governments, colleges and health networks. 

If these issues are important to you, or you want to have your say on other topics 

relating to the health system, training or medical workforce, or if you'd like 

increased opportunities to network with other doctors, you can become a member 

by joining your State or Territory AMA via the links below. We'd love to have you as 

a DiT member. 

All the best for your first year as a doctor! 

Hanna Szewczyk 

Chair - AMA Council of Doctors in Training 

AMA Federal: https://www.ama.com.au/ 

AMA QLD: https://www.ama.com.au/qld 

AMA NSW: https://www.amansw.com.au/ 

AMA VIC: https://www.amavic.com.au/ 

AMA SA: https://www.ama.com.au/sa 

AMA WA: https://www.amawa.com.au/ 

AMA NT: https://nt.ama.com.au/ 

AMA TAS: https://www.ama.com.au/tas 

*In some states and territories, your AMA membership can be claimed as part of 

your professional development

UPSKILLING WORKSHOPS FOR AMSA COMMITTEE MEMBERS 

Financial Retreat 

AMSA's annual financial retreat is an opportunity for our treasurers and 

sponsorship officers to upskill and teach fellow attendees about how to manage the 

financial aspect of AMSA's activities. This is to maximise the benefit to ALL AMSA 

members during the events and workshops. 

This year, we have planned for all medical students: 

National Councils 1, 2 & 3 

National Convention 

Rural Health Summit 

Careers Conference 

What is a balance sheet? How do you budget? How do we minimise costs to AMSA 

members? All these questions (and more!) are addressed in this retreat. 

Advocacy Retreat 

AMSA endeavours to harness the voices of 17 000+ medical students to represent 

YOU at the highest forums and action changes that make YOUR medical 

experiences better! This retreat is for our AMSA leaders to upskill and prioritise the 

key advocacy plans and foals for 2023. 

For example, AMSA's 2022 advocacy successes included the GP Workforce 

Roundtable, which was held and attended by the Minister for Health - Mark Butler - 

and signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Indigenous 

Doctors' Association. 

ORIENTATION WEEK 

January is the exciting month where orientation week for medicine is getting kick 

started across our 23 medical schools. This year, AMSA is thrilled to offer a special 

AMSA orientation week discount for first-time AMSA memberships. The discount 

pricing will be $25, down from $30, and only available during your university's 

orientation! 

For more information about what an AMSA membership can offer, head over to our 

2023 Orange guide where we detail 7 ways that AMSA can help YOU. 

Remember to keep updated with us for more opportunities and callouts through 

our Facebook, Instagram and website. 

THANK YOU FOR READING 

Thank you for reading the January edition of the 2023 Embolus. Any further queries, 

please email pdo@amsa.org.au

FEBRUARY 2023 

EMBOLUS 

A M S A C A R E E R S 

C O N F E R E N C E 

A D V O C A C Y 

CAREERS CONFERENCE ONLY $20 A TICKET! WILL SELL OUT FAST! 

Dear AMSA Members, 

It is with great excitement we announce that due to overwhelming support 

from our sponsors and the Specialty Medical Colleges, AMSA is drastically 

dropping the price of tickets to our upcoming inaugural AMSA Careers 

Conference to be held March 29th and 30th at the Adelaide Convention 

Centre. 

Tickets are now ONLY $20 PER PERSON (previously $200). 

This ticket is inclusive of 2 full academic days and 2 social events, one of which 

is a cocktail night with a drinks package that in itself is $95 a head! 

Due to this drop in price, we are expecting the events to sell out - so purchase 

your ticket now through our website at 

https://tinyurl.com/amsacareersconference 

If you have previously purchased a ticket, you will be refunded the difference. 

Feel free to get in touch with our team anytime via our social media or email. 

We look forward to seeing you in Adelaide! 

Careers Conference Team 2023 

O’WEEK UPDATES 

We are nearing the end of orientation weeks for most medical schools across 

Australia. We warmly welcome all new AMSA members and recommend you keep 

up to date with opportunities to join committees, attend events and upskill 

through our social media! 

We’d love to see you at: 

Instagram @youramsa 

Facebook /yourAMSA 

Website https://www.amsa.org.au/ 

For first years just starting medicine, we have just released our Starting Med 

Guide, which is jam-packed with tips to make the most of your medical degree! 

You can access it at our Yumpu here: 

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/67544276/2023-starting-med-guide 

Also, you can update yourself on who is AMSA and what we can offer you at our 

Orange Guide here

AMSA ADVOCACY 

Our advocacy team collaborated during their February advocacy retreat to 

ensure AMSA’s advocacy represents and includes YOU. The team had the 

fantastic opportunity of learning from Dr Professor Sabe Sabesan about 

making impactful advocacy. 

Based on the national survey that the AMSA membership filled out, the 

advocacy team identified the following eight national priorities: 

Culture of medicine 

Improving medicine’s culture and prioritising medical student 

wellbeing 

Medical Training Pipeline 

Focusing on the shortages of medical workforces in rural and regional 

areas 

Advocating for greater transparency in admission to medical schools 

Internships 

Lobbying for internships to be available to ALL Australian medical 

graduates and working towards a nationally standardised internship 

process 

Medical Education and Clinical Placements 

Ensuring high quality medical education and placements across all 

medical schools 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Medical Students 

Working to reduce the health inequity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait 

Islanders in conjunction with recruiting and retaining an Aboriginal and 

Torres Strait Islander workforce 

Mental Health in Medicine 

Reducing mental health stigma in medicine 

Disability and Inclusion in Medicine 

Improving accessibility and inclusivity of placements and medical 

training for people with disability 

Climate Change and Health 

Advancing the resilience and adaptation of the health sector against 

climate change 

DRS4DRS 

DRS4DRS is a website solely for doctors and medical students to use. This 

website provides wellbeing support through online modules and information 

through a Resources Hub, and referral services. They will also help you find a GP! 

24/7 Urgent Mental Health Support 

Call 1300 374 377 (1300 DRS4DRS) for an urgent mental health. This is available 

to doctors and medical students and their partners. This support is free of charge 

and is entirely confidential. Alternatively, call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14. 

Counselling 

DRS4DRS provides counselling services for doctors and medical students. All 

counsellors are trained and each state and territory has their specific number 

that people may call. More information can be found at: 

https://www.drs4drs.com.au/getting-help/

MARCH 2023 

EMBOLUS 

A M S A E V E N T S 


WELCOME 

Hello there, 

Welcome to the March 2023 edition of the Embolus. In this monthly edition, 

we will be updating you on the exciting opportunities that AMSA has organised 

and recounting a snapshot of AMSA Advocacy successes. For example, the 

team networked with EIGHT federal ministers. 

2023 NATIONAL COUNCIL 1 (ONLINE) APRIL 1st & 2nd 

National Council is an event open to ALL medical students and is convened three 

times a year. This event engages representatives from all AMSA groups and 

medical schools to review policies and provide reports on the current 

achievements and plans of AMSA committees. Additionally, the National Council 

provides a chance to network with like-minded peers and upskill. For example, 

there will be a financial upskilling session for our first 2023 council. 

This Council, the policies under review are: 

1. Bullying and Harassment 

2.Quality IT in Medical Education 

3.Health Clinical Placements 

4.Access and Human Rights 

5. to Essential Medicines

NATIONAL CONVENTION 

Registrations for the 2023 AMSA National Convention open TOMORROW! Join 

our Facebook page to keep an eye out for the registration link. 

Held at the Gold Coast this year, there is a stellar academic program planned 

full of speakers from medicine and a variety of other fields. Additionally, we 

will be bringing you networking opportunities with speakers and other 

delegates. 

We also have a reinvigorated sports and wellbeing program, Gala Ball and 

social nights to help recharge you! 


International Federation of Medical Students (IFMSA) 

IFMSA is one of the biggest student-run organisations. Its aim is to create 

transnational connections and engagement with medical students on highly 

pertinent global health issues. This year, the IFMSA held their 72nd IFMSA March 

Meeting General Assembly in Tallinn, Estonia which ran from March 1st to March 

7th. It was attended and represented by several AMSA members, including AMSA 

President Tish Sivagnanan. The general assembly included plenary sessions, 

regional sessions and an activities and exchanges fair. 

National Executive Advocacy 

Our dedicated AMSA President Tish Sivagnanan and Vice President External 

Gabrielle Dewsbury have been working in Canberra to meet with Australian 

federal ministers to advocate for issues that affect YOU and all Australian 

medical students. 

For their first parliamentary schedule, Tish and Gabrielle networked with EIGHT 

federal ministers: 

1. Emma McBride - sworn into parliament in 2022 as the Assistant Minister for 

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and the Assistant Minister for Rural and 

Regional Health 

2. Malarndirri McCarthy - a senator since 2016, McCarthy is Assistant Minister 

for Indigenous Health 

3. Julian Leeser - a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 

2016, Leeser was appointed to Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow 

Minister for Indigenous Australians after the 2022 elections 

4. Lidia Thorpe - a senator since 2020, Thorpe was the first Aboriginal elected to 

Victorian parliament 

5. Jason Clare - serving as the Minister for Education since June 2022 

6. Anne Ruston - Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Shadow Minister 

for Sport 

7. Melissa McIntosh - Federal Member for Lindsay, Shadow Assistant Minister 

for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 

8. Gordon Reid - a local emergency department doctor who is the Federal 

Member for Robertson

APRIL 2023 EMBOLUS 


I N T E R N S H I P S 

WELCOME 

Hello there, 

Welcome to the April 2023 edition of the Embolus. In this monthly edition, we 

will be updating you on the exciting events that AMSA has organised. For final 

year medical students, internship applications are just around the corner. 

With this in mind, we will be updating you on related events and resources 

2023 NATIONAL COUNCIL 2 





provides a chance to network with like-minded peers and upskill. 

Our second National Council will be held at Brisbane this year! The dates are: 

Saturday (1st July): Council 2 starting in the afternoon 

Sunday (2nd July): Council 2 all day 

Monday (3rd July): Council 2 in the morning and wrapping up by afternoon 

Tuesday (4th July): AMSA Reps Breakout Day 

Wednesday - Sun (5th July - 9th July): National Convention 

Subsidised Council 2 delegates will get accommodation for the Saturday and 

Sunday night and flights subsidised in and out of Brisbane. We will also organise a 

shuttle to Gold Coast on Wednesday morning for those Council delegates also 

going to convention (which is hopefully everyone). There will also be options for 

non-subsidised delegates to purchase accommodation and a shuttle ticket via 

the registration link. 

Any questions, email council2023@amsa.org.au 


Registrations for the 2023 AMSA National Convention open TOMORROW! Join 

our Facebook page to keep an eye out for the registration link. Held at the Gold 

Coast this year, there is a stellar academic program planned full of speakers from 

medicine and a variety of other fields. Additionally, we will be bringing you 

networking opportunities with speakers and other delegates. We also have a 

reinvigorated sports and wellbeing program, Gala Ball and social nights to help 

recharge you!

INTERNSHIPS 

Internships is one of AMSA’s advocacy priorities this year. AMSA is working to 

lobby for internships to be available to ALL Australian medical graduates and 

working towards a nationally standardised internship process. Below are some 

internship related dates to keep in mind: 

NATIONAL INTERNSHIP WEBINAR 

Applying for internship in Australia for 2024 or beyond? Want to find out 

everything you need to know about local and interstate internships from 

key internship bodies and leaders and get all your questions answered? 

AMSA, NSWMSC, MSC Victoria, QLDMSC, MSC WA, TAS and SA present our 

National Medical Internships Webinar, open to all medical students for 

free. 

Webinar Join Link: https://bit.ly/internships-webinar-join 

Tune in from 6pm AEST on 1 May for a comprehensive rundown of medical 

internships. Join their Facebook event page to keep up to date! 

AMSA Internship Guide 

Watch AMSA’s social media pages for this year’s Internship Guide to be 

published on the 2nd of April. The guide will be published on AMSA’s 

Yumpu platform: https://www.yumpu.com/user/amsa2020

MAY 2023 EMBOLUS 


I N T E R N S H I P S 

WELCOME 

Hello there, 

Welcome to the May 2023 edition of the Embolus. Here, Psychiatry Interest 

Forum will be introducing themselves, and you will be updated on AMSA 

advocacy, events and internship-related information! 

PSYCHIATRY INTEREST FORUM 

Meet Daniel 

Everyone has a story. I’m a father, partner, avid meditator, Lego enthusiast and a 

RANZCP advanced trainee in child and adolescent psychiatry. I was born 

overseas and I have travelled and lived in many places. 

I love psychiatry because I love people's stories and enjoy supporting them in a 

meaningful journey of discovery and healing. 

Psychiatry can be informed by various interesting fields such as neuroscience, 

psychology and philosophy. 

Psychiatry allows the blending of an intellectual understanding, with a felt sense 

of the other, and ultimately a deeper relationship with the self. 

Engaging with the Psychiatry Interest Forum gave me the opportunity to meet my 

future colleagues and better understand psychiatry as a career. I realised that I 

had found my people. 

I would encourage all students and junior doctors to engage in self-reflection and 

cultivate broad life experiences as they navigate their career in medicine.

2023 NATIONAL COUNCIL 2 (FACE TO FACE) 

National Council is an event open to ALL medical students and is convened 

three times a year. This event engages representatives from all AMSA groups 

and medical schools to review policies and provide reports on the current 

achievements and plans of AMSA committees. Additionally, the National 

Council provides a chance to network with like-minded peers and upskill. 


· Saturday (1st July): Council 2 starting in the afternoon 

· Sunday (2nd July): Council 2 all day 

· Monday (3rd July): Council 2 in the morning & wrapping up by afternoon 

· Tuesday (4th July): AMSA Reps Breakout Day 

· Wednesday - Sun (5th July - 9th July): National Convention 

Subsidised Council 2 delegates will get accommodation for the Saturday and 

Sunday night and flights subsidised in and out of Brisbane. We will also 

organise a shuttle to Gold Coast on Wednesday morning for those Council 

delegates also going to convention (which is hopefully everyone). There will 

also be options for non-subsidised delegates to purchase accommodation and 

a shuttle ticket via the registration link. 

Any questions? Please email council2023@amsa.org.au 


Registrations for the 2023 AMSA National Convention open TOMORROW! 

Join our Facebook page to keep an eye out for the registration link. Held at 

the Gold Coast this year, there is a stellar academic program planned full 

of speakers from medicine and a variety of other fields. Additionally, we 

will be bringing you networking opportunities with speakers and other 

delegates. We also have a reinvigorated sports and wellbeing program, 

Gala Ball and social nights to help recharge you!


AMSA’s National Advocacy team has been working hard to represent and 

advocate for you at both the national and international levels. 

Key advocacy highlights include: 

AMSA Advocacy Team at ABC News Q+A 

AMSA’s Advocacy Team represented medical students at Q+A, 

specifically asking about GPs and our current health system 

Isabel Lee, our Advocacy Communications Officer asked the following 

to the Q+A panel: 

“As medical students, we are seeing our peers discouraged from entering GP 

training as we see our doctors on GP placement struggling with patient 

numbers and running small businesses, whilst hospital placements consist of 

a majority of our placement time. With the rising cost of living and poor pay 

disincentivising students from entering the GP pathway, what are some ways 

you are planning on increasing retention and interest that will have tangible 

effects?” 

The entire episode can be viewed here: 

https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/ep14-may-1/102217198AMSA Media 

Release - Cost of Living Crisis 

AMSA co-signed the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) Open 

Letter to call for funding which can alleviate the current cost of living 

crisis 

AMSA’s National Coordinator, Josh Lowinger, attended a Canberra 

press conference to represent AMSA 

Internships 

AMSA’s 2023 Internship Guide was published this month, and can accessed 

here: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/67955155/amsa-2023- 

internship-guide 

St John of God Healthcare (Western Australia) and Northeast Health 

(Victoria) have updated their internship information, which is available 

here: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cMRLLnHZ4YvOyVqwlj2wBdGpIi5bgz3I/vi 

ew?usp=sharing 

AMSA’s National Internship Webinar recording has been released, and can 

be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GACkIbB67- 

qIqdFuE8MBieJriuUWVK9l/view?usp=share_link

JUNE 2023 EMBOLUS 



WELCOME 

Hello there, 

Welcome to the June 2023 edition of the Embolus. Here, we’ll be updating you 

on the upcoming AMSA events and summarise the advocacy achievements of 

AMSA. 

NATIONAL COUNCIL 2 AMSA 2023 





provides a chance to network with like-minded peers and upskill. 


· Saturday (1st July): Council 2 starting in the afternoon 

· Sunday (2nd July): Council 2 all day 

· Monday (3rd July): Council 2 in the morning & wrapping up by afternoon 

· Tuesday (4th July): AMSA Reps Breakout Day 

· Wednesday - Sun (5th July - 9th July): National Convention 

Any questions? Please email council2023@amsa.org.au 

Then, AMSA National Convention will be held at the Gold Coast from July 5-9, 

2023.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

This will be held at AMSA National Council #2. 

Date: Sunday July 2nd 

Time: 1200-1300 AEST 

Location: Zoom 

This meeting has been called by the Board of Directors for the purposes of 

electing the 2024 National Executive core team, and discussing individual and 

Medical Society membership fees for the 2023 Financial Year. The GM also 

provides an opportunity to discuss AMSA’s performance and future direction 

with the Board of Directors. All members are welcome to attend the GM online 

via Zoom. 

URL: https://une-au.zoom.us/j/85045664530? 

pwd=RjNyNzdmc1k2MjJKTk05bHlZbG4wUT09 

Meeting ID: 850 4566 4530 

Password: 874149 

Items of Business 

1. Roll Call 

2.Board Minutes of previous general meetings 

3.Individual of Directors Presentation 

4.Election + Medical Society Membership Fee Review 

5. of 2024 National Executive Core Team 

a. Explanation of Voting Process 

b.Presentation Nominations Committee Recommendation 

c.Voting by Bidding Teams 

d. 

6. Untabled Business 

7. Meeting Close 

National Executive Core Team Election 

At the General Meeting, elections will be held for the 2024 National Executive 

‘core 4’ team, consisting of the President, National Treasurer, Vice President 

External, and Vice President Internal. Two teams have nominated themselves 

for election at the General Meeting. Their details and bid information 

documents are attached below: 

Shreya Mago, Mihan De Silva, Syme Aftab, Olivia Lindsay: Bid Document 

Allen Xiao, Jade Guitera, Julia Goh, Luke Van Jager: Bid Document 

Should you have any questions relating to the General Meeting, please 

contact the Chair of the Board at chair@amsa.org.au. 

AMSA ADVOCACY

COST OF LIVING FORUM 

AMSA’s National Advocacy team has been working hard to represent and 

advocate for you at both the national and international levels. A key event this 

month was the AMSA Cost of Living Crisis forum. 

The forum was run by Isabel (Advocacy Communications Officer), Mihan 

(Public Relations Officer), Gabrielle (Vice President External) and Tish 

(President) via Zoom on Tuesday 20th June, who sought the opinions and 

lived experiences of medical students. Topics covered included what are 

medical students are forgoing during the cost of living crisis and how can 

AMSA help medical students? 

AMSA Federal Advocacy 

Tish, AMSA’s President, and Gabrielle, Vice President External, represented 

medical students on the Federal level through meeting with multiple senators 

and members 


Thank you for reading this edition of the AMSA Embolus. If you have any questions or 

feedback, please do not hesitate to email pdo@amsa.org.au

JULY 2023 EMBOLUS 



WELCOME 

Welcome to the July 2023 edition of the Embolus. Here, we’ll be updating you 

on the upcoming AMSA events and summarise the advocacy achievements of 

AMSA. 

UPCOMING: AMSA Rural Health Summit 2023 

Held at Darwin this year, this event will provide a diverse and invigorating 

timeline of academic sessions, social events and upskilling workshops to 

encourage budding or continued interest in rural health. The theme for this year’s 

RHS event is “Rural Medicine: Frontier of Healthcare Delivery”. 

Dates: 31/08/2023 - 03/09/2023 

COMPLETED EVENTS 

COUNCIL 2 

8 policies were reviews at Council 2 2023. The policies that were under review are 

listed: 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medical Student Recruitment and 

Retention 

Internships and Prevocational Framework 

Bonded Medical Schemes 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Harm Minimisation in Substance Use 

LGBTQIASB+ Health 

Climate Change and Health 

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health 

National Executive 2024 Core Team 

Congratulations to the new AMSA Core 4 team on their successful election 

during Council 2. 

Allen Xiao (President) 

Luke van Jager (National Treasurer) 

Jade Guitera (Vice President External) 

Julia Goh (Vice President Internal) 

National Convention 

The 2023 AMSA National Convention was held at Gold Coast and was a week 

filled with brilliant academic sessions, social events and upskilling workshops. 

The upcoming 2024 AMSA convention will be held at Melbourne. 


AMSA Public Statement 

AMSA has decided to disaffiliate from MDA National. 

As you may be aware, MDA National made a recent policy change to exclude 

cover for doctors providing gender-affirming medical therapies for people 

under 18 in the community. 

As outlined in our public statement, AMSA believes this policy change is in 

direct opposition with our stance and our LGBTQIASB+ Health (2023) policy, 

as voted by you - our members. 

The full public statement can be read here

AUGUST 2023 EMBOLUS 



WELCOME 

Hello everyone! 

Welcome to the August 2023 edition of the Embolus. In this month’s edition, 

we’ll be updating you on the upcoming AMSA events and opportunities. 

AMSA Rural Health Summit 2023 

Held at Darwin this year, this event will provide a diverse and invigorating 

timeline of academic sessions, social events and upskilling workshops to 

encourage budding or continued interest in rural health. The theme for this year’s 

RHS event is “Rural Medicine: Frontier of Healthcare Delivery”. 

Dates: 31/08/2023 - 03/09/2023 

AMSA COUNCIL 3 

Council 3 will be held on October 7th and 8th 2023 via Zoom. The policies to be 

reviewed in this council are: 

Student Services and Amenities Fee 

Student Income Support 

Complementary and Alternative Medicines 

Digital Health 

Mental Health Support Structures 

Health Promotion and Protection 

Australian Foreign Aid


Medical students of Australia! What are your thoughts about your future 

career path and particular specialties? AMSA Rural alongside Monash MNHS 

and GPSA are researching the factors that drive your career decisions to 

better inform policy and advocacy. 

By sharing your intentions, experiences, and ideas, as you consider your 

career, you will be contributing to a sound evidence base that will directly 

benefit us as future doctors. Results of this survey will inform and improve 

policy and planning for the future medical workforce. 

Link below: 

https://monash.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6JX0Rd43sgGTZsy 

OTHER 

AMSA Social Prescribing Online Event 3rd September 2023 

AMSA Social Prescribing Collective presents a webinar featuring international 

experts from around the world such as Canada and the UK. Look forward to 

getting valuable insight into improving the wellbeing of patients through 

social prescribing frameworks, organisations and research from around the 

world! 

Join the webinar on the 3rd of September 2023 at 8:00pm AEST! Follow AMSA 

Social Prescribing social media for more event details. 

Register using the form below for access to the zoom link. 

https://forms.gle/wHWoAm1yTWrMSvsdA 

Enquiries: Kumaran Manivannan, Co-Chair Social Prescribing Working Group, 

socialprescribing@amsa.org.au 

Global Health Conference 2024 Inception 

Inception24 are currently opening callouts for ALL subcommittee portfolios. 

Get your application in, with forms found here 

(https://linktr.ee/ghc24_inception? 

fbclid=IwAR0PmMNgkmBmvyHanVcOTdvAiyadGDSCW0x3oT_dOfBlHDMH- 

9xbBBAT7mk) 

Academics will close at 11:59pm, 5th September 2023. All other portfolio 

applications closing 11:59pm, 18th September 2023. 

Enquiries: Chirath Lekamge, AMSA GHC24 IT Officer, 

chirath.lekamge@amsa.org.au

SEPTEMBER 2023 EMBOLUS 



WELCOME 


Welcome to the September 2023 edition of the Embolus. In this month’s 

edition, we’ll be updating you on the upcoming AMSA events and 

opportunities. 

AMSA COUNCIL 3 

Council 3 will be held on October 7th and 8th 2023 via Zoom. The policies to be 

reviewed in this council are: 







Australian Foreign Aid 

And the speaker spotlight has been released: Dr James Brown


AMSA VOTES YES 

As 14th October 2023 draws near, there are many ways you can support the 

Yes23 campaign 

Put up posters 

Spread the yes logo 

Volunteer (sign up as a volunteer on the Yes23 website: 

www.yes23.com.au/volunteer 

Join a group effort! See what’s happening near you at: 

www.yes23.com.au/events 

Start a conversation with friends and family 

The Guardian Media: “Female doctors vulnerable to sexual assault due to 

hospital work environments” 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/26/female-doctorsvulnerable-to-sexual-assault-due-to-hospital-work-environments-expertsays? 

fbclid=IwAR2bN_blYgNMxkgF40FETFx6PqKPWyYRiGMdSx1oW9zrLBZfsCn4kV7 

bc3A 

Melissa Davey’s newspaper articles examines the sexual harassment in 

medicine. It features Dr Louise Stone and experts’ consensus on this issue. It 

also features AMSA President Tish Sivagnanan: 

…“But a range of significant barriers exist that often prevent reporting, 

including the fact medicine is an environment with an innately hierarchical 

structure, where power is concentrated to senior medical staff who attract 

significant influence and control within the hospital system,” she said. 

“This combined with the meritocratic nature of medical training, where career 

advancement is often dependent on recommendations from supervisors, 

leaves those who are the targets of harassment fearful of educational and 

career repercussions if they were to report superiors.” 

OTHER 

AMSA Initiative and Representative Groups want YOU for 2024! 

Head over to https://theorg.com/org/amsa to see many subcommittee 

position callouts across AMSA. Most subcommittees will open applications 

until 11.59pm 4th October 2023, and you can apply here 

bit.ly/AMSAGroupsApplication

OCTOBER 2023 EMBOLUS 



WELCOME 

Hello everyone! Welcome to the October 2023 edition of the Embolus. In this 

month’s edition, we have a segment from AMA (NSW), and updating you on 

AMSA events. For many students, this is the exam period, so we wish you all 

the best for your assessments! 

AMA (NSW) 

Are you a final year medical student? AMA (NSW) is running a limited time offer! If 

you upgrade your student membership or join as a 2024 intern, you’ll receive a 

free 3M Littmann Classic III Stethoscope (valued at $160), an exclusive discount 

with Crocs and free membership to Blue Light Card Australia, when you pay the 

$30 joining fee*. 

Exclusive benefits of your AMA (NSW) intern membership include individual 

support for workplace matters, access to the Doctors-In-Training Committee, 

educational events, professional networking opportunities, and commercial 

benefits. 

To upgrade your membership, visit https://www.amansw.com.au/join-the-ama/ or 

call us on (02) 9439 8822. Get in quick before the stethoscopes go! 

*Terms and Conditions: $30 joining fee is non-refundable. Membership term is 12 

months. Discount codes will be issued in welcome pack.

AMSA EVENTS 

COMPLETED: AMSA Council 3 

Council 3 was held in October. The policies reviewed in this council were: 







Australian Foreign Aid 

COMPLETED: AMSA Mental Health 

As part of Blue Month and Humans of Medicine campaign, AMSA Mental 

Health collaborated with Drs4Drs for a webinar, with the featured topics 

including reducing the stigma around mental health and discussing how to 

prevent burnout in the field of medicine. 


An excerpt from AMSA Indigenous social media: 

“AMSA Indigenous wants to acknowledge the deep pain being experienced in 

our communities due to the outcome of the referendum. We were optimistic 

about the opportunities that could arise from a Voice to Parliament and the 

positive impact this could bring to our communities. We were hopeful for 

increased self-determination for our people, particularly in the health care 

space. Like many mob we are disheartened by the results and the continued 

attempts to oppress our people…” 


Thank you for reading this edition of the AMSA Embolus. If you have any 

questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to email pdo@amsa.org.au

NOVEMBER 2023 EMBOLUS 


O P P O R T U N I T I E S 

WELCOME 


Welcome to the November 2023 edition of the Embolus. In this month’s 

edition, we’ll be updating you on AMA membership, advocacy and AMSA 

opportunities! 

AMA MEMBERSHIP 

Congratulations on your graduation from medical school and welcome to the 

junior doctor community! 

Finishing medical school is a huge achievement! No doubt you’ve worked 

extremely hard, made some life-long friends and seen yourself grow in ways you 

weren’t expecting. As an AMSA member it’s likely that you’ve had memorable 

experiences while attending events, met colleagues from around the country and 

are aware of some of the issues facing medical students and doctors in training. 

From the day you commence your internship until the day you receive a 

fellowship from a specialist medical college (if that’s the career path you choose) 

you will be considered a doctor in training (or DiT). 

Being a DiT is great. There are so many opportunities, work is always interesting, 

you’ll meet inspiring people and will earn a decent income. There are, however, 

some challenges facing DiTs. Training bottlenecks exist and entry into certain 

pathways can be competitive, with many doctors spending a significant amount 

of time working in the often unsupported service registrar space. General 

practice trainees don’t have access to the same entitlements and remuneration 

as hospital-based trainees. Training costs and examination fees are increasing 

significantly, and the culture of medicine can sometimes still be problematic 

impacting doctors’ health and wellbeing. 

These are some of the major priorities the AMA Council of Doctors in Training 

(AMACDT) is working to address. Even though change can be slow, change is 

happening and there is momentum for improving the issues above. Over the few 

years that I have been involved with AMACDT there has been increased buy-in on 

these issues from governments, colleges and health networks. 

If these issues are important to you, or you want to have your say on other topics 

relating to the health system, training or medical workforce; or if you’d like 

increased opportunities to network with other doctors, you can become a 

member by joining your state or territory AMA. We’d love to have you as a DiT 

member.

All the best for your first year as a doctor! 

Hannah Szewczyk 

Chair – AMA Council of Doctors in Training 

*In some states and territories, your AMA membership can be claimed as part 

of your professional development 

OTHER 

JOIN AMSA AS A VOLUNTEER! 

Many AMSA interest and representative groups are opening callouts to join 

their subcommittee, for example Vampire Cup. Look at our social media and 

The Org chart to find more information. We hope to see you volunteering with 

AMSA next year! 


Thank you for reading this edition of the AMSA Embolus. If you have any 

questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to email pdo@amsa.org.au

T H A N K 

Y O U F O R 

R E A D I N G 

2 0 2 3 

E D I T I O N

AMSA 2023 Embolus Publication

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