ASAM Newsletter - The Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine

ASAM NEWSLETTER
• The
"Promoting the science of aerospace medicine"
PRESIDENT'S LOG BOOK
MARCH 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
Page
2
President's Log Book cont...
2016 ASAM Annual Conference 4
2016 Call for Abstracts
6
NSW Regional Meeting
6
AMSVIC Meeting
6
John Lane Aerospace Medicine
Trust6
2016 Conference Scholarships 7
Honours and Awards 8
2018 Annual ASAM Meeting
8
Humans in Space Course 9
ACCAM Courses
10
Occupational and Aviation
Medicine Unit Courses
11
New ASAM Members 12
Calendar of Events 12
The ASAM Board
12
Book Highlight
12
Australasian Society of
Aerospace Medicine
New address, please update
your records:
PO Box 2252
Hawthorn VIC 3122 AUSTRALIA
Mobile +61 418 890 641
secretariat@asam.org.au
www.asam.org.au
If you are receiving this newsletter by
post then your current email address is
not held on the ASAM database. Could you
please email secretariat@asam.org.au
to update your information.
www.asam.org.au
The current committee (or ‘Board’ in current corporate parlance)
continued its forward thinking and proactive approach to ensuring
the continuing success of ASAM with a strategic planning session
held at the end of February 2016. The board focussed on
continuing sound financial management, growing membership
benefits, ensuring compliant corporate governance, further
developing education & training options, and being the preeminent authority for advocacy and promotion of aerospace
medicine in the Australasian region. My thanks to Ian Hosegood and
Kate Manderson for facilitating a very valuable planning session.
The recent inaugural “Humans in Space” short course in space medicine was a prime
example of continuing innovative thinking by ASAM. My thanks to Gordon Cable for his
enthusiasm and drive in bring the course to fruition, which was a resounding success with
universal positive feedback from delegates and significant media interest. A report from
Gordon regarding the course features later in this Newsletter.
The New Year is a very busy period for planning regional meetings and for consolidating
the program for the national annual conference in Townsville.
For the first time, AMSVIC will be visiting Oshkosh for their annual meeting in July 2016.
NSW will be holding their regional meeting on 28 May 2016 for the first time at the HARS
museum located at Illawarra Regional Airport. Townsville will be a first time host city for
a national ASAM annual conference from 15 to 18 September 2016. Further details about
these meetings can be found in this Newsletter.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Dr Michael Drane on his appointment as CASA’s
Principal Medical Officer. Michael has done a sterling job as “acting” PMO for over 12
months in what can be a thankless role.
Mental health & wellbeing
In previous Newsletters I have made passing comment regarding the tragic flight of
Germanwings flight 9525. The final report has now been released by the French BEA
(Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses) and can be accessed at; https://www.bea.aero/
uploads/tx_elyextendttnews/BEA2015-0125.en-LR_03.pdf
The 110 page report makes for sobering reading. The BEA’s analysis and recommendations
focussed on the following five areas: Mental health assessment of professional pilots;
Reliability of self-declaration; Balance between confidentiality and public safety;
Contribution of the social and professional environment in assessing fitness to fly; and
Security of cockpit access.
Mental health assessment of professional pilots: The BEA report acknowledged the
limitations of currently available mental health screening tools. The report also recognised
that mental health disorders involving sudden psychosis are relatively rare, could be
cyclical and difficult to predict. However, these challenges are not an excuse to do nothing
and the BEA has recommended a number of strategies to improve the thoroughness of
mental health assessment. Hopefully, any greater scrutiny of applicants with mental health
Continued over the page...
March 2016 - ASAM Newsletter | 1
President's Log Book continued
disorders recognises the nuanced difference between someone
with well managed depression and someone with suicidal or
homicidal intent, which the mass media seem unable to grasp,
so pilots who have been successfully flying with a history of
depression are not adversely affected.
Reliability of self-declaration: The self-declaration of fitness
argument is not uncommonly used by some to dispute what is
perceived on occasion as excessive restrictions or surveillance
requirements placed by regulators. However, the BEA report
noted several reasons as to how the self-declaration of fitness
can be compromised and questioned the robustness of selfdeclaration as a risk management strategy. In this particular
case, the report concluded that; “The safety assumption stating
that “the pilot will self-declare his unfitness” failed in this event.”
Balance between confidentiality and public safety: The
report noted that breaches of medical confidentiality in Germany
can result in severe punishment. As in many countries, including
Australia, there are provisions for breaking confidentiality, but
the BEA report argued that the absence of formal definition of
“imminent danger” and “threat to public safety” was a barrier for
German doctors reporting cases such as the Germanwings copilot given the threat of severe legal sanction for confidentiality
breaches in their country.
Last year, I wrote to Avant seeking to clarify situations where a
doctor (practicing in Australia) is compelled to report medical
issues to authorities including what protection provisions
there were for volunteering medical information in good faith
to appropriate authorities. With the consent of Avant’s Head of
Medical-Legal Advisory Service the advice is produced below.
The advice confirmed there were exemptions for divulging
medical information under the privacy principles. There’s also
an interesting list of various regulations where doctors are
mandated to provide medical information, including to CASA
[Civil Aviation Safety Regulation part 67.125 “Obligation to
report” (refers to DAMEs and DAOs) is relevant to members of
ASAM].
The BEA report also noted that a few countries (although the
BEA report neglected to mention New Zealand as one of those
countries!) have introduced legislation that mandates doctors
(not just AMEs) to report medical issues specifically relating
to pilots to relevant authorities. I thought the BEA report’s
recommendation of developing a legal framework that would
allow and better define mandatory reporting of patients
(not just pilots), but still balance risks to confidentiality and
public/pilot confidence to self-report, was contentious and a
surprise in addressing patients in general and not specifically
pilots. Reservations about mandatory reporting of pilots
have been expressed locally; https://ama.com.au/ausmed/
germanwings-tragedy-prompts-mandatory-reportingcalls. The National law (mentioned in Avant’s response)
requiring doctors to inform on other health practitioners
engaging in “notifiable conduct” (including performance)
has not been without its critics and supporters. A summary
of the issues can be found at; https://www.mja.com.au/
journal/2016/204/1/reporting-health-practitioners-theirtreating-practitioner-under-australia-s.
Contribution of the social and professional environment
in assessing fitness to fly: The BEA report looked at what
psychological support services (via company, union and others)
that were specifically available for pilots; what peer-support
program were available; what other opportunities for mental
2 | ASAM Newsletter - March 2016
health detection or interventions for pilots, such as during
simulator training and flight-deck interactions; and availability
of income protection or loss of licence insurance. In Australia,
employee assistance programs (EAP), union welfare officers
and peer-support programs (eg Pilot Assistance Network and
hopefully HIMS in Australia) are available for those pilots with
the major airlines. In Germany similar support was available,
but the BEA report noted that the Germanwings co-pilot did
not avail himself of these services, which was probably not
surprising given that he did not self-declare his unfitness to fly.
Security of cockpit access: The BEA report also looked at the
pros and cons of the two people in the cockpit rule that some
countries, such as Australia, introduced after the Germanwings
incident, however, there were no specific recommendations
regarding these issues.
On a number of occasions the BEA report referenced the
Australian approach to the certification of pilots and controllers
with mental health issues, including quoting CASA’s published
research on pilots flying with antidepressants.
Overall there were 10 recommendations arising from the BEA
report. At first glance there would appear to be in place a
number of checks and balances to mitigate events such as
Germanwings flight 9525, but as the BEA report demonstrated
there are limitations and weaknesses in each layer of these
defenses and as James Reason has contended in his Swiss
cheese model, when the holes line-up, a disaster can occur.
While such events as Germanwings 9525 are arguably rare,
when it involves a commercial aircraft with dozens to several
hundred passengers, the consequences are catastrophic.
For a pilot or controller with anxiety and/or depression, it is
important that they can be reassured that there exists a fair and
reasonable evidence-based regulatory framework that allows
them to return to their career or passion and encourages them
to self-report. The general public, however, also needs to be
reassured that the regulatory and risk management processes
can also ensure public safety. The greater challenge is the
screening and detection of pilots or controllers with suicidal or
homicidal intent.
DAMEs have an important role not only in the medical screening
and assessment of pilots and controllers, but also in reassuring
those with anxiety and/or depression that there exists a
pioneering regulatory framework for them to return to or
continue flying/controlling when appropriate.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) encourages
DAMEs to enquire about a pilot or controller’s general wellbeing
and lifestyle, as issues relating to these matters tend to
predominate over physical ailments, especially in one’s younger
years. In addition, for a physically healthy pilot or controller,
their only contact with a doctor might be their DAME every year
or two or four (depending on the class of medical certificate).
The John Lane orator for 2016, Dr Tony Evans has recommended
for some years that there should be a greater emphasis on
preventative health, mental health and wellbeing advice during
the medical assessment process. It is therefore timely that he
and Dr Kevin McCauley will be the keynote speakers at this
year’s annual conference.
The Avant advice (next page) is reproduced with permission.
President
www.asam.org.au
Avant's advice
To: Ian Cheng
Subject: Request for Advice - Avant
Dear Dr Cheng
Thank you for your email of 14 July 2015 requesting advice on the legal requirements of doctors to report patients who could
harm themselves or others.
This advice is provided by way of a membership service.
Background
We understand that in your capacity as an occupational physician and President of the Special Interest Group of Medical
Examiners, you and your colleagues have been considering whether there is a need for a law that requires doctors to notify
patients who may be at risk to themselves or others.
Against this background you have asked for advice as to whether there is a legal requirement to notify the risk of potential harm
by a patient, outside the context of areas such as child abuse and mandatory reporting of health practitioners and pilots, as
opposed to a professional or ethical duty to do so.
Advice
It is well understood that medical practitioners are under a stringent ethical and legal duty to keep their patients’ clinical
information confidential.
Medical practitioners in all states and territories must comply with the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 which contains the
Australian Privacy Principles. In addition, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have their own
legislation governing privacy obligations with which private medical practitioners must also comply. The relevant legislation in
NSW is the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 which contains the Health Privacy Principles.
Under the privacy regime in Australia, medical practitioners must not disclose health information unless they have the consent
of the patient or they are permitted to do so under one of the exceptions listed in the legislation.
One of exceptions is that the disclosure is required by law. This would cover the various circumstances that mandate disclosure
of information either when you discover certain facts or when requested by an authority with power to request information –
including the following:
•
Child protection legislation – mandatory notification of child abuse and neglect
•
National Law – mandatory reporting of health practitioners
•
CASA legislation
•
Public Health Acts – disclosure of reportable diseases
•
Environmental protection acts – disclosure of contact details of patients who have dumped rubbish
•
Subpoenas / Warrants – production of documents to the court or Police
•
Crimes Act - section 316 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) says that if you know or believe that a serious offence has been
committed, that the offence has indeed been committed, and that you know or believe you have information which could
assist in the apprehension or conviction of the offender, then you are guilty of an offence if you fail, without reasonable
excuse, to bring it to the attention of the police or other authority. The term “serious indictable offence” is defined in
section 4 of the Crimes Act as an offence punishable by imprisonment for life or for a term of 5 years or more.
However, there is not a general legal requirement in Australia that doctors must report any reasonable belief that a patient may
cause harm to himself or to others. Instead, the privacy principles in the Commonwealth and NSW legislation both contain
exceptions to the restrictions on the disclosure of personal and/or health information where a medical practitioner reasonably
believes the disclosure to be necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any individual or
to public health or public safety. In other words, the legislation permits a breach of a patient’s confidentiality if the medical
practitioner is concerned the patient may cause harm but does not compel such disclosure.
In circumstances whether a doctor was aware of a potentially serious threat to public safety due to a patient’s behaviour, he
or she may be criticised for not taking some action to prevent any harm arising to the public. Accordingly, we would advise a
doctor in that situation to obtain advice from their MDO.
Summary
The current legal framework is designed to protect patient confidentiality by carefully prescribing the circumstances in which a
medical practitioner can be compelled to disclose information whilst also providing the practitioners with the ability to disclose
information when they consider it is reasonable to do so to protect patient or public safety. Each time legislation is proposed
that broadens the requirements for disclosure of information without patient consent, Parliament would need to scrutinise the
impact this has on the doctor / patient therapeutic relationship and whether the public interest in disclosure outweighs the
patient’s right to confidentiality. Accordingly, if a law was to be introduced in Australia that compelled doctors to report any
reasonable suspicion that a patient may cause harm, this would need careful consideration about the practical consequences
for doctors and their relationships with patients.
www.asam.org.au
March 2016 - ASAM Newsletter | 3
INVITATION TO ATTEND
THE ASAM 2016 ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
As Convener for the 2016 ASAM conference, I invite you to
attend this year’s meeting that will be held at the Rydges Hotel,
Townsville, Queensland from 15 to 18 September, 2016.
Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the
Sunshine Coast. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, consider
a pre or post-conference extension to take advantage of the
numerous outdoor activities available in and around Townsville.
Stroll along The Strand, a beachfront promenade with children’s
water park, rock pool, numerous cafes, para-sailing and
outrigger canoeing opportunities. At the end of The Strand is
the recently redeveloped Jezzine Barracks with wonderful views
from the fort observation decks and interpretative displays of
military and indigenous history. Avail yourself of the many cafes
and restaurants along Palmer Street where the Rydges Hotel is
located. Walk (or jog as some of the locals do) up Castle Hill for
a panoramic view of Townsville. Visit the Museum of Tropical
Queensland, Australian Institute of Marine Science or Reef HQ,
the world's largest living coral reef aquarium. Just a 20 minute
ferry ride from Townsville is Magnetic Island National Park with
its pristine beaches, historic forts, koalas and rock wallabies.
Townsville’s links with aviation is evident as home to RAAF Base
Townsville, the Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment and birthplace
of Sir Lawrence Wackett designer of the Wackett trainer and
considered a father of the Australian aircraft industry. Visit the
RAAF Townsville museum – admission is free and opens 3 days
a week.
Residences. He is currently the Director of Program Services
at New Roads Behavioral Health in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have
had the recent opportunity to hear Dr McCauley present and
he is a highly engaging and knowledgeable expert with regards
to addiction medicine, a topic of significant public health and
aviation safety relevance.
As usual, we aim to provide a diversity of topics to complement
the conference theme, which will also appeal to the membership.
A consistent conference feedback response from delegates
is the appeal of case studies, so I encourage all members to
submit papers on any difficult or interesting aerospace medicine
cases they have encountered in their clinical practice. Abstract
submissions will be open in early April 2016.
The continuing staunch support from CASA by way of their
continuing corporate sponsorship is greatly valued and
appreciated by ASAM. Plans are underway for the usual CASA
update sessions at our 2016 annual conference.
The Conference Organising Committee and the Federal
Committee of ASAM look forward to welcoming you to
Townsville for what promises to be a professionally rewarding
and socially enjoyable meeting in the spectacular surroundings
of North Queensland.
For more information visit http://asam2016.org.au
Ian Cheng
Convenor
There are direct flights to Townsville International Airport from
Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin, Bali and a number of Queensland
cities. Townsville is also the gateway to Charters Towers,
Hinchinbrook shire and Burdekin shire.
This year’s conference theme “Aerospace Medicine –
spanning the globe” reflects the close interaction of public
health, retrieval medicine, travel & tropical medicine with
aerospace medicine.
We have been most fortunate to secure Dr Tony Evans as the
2016 John Lane Orator who recently stepped down as ICAO
Chief Aviation Medicine, but remains as a consultant. At
ICAO, Dr Evans established and developed the Collaborative
Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public
Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA). He also has a particular
interest in preventive medicine as a method for reducing
aeromedical risk by decreasing the pathology burden in the
aviation community. He trained as a commercial pilot prior to
studying medicine and holds an Airline Transport Pilot Licence
and has flown commercially as a pilot on a number of aircraft
types, primarily the Boeing 757 and 767. Dr Evans will be well
placed to give a presentation consistent with the conference
theme of aerospace medicine spanning the globe.
As well, our colleagues from New Zealand will be sponsoring the
Patterson Trust speaker, Dr Kevin McCauley, a previous US Naval
flight surgeon. Dr McCauley was previously the Director of Le
Mont, a sober living/recovery management program in Sandy,
Utah, and was president of the Utah Association of Recovery
4 | ASAM Newsletter - March 2016
www.asam.org.au
2016 CALL FOR
ABSTRACTS
This year’s ASAM conference theme is “Aerospace medicine;
spanning the globe” reflects the close interaction with
aerospace medicine of;
• public health medicine
• retrieval medicine
• travel & tropical medicine.
As Convenor of this year’s conference I invite all those interested
in aerospace medicine to submit an abstract for a scientific
paper or poster for this year’s conference. Abstracts submitted
on topics encompassed by the conference theme are strongly
encouraged.
However, I would also encourage all our members to submit
papers on any difficult or interesting aircrew or air traffic
controller cases they have encountered in their clinical practice,
as a consistent conference feedback response from delegates is
the appeal of case studies.
NSW REGIONAL
MEETING
This meeting will be held on Saturday, 28 May 2016
at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS)
museum based at Illawarra Regional Airport. Drive,
train or fly-in, this will be a rare and ideal opportunity
to combine an aviation medicine update session with
a guided tour of the HARS museum (more about HARS;
http://hars.org.au).
Make a weekend of it and tour nearby Wollongong,
Kiama, Jamberoo or Minnamurra Falls. There will be a
post-conference Saturday night dinner at Sebel Kiama
(a 15 minute drive south from the HARS museum).
The Conference Organising Committee and the ASAM Board
look forward to welcoming you to Townsville for what promises
to be a professionally rewarding and socially enjoyable meeting
in the sunny climes of far north Queensland.
Dr Eric Stephenson Award
The ‘Dr Eric Stephenson Award’ for best paper presented
by an ASAM member will be awarded at the ASAM Annual
Conference in 2016.
All accepted presenters will be considered for this award with
the exception of the John Lane Oration and Patterson Trust
Lecture.
Dr Jeanette Linn Award
The ‘Dr Jeanette Linn Award’ for best first-time presentation
by an ASAM member will be awarded at the ASAM Annual
Conference in 2016.
Ian Cheng
Convenor
JOHN LANE
AEROSPACE
MEDICINE TRUST
Established to support research,
development and advancement of aerospace
medicine.
For further information about the Trust
contact:
secretariat@asam.org.au
Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
AMSVIC MEETING
25 July – 31 July 2016
EAA Airventure Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
Scientific program
The scientific program will incorporate the 3rd Annual EAA
AirVenture Stanley R. Mohler, MD, MPH Aerospace Medicine
Lecture Series. The 2016 program will be announced soon.
Flights, accommodation and additional tours
Docklands Travel will assist with all travel, accommodation and
additional tours (managed by Docklands Travel).
Details at http://www.zumaworks.com.au/amsv2/
Oshkosh website for Airshow information can be found at
http://www.eaa.org/en/airventure
Registration information is available from
Anne Fleming at secretariat@asam.org.au
6 | ASAM Newsletter - March 2016
www.asam.org.au
HONOURS AND
AWARDS
Honorary member Air Cdre Leonard J. Thompson MBE,
AE, RNZAF (RTD.). has recently been awarded The Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale, FAI - The World Air Sports
Federation - Paul Tissandier Diploma. This Diploma, established
by the FAI in 1952, is named after Mr. Paul Tissandier, Secretary
General of FAI from 1919 to 1945. It is awarded to those who have
served the cause of Aviation in general and Sporting Aviation in
particular, by their work, initiative, devotion or in other ways.
Congratulations to FLTLT(Dr) Rick Allen dux and Merz prize
winner of the most recent RAAF AVMO course.
z Award fr
iving the Mer
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Al
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ar t
FLTLT(Dr) Ri
AVM Trac y Sm
2018 ANNUAL
ASAM MEETING
For the past couple of decades, an annual scientific
meeting has been periodically held in the Northern
Territory. In 1998 the first NT annual ASAM meeting
was held at Ayers Rock / Uluru. In 2008 it was
Darwin’s turn. For 2018, the ASAM board has
decided upon a change from the usual capital or
major regional seaboard city and selected Alice
Springs to be the venue.
The 2018 ASAM annual conference will be a
wonderful chance to visit a quintessential
Australian outback town surrounded by the striking
MacDonnell ranges.
om
Air Cdre Leonard
J.
Thompson
ASAM 2016 CONFERENCE
15-18 SEPT 2016, RYDGES SOUTHBANK TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA
8 | ASAM Newsletter - March 2016
www.asam.org.au
HUMANS IN SPACE:
CHALLENGES FOR
EXPLORATION
For a few days in January the Intercontinental Hotel in Adelaide
became the Interplanetary Hotel as 40 doctors and other life
science professionals of like-minds converged on Adelaide
to attend the inaugral "Humans in Space: Challenges for
Exploration" Course. Our visiting lecturers, Dr Gilles Clément,
Dr Angie Bukley, and Dr Bob Thirsk, provided the course
participants with some amazing insights into the medicine
and science of manned space flight, and provided a glimpse of
the exciting future plans on the table for exploration over the
coming decades to near Earth asteroids, the Moon, Legrange
points and of course Mars. It seems that space exploration is
back on the agenda in a way we have not seen for more than
half a century, and the course certainly generated a lot of
media interest for participants and presenters alike. Formal
lectures on rocket science, orbital mechanics and the space
environment were counterbalanced with space medicine and
life support topics, all interspersed with fascinating workshops
and group discussions. Participants were able to explore the
contents of the medical kits carried aboard the International
Space Station, negotiate a maze wearing reversing ocular
prisms, and experience the vestibular effects of living and
working in rotating artificial-gravity environments using a
Barany chair. Stimulating group discussions were held exploring
the issues surrounding commercial space tourism, which will
see lay persons with enough financial resources undertaking
suborbital space flights. It was generally decided that these are
really just very expensive amusement park rides! The group was
divided in a fascinating debate on the pros land cons of nearearth asteroid exploration, versus spending the money to go
straight to Mars.
The course dinner provided a wonderful opportunity to
network, socialise, and generally enjoy the company of so many
interesting colleagues all sharing the same enthusiasm for the
potential future of space travel and how medical science can
contribute. It also provided the opportunity for Dr Thirsk as our
dinner speaker to share his amazing and inspirational personal
experiences flying aboard the Space Shuttle and the ISS. I don’t
think any astronaut returns from space unchanged, and I don’t
mean just physiologically, I mean in a deep and existential way.
The fragility of the planet, the tenuous nature of our only lifesupport system, and the impact of human activities on our
small blue marble all become obvious. And you can’t see any
borders from 400km up.
It was clear from the course that the biggest hurdles we have
yet to overcome for humans to explore the universe beyond the
Earth-Moon system and to spend extended durations in deep
space away from the protective cocoon of our Earth’s magnetic
field, are all related to the biosciences - lack of gravity, ionising
radiation, self-sustainable life-support, and the psychological
aspects of crew behaviour with prolonged isolation. It was
also clear that the knowledge gaps are huge, and so much
work is still to be done to solve the unanswered questions,
if humans ever hope to set foot on the red planet in the next
20 years. We need to accelerate these efforts now. It needs to
be an international collaboration, and Australia has so much
expertise in biomedical science that we need to contribute as
much as we can to this effort.
www.asam.org.au
Dr Bob Thirsk & Dr Gordon Cable
Humans in Spac
e co
urse group
Bob Thirsk, Jeremy Robertson & Angi
e Bukley
In 1968 our planet was troubled. The United States and Australia
were embroiled in the Vietnam War, and in April that year Martin
Luther King was assassinated. It seems the world had gone a
bit crazy. But on December 24 1968, the astronauts of Apollo 8
were the first humans to ever see Earthrise above the horizon
of another world, and by crackly radio transmission sent back
a Christmas message for all humanity. For a moment the
world was brought together as one. It seems that outstanding
achievements in human space flight have that amazing ability. I
think we need that again now as perhaps never before.
Gordon Cable
Course Convener
March 2016 - ASAM Newsletter | 9
Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Aviation Medicine Courses
Presented by:
A/Prof David Newman, MB, BS, DAvMed, MBA, PhD
Melbourne, Australia
Australian Certificate of Civil
Aviation Medicine (ACCAM)
Monash University has been hosting the ACCAM
course for over 20 years. This course introduces medical
practitioners to the medical and physiological aspects
of aviation and the regulatory framework for aviation
in Australia. The course is a requirement to be able to
register with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
as a Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME).
Students visit Air Services Australia at Tullamarine
airport (including a visit to the control tower) and will
also experience a full-motion airline flight simulator.
Australian Certificate of Civil
Aviation Medicine (ACCAM)
Refresher course
Sean Runacres experiences the ejection seat whilst attending the
2015 Advanced Practical Aviation Medicine course.
Run for the first time in 2015, the ACCAM refresher
course is specifically designed for past students of the
ACCAM or those with previous Aviation Medicine training.
undergo some night vision training and ride an ejection
seat trainer. Students will also be able to undertake
hypoxia awareness training in the altitude chamber.
Most aviation medicine topics will be covered in this
course including an aviation physiology refresher and
clinical medicine updates.
All students must complete a medical, which includes
an ECG, prior to course commencement.
Numbers are strictly limited.
Students will also get to experience a 737 flight simulator.
Upon completion students will have received an update
and refreshed their aviation medicine and human
factors knowledge with this course, which will provide a
comprehensive overview of the latest developments and
research in aviation physiology, clinical aviation medicine,
flight safety and human factors from around the world.
Advanced Practical Aviation
Medicine Course
This exciting course will give students a rare
opportunity to personally experience many of the key
areas of aviation physiology with the opportunity to fly a
dedicated spatial disorientation simulator, view high G
training in a centrifuge (with the option to experience it),
Further information
www.med.monash.edu/sphpm/shortcourses
Email:
shortcourses.depm@monash.edu
Telephone: +613 9903 0693
CRICOS Provider: Monash University 00008C. MMS391381
NEW ASAM MEMBERS
ASAM welcomes new members:
Rick Allen, Moggill Qld
Nasir Alnuami, Kingston ACT
Shane Brun, Marine Parade Qld
Paul Burke, Werribee Vic
Henry Chan, Hong Kong
Andrew Crossman, Acton ACT
Yasmin Khan, Cabramatta NSW
Iain Macrobert, Tamworth NSW
Thileepan Naren, Burwood Vic
Kimberley Rigo, Baulkham Hills NSW
Kevin Tan, Salter Point WA
Kim Tan, Perth WA
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
THE ASAM
BOARD
President
Dr Ian Cheng
icheng@asam.org.au
Immediate Past President Dr Greig Chaffey
gchaffey@asam.org.au
Vice-President Dr Adrian Smith
asmith@asam.org.au
Treasurer Dr Andrew Marsden
amarsden@asam.org.au
24-28 April 2016
Aerospace Medical Association Annual
Scientific Meeting, Atlantic City, New Jersey
28 May 2016
ASAM NSW Regional Meeting,
Illawarra Regional Airport, NSW
21-22 July 2016
Medical Review Officers Course,
Melbourne, Vic
25-31 July 2016
AMSVIC Scientific Meeting
EAA Airventure Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA
10-11 September 2016
Aviation Medical Society of New Zealand
Annual Conference
15-18 September 2016
ASAM Annual Conference, Townsville, Qld
Dr Ian Hosegood
ihosegood@asam.org.au
15 September 2016
ACAsM Annual General Meeting,
Townsville, Qld
Dr Priti Bhatt
pbhatt@asam.org.au
16 September 2016
ACAsM Annual Dinner, Townsville, Qld
17 September 2016
ASAM Annual General Meeting Townsville, Qld
Dr David Fitzgerald
dfitzgerald@asam.org.au
6-10 November 2016
International Congress of Aviation and Space
Medicine, New Delhi, India
Dr Craig Schramm
cschramm@asam.org.au
7-10 September 2017
ASAM + Aviation Medical Society of New
Zealand Annual Conference
(hosted by AMSNZ),
Queenstown, New Zealand
Dr Tracy Smart
tsmart@asam.org.au
Secretary Dr Kate Manderson
kmanderson@asam.org.au
Board Members
Dr Gordon Cable
gcable@asam.org.au
BOOK HIGHLIGHT
Essential Travel Medicine, 1st edition 2015
Editors: Jane Zuckerman, Gary Brunette, Peter Leggat
One of the co-editors is ASAM member, Professor Peter Leggat. The editors preface
Essential Travel Medicine by stating their purpose was to provide easily accessible
information on the core topics required to enable the day-to-day clinical practice
of travel medicine and that authors from different continents were chosen
specifically in order to represent a range of views reflecting clinical practice and
training courses that are available in different countries through the world.
A more detailed book review will be in the forthcoming edition of the JASAM.
12 | ASAM Newsletter - March 2016www.asam.org.au