Associate Professor Robert Dawson welcomed as Director of the Gippsland Regional Training Hub
Associate Professor Robert Dawson has been appointed the Director of the Gippsland Regional Training Hub, where he will help support medical students and junior doctors to live, work and train in the region he calls home.
Associate Professor Dawson is a specialist anaesthetist who has lived and been in practice in Gippsland since 1988. He has been actively involved in the training of medical students, prevocational doctors, general practice doctors and specialist anaesthetists.
Robert is currently also the Director of Clinical Training for Latrobe Regional Health (LRH), the Deputy Director and Clinical Dean for Monash Rural Health at LRH, and Supervisor of Training for Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and the Diploma of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (DipRGA).
Professor Shane Bullock, Head of School at Monash Rural Health, welcomed Associate Professor Dawson to his new role as Director of the Regional Training Hub.
“Robert is an excellent appointment as Director of the Gippsland Regional Training Hub. He has a continuing commitment to developing the careers of rural medical practitioners through his leadership roles with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Latrobe Regional Health and Monash Rural Health. We look forward to seeing the benefits his leadership will provide in creating training opportunities for medical students and young doctors in the Gippsland region.”
The outgoing inaugural Director of the Gippsland Regional Training Hub since 2017, Associate Professor Michael Nowotny was also acknowledged by Professor Shane Bullock for his instrumental work in establishing the Gippsland Regional Training Hub.
“On behalf of Monash Rural Health, I’d like to sincerely thank Michael for his contributions to our medical program and to developing the Gippsland Regional Training Hub. His outstanding contributions include establishing a new rural paediatric basic training scheme in Victoria, and his influence will be felt for many years to come.”
The Gippsland Regional Training Hub has a footprint that covers all of Gippsland - from Warragul in the west to Bairnsdale in the east and Wonthaggi in the south, supporting the next generation of rural medical practitioners. The Hub works with local health services to build accredited training and supervisory capacity, and connect with students and junior doctors interested in rural practice, supporting them to complete as much as possible of their studies and medical training in the region.
Over the last eighteen months, the Gippsland Regional Training Hub has:
- Provided bursaries to 16 junior doctors in the Gippsland to take part in professional development and training to enhance their medical careers.
- Sponsored 39 Gippsland doctors to begin the Monash Rural Health Clinical Teaching and Education Pathway to strengthen their clinical teaching skills.
Gippsland is increasingly becoming a destination of choice for medical students and junior doctors for their education and further training.
“There is so much on offer in the Gippsland region including state of the art medical facilities and medical career opportunities, as well as a great lifestyle with beaches, forests and mountains on your doorstep”, said Associate Professor Dawson.
Associate Professor Dawson is excited to be overseeing the upcoming Rural Training Pathways Congress 2023: Rural Health Futures to be held in Traralgon on Friday 24 November. The Congress will bring together stakeholder organisations to discuss the development and delivery of specialist medical training pathways in non-metropolitan settings, as well as showcase rural pathways and lifestyles to potential future trainees.
Visit the website for more information and to register.