Welcome to new RACSTA Chair, Dr Charles Jenkinson

Welcome to new RACSTA Chair, Dr Charles Jenkinson

Dr Charles Jenkinson, a Cardiothoracic Surgery Trainee and the new Chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Trainees Association (RACSTA), believes advocacy and Trainee representation have given a fuller and more rounded sense of purpose to his surgical journey. “It started out when I became the Cardiothoracic Trainee representative,” he said. “My goals were to improve communication between Trainees, as well as act as a conduit to our Speciality Training Board. We are a small Trainee cohort, only numbering 40 across Australia and New Zealand, so I never understood why we weren’t more connected and engaged, especially approaching 2020.” Dr Jenkinson grew up and was educated in Mandurah, 80 kilometres south of Perth, Western Australia. His father ran a veterinary practice and spent the best part of a decade treating horses and other big animals over a large portion of country Western Australia. Dr Jenkinson’s love for medicine (and surgery in particular) arose from trips to horse properties and visits to his father’s consulting rooms and operating theatre as a child. After high school, Dr Jenkinson attended the University of Western Australia, completing his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2008. He started his career at Royal Perth Hospital and spent half of this time seconded to Broome Hospital as one of their very first interns. Three years later, he married Clare, who he met in high school some years before. They now have two children – Cora (six) and Georgia (two). “Being a parent really changed my perspective on life, work and workplace culture,” Dr Jenkinson explained. “I started questioning whether our culture was really conducive to good patient outcomes, good career satisfaction, and personal health and wellbeing. At the same time, I was representing Trainees to our training board, professional society and RACSTA. These opportunities provided a forum to explore ways in which we can do things better. Joining the RACS Operate with Respect Committee also shaped my way of thinking about behaviour, professionalism and culture.” Dr Jenkinson views issues such as leave portability (especially as they affect Trainees changing states or countries), access to parental leave, flexible training, and gender equity as his main passions. “RACSTA has made some great headway into these areas, even just during my time on the committee,” he noted. “Still, there is much more work to be done.”

Dr Jenkinson currently works as a heart transplant registrar at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. “2020 was a challenging year,” he said. “My family remained in Perth while I moved to Sydney. With COVID-19 and border closures, the anticipated frequent trips across the country have not been possible. We’re lucky to have spent a couple of blocks of time together, but I hope that people can be kinder and more compassionate towards those who are kept apart from their loved ones by the pandemic.”

Dr Charles Jenkinson