Career and Life Journeys

A Message from the CEO

Mark Nevin, CEO

In my seven years at the College, I have partaken in countless committee deliberations about the evolving roles of clinical radiologists and radiation oncologists. Conversations with leaders in the professions have also illuminated how much you learn and develop throughout your career. Moreover, the skills our trainees graduate with need to equip them for lifelong learning.

I feel fortunate to have had the option of re-training into another discipline. I was arguably too young to decide what to study at university at the age of sixteen. Based on my interests in geography and science, I applied for degrees in architecture and optometry. I was offered both and weighed up the options, narrowly favouring a path into eye care. The content was fascinating to study, however in the end, the day-today role felt too routine with little option for diversification, I decided to embark on a career change.

Rather than go calling back to the bank of Mum and Dad, I worked part-time as a locum while I completed degrees in Economics and later European Politics and Governance. After which, I undertook a research internship at an EU thinktank publishing papers on the operation of the Eurozone and principles underpinning the EU budget. After a couple of years of that, work as an optometrist paid the bills during the GFC, I pondered what I might do next.

With hindsight, I had completely neglected to do any networking at senior levels of eye care. Almost by happenstance, my CV was passed to the optical representative bodies in London and I was hired in a senior role in policy and advocacy, working between London, Dublin and Brussels. I also began my journey into leadership, committee governance and complex stakeholder management.

My partner (who hails from Melbourne) and I moved to Australia in 2014 with a view to exploring this side of the world. I was hired by the College in that year when we created the Policy and Advocacy Unit. Induction was a steep learning curve: learning about systems of government in Australia and New Zealand, the rough and tumble of Canberra politics, our internal processes and member priorities. My brain felt like it was learning a whole new language. In fact, I remember being perplexed by some common terms: why call a service bulk-billed?!

Notwithstanding, I continue to be amazed at how useful my healthcare training, and reasonable understanding of physics have been in my career at the College. My time at the College has provided fantastic exposure to new ideas, working in new cultures and allowed me to significantly broaden my leadership experience. I feel that I have benefitted greatly from lifelong learning and unexpected paths and opportunities, not least in my time at the College.

Looking to the future, both clinical radiology and radiation oncology continue to advance. I feel that our members under-appreciate their agility and ability to embrace changes in technology and their roles in the healthcare system. You have done this admirably through your career and will no doubt continue to do so.

As CEO I am giving consideration to how the College can play its part in supporting members by delivering a workforce that is: flexible and adaptable to the needs of the healthcare system, and representative of the populations they serve, particularly regional, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders and Māori peoples.

COVID has illustrated that we must adapt to emerging circumstances and provided an opportunity to reflect on future directions in life and our careers. For the future, the healthcare system will need AI experts, researchers, or clinicians to deliver care in emerging areas such as theranostics, precision medicine and screening for emerging disease. Our members are very well placed to do this, and the College will continue to support your journey through life.

Statement of Intent on Indigenous Health

As you may know, the College’s Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Executive Committee (MATEC) has focused its efforts this year on developing a RANZCR Action Plan for Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Prof Greg Phillips from Abstarr is facilitating this work and has been working closely with MATEC since it had its inaugural meeting in October last year. The development of this Action Plan has created the opportunity to reflect as an organisation, to learn to accept the discomfort it can generate and consider how we can meaningfully participate in systematic reform to improve health inequities for Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Our key objectives as an organisation are to enable our members to provide culturally safe care and to grow our Indigenous clinical radiology and radiation oncology workforces. We recognise the many opportunities to be gained from actively working and partnering with Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their communities. We can publicly communicate our objectives, commitments and values via a RANZCR Statement of Intent for Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and we want to be held accountable.

I am proud of our work in this area and encourage you to read our Statement of Intent on page 30.