A Message from the GCMA President

Dear GCMA colleagues,

Our monthly Thursday evening dinner meeting in May was well attended and members benefitted from a lively discussion about weight loss interventions comparing surgical approaches (Dr Harald Puhalla) with the new diabetes weight loss medications (Dr Mark Forbes). We hope this presentation will be the basis of an upcoming article for The Medical Link.

Our next Thursday evening meeting will be on 20 July. The topic will cover ‘New treatments for skin cancers’ by Dr David Christie (Genesis Care, John Flynn Hospital). Please noteour venue will change for this and subsequent Thursday evening meetings. We will be meeting at Bumbles Café at

19 River Drive (Budds Beach) in Surfers Paradise. A complimentary special cocktail beverage will mark our move to Bumbles. Dinner will be provided as well for GCMA members and guests. Please come along and bring a colleague.

The next Thursday evening meeting after that will be on 18 November. This meeting will cover issues relevant to ‘Veterans’ Mental Health’. The presenter is Dr Kenneth Cameron from Innovative Medicine Queensland.

In between these meetings will be our blockbuster Samoan Medical Conference in Apia, Samoa from 29-30 September 2023.

This medical conference is a joint effort with our sister association, the Samoan Medical Association, and is in collaboration with the Oceania University of Medicine, the National University of Samoa Medical School, and the Samoan Ministry of Health. The meeting is sponsored and supported by our own Bond and Griffith Universities. The meeting venue is the fabulous Taumeasina Island Resort, Apia. We have negotiated an amazing discount on accommodation prices at this resort.

When you register at the link below please get the conference accommodation codes to use to get this discount when you book your accommodation at the resort by email or at the resort website.

Find Them

Save The Date

Proposed RACGP Educational Activity Hours Event

WHEN: Saturday 19th August 2023, 8.30am - 3.30pm

WHERE: Pier 33, Mooloolaba

MC Dr Rob Park | Pain Specialist, Dr Ingrid Hutton | Rheumatologist, Dr Stephen Byrne | Neurosurgeon, Dr James Tunggal | Orthopaedic Surgeon, Travis Schultz | Lawyer, Dr Paul Frank | Pain Physician, Dr Peter Georgius | Pain Physician, Dr Daevyd Rodda | Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Tim Butson | Rehab Physician + Psychologist, Neurologist, Sports Doctor, Musculoskeletal GP & more!

RSVP: conference@sportsandspinalphysio.com.au www.eventbrite.com.au/e/gcmasamoan-medical-conference-2023tickets-524227046207

The meeting is within the Queensland school holidays, so please consider taking your family for a wonderful South Pacific Island holiday in Samoa at the same time. Direct flights from Brisbane to Samoa are now available. Please go to the link below to see the program, to register, and to get the resort accommodation codes. I do hope you will support the GCMA and our Samoan medical colleagues by coming to this conference.

We are always looking to expand our membership. I encourage you to invite your doctor colleagues to join the GCMA. It is very easy to do. Just go to the GCMA website (www.gcma.org.au) and click through to the ‘Become a Member’ page to join. The registration page can take credit card payments. The $150 annual membership is extremely good value. It covers Thursday evening meetings where salient updates on clinical and professional matters are presented as well as a twocourse meal and complimentary beverage, and the opportunity to interact with colleagues from all professional disciplines. I would like to thank those members who have renewed their membership for 2023. Your support is always appreciated.

The GCMA is always ready to welcome new members to the leadership team. Please give me a call on phone number is 0422 545 753 if you are interested.

I look forward to seeing you at our July dinner meeting.

Yours sincerely,

Prof Philip Morris AM President GCMA