Medical Observer March 2018 | Page 4

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LETTER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Clifford Fram
CLINICAL CONTENT EDITOR
Rada Rouse
UPDATE EDITOR
Dr Claire Berman, MBBCh
ART DIRECTOR
Gemma Pillars
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Melissa Hartley
DIGITAL EDITOR
Paddy Wood
STAFF WRITERS
Emily Dunn
Letter from the Editor
Dear Doctor
Do your eyes glaze over when
you read headlines about the
latest developments in the
world of medicinal cannabis?
Mine do. Mostly because
of tedious attempts at free
publicity by organisations
trying to promote their latest
unproven concept or product.
In this issue, we publish Dr Vicki
Kotsirilos’s real-world account of how
she jumped through hoops to secure
a medicinal cannabis permit for a
patient with chronic daily occipital
neuralgia, recurring vestibular neuritis
and migraines.
Suffice to say, my eyes were teary
rather than glazy as I read it.
From time to time, organisations
representing various medical special-
ists feel a need to remind the public
that their members are highly skilled
doctors rather than technicians. The
latest such publicity campaign is being
run by the college of anaesthetists.
In the very unlikely event that
anyone reading this column needs
reminding, the place to go is this
month’s Specialist Insight column by
anaesthetist Dr Bridget Effeney.
Her article affected me in a most
calming and reassuring way. Not because
any single point she makes is particularly
notable or profound, but because the sum
of the parts paints a wonderful picture of
empathy and thoughtfulness, and a tan-
gible excitement about the meaning of
being a doctor and a parent.
GPs often tell me how useful
MEDICALOBSERVER.COM.AU MARCH 2018
and interesting they find
the Update section of the
magazine.
This month, Dr Colin
Walsh, an obstetrician,
gynaecologist and maternal–
fetal medicine specialist,
explains how to recommend
appropriate testing for ane-
uploidy and discusses the
options available to parents following
high-risk results.
Kerryn Phelps has had her share of
publicity over the years. But she just
keeps on doing and saying interesting
things, so we make no apologies for
telling her story yet again in the first of
what I hope will become a longstand-
ing series of personality profiles.
This month, she tells Neil Bramwell
about her years as a Lycra-clad aerobics
instructor, her thoughts about integra-
tive medicine and poses for a picture
with her first grandchild.
She is coy, however, about her polit-
ical ambitions.
It wouldn’t be autumn if there
wasn’t a flu vaccination debate. This
year it is more heated than usual,
largely because of last year’s particu-
larly bad season and also because of
the government’s decision to fast-track
funding for two new vaccines that
are expected to boost protection for
elderly people.
In her usual meticulous style,
Emily Dunn explains the various
points of view in Inside Story.
Clifford Fram
[e-mail]
CONTRIBUTORS
Neil Bramwell
Jess Bray
Dr Ruth Carter
Anabel Dean
Dr John Dowden
Dr Bridget Effeney
Zilla Efrat
Dr Oliver Frank
Dr Peter Hay
Bradley Kanaris
Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos
Dr Angela Lee
RN Christine Lee
Dr Janine Manwaring
Dr Ian McColl
Dr Rob Park
Associate Professor Cliff Rosendahl
Ben Sanders
Dr Marcus Tan
Professor Stephen Twigg
Andrew Weldon
Dr Colin Walsh
Lisa Yates
GROUP SALES DIRECTOR
Gary Burrows
PRODUCTION – CLIENT SERVICES
Eve Allen
Olivia-Rose Green
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