Podcast
In this CCIM podcast interview series, health writer & journalist Andrew Bracey sits down with some fascinating doctors to chat about how they’re seeking out their own creative professional paths and enriching their personal and professional lives along the way.
We hear from doctors who are also authors, med-tech entrepreneurs, innovators, film makers, acclaimed musicians, founders of successful business, advocates for their profession and educational leaders - people who are expanding their horizons by taking charge of their careers.
EPISODE 1 | DR TONY CHU
Tony Chu is a Medical Doctor (University of Sydney) with diverse creative interests. He is an award-winning director-producer who has made over 35 short films. Within the film industry, Tony is well-known as the Head of NAFA [Networking Action for Filmmakers & Actors] which he founded in 2002 and Festival Director of Show-Fest International for ten years. He is also an accomplished actor (“Packed to the Rafters”, “Wild Boys”) and professional screenwriter. Interested in connecting with other doctors with creative pursuits, Tony was the Founder/ President of the Creative Doctors Network and Festival Director of Doc Art Festival for four years.
EPISODE 2 | DR SONIA HENRY
Sonia Henry is in her early thirties and lives and works in Sydney as a doctor. When she’s not being a medic she devotes her spare time to writing and has been published in Kevin MD (America’s leading physician blog), SMH, The Australian Medical Students Journal, and has scientific publications in the ANZ Journal of Surgery. Her most widely-read article was an anonymous piece about the stress of medical training and was shared more than 20,000 times and republished widely around the world. Sonia’s debut novel is a darkly funny, sad and inspiring novel about the brutal world of medical training and will be published in mid-2019.
EPISODE 3 | VIJAY PAUL & NISHANTH KRISHNANANTHAN
Dr Vijay Paul & Dr Nishanth Krishnananthan are the Co-CEOs of Vantari VR, Virtual Reality for Healthcare. Their technology provides transformative applications for Doctors and Patients as they bring to life medical imaging and the human body. A little bit about these medtech entrepreneurs... Vijay has over 7 years of clinical experience working as an MD primarily in Emergency Medicine, leading teams in high pressure situations everyday. Nishanth is a Surgical doctor in Australia, with experience in Medicine and Surgery in both metropolitan and rural hospitals.
EPISODE 4 | DINESH PALIPANA
Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland, and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia.
Dinesh earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), prior to completing his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the Griffith University. He has completed an Advanced Clerkship in Radiology at the Harvard University. Halfway through medical school, he was involved in a catastrophic motor vehicle accident that caused a cervical spinal cord injury.
As a result of his injury and experiences, Dinesh has been an advocate for inclusivity in medicine and the workplace generally. He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia.
Dinesh is currently a resident medical officer at the Gold Coast University Hospital. He is a lecturer at the Griffith University and adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland. He has research interests in spinal cord injury, particularly with novel rehabilitation techniques.
Dinesh is the Gold Coast University Hospital’s representative in the Australian Medical Association Queensland’s Council of Doctors in Training. He is a member of the scientific advisory committee of the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation, adjunct member of Gold Coast Orthopaedic Research and Education Alliance (GCORE), and member of the Ambassador Council at the Hopkins Centre.
Dinesh was the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019.
EPISODE 5 | MITCH ANDERSON
Having studied Physiotherapy, Physiology and Anatomy in addition to his medical studies, Mitch is registered as a both a Medical doctor and Physiotherapist. His areas of interest are diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, with a particular interest in musculoskeletal injury. Mitch also consults a broad range of athletes on nutrition, training and bike fit from his unique perspective as a former professional triathlete (12 years) and physiologist.
Mitch holds the World Record for 24hr endurance cycling. The 24 hour is considered the pinnacle of endurance cycling and is an event that most get the opportunity to attempt only once in a lifetime. In the lead up to his attempt, he'd already successfully broken the 12 hour endurance cycling world record with a ride of 492km which taught him a lot of lessons but also proved to himself that he had what it takes to attempt the 24 hour.
EPISODE 6 | GEOFF TOOGOOD
EPISODE 7 | LUCY DESMOND
EPISODE 8 | PHILIP NITSCHKE
EPISODE 9 | DR PREEYA ALEXANDER
Dr Preeya Alexander is a GP based in Richmond, Melbourne with a passion for all things ‘prevention’ in medicine. She also works as a medical educator at Eastern Victoria GP Training where she assists in the education of training GPs. Preeya is a regular commentator on lifestyle publications, Mamamia and The Grace Tales and is often called in as an expert for Channel 7’s morning program, Sunrise.
EPISODE 10 | DR VYOM SHARMA
After gaining his medical degree in 2008, Vyom Sharma completed specialist training and currently works as a General Practitioner. However alongside his clinical work, he has carved out a career in show business. As a magician and mentalist, he has performed live stage shows at the Sydney Opera House, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and was a grand finalist on Australia’s Got Talent. He enjoys engaging in health and science communication. He is a regular Guest Lecturer at Monash University’s school of biological sciences, writes op-eds on health issues and is a regular host on RRR radio station.
EPISODE 11 | DR MICHAEL BONNING
Dr Michael Bonning is a practicing GP who works in Sydney for Loxley Health and is Chief Medical Officer for Inspired Adventures. He is also Medical Director of a US tech start-up, Dermasensor and has split his time between Australia and Sydney since 2017. Prior to that he was a medical officer in the Royal Australian Navy deploying overseas to the Middle East, South East Asia, the Mediterranean and off Australia’s northern borders. He is the current Chair of the AMA (NSW) and a Director of GP Synergy. He has previously led the Australian Medical Students’ Association and the AMA Council of Doctors in Training and been a Director of Beyond Blue. Once, just for fun he was a partner in a healthcare consulting firm.
Andrew Bracey
After more than a decade working as a political journalist and managing editor at various industry focused health publications, Andrew is now digging deep into the issues affecting the CCIM community.
He’ll be sharing these stories and interviews through the CCIM podcast series and the CCIM blog.
For CCIM podcast or interview related enquiries Andrew can be reached via hello@creativecareersinmedicine.com
These podcasts are a co-production between Creative Careers In Medicine and Embrace Creative.