AFMW extends a hearty congratulations to Professor Deborah Bateson, formerly Medical Director of Family Planning NSW has been appointed Professor of Practice in the Faculty of Medicine and Health which is a new role at Sydney University.
MWIA newsletter extract
Deborah Bateson, the Co-Chair of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) Teenage Pregnancy Taskforce, has been appointed as Professor of Practice in the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW. Deborah has had an interesting career journey gaining her medical degree at the University of Hong Kong, following a degree in biochemistry from Somerville College, Oxford University and a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
She has worked as a clinician, researcher, educator and advocate for over 20 years in sexual and reproductive health and rights, including roles as Medical Director of Family Planning NSW and Global Medical Director of Marie Stopes International.
Deborah is the first Professor of Practice in the Faculty of Medicine and Health which is a new role at University engaging people with extensive real-world experience to help bring issues confronting the broader community into research and education. This exciting role will allow Deborah to apply her expertise and leadership into new areas of research and in particular into the translation and implementation of research outputs into policy and practice with a focus on equity. Deborah is playing a leading role in projects including an NHMRC-funded study to increase participation of people with intellectual disability in cervical screening, and in a collaborative project seeking to support the WHO strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in the Western Pacific Region.
She is also Chair of the National Cervical Screening Program Self-Collection Implementation Committee which helped steer the game-changing policy change on 1st July whereby anyone eligible for cervical screening is offered the choice of either self-collection of a vaginal sample or a clinician-collected cervical sample using a speculum. It is hoped that this change will reduce barriers to screening and increase equity for vulnerable groups which will help keep Australia on track to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer by 2028 to 2035 – an amazing thought! In addition, Deborah will continue her work to improve sexual and reproductive health care including contraception and safe abortion care and contribute to the development of up to date guidelines in the field.
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
