FACEMs recognised in 2024 Australia Day Honours
Two Fellows of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) have been recognised in the Australia Day 2024 Honours List, announced by the Governor-General on the 26th of January.
Conjoint Associate Professor Sally McCarthy was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to emergency medicine, and to professional associations through leadership roles.
Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Chu was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to emergency medicine, and to professional associations.
ACEM President Dr Stephen Gourley said, “Conjoint Associate Professor Sally McCarthy and Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Chu are leaders in emergency medicine and have both made enormous contributions to our field, and to ACEM. We congratulate them on this very well-deserved honour.”
Sally was ACEM President from 2008 to 2012 and is the current Chair of the Standards and Endorsements Committee (SEC). She is a board member and the Immediate Past President of the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM). She was the inaugural Director of the NSW Emergency Care Institute and works clinically as a Senior Specialist in Emergency Medicine at The Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, where she was the Director of Emergency Medicine from 2003 to 2011. She was instrumental in establishing non-specialist emergency medicine training pathways to improve patient safety and quality of emergency care in rural emergency departments.
ACEM Immediate Past President Dr Clare Skinner said, “As the first woman ACEM President, Sally paved the way for women in leadership positions in emergency medicine, and health system advocacy, and is a source of inspiration to me, and many, many others.”
Matthew has been involved in education and examination with ACEM for over three decades. He is a senior specialist in Emergency Medicine and was the Director of Emergency Medicine at Canterbury Hospital for 28 years. Since 2013, he has been the Director of the Medical Assessment Unit.
Chair of Council of Education (COE) and Censor-in-Chief Dr Kate Field said, “Matthew has been a major force in shaping the FACEM training and examinations processes at the College, and a teacher and mentor for generations of emergency clinicians.”
The 2024 Australia Day Honours list recognised 1,042 Australians, including awards in the Order of Australia (General and Military Divisions), meritorious awards and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service.
Governor-General David Hurley said, "Congratulations to the outstanding Australians recognised in today's Honours List. Recipients have made a difference and had an impact at the local, national and/or international level. Individually, they are inspiring and collectively they speak to the strength of our communities.”
Further reading in YourED: articles by Dr Matthew Chu
