Inspiration and experience the focus for ACEM President-Elect
FACEM Dr Peter Allely’s entry to emergency medicine was a personal challenge, of sorts.
‘Trying to overcome something that initially scared me, was part of why I chose emergency medicine,’ Dr Allely said. ‘The idea of being able to handle the first bit of pretty much any disease or condition was something I found deeply satisfying.
‘The idea of being the most useful doctor in almost any situation is something I’m very proud of. If they call for a doctor on the plane, it’s us they’re hoping for. Emergency physicians can manage almost anything to a certain degree until more specialist support is needed.’
“‘The idea of being the most useful doctor in almost any situation is something I’m very proud of.’”
As ACEM President-Elect, aeroplanes are set to be a bigger part of Dr Allely’s future – and he said he will follow in some impressive footsteps.
‘I’ll be looking forward to getting lots of tips from Stephen,’ he said of ACEM’s President, FACEM Dr Stephen Gourley. ‘He will have a lot of wisdom to share about effective time management. He’s been travelling a lot and coming from far away.’
With Dr Allely’s current role (since 2014) as Director of Emergency Medicine at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, he will be coming from somewhere quite a bit further to fulfil many duties as ACEM President-Elect. But covering long distances is something he is used to.
ACEM President-Elect FACEM Dr Peter Allely looks forward to ‘working with the College as we advocate for our members, patients and their communities’.
International training and education
Dr Allely was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and obtained his medical degree from Queen's University, Belfast before making the long journey to spend a couple of years in Australia as a junior doctor. He then completed his specialist training in the United Kingdom before finally settling back in Australia in 2007. Since 2010, Dr Allely has also worked in Albany ED on the beautiful south coast of WA about 25 days a year, which has given him insight into the challenges and amazing experiences that can be had working outside of the metropolitan area.
His connection to ACEM has always been a strong one. Since becoming a Fellow in 2008, Dr Allely has served as WA Faculty Chair from 2018 to 2024 and been one of the WA members of ACEM’s Council of Advocacy, Practice and Partnerships (CAPP) from 2014-2019 and 2020-2024.
Dr Allely also chairs ACEM’s Preparedness for Population Ageing Working Group and has previously chaired the Events Advisory Committee. He has also served on the Health System Reform Committee since 2018.
When he received the news about becoming President-Elect, Dr Allely said, ‘I am excited and honoured to accept the appointment.’
‘As a passionate consumer of science and research, I look forward to working with the College as we advocate for our members, patients and their communities – and our vitally important specialty of emergency medicine.
‘I am keen to focus on innovative strategies based on science and the latest research to advance our field and help shape the future of healthcare. Together, we’ll endeavour to ensure that our profession thrives, that health system reforms and investments proceed, and that patient care continues to improve.’
“‘I think we have slightly different styles but there’s definitely lots of wisdom to be learned from Stephen. I find the way he has managed his role is inspirational.’”
Dr Allely said that, for emergency physicians keen to play a part in making positive change, taking a leadership role is something he recommends highly.
‘Becoming director of one of the tertiary hospitals in Perth was a real honour, and it’s something that pushes you to be the best you can be,’ he said.
Valued leadership insights
When it comes to seeking advice and insights from ACEM’s current President, Dr Allely said, ‘I want to talk to him about how he manages his travel and his calendar and especially how he engages with health executives and the bi-national, state and territory-based Ministers for Health’.
‘I think that’s been a really important part of Stephen’s advocacy and his incredible legacy as ACEM President,’ he said. ‘I think we have slightly different styles but there’s definitely lots of wisdom to be learned from Stephen. I find the way he has managed his role is inspirational.’
Dr Allely counts his experience as the WA faculty chair during the COVID years as a steep learning curve that gave him ‘a real opportunity to enhance my own advocacy skills from zero to … something that was positive and effective’.
It’s something he said directors of EDs across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand all experienced, as their daily workload included ‘being in a unique position to be advocates and be listened to by politicians’.
‘I know I have those skills and that I’m not too bad at it,’ Dr Allely said. ‘So, if that’s something I can use to give back to the College, then that’s a positive.’
In 2024, the College did not receive any nominations for President-Elect via the standard election process. In line with the Constitution, this meant the College had to undertake a further process to fill the casual vacancy position of President-Elect. Accordingly, a call for nominations (and election if required) will occur later in 2025 for the position of ACEM President-Elect, who would then assume the Presidency at the conclusion of the 2025 AGM.
