Driving RANZCO's Vision 2030 for Aotearoa, Drs Sarah Welch and former RANZCO censor-in-chief Justin Mora

After more than six years in the role and having led the college through the most comprehensive review of the ophthalmologists’ training programme since its inception, Dr Justin Mora handed over his RANZCO censor-in-chief (CiC) role to fellow Kiwi Dr Andrew Thompson at the 2022 RANZCO Congress.

RANZCO’s censor-in-chief is responsible for all aspects of a budding ophthalmologist’s postgraduate education, including overseeing the selection of trainees, the curriculum, training post-accreditation and examinations. Paying tribute to Dr Mora’s “sacrifice”, outgoing RANZCO president Professor Nitin Verma said Dr Thompson had some big shoes to fill, given the size and scope of the CiC’s role. “Noting the requirements of the regulators and understanding the health landscape of Australia and New Zealand, Justin has guided advances and improvements to the selection curriculum examination system and increased support for supervisors and trainers, all the while staying at the helm of the ship to ensure trainees are progressing to the best of their abilities,” he said. “Justin has done this while serving as a RANZCO director and having been co-opted to almost every RANZCO committee.”

Dr Mora will be stepping into even larger shoes, however, said Prof Verma, having agreed to lead the College’s Vision 2030 for New Zealand, together with Dr Sarah Welch.

In response, Dr Mora said he’d never thought of his extra RANZCO work as a sacrifice but as an honour and thanked everyone at RANZCO, the board and all the fellows who’ve helped him along the way. “We’ve made some useful changes in the last six years but the best part is not the work, which has been very fulfilling, but all the relationships I’ve developed… the colleagues and the friends I have now across both Australia and New Zealand who I wouldn’t have got to know if I hadn’t done this.”

Board changes

At the RANZCO council meeting on Friday 28 October, the council was tasked with electing three directors and one vice president. Incumbent director Clare Fraser was elected for a second term; Drs Peter Hadden (the current NZ Branch chair) and Dr Sonia Yuen (a Brisbane-based oculoplastics and paediatric ophthalmologist) were elected as the other two directors; and current director, Professor Peter McCluskey (University of Sydney) was elected vice president. Thus RANZCO’s 2022-2023 board comprises:

• Dr Grant Raymond (Adelaide, AUS), president
• Prof Peter McCluskey (Sydney, AUS), vice president
• Dr Andrew Thompson (Tauranga, NZ), censor-in-chief
• Dr Rebecca Stack (Christchurch, NZ), member
• Dr Diana Conrad (Queensland, AUS), member
• Dr Robert Griffits (NSW, AUS), member
• Dr Andrew Crawford (Melbourne, AUS), member
• Prof Nigel Morlet (Perth, AUS), member
• Dr Peter Hadden (Auckland, NZ), member
• A/Prof Clare Fraser (Sydney, AUS), member
• Dr Sonia Yuen (Brisbane, AUS), member