Professor Jeffrey Hamdorf’s dedication to the education of future doctors was recognised recently with the conferral of a 2023 Certificate of Excellence in Teaching by the UWA Medical School.
The CTEC Director and Head of UWA’s Division of Surgery received the award for his outstanding contributions to the Medical School over the course of 2023, particularly recognising his work in the Year 4 Surgery curriculum. He was highly commended by both students and staff in the medical program.
Professor Hamdorf combines his Directorship of CTEC and teaching at the UWA Medical School with his career as a Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgeon, juggling private consultations and performing surgery in the private sector.
A graduate of the UWA Medical School himself, Professor Hamdorf completed an Internship at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, a PhD through UWA and then undertook training in general and upper gastrointestinal surgery in Perth, followed by a career based in Sydney and Perth.
He described his long-held dedication to teaching as an easy choice.
“Medical education and teaching increases the effect I can have on the health system, whether it be through teaching students and junior doctors, or via CTEC’s medical and surgical training programs for Australasian medical professionals.”
In the numerous commendations received from medical students, Professor Hamdorf was described as “supportive, engaging and overall an excellent teacher.” Another stated “his passion for teaching is unmatched and he went above and beyond to make sure I got the most out of my general surgery rotation at HPH.”
He was further described as “an amazing teacher, from organising the rotation for it to be as relevant and comfortable as possible and providing weekly exam-like quizzes to facilitate our learning. The rotation is highly targeted at an intern level and the expectation of us next year, which is extremely high yield.”
Professor Hamdorf’s 2023 Teaching Excellence Award is the latest accolade in a career characterised by service to medical education and medicine. In 2019 he was awarded Membership in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours’ List. His inclusion in the list recognised his significant service to medical and surgical training and to medicine, particularly in the field of bariatric surgery.