A group of current, long-serving CTEC Convenors and faculty received special recognition at CTEC’s recent 25th Anniversary Sundowner and Awards Ceremony at the University Club of Western Australia.
View the 25th Anniversary Sundowner Photographs here
This inaugural group of CTEC Distinguished Service Award recipients dedicated significant time over many years in advancing Australian medical and surgical training
CTEC Director Professor Jeffrey Hamdorf said that the central theme of the evening was gratitude to those who have contributed to CTEC’s success over the past 25 years.
“This Sundowner marks the first of what we hope will be an annual event – a chance to recognise and thank those who have given so much to CTEC’s training programs. CTEC’s success is built on collaboration, passion and a shared commitment to excellence . On behalf of all of us at CTEC I thank all present for being a part of this incredible journey.”
CTEC Distinguished Service Award Recipients:
Clinical Associate Professor Hairul Ahmad
Associate Professor Ahmad is intensively involved with surgical education and is a long-term supporter of CTEC and most recently as an academic. He has taught on many workshops ranging from JDocs: Foundations of Minimal Access Surgery through to RACS endorsed Core Skills workshops in General Surgery and Laparoscopic General Surgery. Associate Professor Ahmad was involved in the development of laparoscopic workshops which were then shared with the Indonesian Clinical Training and Education Centre (ICTEC) in Jakarta. He is particularly interested in the role of AI and is championing digital anatomy in surgical education.
Dr Denis Carragher
Dr Carragher is a long-term supporter of GP education at CTEC. He is a champion GP Proceduralist who has taught on a large number of CTEC’s Cutting Edge workshops. Dr Carragher has extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of skin cancer and is a founder of the Kalamunda Skin Clinic. He brings to CTEC a passion for GP and Nurse Practitioner training, along with his well known love of sports cars.
Dr John Croser
Dr Croser is a retired Orthopaedic Surgeon and previous Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Joondalup Health Campus and Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Royal Perth Hospital. Upon his retirement Dr Croser became a champion supporter of medical education at CTEC. His teaching contribution has been wide-ranging including his contributions on the JDocs suite of workshops for Junior Doctors through to both the Core Skills surgical workshops and Cutting Edge workshops for General Practitioners. He has embraced his contribution to surgical education at a local, national and international level, convening on the national annual RACS ASSET two day SET Trainee Workshops.
Dr John Rosser Davies
Dr Rosser Davies is a strong advocate for GP Training. He has worked as a General Practitioner for more than half a century during which he has helped deliver more than 1000 babies. He has been a Manjimup GP for almost 50 years, specialising in obstetrics, anaesthetics, surgery, accidents and emergencies. Recognised as GP of the Year in the recent WA Rural Health Excellence Awards, Dr Rosser Davies is a stalwart on CTEC’s Cutting Edge workshops for General Practitioners and Nurse Practitioners.
Clinical Professor Hooi Ee
Professor Ee is a Specialist Gastroenterologist and Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Professor Ee is a long term CTEC supporter of over 15 years, teaching and convening on CTEC’s Introductory GI Endoscopy Workshop for Gastroenterology Trainees and the Biennial Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Workshop for Trainees and Consultants and the Endoscopy Nurse training workshops. Professor Ee is instrumental in providing training to WA Gastroenterology Trainees and a strong supporter of the WA Cancer Network.
Dr Stephen Hicks
Dr Hicks is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at UWA, where he teaches laparoscopic and general surgery skills. He has taught on CTEC workshops since 2013. He is the Director of a medical contracting and advisory service and provides professional surgical assisting across multiple sub-specialties. He has accumulated experience in occupational, aviation and underwater medicine with additional training and education in space medicine.
A very popular workshop convenor whom participants find very engaging, Steve brings a passion and energy to CTEC surgical skills workshops.
Dr Robyn Leake
A dedicated gynaecologist and Convenor of CTEC’s Cutting Edge: Proceduralist Obstretrics and Gynaecological Skills Workshop and Co-Convenor of The Anatomy of Complications Workshop at CTEC several times each year. She has been instrumental in keeping the GP Course program updated with best practice following the DRANZCOG curriuculum.
Dr Leake works in private gynaecological practice in Perth and is the visiting gynaecologist to the Northern Goldfields Region in Western Australia. Dr Leake practices gynaecology at the Hollywood Medical Centre and at King Edward Memorial Hospital .
Professor Yee Leung
Professor Leung is a highly regarded Gynaecological Oncologist and Head of Department of the Western Australian Gynaecologic Cancer Service and Director of Surgical Education at King Edward Memorial Hospital. He was recently awarded the RANZCOG President’s Medal for his exceptional dedication to the work of the College over many years.
Professor Leung was instrumental in course development on the RANZCOG Foundations of Surgery workshop and CTEC’s Core Skills: Gynaecological Hysteroscopy, Laparoscopy and Open Surgery Workshops.
Clinical Associate Professor Spiro Raftopoulos
Associate Professor Raftopoulos is a Specialist Gastroenterologist with a focus in all aspects of interventional endoscopy based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He has supported CTEC over 15 years, convening on the Introductory GI Endoscopy workshop for Gastroenterology Trainees and the Biennial Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Workshop for Trainees and Consultants. He is passionate about teaching and very supportive of Endoscopy Nurse training, teaching on the Endoscopic Nurse Training Workshop held twice yearly.
Ms Sue Russell
Ms Russell is a strong advocate for nurse training at CTEC with a long-standing educational contribution as Convenor of CTEC’s The Cutting Edge: Practice Nurse Skills Training workshop held twice a year.
She brings extensive nurse teaching experience and a commitment to further nurse training to those transitioning from hospital wards and aged care to community care.
Dr Mark Strahan
Dr Strahan is a highly respected Plastic Surgeon whom CTEC has been very fortunate to have convene on a range of CTEC workshops since 2011. A highly popular Convenor amongst workshop attendees, Dr Strahan brings passion and energy to the Core Skills: Microsurgical Skills and Anastomotic Techniques Workshop and The Cutting Edge: Advanced Skin Procedures workshops, along with teaching on the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeon workshops held at CTEC.
Dr Strahan’s primary interests lie in skin cancer management, reconstruction and trauma. He works in the public health system at Fiona Stanley, Armadale and Bentley Hospitals and has private rooms in South Perth. He is Director of Surgery at Bentley Hospital and was involved in the development of the Plastics Department at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Clinical Professor Dieter Weber
Professor Dieter Weber is a long-standing supporter of medical education at CTEC and has extensive expertise as the Head of Department of General Surgery and Head of the Royal Perth Hospital/State Trauma Service.
Professor Weber is committed to medical education and convenor on The Cutting Edge: Emergency Procedures Workshop for General Practitioners and as faculty on CTEC’s Core Skills and Critical Care Procedures workshops. He has authored and instructed on various trauma and emergency surgery related courses, and is engaged in research in those fields. He is a Board Member of the World Society of Emergency Surgery and is also a member of the European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery and the International Surgical Society.
Professor Weber brings a sense of calm and confidence to workshop participants who are exposed to often uncommon but highly important emergency procedures.
Dr Allen Yeo
Dr Yeo is a Co-Convenor of CTEC’s workshops in General Surgery and Emergency Procedures and a Specialist Consultant in Trauma and General Surgery at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Dr Yeo generously gives his time to teach on a range of CTEC Trauma workshops for General Practitioners, General Surgeons and FACEMs in Emergency Medicine and other Critical Care workshops.
Dr Olga Ward
Dr Olga Ward has spent 18 years as a champion of CTEC’s workshops for General Practitioners and Nurse Practitioners. She helped create and has convened or taught on more than 100 Cutting Edge workshops. A Rural Generalist since 1994, Dr Ward was one of the first GPs in Australia to obtain a GDRGP/FARGP (FRACGP-RG) in surgery and adult internal medicine. She also holds a FACRRM.
In 2017 Dr Ward received a joint award from Rural Health West and Wesfarmers for her work in remote and clinically challenging medicine. In 2020, she was the joint winner of the Australian Medical Association’s (WA) Hippocrates Award for her unwavering commitment to medicine and dedicated service to patients and the community. In 2025 she was honoured by Rural Health West for her 30 years of service in rural WA.