Creative Doctors Network DOC ART Festival
Arts and Health Australia was proud to sponsor the inaugural AMA (NSW) Creative Doctors' Network (CDN) DOC-ART Festival 2009 on the theme Nurturing Creativity in Doctors on 5 July 2009, along with Active Locums, Medical Observer and North Coast GP Training.
In the foyer of AMA House at St Leonards, Dr Mary-Ann Nichol’s sculpture The Baby welcomed participants and during the day, 44 doctor-artists (writers, photographers, performers and filmmakers) showcased their creative work.
Accomplished film-maker, Dr Tony Chu, President of CDN, presided over proceedings, supported by the CDN executive - Drs Cathy Fraser, Renee Lim, Helen Parsons, Elizabeth Desovska and Sue Ogle - and Jasmine Pagano (AMA).
In his Opening Address, Dr Peter Arnold, a past President of the AMA, spoke eloquently about the need for busy doctors to make time for their creative side and shared his favourite Beethoven and Bach pieces with the audience.
Dr Sue Ogle chaired the Writing Session, with 9 doctors presenting their stories and poetry, judged by Julie Chevalier, from the NSW Writers Centre. A Piece of Him, by Dr Anne Gunner, was the winning story with second prize going to Behind the blue curtain, by Dr Jacinta Halloran, a story about the alienation felt by a doctor-daughter taking her mother to a specialist colleague. The People’s Choice was The Goldfish by Victorian doctor Melanie Cheng.
The Show and Tell Session on Photography was chaired by Dr Helen Parsons and judged by a representative from the Australian Centre for Photography. Munda Hospital Bus Stop, by Dr M Imran Marzook, was the winning entry, with second prize going to He's My Brother by Dr Ana Dosen and the People’s Choice was Fragile Plant by Dr Howard Gwynne.
The Performance and Film Sessions were chaired by Dr Cathy Fraser and judged by Alex Broun, from Short+Sweet, the “biggest short play festival in the world”. The winning film entry was Difficult Airway by Gosford anaesthetist, Dr Tony C. H. Chu, with second prize going to Three Flying Foxes by Dr John Hood. Special mention was made of Dr Charlotte Middleton’s series of educational videos for new mothers.
First prize in the Performance category went to Dr Brendan McPhillips, for his monologue White, relating a man's visit to his mother as she lies in hospital and second prize to a song cycle from Dr Loy McLean. Commendable mentions included Dr Dennis Lewis-Enright’s improvised performance combining poetry and Gregorian Chant, South American Gospel and Jewish music, Dr Hilton Koppe’s story about his encounter with a patient and their subsequent collaboration in writing a play, and medical student Karyn Ashley who played two recorders simultaneously with great dexterity.
Dr Pat Kijvanit (pictured), an Emergency Physician with Western Sydney Area Health Services at Blacktown Hospital, won the lucky door prize – a complimentary conference registration for The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing arts and health conference, 10 - 13 November 2009 in Port Macquarie.
For more details about the Creative Doctors Network, log on to www.nswama.com.au
