NAME: Lindy Roberts, AM
ANZCA PRESIDENT 2012 – 2014
QUALIFICATIONS:
BMedSci (Hons) (Qld) 1986
MB BS (Hons) (Qld) 1988
FANZCA 1997 Cert Pain Management, ANZCA, 1997
FFPMANZCA, 1999 GAICD 2006
GradCertClinEd (Flinders) 2009
FAICD 2009 FAMM (Hon) 2012
DATE OF BIRTH: 8 June 1964
Lindy Roberts was born in Toowoomba and raised in Brisbane where she studied medicine at the University of Queensland. Following anaesthesia training in Queensland and the UK, she moved to Western Australia to pursue pain medicine training. As a dual qualified specialist anaesthetist and specialist pain medicine physician, she has an appointment at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth with a subspecialty interest in complex inpatient pain management and perioperative medicine.
Lindy was elected to College Council in 2004 and as president in 2012. Her presidency heralded the introduction of the 2013 ANZCA curriculum, 2014 CPD program revision, ANZCA strategic plan 2013-2017, the inaugural new fellows survey and clarification of the relationship between the ANZCA Council and FPM Board. She is passionate about education and has a long history of involvement in educational leadership, curriculum development, has served as an FPM examiner, and is currently an ANZCA director of professional affairs assessor.
Outside of her medical practice, Lindy has a particular interest in classic Hollywood and film noir. She has also played the clarinet in the Australian and Western Australian Doctors Orchestras.
Lindy Roberts was born in Toowoomba in 1964, the oldest daughter of Dr Gwenneth Roberts, domestic violence researcher and social activist, and Dr John Roberts, gastroenterologist. She comes from a family with a strong history of involvement in education – both grandfathers were headmasters, and two siblings are also postgraduate teachers.
Lindy completed her formal schooling at St Peters College before attending the University of Queensland, where she gained a Bachelor of Medical Science (Hons) with distinction in 1986. She then went on to complete a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery with honours, also at UQ, in 1988.
Following anaesthesia training in Queensland, Lindy relocated to Western Australia to pursue pain medicine training. She was elected a Foundation Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine. She has held various positions at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth including staff specialist in anaesthesia and pain management, and director of the acute pain service. She has also been a medical student examiner at the University of Western Australia, and a facilitator of the “Teaching on the run” workshops at hospitals throughout Western Australia.
Much of her career has been spent pursuing her passion for education. This has included roles as the coordinator of anaesthesia resident training, ANZCA and FPM supervisor of training and Western Australian Education Officer. In 1999, Lindy was elected as the New Fellow representative to the ANZCA education and training committee. This heralded the start of a long relationship with ANZCA’s Council, committees and working groups, that continues today. She has chaired many ANZCA committees including the executive committee, education and training committee, workplace based assessment subcommittee, overseas trained specialist committee, investment committee (as honorary treasurer), ANZCA Foundation, and served on many other groups including the CPD committee, gender equity working group, trainee wellbeing working group, and numerous educational groups.
Aged 39, Lindy was elected to ANZCA Council in 2004 and, in 2012 was elected ANZCA President. During her time on Council she took on a number of roles including as a member of the ANZCA finance, audit and risk management committee, ANZCA Honorary Treasurer, and chairing the ANZCA investment committee. Lindy is still involved in ANZCA governance in her current role as a director of professional affairs (assessor), including individual trainee decisions, educational policy, curriculum development and trainee welfare initiatives.
During her presidency, Lindy effectively led the College through a five-year strategic plan development, CPD program/standard revision, and 2013 anaesthesia curriculum implementation. She encouraged listening to concerns voiced by both Fellows and trainees, including through the inaugural new fellow survey and ANZCA workforce action plan. This quality saw her strengthen and clarify the relationship between ANZCA Council and the FPM Board.
Lindy currently holds a full-time staff appointment at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia. Her clinical practice includes all aspects of adult non-cardiac, non-obstetric anaesthesia, subspecialising in ENT anaesthesia. This includes major head and neck surgery, complex inpatient pain management and perioperative medicine. She has been a longstanding member, and former director, of the acute pain service, former acting head and specialist in the pain management department, where she still holds an honorary appointment and has been involved in research collaborations. She is dedicated to mentoring more junior colleagues, especially encouraging female colleagues in anaesthesia and pain medicine leadership.
Lindy has extensive experience in teaching and presentation, and has acquired formal certification through Flinders University, and recognition with the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital’s EF Hayward Award for clinical teaching. She is currently completing a Masters of Perioperative Medicine at Monash University to enhance her clinical role and her contribution to perioperative enhancement projects at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
OTHER AWARDS & HONOURS
2019 Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
2013 Toastmasters International competent leadership award
2012 Honorary Fellowship Academy of Medicine of Malaysia
2009 Toastmasters International competent communicator award
2004 The EF Haywood Prize for Clinical Teaching SCGH
1998 ANZCA John Boyd Craig Award
1986 Asthma Foundation of Queensland Bursary
REFERENCES
The information in these biographies has been researched via the ANZCA Archives with the assistance of the individual Fellows.
IMAGE REFERENCES
- Lindy Roberts (photograph), c2012