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The Ken Fitch Fellowship Winner
AND THE WINNER IS …
Congratulations to Dr Kira James who was announced as the inaugural winner of the Ken Fitch Fellowship award at the recent Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP) Annual Scientific Conference in Glenelg, South Australia.
Dr James, a Cairns-based Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician, is one of the current Australian Swimming team doctors and travelled to Beijing as the Australian Winter Paralympic Snowboard Team doctor.
Through her ACSEP training she’s also been involved with other national teams such as Water Polo, Football and Paralympic swimming where she’s worked closely on anti-doping policies, testing and athlete management. Her strong interest in anti-doping education in her community earned her the Fellowship, which commences in January 2023.
The Fellowship provides specific education and mentoring to an Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrar or Early Career Fellow to become a champion for clean sport and a peer contact for the sport and exercise medicine cohort.
Dr James is passionate about regional health inequality including access to elite level of care and education for current and future athletes, so the Fellowship aligns well with her vision.
“A large number of these regional athletes do not have access to the state or national institute hubs and would benefit from an extended network closer to home,” she said. “Many young country and indigenous athletes will now be aspiring for Brisbane 2032 which will be here before we know it!
“Having the opportunity to be at the forefront of anti-doping in Australia and also to represent the more regional and rural-based athletes and medical practitioners in this field is an honour.”
The 12-month Fellowship aims to improve knowledge and skill in anti-doping medicine while providing an opportunity for the recipient to work closely with members of the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC) and the Science and Medicine team within Sport Integrity Australia.
“Two of my training supervisors had roles within ASDMAC and previously ASADA which always had been an area of interest for me,” Dr James said. “I always planned to enquire further about Sport Integrity Australia/ ASDMAC roles … so when this Fellowship role was offered I jumped at the opportunity.”
The Fellowship honours the work of Adjunct Professor Ken Fitch OA, who was the inaugural Chair of ASDMAC until his retirement in 2013, and helped to develop and shape the field of sports medicine in Australia and internationally.
In 1985, Ken became a member of the Australian Sports Commission’s National Program on Drugs in Sport (later the Australian Sports Drug Agency) and was deputy chairman from 1987 to 1992. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians and a world leader in the field of anti-doping.
Dr Kira James at the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, where she is based as a Sport and Exercise Physician for Far North Queensland.
