Wingsuit flying adventure doctor to take peak rural medical conference to new heights

Rural Medicine Australia

25-27 October 2018

Darwin Convention Centre

#RMA18 | www.ruralmedicineaustralia.com.au

Doctor, adventurer, documentary filmmaker and extreme sport record holder, Dr Glenn Singleman, will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Rural Medicine Australia (RMA18) conference, the peakannual event for rural doctors.

Rural Medicine Australia is the joint annual conference of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), and is the largest gathering of rural doctors in Australia.

Dr Singleman is not only a doctor specialising in Emergency Medicine and Rural and Remote Medicine, but has also been Medical Director for some of Australia's most prestigious adventure races and ultramarathons.

He holds world records in skydiving, wingsuit flying and BASEjumping, and has been a doctor for countless expeditions, from working with Hollywood director James Cameron on his Deep Sea Challenger expedition to climbing Mt Minto in Antarctica.

ACRRM President, Associate Professor Ruth Stewart, said delegates are sure to be inspired by Dr Singleman’s keynote address.

“It is very exciting to have a speaker who is not only a doctor with significant experience in Rural and Remote Medicine who indeed holds Fellowship of ACRRM, but who also has undertaken incredible adventures all over the world” she said.

“Dr Singleman has attained world records, world firsts, and many prestigious awards through his involvement in extreme sports.

“He is one of Australia's most successful adventurers and has been part of expeditions to Antarctica, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, New Zealand, Russia, Europe and the USA. He has climbed the world’s highest mountains, and explored areas that most of us only dream of.

“Alongside this, he is also a dedicated doctor, and regularly works in remote Aboriginal communities.”

RDAA President, Dr Adam Coltzau, said he was looking forward to hearing about Dr Singleman’s ‘Fearless Life’ philosophy.

“As rural doctors we are often so busy in our own lives and work that we can forget to look up and really experience life to its fullest” Dr Coltzau said.

“While Rural Medicine is an extremely rewarding field – and really is the ‘adventure capital’ of medical careers – it is critical for rural doctors to have interests outside work if they are to achieve a good work-life balance.

“While Dr Singleman has perhaps taken this to a further extreme than most, we could all benefit from being inspired by his approach to life.

“Dr Singleman also has an interest in how fear can impact our health and happiness.

“He will speak at RMA18 about how his experience in wilderness expeditions – combined with his work as an emergency doctor – has taught him how to harness fear to progress, rather than hamper, his goals.

“I think many of my colleagues will be fascinated by this concept and will come away with some great tips in applying this attitude to our own lives.”

RMA18 will be held at the Darwin Convention Centre from Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 October 2018, with pre-conference clinical workshops and a meeting day being held on Wednesday 24 October 2018.

Registrations for RMA18 are now open.

More information on RMA18 can be found at www.ruralmedicineaustralia.com.au.

RMA18 is a proudly inclusive conference, and its program will feature a strong line-up of female and male keynote and other speakers from a variety of different fields and backgrounds. Additional keynote speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.