Chair, Victorian Branch, RANZCP
Head of Youth Mental Health Services, Peninsula Health
Private Psychiatrist,The Melbourne Clinic, Australia
A Passion for doing better.
Dr Astha Tomar
Dr. Astha Tomar
• Member, Mental Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, Victoria
• Member, Mental Health Workforce Safety and Wellbeing Committee, Department of Health
• Member, RANZCP Victorian Branch RAWG Racism Awareness Working Group
• Member, RANZCP Gender Equity Working Group
• Member, RANZCP Membership Engagement Committee
• Member, RANZCP Member’s Advisory Council
•Member, Clinical Advisory Group, Evaluation of Better Access through the MBS Initiative, DoH, Government of Australia, 2022
• Member, Mental Health Workforce Technical Advisory Group, DH, Victoria, 2021
•Member, Committee, Women’s Mental Health Network Victoria, 2020-2021
•Member, External Advisory Committee on potential misuse of drugs of dependence, DHHS
•Member, External Advisory Committee, SafeScript, Real-Time Prescription Monitoring Implementation.
Dr Astha Tomar
2023 RANZCP President-Elect Candidate:
Candidate, President-Elect of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Elections, 2023
Dr Astha TOMAR
Proposer : Professor Richard Newton
Seconder : Dr Angelo Virgona
For your perusal so you can consider voting for me:
Supporting Statement
Video Statement
Video Transcript
‘My proven track record, extensive leadership experience at State and
Bi-national levels, and first-hand knowledge of working in both Australian & New Zealand health systems, including in the public & private sectors, will be valuable assets to my work at the College as your next President-Elect.’
System Reform Work in Victoria
Chair, Victorian Branch, RANZCP (May 2021- current), Deputy Chair, Secretary, Member, Victorian Branch, RANZCP (2016- 2021)
● The RANZCP Victorian Branch 2022 Victorian State Election Priorities, Improving the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the Victorian Community, https://www.ranzcp.org/files/resources/submissions/ranzcp victoria-state-election-priorities.aspx
Pre-Budget Submissions to Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance
● FY 2022- 2023, https://www.ranzcp.org/files/resources/submissions/ranzcp-vic-branch-pre-budget-submission.aspx
● FY 2021-2022, https://www.ranzcp.org/files/resources/submissions/ranzcp victorian-branch-pre-budget-submission-2021.aspx
● FY 2020- 2021: “Mental Health Priorities for the 2021-22 Victorian State Budget”, https://www.ranzcp.org/files/resources/submissions/ranzcp vic-branch-pre-budget-submission-2020-21.aspx
● FY 2019- 2020: “Mental Health Priorities for the 2019-20 Victorian State Budget”, https://www.ranzcp.org/files/branches/victoria/ranzcp-vic branch-pre-budget-submission-2019-20-v6.aspx
● FY 2018- 2019: “Mental Health: targeting new investment, July 2018”, (https://www.ranzcp.org/Files/Branches/Victoria/RANZCP_Vi c-Branch-Mental-health-targeting-new-inve.aspx)
● Spearheaded the response to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022, with active engagement with external stakeholders and College membership.
● Member, Mental Health Workforce Technical Advisory Group and worked on Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy and Victorian Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Capability Framework
https://www.health.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-04/victorias-mh-wellbeing-workforce-strategy-2021-24-140422- pdf.pdf.pdf
https://www.health.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021- 12/victorian-mh-and-wellbeing-workforce-capability framework-pdf.pdf
● Victorian Branch engagement with RCVMS, https://www.ranzcp.org/files/branches/victoria/ranzcp royal-commission-engagement-summary.aspx
● Victorian Psychiatry Training Partnership 2022, a new $4.5 million funding to strengthen psychiatry training in Victoria including up to 200 new training positions and funded DoT, DoAT and SIMG DoT positions
● Developing ‘Leadership program for Psychiatrists’; Joint project between Victorian DoH and Victorian Branch, RANZCP, Funded by Victorian Government, an approved budget of more than $700,000.
Organizer
● Co-Convener, RANZCP Victorian Branch Annual Weekend Conference 2022, Lorne
● Convener, RANZCP Victorian Branch Annual Weekend Conference 2019, Lorne
● Co-Convener, RANZCP Victorian Branch Annual Weekend Conference 2018, Hepburn Springs
● Co-Convener, RANZCP Victorian Branch Annual Weekend Conference 2017, Marysville
● Annual Victorian Branch Travelling Scholar and Victorian Branch Meritorious Award
● Chair, ‘Complexities of personality developmentwith childhood trauma’, J Beatson and S Rao, 2021.
● Moderator, ‘Psychotherapy in the COVID era’, by Professor Glen Gabbard, 2020.
Multiple other events related to membership support, policy and advocacy work.
Presentations at RANZCP 2022 Annual Congress, Sydney, 2022
● Pre-Congress Workshop, ‘Developing a blueprint for the shape of Mental HealthServices in Australia’, J Allan, V Eapen, I Hickie, P McGorry, A Tomar, A Virgona.
● Speaker, ‘Women as Leaders in Psychiatry: Glass Ceiling or Myth?’, A Tomar, A Cockram, R Vine, J Kulkarni, C Quadrio, S Loi, P Golding, S Adams, N Elzahaby, M Bismarck, C Silberberg, E Moore, M Galbally, P Brahmbhatt, B Kotze, E Moore, S Mckersey, S Arunonigri.
● Speaker, ‘ Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System: Is it delivering what it promised?’, A Tomar, P McGorry, A Cockram, R Vine, S Stafrace, B Singh, R Bharat, R Lakshmana.
● 'Supporting Psychiatry Workforce through COVID19. Initiatives at Victorian Branch, RANZCP’, A Tomar, L Allen.
● 'The Racism Awareness Working Group: Equity, discrimination and racial discrimination-creating stronger links and safety for our culturally and linguistically diverse patients’, A Tomar, S Loi, S Sundaram, JP Teo, A Arumugam, S Yadav.
● 'Supporting trainees in leadership: initiatives at the Victorian Branch, RANZCP’, A Tomar, K Allen, T Sellitto, L Allen.
● 'Bringing Trainees and SIMGs into the fold: What are we waiting for?’, A Tomar, A Virgona, K Jenkins, R Lakshmana.
● Chair, ‘Relevance of Feminism to Psychiatry Today’, Speaker M Galbally, Inaugural National Women in Psychiatry Meeting.
Other Presentations
● Speaker, ‘Systemic Misogyny and Violence against Women and Girls: An international perspective’, A Tomar, Women and Mental Health Special Interest Group Conference 2022, RCPsych, Royal College of Psychiatrists, October 2022
● Speaker, Leadership for MH System Development, ‘Human Resources for Mental Health: Initiatives in Victoria’, University of Melbourne, June and October 2022.
● Speaker, ‘Managing burnout and staying healthy’, RACP Physicians Wellbeing Seminar, September 2022
Opinion Editorial Piece
Strong Effective Advocacy
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
● Formal resolution at Victoria Branch Committee, 2017 for cultural and gender balance within the committee and all nominations and consistent implemention since.
● Speaker, ‘Systemic Misogyny and Violence against Women and Girls: An international perspective’, Women and Mental Health Special Interest Group Conference 2022, RCPsych
● Speaker, ‘Women as Leaders in Psychiatry: Glass Ceiling or Myth?’, RANZCP 2022 Annual Congress, Sydney
●Racism Awareness Working Group, RANZCP, Advocated for its setup, inaugural Chair, current Member
● Chair, ‘Systematic approaches to achieving equality in mental health’, Dr Lade Smith & Dr Raj Mohan, RCPsych, Forum by Victorian Branch RAWG 2021
● Chair, ‘Relevance of Feminism to Psychiatry today’, Speaker M Galbally, Inaugural National Women in Psychiatry Annual Meeting, Sydney, May 2022
● Actively supports asylum seekers, refugees, international students, both as provision of clinical services and advocacy for their human rights.
Support for HCWs During COVID
● Coordination of RANZCP Victorian Branch COVID-19 Response
● Initiation and establishment of Database of Victorian Psychiatrists available to support Victorian Health Care Workers during COVID-19 pandemic
● Joint Project funded by DHHS for Victorian Branch for the wellbeing of psychiatry workforce including trainees in the public health system worth around $50,000
● Webinar Series for Victorian members of RANZCP
● Moderator for panel discussion on role of psychiatrists and trainees in supporting their colleagues and other HCWs during COVID crisis
● Project InItTogether, Supporting Victorian psychiatrists/SIMGs/Trainees to support their overseas colleagues through COVID-19 pandemic.
● Participant in national advocacy group promoting appropriate PPE for HCWs during COVID pandemic, April 2020
● Establishment and coordination of an advocacy group (of around 500 private psychiatrists) which successfully lobbied the Federal Minister of Health for establishment of new Telehealth MBS item numbers for outpatient care during COVID times.
● Advocated for development, implementation and promotion of viable telehealth models of Mental Health Care in both Public and Private sectors during COVID
In Press
● Invited Editorial Opinion Piece, Herald Sun, 13th December, 2022: ‘Dan, we must get this right.’ Highlighting the importance of Reform work in the clinical sector.
● News article, The Age, https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/serious-trouble-victorians-waiting-six- months-for-mental-health-support-20221103-p5bv9c.html
● News article, Geelong Advertiser, 20th May 2022, titled ‘Psychiatrist shortage contributes to long wait times in Geelong’.
● News article, Daily Telegraph, 22nd August 2021, titled ‘Aussie kids wait nine months as psychiatrists burnt out.’
● Speaker, Podcast: Psych Matters RANZCP, ‘Leadership and management for psychiatrists during and post COVID-19’, with M Wright, R Vine and N Elzahaby. https://psychmatters.ranzcp.org/1072258/9709927
Promoting Peer Enagagement
● Founder and moderator of social media group ‘Kaleidoscope’, established in 2020 for Victorian psychiatrists, platform for sharing clinical information and providing peer support, which has a current active membership of around 400 psychiatrists.
● Founder and Moderator of WhatsApp group ‘Psychs4Colleagues’ connecting psychiatrists, SIMGs and trainees across Australia and NZ to enhance effective advocacy.
Federal Policy, Advocacy and Strategic planning
● Member, Clinical Advisory Group, Evaluation of Better Access through the MBS Initiative, DoH, Government of Australia, 2022
● Mental Health Equity and Access Forum, 30th January 2023, with the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Dr Ruth Vine, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health, Professor Jane Pirkis, Lead Evaluator, University of Melbourne and Ms Christine Morgan, CEO, National Mental Health Commission
● Australian Government Productivity Commission Public Hearing into Mental Health, Witness, November 2019. Highlighted need for better governance and funding models of MHServices, the importance of system support for trainees along with supervision options in the private sector and rural and regional areas. Advocated for systems to meet the needs of CALD communities
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Support for HCWs During COVID
In Press
Promoting Peer Enagagement
Federal Policy, Advocacy and Strategic planning
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