Mr Andrew Connolly new chair of the Medical Council

Mr Andrew Connolly new chair of the Medical Council of New Zealand

Auckland surgeon, Mr Andrew Connolly has been elected chairperson of the Medical Council replacing Dr John Adams.

Mr Connolly paid tribute to outgoing chair of the Council, Dr John Adams saying his contribution to the New Zealand Curriculum framework would be his ongoing legacy both to the Council and medical education.

Appointed to the Council in November 2009, Mr Connolly was elected deputy chair of Council in February 2012.

Mr Connolly is a general and colorectal surgeon, employed fulltime at Counties Manukau District Health Board.

Trained in Auckland, Mr Connolly undertook a formal 18-month period of surgical research under Professor G L Hill before completing post-fellowship colorectal training in the United Kingdom. He returned to Middlemore Hospital as a consultant surgeon in late 1997.

He has a strong interest in governance and clinical leadership and has been the Head of Department of General and Vascular Surgery since 2003. He has served on the ministerial advisory group that was responsible for the ‘In Good Hands’ document.

Mr Connolly has served on various national committees, including the National Guidelines Group for the screening of patients with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

He has previously held the role of Presiding Member of the Lotteries Health Research Distribution Committee, and recently chaired a Ministerial review of the impact of the elective waiting times policy and was a member of the review panel of the New Zealand Cancer Registry.

He has a strong interest in surgical education and training and acute surgical care, as well as taking an active role with surgical research into enhanced recovery and has a passion for military history, particularly World War 1.

Council members also elected, Ms Laura Mueller, a lay member as the Council’s new deputy chair person.

Ms Mueller is a lay member who was appointed as a judicial officer for the Ministry of Justice in 1999 and sits as a referee in the Disputes Tribunal at the Tauranga District Court. Ms Mueller has 20 years of business experience, including management of a large accounting and tax practice and experience as a medical insurance underwriter.

With a keen interest in governance and leadership, Ms Mueller served on the Disputes Tribunal’s National Education Committee and as a mentor for new Referees. She has served as treasurer on the Disputes Tribunal’s Referees Association Executive.

Ms Mueller was appointed to the Medical Council in October 2009 and is a member of the Council’s Complaints Triage, Education and Health and Committees, as well as being the Council’s liaison member on its Consumer Advisory Group.

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