Professor Kerryn Lyndel Phelps
Born	14 December 1957 Sydney, Australia
Profession	Adjunct Professor
Specialism	Public Health Health Education
Known for	Former president of Australian Medical Association
Years active	1999-
Education	University of Sydney
Relations	Jackie Stricker (wife)

Kerryn Lyndel Phelps (born 14 December 1957, Sydney, Australia) is an Australian medical practitioner and public commentator. She is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.^[1] Professor Phelps was the first woman and first LGBT person to be elected president of the Federal Australian Medical Association (AMA). In 2003 she was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to Health and Medicine.^[2]

[edit] Professional life

In 1999 Phelps was elected president of the New South Wales Branch of the AMA. The following year she was elected Federal President of the AMA, where she served the maximum term of three years. Some of her more significant successes involved working with Australian State and Federal Governments on resolving an emerging medical indemnity crisis. The unresolved medical insurance issue threatened obstetrics and neurosurgery in particular, and was exacerbated to escalating medical malpractice claims.

She was also instrumental in establishing an advisory committee on Indigenous health, and promoting debate on the importance of the public health system in response to the bioterrorism threat.

Phelps' major areas of interest included integrative medicine, public health, and human rights issues. As AMA President, she convened an expert advisory committee and pioneered the AMA's first position statement on Complementary Medicine. She also raised awareness of issues such as Aboriginal health problems, the medical workforce shortage, environmental health.

Her time as AMA president marked by a very public clash with the then federal Minister for Health Dr Michael Wooldridge. ^[3] He publicly claimed that she had no medical qualifications ^[4] The minister later issued a public apology.

In 2008 Phelps was awarded the 'Bent Spoon' by the Australian Skeptics Association, an award "presented to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle".

Today Phelps is a regular speaker with health professionals and the general public on health and well-being, as well as leadership and strategy for professional organisations. She is currently the health writer for the Australian Women's Weekly and writes political commentary for Medical Observer Magazine. She is a regular commentator on general practice, public health, medical politics and human rights issues. She is also the narrator of Last Chance Surgery.

[edit] Personal life

Phelps' has a younger brother, Australian TV actor Peter Phelps. She is in a long-term relationship with Jackie Stricker, a former Primary School Teacher. Phelps and Stricker married in a religious ceremony in New York on 4 January 1998.^[5] Australian law does not recognize same-sex marriages. From her first marriage she has a daughter, Jaime and a son, Carl.^[6]

[edit] References

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