Thomas Patterson

As a child, I was always taught to value service. My family has a history of serving in the military, and early on I chose to follow this path. After school, I studied medicine with a view to working in the Australian Defence Force. I went on to complete specialist training and am now a consultant trauma and general surgeon at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, and a Major in the Australian Army. I feel incredibly privileged to hold positions within both the military and civilian sectors that enable me to serve my own community.

Since completing a staff-officer posting in a military headquarters several years ago, I have been increasingly involved in improving the collaboration between the military and civilian sectors, with a focus on healthcare. My early work in this field involved building a contextualised military placement system at Westmead Hospital, where defence medics, nurses and doctors work as fully integrated members of the trauma team. My subsequent projects have expanded to a broader level, with a focus on training and governance.

Recent shifts in the geostrategic environment have led to the need for a holistic, integrated and focused approach to national security. Australia’s healthcare systems are a national strength, although our ability to care for the wounded, injured and ill in conflict requires constant attention and a collaborative approach. Improving military-civilian healthcare collaborations will help generate trust between systems, improve readiness and resource stewardship and will contribute to our nation’s long legacy of providing care for those affected by crisis or conflict, whether at home or abroad.

This Churchill Fellowship will enable me to learn from international precedent and bring home lessons with a view to improve the way that military-civilian healthcare collaborations work in Australia, in a mutually beneficial manner that benefits the broader community.