Speakers
Dr Martin Watts
Dr Watts qualified originally in UK where he spent some of his younger years walking through peat bogs on the North York Moors. After Medical School and training as a GP, he moved to New Zealand in the early 1990’s. Re-training as an Emergency Medicine Specialist he took time out to work at the New Zealand National Poisons Centre and also spent seven months as an Island Doctor on the remote Pacific Atoll of Faka’ofo, Tokelau. He was involved in bringing Advanced Wilderness Life Support to New Zealand and is a New Zealand Resuscitation Council Instructor. He still manages to work full time as an Emergency Specialist at Southland Hospital, Invercargill, New Zealand, in between spending time with his family, looking after a small farm and tinkering with classic cars!
Associate Professor Geoff Ramin
International Medical Systems (IMS) was formed by Geoff Ramin and provides high quality medical repatriation services to and from anywhere in the world. IMS also provides a range of consultancy and educational services related to pre-hospital care, aeromedical transportation and medical retrieval. IMS' activities have been as diverse as helping develop industrial paramedic services on Groote Eylandt, providing medical support to sporting events and training all aeromedical doctors for the Hong Kong helicopter based medical retrieval system. Geoff is a specialist Emergency Physician who also works clinically in Intensive Care. He has extensive experience in pre-hospital care and medical retrieval.
Geoff is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Allianz Global Assistance. He has over 25 years of extensive clinical experience and knowledge in specialist emergency medicine, intensive care, prehospital care, aviation medicine, aeromedical retrieval, wilderness and altitude medicine.
Geoff has extensive experience in both the coordination of aeromedical evacuation services and the conduct of medical repatriation and retrieval.
Geoff is also the Medical Director of MSS Strategic Medical which specialises in the provision of emergency medical services to the natural resources sector and is part of MSS, Australia's largest provider of security services.
Geoff is currently also a Consultant in Intensive Care at The Tweed Hospital.
Geoff has previously been Director of Emergency Medicine at the Gold Coast’s John Flynn Hospital, Medical Director of CareFlight QLD, Medical Director of Aeromedical and Critical Care Services RFDS QLD and Network Director Emergency Medicine for the Tweed Byron region.
Geoff was awarded an Australia Day Medallion for his services to pre-hospital care in 1999.