Lindsay Worthley: a giant who transformed the landscape of Australasian intensive care.

Mr Dean, Fellow Board Members, Fellows, Special Guests, and Friends, I am honoured and delighted to deliver the citation on the occasion of the award of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (JFICM) Medal to Dr Lindsay Ian Grant Worthley. It is indeed a great privilege to honour an outstanding intensivist and a great teacher, who has not only seen the recognition of intensive care medicine as a respected and valued specialty in Australasia, but has also been dedicated to its growth and development for over 30 years. As we all know, Lindsay is affectionately known among his colleagues as “Tub”. Tub was born in Adelaide in 1944 and graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1968. He then trained in internal medicine and anaesthesia and obtained the FFARACS in 1973, FRACP in 1974, FANZCA in 1992, FFICANZCA in 1994, FCCP in 1995 and FJFICM in 2002. He was appointed as a staff specialist in intensive care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1975, which was the beginning of an illustrious career in intensive care medicine. He moved to the Flinders Medical Centre in 1991, where he continues to work as a senior staff specialist. Thanks to Tub’s efforts at teaching and training, Adelaide became a hub of intensive care training and activity. He commenced the famous Adelaide Short Course on Intensive Care Medicine in 1983, which was highly popular and well attended. He ran it for 22 years. It is fair to say that almost every intensivist in Australia has experienced Tub’s tutelage. Tub has made several outstanding contributions to the development of intensive care in Australia. On the educational front, these include: • The commencement of the Adelaide Short Course in 1983, as already mentioned. • He was also instrumental in the development of the fellowship examination in intensive care and was himself an examiner for the fellowship between 1979 and 1990. As a researcher: • His contributions include original work on acid–base and electrolytes, use of intravenous hydrochloric acid for alkalosis, and use of intravenous sterile water for hyperosmolar syndromes. • He was also part of the group which pioneered the percutaneous tracheostomy forceps dilator technique. Tub also contributed extensively to national intensive care activities: • He was the President of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) between 1982 and 1983. • He convened several national and regional ANZICS meetings. • He served on several ANZCA (Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists) and ANZICS committees, both at national and regional levels. • He founded and developed the Norva Dahlia Intensive Care Research Foundation. • Recently, he founded and developed the Australasian Academy of Critical Care Medicine (AACCM). Tub is also a prolific publisher. He has published more than 150 articles and abstracts, three major textbooks, several book chapters and numerous course books. In 1999, he launched the journal Critical Care and Resuscitation, of which he remained the Editor-in-Chief until 2005. In a short span of 6 years, the journal has now become indexed in Medline. One of Tub’s hallmarks is his boundless energy. An article submitted to Critical Care and Resuscitation would be reviewed and, if accepted, galley-proofed in a space of 48 hours, all by that one man. While all this was going on, Tub also acted in a capacity as a ghost writer to contribute to the journal. He also actively encouraged publications from trainees. In the course of his academic career, Tub has received several honours: • The ANZCA Council Citation in 2001; • The ANZICS Honour Roll in 2003; and • The ANZICS Oration, also in 2003. Following a 30-year career, Tub is truly considered a giant among his peers. He exercised a unique influence on the landscape of Australasian intensive care as a teacher, a clinician and a decisive leader. Tub also has a very full family life, ably supported by his wonderful wife Janice. He is a proud father of three sons, Stephen, Matthew and Daniel, who are all high achievers in the medical profession. He is also a doting grandfather of six grandchildren. As Fellows of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, we are indeed fortunate to belong to the first training and accreditation body for intensive care medicine in the world. The Joint Faculty and its Fellows owe much to the giants who laid the foundations and continue to build this organisation. It is fair to say that Tub is one of the original and tallest giants. Mr Dean, I present to you Dr Lindsay Ian Grant Worthley, the 2006 recipient of the JFICM Medal.