Dr Jaye Martin awarded RACP Medal for Clinical Service in Rural and Remote Areas
Kununurra-based Consultant Physician Dr Jaye Martin has been honoured by her peers with a prestigious award for decades of outstanding service in country WA.
Dr Martin recently won the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Medal for Clinical Service in Rural and Remote Areas, awarded annually to an RACP Fellow in Australia or New Zealand.
“It means a great deal to be recognised by my peers for my work in remote and rural WA over the past 27 years or so,” Dr Martin said.
“I really feel I’ve simply been doing my job all that time, but it’s so nice to be appreciated for the effort I’ve put in.”
Dr Martin is the Head of our Department for General Medicine in the Kimberley as well as Clinical Director for General Medicine, a role that extends her leadership across all of country WA.
She also has extensive experience practising in the Goldfields and Wheatbelt.
In the East Kimberley, Dr Martin has been instrumental in developing and delivering a high-quality specialist physician service that’s delivering care in some of Australia’s most remote communities.
“Building up the Specialist Physician team in the Kimberley, which is supported by regular returning locum physicians, is one of my proudest achievements,” she said.
“Establishing physician advanced training in the Kimberley has also been something I’m proud to have achieved.
“I’m particularly proud that most of the resident physicians spent time as an Advanced Trainee in the Kimberley then chose to return and work with us as consultants.”
Dr Martin has built strong partnerships between WA Country Health Service and local primary care providers, particularly in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector.
These partnerships have been essential to the success of the specialist physician service and provision of culturally appropriate care.
“The relationships built with patients is also something I value, particularly in the outpatient chronic disease setting,” Dr Martin said.
“Many of the patients I see in the Kimberley and Wheatbelt I’ve now known for 15 to 20 years. I particularly value the relationships I have with the Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley, and the trust they place in me and my team.”
Director Medical Education Professor Graeme Maguire, a longtime colleague, paid tribute to Dr Martin for her support and leadership in rural physician training and broader health advocacy.
“She has been a tireless supporter of specialist healthcare delivery to our most remote WA communities, ensuring accessible, high quality, timely and appropriate care,” Prof. Maguire said.
“Her commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of Aboriginal Western Australians has been key in not only addressing health inequalities but also in demonstrating a career path for many other physicians who have been inspired and followed in her footsteps.”