After completing her Junior and Senior School years at St Catherine’s School, Melinda Truesdale (‘81) began her medical degree at Monash University and graduated in 1988. Melinda began her training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and became an emergency physician.

Her work as a consultant specialist began at Southern (now Monash) Health and she also has worked in Alberta, Canada. She returned to RMH in 2003 and soon completed postgraduate studies in Health Service Management. During the next few years, while maintaining her clinical work at RMH, Melinda was seconded as Acting Director to North East Health Wangaratta Hospital and became the Director of Emergency Department Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH). Melinda became Deputy Director of Emergency Services at RMH in 2007 and Director in 2008. She chose to step down as Director RMH during 2014 to pursue other academic studies and research, and to return to being primarily a RMH emergency physician with direct patient care. She still maintains the Directorship of the RWH Emergency Department.

Melinda has had a strong involvement in the ACEM College’s activities and has chaired several subcommittees and working parties.

She has organised conferences and short courses (for example in ultrasound and aero-medical retrieval) and presented at national and international conferences as both a researcher and invited speaker. Melinda has been involved with the accreditation of both Emergency Departments and Trauma Services in Australasia and she is a surveyor with the Australasian Council of Healthcare Standards.

Melinda has lectured at Monash University, Universities of Alberta and Montreal in Canada and is an Associate Professor with the University of Melbourne. During 2013 she spent her sabbatical in Montreal as a Visiting Professor and her work also focused on the measurement of the quality of care for emergency department patients. More recently she has undertaken studies at the University of Melbourne Law School.

Melinda has been fortunate to have travelled to every continent and enjoys viewing animals in their natural environment and also exploring Roman ruins. She has obtained a Level 1 Ski Instructor Certificate and private pilot’s licence.

Updated January 2016