We are pleased to announce that Peter Coombs has received the Australasian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) Humanitarian of the Year award. Peter has been the Sonographer-in–charge at Monash Health for 15 years, leading our ultrasound service, and is a Senior Lecturer in Ultrasound at Monash University.
A major focus of Peter’s volunteer activities has been teaching and supporting the use of ultrasound in the developing world. For a number of years, he made regular trips to Nauru with the College of Surgeons Pacific Island Program. He has also supported ultrasound education in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Cambodia with the 2H Safe Arrivals obstetric care program.
In 2018, Peter made a short teaching visit to Arba Minch, Ethiopia, as part of a World Federation in Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology (WFUMB) initiative. He was so taken by the need through this region that he partnered with WFUMB and ASUM, taking six months to teach ultrasound in Ethiopia.
Peter actively contributes to both local and national ultrasound education and has co-authored a large number of ultrasound publications. Together with the Monash Health sonographer group, Peter has helped establish various educational initiatives. These include the Monash Health Student Workshops, which provide free education to Melbourne-based sonographer trainees, and a Monash Health Seminar Program which provides low-cost advanced ultrasound education and also raises money for charity.
In receiving the ASUM Humanitarian of the Year award, Peter would like to acknowledge the support and encouragement of the Monash Imaging sonographer group and executive team, including Professor Stephen Stuckey, Associate Professor Ronnie Ptasznik and Tony Gabbert. We are proud of Peter and the work he does, both at Monash Health and all around the world. Congratulations Peter!
*This photo was taken prior to COVID-19 and the associated PPE requirements.
Approved by Anjali Dhulia