News
Perth GP wins AMA Excellence in Healthcare Award
Monday May 27, 2019
A Perth GP who developed a surveillance program to actively monitor vaccine safety in real time is the recipient of the 2019 AMA Excellence in Healthcare Award.
Dr Alan Leeb was announced as the winner at the AMA National Conference held in Brisbane at the weekend. Dr Leeb has once again shown how WA doctors lead Australian medicine in so many ways. “WA is well known for achieving far beyond our population size, especially in medical care and research.
Dr Leeb has my congratulations for his incredibly hard work and dedication in achieving this important award. One of the greatest inventions in civilised history has been vaccination. SmartVax has become a vital too in ensuring continued public confidence in vaccination,” AMA (WA) President Dr Omar Khorshid said.
“The SmartVax tool, now used nationally, delivers near real time, active adverse event information to general practices and hospital immunisation clinics, and to prospectively monitor the safety of all vaccines given in Australia.
“Partnering with a software developer, Ian Peters, he developed SmartVax, a tool to actively monitor adverse events following immunisation (AEFI).
“SmartVax uses SMS and smartphone technology, and is a world leader in delivering active adverse event surveillance.
“The program has actively monitored almost two million vaccine antigens over 1.3 million immunisation encounters, and is in use at almost 300 practices and clinics across Australia.
“Dr Leeb’s significant contribution to developing and advancing vaccine safety surveillance in Australia has been recognised by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners with the Peter Mudge Prize for the research most likely to significantly influence daily general practice.
“Dr Alan Leeb is certainly a very worthy recipient of the 2019 AMA Excellence in Healthcare Award.”
