Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Chu AM

Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Chu AM’s career in emergency medicine mentoring and educating junior doctors was motivated by a gap that existed as he was coming up the ranks.  

Professor Chu is director of the Medical Assessment Unit and pre-vocational education training and was formerly the director of the Emergency Department at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney. He is also a supervisor and senior specialist in emergency medicine. 

His other roles include clinical associate professor at the University of Sydney, senior examiner at the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and the Australian Medical Council, as well as an assessor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.  

For his work, Professor Chu was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to emergency medicine, and to professional associations.  

“When I was a resident, a junior doctor, I didn’t really get much support, but things have changed,” he says.  

“It used to be like throwing someone into a pool and saying, ‘you can swim now’. 

“Whereas, I was thinking it might be best if someone were to teach this person, train this person and mentor them and look after their well-being ... then they would very much be able to achieve.” 

The impact of this recognition extends further than himself alone, Professor Chu explains.  

“When my workplace heard about it, their morale increased, and you felt like you could see the place uplifting,” he says.  

“I was just a representative of the bigger place I was working in ... whether someone is a cleaner, a nurse, whether they are an administration officer, we all felt like we were in the same team.” 

Professor Chu says he was surprised by his recognition, and that its news had a lasting impact on him.  

“I’m just doing my day-to-day job ... I have a genuine interest in the welfare and training of junior doctors, and for someone to actually say, ‘hey, you’ve had this impact on me’, was profound,” he says.  

“[Being recognised] wasn’t something that I set out to do ... I’m really honoured that other people would recognise what I’ve done ... my genuine care that I have for other people who were in the same position I was in.”