Coffs Harbour hospital welcomes new junior doctors Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 12, 2025 New Coffs Clinical Network junior doctors. Back: Usman Masood, Mel Richardson (MNCLHD), Megan Betts (MNCLHD), Mostafa Abasseri, Jumpei Takeuchi, Tom Masters, Alfred Sing, MNCLHD Deputy Director of Medical Services Dr Renee Strazzari, Shae Strydom, MNCLHD Network Manager Medical Administration Allirra Wingfield, Lilli Reardon. Front: JMO Manager Alicia Butchers, Caio Christiansen, Issy Ferguson-Roberts, Isra Karem, Makana Hilton, Isobel Waugh, Jessica Zullo, Zayn Al-Timimi and Director of Prevocational Education and Training Dr William Fox. A NEWLY-WED couple and a local woman who has returned to her hometown to take up an internship are among the cohort of new junior doctors joining Coffs Harbour Health Campus. Doctors Isra Karem and Mostafa Abasseri recently tied the knot in Sydney after finishing their medical degrees and are now excited to grow their careers and contribute to the local community. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Our decision to come to Coffs Harbour was always part of our plan; we love the town’s beauty, diversity and the opportunity to make a real impact in regional healthcare,” Dr Abasseri said. Bonville local Jessica Zullo has returned to Coffs Harbour as a junior doctor after studying in Newcastle. She loves the sense of community of her hometown and hopes to help those in need. “No matter where I was for placement – Newcastle, Tamworth – I’d always come back to get that sense of home and community,” Dr Zullo said. “I wanted to do my JMO training somewhere that feels like home.” Across the state, more than 1000 medical interns have joined NSW Health where they will learn from experienced and highly skilled medical staff. Twenty-nine of the new junior doctors have started work at Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) public hospitals. MNCLHD Acting Chief Executive Jill Wong extended a warm welcome to the new cohort of interns. “Interns are a core component of our medical care teams in our hospitals and will play an important role in caring for our communities now and into the future.” Interns are medical graduates who have completed their medical degree and are required to complete a supervised year of practice to become independent practitioners. The new doctors starting their internship will be entering a training program with networked hospitals throughout the state, providing formal and on-the-job training. They receive two-year contracts to rotate between metropolitan, regional and rural hospitals to ensure the diversity of their experience. They also rotate across different specialties in each hospital during their intern period, including surgery, medicine and emergency medicine. By Andrea FERRARI
