From vision to legacy

---

Foundation celebrates outgoing Chair Dr Dilip Dhupelia

At the May Annual General Meeting, the AMA Queensland Foundation Board said farewell to Chair Dr Dilip Dhupelia, after almost a decade of impact, and having served full tenure. 

Dr Eleanor Chew OAM, who is the newly appointed Foundation Chair, acknowledged the significant influence Dr Dhupelia has had on the charity’s success. 

“I wish to acknowledge Dilip’s outstanding leadership in his role as Chair of the Foundation, and I look forward to continuing the impetus and growth of his legacy,” she said.

Managing Director Dr Brett Dale said it has been a pleasure to work alongside Dr Dhupelia on the Foundation Board.

“Dilip has tremendous vision, and passion for Queensland healthcare and he has worked tirelessly to make a difference. We thank him for his leadership and service.”

Appointed initially as Vice President in 2018 and then Chair of the Board after Dr Steven Hambleton stepped down from the role in 2021, Dr Dhupelia brought to the Board significant governance experience. He was still AMA Queensland President at the time of his appointment among other notable governance roles. 

At the time, the Foundation had been operating for 18 years and was well established as a charity raising funds to relieve sickness, suffering or disability for Queenslanders.

His first task was to modernise the Foundation’s constitution in line with changes to AMA Queensland’s governance structure. The new constitution saw AMA Queensland as the only Ordinary Member of the Foundation to reflect the close links between the two organisations. The role of President was also revised to Chair, and a maximum term for all directors was established.

Pictured above: Foundation Board directors Dr Brett Dale, Dr Maria Boulton, newly appointed Chair Dr Eleanor Chew OAM, outgoing Chair Dr Dilip Dhupelia, Ms Bronwyn Fardon, Mr Greg Ewing. Absent: Dr Jack Kelso-Ribbe, Ms Anna Jones

Growth and impact

During his term on the Foundation Board Dr Dhupelia was part of seeing some significant projects come to fruition, including supporting 23 medical students with a $10,000 AMA Queensland Foundation Medical Student Scholarship.

This key support helped those students continue their studies while facing financial difficulties, helping them graduate and go on to serve the community as doctors. In response to a record number of applications in 2024, Dr Dhupelia and his fellow Board directors established the Sponsor one Student (SoS) Program. 

SoS is an initiative that allows organisations and entities to partner with the Foundation to sponsor a student in full, with joint naming rights. The Indian Medical Association of Queensland was the Foundation’s first SoS partner and has supported the initiative on an ongoing basis since its inception. The Foundation looks forward to many more partnerships with those who also believe in equity and access to medical education. 

Dr Dhupelia pictured above: addressing Medical Careers Expo; alongside 2025 scholarship recipients Alexandra Green, Noah Steel and Rheannon Griffin and Past AMA Queensland President Dr Nick Yim; alongside Her Excellency the Hon Dr Jeanette Young  AC PSM, 2024 SoS Scholarship recipient Anna Duan and IMAQ President Dr Cyril Fernandez

Standing with vulnerable Queenslanders

Under Dr Dhupelia’s leadership the Foundation has spearheaded support which extends into the wider wellbeing of the community. 

Key projects have included 

• Supporting patients with motor neurone disease (MND) with equipment to increase their quality of life

• Funding for the Hep C Kombi Clinic team to deliver outreach clinics throughout Southeast Queensland. 

• Giving a helping hand in crisis to families impacted by floods in Far North Queensland and South-East Queensland.

• Funding for breast and prostate cancer research through UQCCR

• Funding of a Fundus camera to conduct eye and diabetes screen clinics in West Queensland 

• Purchase of a specially fitted out street van for Rosie’s Cairns branch outreach program

• Securing government funding for the Hep C Kombi Clinic

• Fast tracking ear nose and throat surgery for 36 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children living in remote Queensland 

• Purchase of special equipment and a minibus for Red Hill Special School.

• Fundraising to purchase a broadcast camera for Juiced TV to help children in hospital

• Funding vaccines for at risk and marginalised community members who are ineligible for a free vaccine through the VacSeen Project.

• Helping young people living with special needs live independently by supporting Youngcare’s At Home Care and Home Support Grants. 

• Funding breast and prostate cancer research

• Supporting Queensland’s homeless by transforming under-utilised spaces into safe accommodation through Beddown.

• Implementing the General Practice Training Queensladn Research and Training Bursaries. 

• Delivering grants for organisations that provide vital services for individuals experiencing domestic and family violence 

• Providing as well as those experiencing mental health issues and at increased risk of suicide. 

Dr Dhupelia pictured above: presenting cheque to InCommunity Inc. Deputy CEO Nerissa Wade; with The VacSeen Project team, with Scientist Dr Kevin Koo at UQ Centre for Clinical Reserach. 

Thank you and farewell

While the list of Dr Dhupelia’s achievements during his time on the Board is impressive, the list alone cannot convey the level of passion and commitment with which they have been undertaken. With that in mind, and with his permission, we share Dr Dhupelia’s recent speech as outgoing Chair, given at AMA Queensland’s Dinner for the Profession on June 5. 

It is both a privilege and a deeply humbling moment to stand before you tonight, as I conclude my time as Chair of the AMA Queensland Foundation.
I do so with a deep sense of gratitude, and, if I’m honest, a touch of emotion.

When I first became involved with the Foundation, it wasn’t just another role that I was undertaking. It was something I felt genuinely connected to. 
As doctors, we spend our lives caring for patients, but this organisation allows us to extend that care beyond the consulting room… to people and communities who might otherwise be overlooked.

That has always mattered deeply to me. 

Since its establishment in 2000, the Foundation has had a simple but powerful purpose: to improve health outcomes for those who fall through the gaps of our health system, and to ensure that compassion remains at the centre of medicine. 

It has been a privilege to help carry that mission forward and to see first-hand the extraordinary impact this organisation has had across Queensland.
We have supported medical students facing financial hardship by helping ensure that capable, compassionate young people are not lost to our profession simply because of circumstance. 

Through programs like our scholarships and Sponsor One Student initiative, we are not just funding education, we are investing in the future of healthcare. 
I remember one particular medical student who had received a scholarship, who later spoke about how that support came at a moment when they were genuinely unsure if they could continue… and how it didn’t just help them stay in medicine….it reminded them that they belonged in it!!
That stayed with me, because it captures something essential about this Foundation. 

What we do isn’t just financial; it’s human. It’s about belief, opportunity, and compassion.

We have stepped in where the system cannot always reach - by supporting vulnerable Queenslanders experiencing domestic and family violence, homelessness, and the challenges of rural and remote living. 

Funding outreach services, critical equipment, and improving access in isolated regions, the Foundation has consistently demonstrated what it means to be responsive, compassionate, and effective. 

What makes me most proud is not just the scale of what we have achieved, but the spirit in which it has been done. This is an organisation built on generosity: “Doctors doing good” -and that ethos has never been stronger.

What I’ve also come to appreciate is that none of this happens by accident. It happens because of people.

To my fellow Board Directors – both past and present, who generously give up so much of their time because you are committed to our Foundation - your wisdom, your governance, your integrity, and your commitment to doing things the right way have been the backbone of this Foundation. And I cannot forget our fabulous Secretariat. They are the quiet engine behind everything we do – turning ideas into action. 

And to our supporters and donors, your belief in this Foundation is what makes everything possible. You have trusted us to make a difference, and I believe we have honoured that trust. Thank you all.

The Foundation was started by AMA Queensland.  Therefore, at this Dinner for our Profession, I recognise the amazing efforts of the outgoing President, Dr Nick Yim, and Vice President, Dr Emilia Dauway  - you have epitomised the type of leadership and advocacy we require to keep governments accountable. Thank you both - amazing work! 

Congratulations also to Dr Erica Gannon and Dr Sarah Coll for fearlessly stepping up to  lead  AMA Queensland’s  next chapter. 

As I step down, I do so with enormous confidence in the future of the AMA Queensland Foundation.

We are strategically focused.
And most importantly, we are true to our purpose.
There will always be gaps in the system. 
There will always be people who need a helping hand. 

To the incoming Chair Dr Eleanor Chew OAM and Board, I wish you every success. You inherit an organisation with a proud history, a clear purpose, and tremendous goodwill. 

I have no doubt you will take it to even greater heights. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. It has been a rewarding aspect of my professional life.
This Foundation reminds us of the very best of our profession, not just what we do, but who we are. Thank you.