Page 3318 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
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A man of high standards and a caring professional manner, Dr McMahon was highly regarded by colleagues, students and patients. He did not promise miracles, but did offer hope for those who came into contact with him at a time in their lives when they were vulnerable, afraid and in need of critical care.
Dr McMahon’s association with Canberra Hospital began in 1997, after he had completed his fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Considering his next steps, he made what turned out to be a decisive phone call to his mentor, Professor Donald MacLellan. That conversation led to Dr McMahon and his family moving here, to a city they would soon regard as home.
Dr McMahon’s most recognised contribution to the community was his role in the establishment of the Shock Trauma Service and the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter service. As health minister, I have had the privilege of watching the Shock Trauma Service and the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter grow into world-class services.
Over time, Dr McMahon became a senior staff specialist in surgery, director of the Shock Trauma Service and co-director of the Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Unit at the Canberra Hospital. He was also, and always, a great advocate for public health.
Dr Mc Mahon played an instrumental role in developing the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ trauma verification program. When he established the Shock Trauma Service, he worked hard to ensure that every hole in the roster was filled so that this region would have uninterrupted access to time-critical surgical and intensive care services.
In addition to his work in the hospital, he served as director of the Clinical Skills Centre and senior lecturer in surgery at the Canberra clinical school, University of Sydney and ANU Medical School.
Dr McMahon received his own medical and surgical training in Melbourne, where he specialised in trauma surgery. After becoming trauma service coordinator at Preston and Northcote Community Hospital in 1993, Dr McMahon went on to work as trauma and surgical critical care fellow and attending trauma surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, from 1994 to 1997. That year he took up his position as a cojoint academic senior staff specialist at Canberra Hospital.
From 1997, when Canberra Hospital became an accredited training facility for registrars, Dr McMahon invested his time and expertise in training new doctors. Most recently, Dr McMahon was involved in the development of the ACT-southern New South Wales critical care telehealth project, which is due to commence in September. This project will further enhance our capacity to treat and manage critically ill patients, and is another one of Dr McMahon’s lasting legacies.
Dr McMahon was an unconventional and gregarious man whose larger-than-life presence, complete with his bow tie, was tempered and softened by his kindness and
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