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Associate Prof. as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. In 2011 I was promoted The other important lesson is that it takes time to build – respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and
to Air Commodore and appointed Director General Health
justice. These can be applied to almost all clinical situations,
a trusting relationship. This is why we went back to the
Rowan D. Story Reserves – Air Force for four years. same hospital each year. This approach has led to rich and but they are not mechanistic, they must be applied with
AM RFD (1976) is A little bit of the well-known ‘imposter syndrome’ doesn’t hurt longstanding friendships. Volunteer work like this is one of the understanding and nuance.
most humbling but rewarding things that I have ever had the
interviewed by JCH when you step up to a significant leadership position. It makes privilege to do. An example might help. The patient was a busy Australian
biomedicine student, you more alert to doing the job as well as you possibly can. A As an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, what lessons academic and author who was based at a prestigious American
university. He was visiting Melbourne briefly for a conference.
great piece of advice from an experienced officer colleague was:
Ethan Watson ‘Your job now is to look up and out - not down’. You can’t look or principles do you hope to instil in the next generation of He was referred for a possible infection related to a lower
(2023). up and out at the bigger picture if you are still trying to influence healthcare professionals? left mandibular third molar. After taking a history, and then

all levels below you. It is important to give clear directions to
clinical examination, it was clear that it was a more complicated
competent subordinates and then support them to the hilt to do It is a given that we must be technically very competent, but situation. I said to him that I would have to refer him urgently
their job. This requires trust up and down the organisation. we must be much more than just a good surgical technician. to a head and neck unit. He was disinclined to follow my advice.
The trust that patients place in us is the most powerful element His flight was in two days. He had a full teaching schedule in
of the doctor/patient relationship. The best clinical teachers in America and said he would see someone when he was back
my training were those who treated patients as individuals, not there. I had a strong sense that he might not do this. I persisted
How did your time at Janet Clarke Hall shape your personal and
professional journey? Are there specific memories or values from cases. Here is a three-word slogan I recommend – Compassion, and was able to persuade him, not without difficulty, to re-
your time there that have stayed with you throughout your career? Curiosity and Courage – compassion for all patients, curiosity book his flight and follow my referral to the head and neck
about their circumstances and courage to deal with both unit in Melbourne the next day. I made sure that he did. A
My JCH year was my final year of the Bachelor of Dental Science. success and failure. malignancy that I had suspected was confirmed and treatment
I remember my interview with then Principal, Dr Eva Eden. She was successful. I recount this tale not to show that I was clever
listened to my rather patchy history, both academically and in in any way, but to show how ethical principles can be applied in
colleges, (JCH would be my third) and she gave me a home. This was a particular situation.
a lesson both in advocating for myself and seeing how that was
received by a person who had high standards, but also a generosity Teaching clinical skills to ADF dentists Across a multifaceted career, what has been one of the most
of spirit. So, the value of actively listening to another person difficult challenges you’ve faced, and how did you work through it?
and trying hard to understand that person has stayed with me. Your work with the Vietnam Cleft Palate Surgical Team is truly A difficult challenge, when I was a Group Captain, was being
inspiring. Could you share some of the most impactful moments appointed as a Routine Inquiry Officer and tasked to investigate
Your career bridges two highly demanding professions – oral from this initiative, and what this work has taught you about
and maxillofacial surgery and law. What motivated you to resilience and global collaboration? an allegation of bullying of a junior ADF officer by a senior ADF
pursue such diverse fields, and how do you see these disciplines officer. I knew both parties. The inquiry took three months to
complementing each other in your work? My experience as an ADF Reservist helped enormously with conduct. The result of the inquiry was that the complaint was
leading a team doing volunteer surgery in Vietnam. Apart made out but there were significant, health related, mitigating
I became interested in the law after spending nine years on the from the COVID hiatus, this was annually from 1998 until Working with SES team factors. Separating out the personal relationship I had with the
Dental Board of Victoria. I had been in practice as an oral and 2023. The leadership style needed with a volunteer group two individuals, and following the process, whilst affording
maxillofacial surgeon for seven years when I was elected to the of surgeons and nurses is different from the ADF – but there Your contributions extend far beyond your immediate both individuals procedural fairness, was the key. It was
Board. Before the national scheme which is now in place, each are similarities. Helping the group to work together in an professional responsibilities. What motivates you to engage important for me to maintain my focus on what the process
jurisdiction in Australia had its own health regulatory boards. unfamiliar environment is important. The cultural differences in voluntary initiatives, and how do you see their impact on required. It was a difficult job, but satisfying in that there
An important part of the work of these boards was dealing between Vietnam and Australia must be understood and communities? were no significant adverse consequences for the individuals
with allegations of professional misconduct by practitioners. respected. Anatomy, physiology and biochemistry are the involved, and the problem was resolved.
These allegations were dealt with in hearings at the Dental same throughout the world. However, ways of working in the The question of what motivates a person to engage in voluntary
Board. They were conducted as tribunal hearings with the operating room, and interacting with staff and patients, take initiatives is quite hard to answer. It is a mix of thinking that What advice would you offer to current JCH students who aspire
Board and the practitioner each represented by counsel. If the time to understand. public service is a good thing, and that we, as human beings, to make meaningful contributions in their chosen fields,
allegations were found to be made out there could be serious are designed to ‘do stuff’. I retired from surgical practice in particularly those considering multidisciplinary careers like yours?
consequences for the practitioner, including deregistration. Our approach was to only do procedures in Vietnam that we did early 2022 and moved to the Bellarine Peninsula. I am now an
I had not had any training in this activity, but I found the in our own hospital, in Melbourne. This sometimes necessitated operational member of the Bellarine Unit of the Victorian SES. We might start on one path, but it may not be the path we end
legal processes absorbingly interesting and important in the very difficult decisions as to who we could and could not help. The members volunteer their time to be trained in the requisite on. Be open to new experiences and opportunities. Never stop
maintenance of standards and protection of the public. The big lesson from working in another country is the value of skills and then to turn out for a range of emergency events. learning. Read away from your primary study pathway. Take
humility. We don’t always have all the answers. We were never As first responders we work with Victoria Police, Ambulance time to reflect on where you have been and where you imagine
I decided to study law formally and was then admitted to the prescriptive, we would say ‘This is how we do the operation, Victoria and the Fire Services. The camaraderie and mutual you will be next year, in five years, in ten years. When you can,
Supreme Court of Victoria. I didn’t practise law, apart from a how do you do it?’ support in the unit is great. push at the envelope of your comfort zone. Stay curious.
brief time as a volunteer at the Fitzroy Legal Service, but I have
taught law and ethics to healthcare students. The ability to see I have also been elected as a Councillor in the City of Greater As you reflect on your journey, what do you consider your most
issues from a healthcare perspective as a surgeon, and from a Geelong. After being an interested voter, and observer of meaningful accomplishment, and what goals or dreams do you
legal perspective, is very valuable. In particular, studying law politics, for my entire adult life, it is a bracing challenge being still hope to pursue?
teaches precision in thinking and the use of language. on the field instead of watching from the stands. Volunteering,
in its many forms, really is the glue that can help hold If I do what I have recommended that you do, I should
As Clinical Director and a former Director General of Health communities together. pause and reflect on my journey so far. My most meaningful
Reserves for the Air Force, leadership has clearly been a accomplishment? Being part of a loving family. I know it
cornerstone of your career. What are the key principles In roles where ethical decision-making is crucial, how have you sounds trite but the older I get the more I realise that the most
that have guided you in leading teams across such varied approached complex challenges, and what advice would you important part of life is our fellow human beings – family,
environments? offer to those navigating similar situations? friends who become like family, work colleagues, patients. A
goal I hope to pursue is to improve how I relate to others and,
I joined the Army Reserve as an undergraduate, spent seven Ethical decision making in clinical situations requires the perhaps, reach the Greek ideal of Eudaimonia – living a life of
years in the Army Reserve including one year on attachment to clinician to have an internal moral compass and a coherent and purpose, meaning and profound happiness.
Bjork performing dressed as DNA
the British Army, then transferred to the RAAF Specialist Reserve Rowan Story with Vietnamese surgeons in Ho Chi Minh City workable ethical toolkit. One such is principle-based ethics
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