Junior Doctor Advisory Committee

Our Junior Doctor Advisory Committee (JDAC) is a national committee made up of doctors in training who represent their peers from internship through pre-fellowship.

The JDAC is an important platform for doctors in training to share industry issues and challenges relevant to junior doctors. These insights provide better understanding and inform initiatives that respond to the unique needs of Members in the early stages of their careers.

If you are interested in learning more about the JDAC or want to get involved, contact your local Business Development representative.


Dr Hash Abdeen is a Rheumatology & General Medicine Advanced Trainee at the Gold Coast University Hospital and is the current Chair of the Federal AMA Council of Doctors in Training (CDT). He also holds roles as the Adult Medicine Co-Chair of the RACP Queensland Trainees’ Committee & Deputy Co-Chair of the Binational RACP College Trainees’ Committee (CTC). He was the Chair of the Australasian Junior Medical Officers’ Committee (AJMOC) and also the Chair of the Queensland State Junior Medical Officer Forum (JMOFQ) in 2017.

Hash is passionate about advocating for a positive training environment that ensures quality education and training whilst concurrently promoting the wellbeing of doctors in training and medical students. He appreciates the ever-growing need of the medical profession to take leadership in the Australian healthcare system: to actively represent ourselves as doctors in concert to passionately advocating for our patients.
Dr Tahnee Bridson is the Queensland Young Australian of the Year for 2022. Whilst she initially thought of pursuing a career in dance and music, she had a desire to improve the wellbeing and lives of others which led her down the path of medicine. Tahnee, a born and bred country girl from rural Queensland, is a psychiatry doctor and founder of Hand-n-Hand Peer Support Inc. Tahnee has advocated for the wellbeing needs of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic establishing a peer support network which provides free and confidential support to all healthcare workers across Australia and New Zealand. Being a born and bred country girl, Tahnee is also an advocate for access to better healthcare in rural Australia. She is also passionate about advancing the field of mental health through research and recently combined these two passions when offered a PhD position in Melbourne. Tahnee has also published a number of peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and received a number of accolades for her work.

Dr Carsten Broeze graduated from the University of Western Australia School of Medicine and Surgery with a Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours (BMedSci[Hons]) in 2008. He is in his 13th year of postgraduate medicine, currently working as a provisional Advanced Trainee in general paediatrics at Perth Children’s Hospital in the role of Adolescent Medicine Fellow. He has been a member of the paediatric division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) since 2016.

Prior to this, he completed 7 years of adult and paediatric emergency medicine training through the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM).

He has previously conducted, presented and published research in the field of pre-hospital and disaster medicine, as well as paediatric emergency medicine. His passions are general paediatric and paediatric allergy medicine, and he hopes to expand these services in the south west of Western Australia. He is also currently an associate member of and holds the wellbeing portfolio within the RACP WA Trainees Committee.


Dr Jaffly Chen is a junior doctor in NSW, currently working as both a management consultant and hospital locum. In addition to being a member of the MDA National Junior Doctor Advisory Committee, Jaffly serves as a Clinical Reference Lead for the Australian Digital Health Agency, and as part of the AMA Council of Doctors-in-Training Policy Advisory Committee. Previously, Jaffly served as an intern with the World Health Organisation and Australian Federal Parliament. Jaffly is passionate about ensuring junior doctors understand the importance of strong relationships with their medical defence organisation (MDO) providers, and in ensuring that MDOs are across the unique challenges faced by junior doctors.
Dr Rekha Ravutha Gounden holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and has been working in Adelaide for nearly 4 years. Rekha is currently President of the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) RMO Society and a representative on the SALHN Junior Medical Advisory Committee.

In early 2020 Rekha joined MDA National as a Member and has now joined the JDAC.
Dr Sikta Samantray is a junior doctor who recently graduated from the University of Queensland. She is passionate about advocating for health literacy and equitable global health care access.
Sikta has held numerous leadership and academic titles since her undergraduate degree and is excited to work with MDA National to tackle issues in medical indemnity.