Royal Far West (RFW) appoints Dr Marcel Zimmet as its new Chief Medical Officer (CMO), following the retirement of Dr Josey Anderson. 

Dr Zimmet, who has served as Senior Developmental Paediatrician at RFW since 2021, initially joined the organisation in 2015 to establish its paediatric Telehealth service.  

His work has involved implementing assessment and therapy services for a range of developmental, behavioural, and mental health conditions.  

Dr Zimmet has actively contributed to clinical governance, quality improvement, electronic health record optimisation, and research.  

In addition to his expertise in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and trauma-related conditions, Dr Zimmet is a Member of the National Advisory Group on FASD to the Commonwealth Department of Health.  

He was awarded a Professional Fulbright Scholarship in 2016 and has held positions within both public and private health systems, including the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network at Westmead FASD Service. 

“The role of CMO is critical in supporting the delivery of safe, high-quality evidence-based services. Over the last six years, the number of children presenting with trauma to our residential service in Manly has doubled and we are seeing a significant increase in the need for our psychology and psychiatry services,” said Royal Far West CEO Jacqueline Emery. 

Emery expressed her confidence in Dr Zimmet’s leadership, adding that over half of their occupational therapy services now address behaviour regulation issues.  

“Under Marcel’s direction, I’m confident that our clinicians will continue our exemplary work in making a difference to the lives of the country children we support.” 

Dr Zimmet shared his perspective on the appointment, saying he is honoured to move into this clinical leadership and advocacy role, to work across RFW to enhance clinical service delivery and innovation, as well as clinical research.  

“I am excited about opportunities to partner with local health providers and research institutions.” 

“We live in an exciting era of post-Covid digital health innovation, which we can harness to improve the quality and quantity of our Telehealth services, harmonised with our face-to-face and outreach care,” he added. 

With this appointment, Royal Far West is poised to continue its commitment to delivering quality healthcare services to children in rural and remote communities.