Celebrating 20 years of service with the Chair of ASDMAC Dr. Susan White

Dr Susan White, an inaugural member of the very first Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) committee in Australia, last month celebrated 20 years on the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC).Dr White, who has been the committee chair for the past five years, has reviewed over 4,500 TUE applications and renewals. Recognised as a global expert and leader in the field of Anti-Doping Medicine, Dr White and her ASDMAC colleagues have developed processes that have been applied internationally and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).“ASMDAC was probably the first recognised TUE committee in the world,” she said.The process has evolved over the year and become much more formalised over time, she added.“An athlete, who is part of a sport that has a drug-testing program, should always check whatever medication they’re taking before they take it and check to see if is prohibited by WADA, if it is prohibited and there isn’t a reasonable an alternative, they need to apply for a TUE.”A TUE is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method (of administering a substance).In order to be granted a TUE, Dr White says an athlete needs to prove the following:· The prohibited substance or method is needed to treat a medical condition;· There will be no extra medical enhancement other than returning that athlete to normal health;· There is no permitted therapeutic alternative; and· The necessity for the use of the prohibited substance or method is not a consequence of the prior use of a prohibited substance or method prohibited.She says ASDMAC approves approximately 200-300 a year for conditions ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to arthritis.Dr White has worked on five Olympic Games and three Paralympic Games in a variety of roles ranging from Team Physician to Medical Director for the International Medical Commission, Australian Olympic Commission and Swimming Australia.“All of us (on the committee) still have an involvement in sport,” she says. “It’s very important that we have that understanding of what happens on the ground. It’s very good to see both sides of it, so you understand the process from beginning to end.”Our science team also answers a question from our audience - Is caffeine prohibited in sport? – and provide you a fast fact about the strict liability principle.

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Dr Susan White, an inaugural member of the very first Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) committee in Australia, last month celebrated 20 years on the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee (ASDMAC).   Dr White, who has been the committee chair for the past five years, has reviewed over 4,500 TUE applications and renewals. Recognised as a global expert and leader in the field of Anti-Doping Medicine, Dr White and her ASDMAC colleagues have developed processes that have been applied internationally and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).   “ASMDAC was probably the first recognised TUE committee in the world,” she said.   The process has evolved over the year and become much more formalised over time, she added.   “An athlete, who is part of a sport that has a drug-testing program, should always check whatever medication they’re taking before they take it and check to see if is prohibited by WADA, if it is prohibited and there isn’t a reasonable an alternative, they need to apply for a TUE.”   A TUE is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method (of administering a substance).   In order to be granted a TUE, Dr White says an athlete needs to prove the following: · The prohibited substance or method is needed to treat a medical condition; · There will be no extra medical enhancement other than returning that athlete to normal health; · There is no permitted therapeutic alternative; and · The necessity for the use of the prohibited substance or method is not a consequence of the prior use of a prohibited substance or method prohibited.   She says ASDMAC approves approximately 200-300 a year for conditions ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to arthritis.   Dr White has worked on five Olympic Games and three Paralympic Games in a variety of roles ranging from Team Physician to Medical Director for the International Medical Commission, Australian Olympic Commission and Swimming Australia.   “All of us (on the committee) still have an involvement in sport,” she says. “It’s very important that we have that understanding of what happens on the ground. It’s very good to see both sides of it, so you understand the process from beginning to end.”   Our science team also answers a question from our audience - Is caffeine prohibited in sport? – and provide you a fast fact about the strict liability principle.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.