Bill Griggs is one of the founding members of the Australasian Trauma Society and was president from 2001 to 2003.
28 Facts About Bill Griggs
1.
2.
Bill Griggs is the author of more than 75 publications and was described by Governor Hieu Van Le as "The face of trauma care and retrieval medicine in South Australia".
3.
Bill Griggs is currently a non-executive director of Super SA, Return to Work SA and Funds SA.
4.
Bill Griggs began his medical career in 1976 as a volunteer paramedic while studying as a medical student.
5.
Bill Griggs attended his hundredth fatal road crash prior to his graduation in 1981.
6.
Bill Griggs is considered a world authority on trauma and disaster medicine.
7.
In 1989, Bill Griggs invented a procedure known as the "Bill Griggs technique", which assists in aiding breathing issues by "performing a percutaneous tracheotomy and making an artificial airway for the critically ill and injured".
8.
Bill Griggs held the position of director of trauma services from 1995 as well as Senior consultant for intensive care, retrieval services and anaesthetics from 1989 until his retirement in 2018 at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
9.
Bill Griggs worked for the South Australian Ambulance Service from the early 1980s with his current role being a volunteer Rural and Remote Emergency Network medical responder.
10.
Bill Griggs has been a volunteer with St John Ambulance Australia since the mid-1970s.
11.
Bill Griggs became Commissioner of St John Ambulance Australia SA in 2021 and still attends major sporting and social events as a senior volunteer Doctor.
12.
From 2010, Bill Griggs was a non-executive director of the Motor Accident Commission of South Australia.
13.
Bill Griggs was appointed as the chair of MAC from 2015 and continued in this role until 2019.
14.
Bill Griggs attained the rank of group captain in the Royal Australian Air Force and was honoured by the United States with a Navy Unit Commendation.
15.
Bill Griggs was involved in the Gulf War during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm attached to the United States Navy hospital ship Comfort and the US Navy aircraft carrier Ranger.
16.
In 1994 Bill Griggs deployed to Bougainville as one of five members to provide surgical support as part of the South Pacific Peacekeeping Force during talks in Arawa.
17.
Bill Griggs returned twice in 1998 as part of a truce and peace monitoring group.
18.
Bill Griggs played an active role in the Australian medical response to the 2002 Bali bombings, helping to coordinate the evacuation of those injured in the attack through Darwin to the Major Trauma and Burns Units all around Australia.
19.
Bill Griggs was called upon by the Australian government to fulfil a similar role later during the 2005 Bali Bombings.
20.
Later in 2005 Bill Griggs was awarded a Chief of Defence Force Commendation for "Outstanding Service during Operation Sumatra Assist".
21.
Bill Griggs led the South Australian Australian Disaster Medical Assistance Team, which deployed to Samoa following the October 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami along with other Australian Aid staff, DFAT personnel and interstate medical professionals.
22.
Bill Griggs managed the evacuation of victims from the crash of the Garuda Airlines Flight GA200 in Yogyakarta in 2007.
23.
Bill Griggs retired from medicine in 2018, at which time he revealed he had suffered from Post-traumatic stress disorder.
24.
Bill Griggs attended Prince Alfred College where he was captain of the chess club and a member of the College's undefeated 1st XVIII AFL Team.
25.
Bill Griggs then obtained his MBBS from the University of Adelaide in 1981 and the FFARACS followed by the FANZCA in 1992, FFICANZCA in 1993.
26.
Bill Griggs obtained his postgraduate diploma in aviation medicine from the University of Otago in 2000.
27.
Bill Griggs was made a clinical associate professor at the University of Adelaide at the end of 2006.
28.
Bill Griggs has previously been a senior lecturer at Griffith University and the University of Otago.