Quiet Time with the President

Imagine being told to set up medical facilities to foil an assassination attempt. It’s the early 1990s, you’re in South Africa, and the person you’ve been asked to save is Nelson Mandela.

This was a real-life scenario for ENT Surgeon Prof. Peter Friedland. He tells of this and other incredible stories in “Quiet Time with the President”, a memoir centred around Peter’s ensuing friendship with the great Madiba, and his experiences as a head and neck trauma surgeon in South Africa.

Peter is an internationally renowned clinician-researcher, who has recently stepped into the role of Chair in OHNS at the University of Western Australia (a position established with the support of the Passe & Williams Foundation). He is dedicated in his commitment to educating students, empowering them understand their competence, knowledge and even limitations as a doctor, in order to deliver care with compassion and respect. Peter’s ambitions for improving ENT health outcomes for the state include forging collaborations for public patients to access the latest in healthcare technologies, and addressing inequities within the system.

This memoir is a fascinating look into the stories – political, historical, otolaryngological – that helped shape Peter and his passion for social responsibility. Click the link below to read more or purchase the book.