Speakers
Master of Ceremonies
Mary Freer
Executive Producer, Compassion Revolution
Mary Freer
Executive Producer, Compassion Revolution
Mary has held leadership positions with national government and not for profit health care and social welfare services, including women’s and community health services, healthdirect Australia, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in South Australia, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Health Workforce Australia and now leading Freerthinking.
Keynote Speakers
Professor Sir Michael G. Marmot MBBS, MPH, PhD, FRCP, FFPHM, FMedSci, FBA
Director of the Institute of Health Equity
UCL Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, UK
Professor Sir Michael G. Marmot MBBS, MPH, PhD, FRCP, FFPHM, FMedSci, FBA
Director of the Institute of Health Equity
UCL Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, UK
He is a Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Chinese University of Hong Kong, and held the Harvard Lown Professorship for 2014-2017. He was awarded the Prince Mahidol Award for Public Health 2015. He has accepted honorary doctorates from 18 universities. Marmot has led research groups on health inequalities for nearly 50 years. He chaired the Commission on Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas, set up in 2015 by the World Health Organization’s Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO). He was Chair of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), which was set up by the World Health Organization in 2005, and produced the report entitled: ‘Closing the Gap in a Generation’ in August 2008. At the request of the British Government, he conducted the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post 2010, which published its report 'Fair Society, Healthy Lives' in February 2010. This was followed by the European Review of Social Determinants of Health and the Health Divide, for WHO EURO in 2014, and in 2020 Health Equity in England: Marmot Review 10 Years On. Professor Marmot chaired the Expert Panel for the WCRF/AICR 2007 Second Expert Report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. He chaired the Breast Screening Review for the NHS National Cancer Action Team and was a member of The Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health. He set up and led a number of longitudinal cohort studies on the social gradient in health in the UCL Department of Epidemiology & Public Health (where he was head of department for 25 years): the Whitehall II Studies of British Civil Servants, investigating explanations for the striking inverse social gradient in morbidity and mortality; the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and several international research efforts on the social determinants of health.
He served as President of the British Medical Association (BMA) in 2010-2011, and as President of the World Medical Association in 2015. He is President of the British Lung Foundation. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology; a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences; an Honorary Fellow of the British Academy, and an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution for six years and in 2000 he was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen, for services to epidemiology and the understanding of health inequalities. Professor Marmot is a Member of the National Academy of Medicine.
http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/
@MichaelMarmot
Dr Lai Heng Foong
Emergency Staff Specialist, Bankstown Hospital
Chair, NSW ED CoP COVID-19 response VMO Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,
Sexual Assault (Forensic) and Emergency, Gosford Hospital
Chair of ACEM Public Health and Disaster Committee
Conjoint Lecturer, University of NSW, University of Western Sydney
Senior Clinical Research Fellow, South Western Emergency Research Institute
Dr Lai Heng Foong
Emergency Staff Specialist, Bankstown Hospital
Chair, NSW ED CoP COVID-19 response VMO Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,
Sexual Assault (Forensic) and Emergency, Gosford Hospital
Chair of ACEM Public Health and Disaster Committee
Conjoint Lecturer, University of NSW, University of Western Sydney
Senior Clinical Research Fellow, South Western Emergency Research Institute
Dr Foong is an Emergency Physician based in Sydney who has a passion for Public Health and Disaster preparedness, Indigenous Health and the social determinants of health. Before she studied medicine, she completed a Bachelor degree majoring in Philosophy. She has a special interest in medical ethics, especially in medical decision making and health equity. She has recently been appointed the Chair of the NSW ED Community of Practice (CoP) in Covid-19 Response. She is currently the Chair of the Public Health and Disaster Committee of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM), and a member of the Indigenous Health Committee.
Dr Mark Little
Emergency Physician
Emergency Department, Cairns Base Hospital
Dr Mark Little
Emergency Physician
Emergency Department, Cairns Base Hospital
Mark is an emergency physician and clinical toxicologist based in Cairns, with post graduate qualifications in public health, tropical medicine and humanitarian assistance. He is delighted to welcome everyone to this special part of Australia.
Mark was one of the first clinical toxicologists to be trained in Australia and helped establish the WA Toxicology Service. He has a consultant position with the NSW Poisons Information Service. His interest in toxinology, especially marine, means he loves the humid summers of the north, as the jellyfish also do.
Mark is the co-editor of two Australian textbooks, Adult Emergency Medicine and Toxicology Handbook. He has performed a number of reviews into areas such as emergency departments, retrieval systems, and adverse medical events. He has been an expert witness for a number of coronial inquiries including the inquiry into the death of the asylum seeker Hamid Khazaei.
Mark is a Colonel in the Australian Army reserve and has deployed twice overseas.
As one of the leaders of AUSMAT, Mark has deployed seven times with them. In the last 12 months he led AUSMAT teams to Samoa (measles) and PNG (COVID 19). He is the course coordinator of an international humanitarian course run by Fordham University (USA). Mark has been involved in responding to a number of major incidents in Australia, the largest being the evacuation of 356 patients and staff from Cairns Hospital to Brisbane 1700 km away due to Cyclone Yasi.
In this time of incredible change and challenge, Mark looks forward to “shattering illusions” with you.
Invited Speakers
Elder of the Gimuy Walubara Clan of the Yidinji People
Henrietta Marrie AM (Masters in Environmental and Local Government Law; Dip. T; Grad. Dip. of Arts [Indigenous Studies]) is an Elder of the Gimuy Walubara clan of the Yidinji people and Traditional Owner of the land on which the City of Cairns and southern suburbs are now located. Henrietta has wide experience in Indigenous cultural and natural resource management and impact assessment, intellectual and cultural property law, heritage legislation and philanthropy.
As an academic she has had published over 50 papers in books and journals. She served for 6 years with the UN Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, before becoming the Program Officer/Manager for North Australia with The Christensen Fund, a California-based private philanthropic fund, a position in which she served for nine years. She was also a Visiting Fellow with the United Nations University – Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (based in Tokyo, and which serves as a research institution and “think tank” for various UN agencies) working on the Institute’s Traditional Knowledge Initiative. Henrietta served as Associate Professor (Indigenous Engagement) and director of the First Peoples Think Tank with Central Queensland University, working from the Cairns campus from 2015 to June 2020. She is a Co-Patron of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, a position she shares with the Governor of Queensland.
Henrietta is listed among the Westpac and Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence for 2014 for her work in public policy. On January 26th 2018 Henrietta was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division, and on June 8th she was recognised as a Queensland Great. Subject of a stunning mural portrait by Claire Foxton on the southern wall of the Cairns Corporate Tower, Lake Street, Henrietta’s life and accomplishments have also been dramatised in the play Bukal produced by the JUTE Theatre Company in association with CQUniversity, and which premiered on 10th July 2018. In November 2020 Henrietta was appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and is an expert adviser to the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation.
Emergency Physician, Cairns Hospital
Robert Bonnin is an Emergency Physician at the Cairns Hospital originally from Adelaide. 20 years ago he moved to barmy far north of Queensland with his wife and three daughters and has never looked back.
Robert has always had a strong interest in all things cardiological and 4 years ago he embarked on an educational EMET odyssey to teach rural practitioners how to diagnosis the subtle spectrum of acute coronary syndrome on ECG. Robert is driven to find simple patterns in complexity to allow him to effectively pass knowledge to others.
President, ACEM
Dr John Bonning has been a specialist emergency physician for more than 15 years, and a doctor for 30 years. He was Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Waikato Hospital in Aotearoa New Zealand until 2017 and Chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Faculty of ACEM until 2018. In 2018, Dr Bonning was elected as the first Aotearoa New Zealand President-Elect of ACEM. He is also Chair of the New Zealand Council of Medical Colleges.
Having worked extensively in different EDs throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the UK, he has a firsthand knowledge of different models of care in a variety of settings, from the smallest rural to the largest tertiary hospital. His passions in Emergency Medicine include equity and sustainability, both organisational and personal.
John has various other roles as an Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) and Advanced and Complex Medical Emergencies (ACME) Instructor, a Police Medical Officer and an expert advisor to the Police, Coroner, Courts and the Health and Disability Commissioner.
Clinical Dean, Cairns Hospital
Consultant Physician, Clinical Immunologist and Allergist
Dr Peter Bourke is a consultant physician, clinical immunologist and allergist. He is also Clinical Dean for Cairns Hospital. He was a schoolteacher for one year and then after completing his PhD in molecular immunology he worked as a research scientist, before studying medicine.
Dr Bourke trained in big city hospitals but has worked in regional Australia for all of his specialist medical career often combining inpatient General Medicine with his specialty service. He worked in the Northern Territory for many years before moving to Cairns Hospital 5 years ago. Dr Bourke’s interests beyond his specialist area include Clinical and Ethical Reasoning, leadership in medicine and models of clinical care best suited to remote/regional Australia.
Buluwai Cultural Custodian
Willie Brim is Traditional Owner, Cultural Custodian, Bush Doctor and Songman of the Buluwai people of Kuranda in Far North Queensland.
Willie is passionate about health, wellbeing and prosperity for the next generations, advocating strongly for cultural education and continuity of caring for country.
Willie is now concentrating efforts to create permanent roles on country for Aboriginal people in landcare, education and tourism. As cultural custodian, Willie understands that Nature has always been managed by Aboriginal people, in accordance with traditional lores and customs, and that continuing this tradition will benefit all Australians into the future.
Public Health Doctor
Sustainability Lead, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
Kate Charlesworth is a public health physician in Sydney. After working as a hospital doctor in Perth and Sydney, Kate completed much of her advanced training in the UK, including at the NHS Sustainable Development Unit in Cambridge. The SDU is a world-leading unit tasked with reducing the carbon footprint of England’s NHS. Since returning to Australia, Kate has completed a PhD in low-carbon healthcare, and now works in the NSW public health system as a medical specialist in environmentally sustainable healthcare – the first such role in Australia. She joined the Climate Council in 2020 as a health expert, keen to convey that climate change is not just an economic and environmental issue, but a first-order health issue.
Professor Louise Cullen
Pre-Eminent Staff Specialist, Department of Emergency Medicine
Prof, Queensland University of Technology
Prof, University of Queensland
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Professor Louise Cullen
Pre-Eminent Staff Specialist, Department of Emergency Medicine
Prof, Queensland University of Technology
Prof, University of Queensland
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Louise Cullen is a Pre-Eminent Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine, a clinical trialist and outcomes researcher in acute diseases. She is enthusiastically involved in the translation of research by clinical redesign and innovation.
As an accomplished acute disease researcher, Prof Cullen has focused on the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with possible Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) in the Emergency Department (ED). She has been engaged in many international collaborations and has authored over 160 publications in peer-reviewed journals including The Lancet, focussed on strategies to improve efficiency, whilst maintaining safety for patients with possible ACS, syncope, heart failure, shortness of breath and atrial fibrillation.
Professor Cullen’s mantra is that “you do not do research for research sake” and as such, clinical redesign and translational research is a key part of her endeavours. She is currently the Professional Lead of the Promoting Value-based care in EDs (PROV-ED) project, supporting widespread implementation of established clinical redesign initiatives in Emergency Departments (EDs) across Queensland Health (QH).
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Brisbane, Queensland 4029, AUSTRALIA.
Tel: (+ 61 7) 3636 7901 Fax: (+ 61 7) 3636 1643
Email: louise.cullen@health.qld.gov.au
Twitter: @louiseacullen
Qualifications: MBBS (Hon) FACEM PhD
Dr Paul Cullen
Emergency Physician
Cairns & Hinterland HHS
Dr Paul Cullen is an Emergency Physician who has lived and worked in Far North Queensland since 1997. While having maintained public hospital clinical practice since that time, Paul extended into the research and broader medical leadership arenas having chaired the FNQ Human Research Ethics Committee and led Research Ethics and Governance for the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, as part of his role as Deputy Executive Director of Medical Services for the HHS from 2010 to 2016. Prior to that Paul was Director of Clinical Redesign at the HHS from 2007 to 2010. As someone who trained in a metropolitan setting Paul values his transition to a regional, rural and remote environment more than any other part of his professional development, and feels passionately about the themes this Conference explores.
Dr Marlow Coates
Northern Director of Medical Services
Torres and Cape HHS
Marlow is a Rural Generalist working and living on Thursday Island for 6 years. He has completed a FACRRM, FRACGP, JCCA and AFRACMA, and is currently a FRACMA Registrar. The Torres Strait is a remote archipelago with a rich cultural heritage and a heavy chronic disease burden requiring clinicians with a mix of primary care, emergency, inpatient, surgical, anaesthetic, aeromedical retrieval and administrative skills. He is passionate about implementing practical solutions to enable high level care on country and reduce barriers to accessing health services.
Dr Marlow Coates
Northern Director of Medical Services
Torres and Cape HHS
Marlow is a Rural Generalist working and living on Thursday Island for 6 years. He has completed a FACRRM, FRACGP, JCCA and AFRACMA, and is currently a FRACMA Registrar. The Torres Strait is a remote archipelago with a rich cultural heritage and a heavy chronic disease burden requiring clinicians with a mix of primary care, emergency, inpatient, surgical, anaesthetic, aeromedical retrieval and administrative skills. He is passionate about implementing practical solutions to enable high level care on country and reduce barriers to accessing health services.
Lynette Dewis
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Liaison Officer in the Emergency Department
Queensland Health, Cairns & Hinterland Hospital & Health Service
Lynette Dewis is of Torres Strait Islander descent, family ties to Boigu Island, Saibai Island on her father's side and Thursday Island on her mothers side. Lynette was born and raised on the mainland, but her parents have passed on their values and the culture. Lynette has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.
At present Lynette works in the Emergency Department of the Cairns Hospital. Prior to working there Lynette worked 10 years with the Homeless in Cairns. Lynette has qualifications as a Healthworker, a degree in Nutrition and she did nursing in the 80's.
Lynette is very passionate about educating the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community on their health and hopefully making a difference for them.
Lynette Dewis
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Liaison Officer in the Emergency Department
Queensland Health, Cairns & Hinterland Hospital & Health Service
Lynette Dewis is of Torres Strait Islander descent, family ties to Boigu Island, Saibai Island on her father's side and Thursday Island on her mothers side. Lynette was born and raised on the mainland, but her parents have passed on their values and the culture. Lynette has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.
At present Lynette works in the Emergency Department of the Cairns Hospital. Prior to working there Lynette worked 10 years with the Homeless in Cairns. Lynette has qualifications as a Healthworker, a degree in Nutrition and she did nursing in the 80's.
Lynette is very passionate about educating the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community on their health and hopefully making a difference for them.
Tileah Drahm-Butler
Emergency Department Social Worker & Narrative Practice Educator
Tileah Drahm-Butler is an Aboriginal woman of the Darumbal/Kulilli and Yidinji nations of Queensland, Australia and lives and works at Gimuy (Cairns), North Queensland. Tileah is a Social Worker with a Masters degree in Narrative Therapy and Community Work. Tileah works in the Emergency Department of a busy regional hospital as a Social Worker and is on the Dulwich Centre International Teaching Faculty where she leads the teaching of Narrative Therapy and Community Work through an Aboriginal lens in Australia and internationally. Tileah has also been appointed as a Dulwich Centre Co-Chair of Feminisms, Intersectionality and Narrative Practice.
Tileah Drahm-Butler
Emergency Department Social Worker & Narrative Practice Educator
Tileah Drahm-Butler is an Aboriginal woman of the Darumbal/Kulilli and Yidinji nations of Queensland, Australia and lives and works at Gimuy (Cairns), North Queensland. Tileah is a Social Worker with a Masters degree in Narrative Therapy and Community Work. Tileah works in the Emergency Department of a busy regional hospital as a Social Worker and is on the Dulwich Centre International Teaching Faculty where she leads the teaching of Narrative Therapy and Community Work through an Aboriginal lens in Australia and internationally. Tileah has also been appointed as a Dulwich Centre Co-Chair of Feminisms, Intersectionality and Narrative Practice.
Dr Jillann Farmer
Medical Director of the United Nations, 2012 to
2020
Dr Jillann Farmer commenced as the Deputy Director-General of Clinical Excellence Queensland in June 2020.
Returning to Queensland Health after employment as the Director of the Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health of the United Nations, based at the headquarters in New York for 8 years. During tenure in this role, she is responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of all UN personnel deployed throughout the world and is also responsible for the standards in healthcare facilities operating under UN the UN flag.
This includes over 400 healthcare services, ranging from primary care clinics, military forward medical services, to Level 3 hospitals. She is also the Chair of the UN interagency network of Medical Directors, the peak body for Occupational Health in the UN system.
Prior to this, she was the Medical Director of the Patient Safety Centre in Queensland Health, and the inaugural Director of the Clinician Performance Support Service.
Jillann worked for the Medical Board of Queensland, building the Health Assessment and Monitoring Program for management of registrants with illnesses that impact on their ability to practice. She has been a Director of Medical Services at a mid-size acute Hospital, and a Senior Medical Officer Emergency Medicine. She holds fellowships of both the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators.
During 2014, she led the UN’s internal response to Ebola, allowing the safe deployment of UN personnel into the Ebola Outbreak area, and ensuring delivery of healthcare services to them throughout the crisis. She has had extensive experience dealing with other disease outbreaks including Zika, cholera, yellow fever and lassa fever. During her tenure as UN Medical Director, she developed and launched the UN system workplace mental health strategy, developed the UN Safety and Quality Standards and implemented reforms of the UN Trauma care system. Her current area of priority focus is now on Covid-19.
Outside of work, Jillann has been a martial arts practitioner for over 30 years, and is a keen hiker, kayaker, cyclist and cross-country skier.
Dr Jillann Farmer
Medical Director of the United Nations, 2012 to
2020
Dr Jillann Farmer commenced as the Deputy Director-General of Clinical Excellence Queensland in June 2020.
Returning to Queensland Health after employment as the Director of the Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health of the United Nations, based at the headquarters in New York for 8 years. During tenure in this role, she is responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of all UN personnel deployed throughout the world and is also responsible for the standards in healthcare facilities operating under UN the UN flag.
This includes over 400 healthcare services, ranging from primary care clinics, military forward medical services, to Level 3 hospitals. She is also the Chair of the UN interagency network of Medical Directors, the peak body for Occupational Health in the UN system.
Prior to this, she was the Medical Director of the Patient Safety Centre in Queensland Health, and the inaugural Director of the Clinician Performance Support Service.
Jillann worked for the Medical Board of Queensland, building the Health Assessment and Monitoring Program for management of registrants with illnesses that impact on their ability to practice. She has been a Director of Medical Services at a mid-size acute Hospital, and a Senior Medical Officer Emergency Medicine. She holds fellowships of both the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators.
During 2014, she led the UN’s internal response to Ebola, allowing the safe deployment of UN personnel into the Ebola Outbreak area, and ensuring delivery of healthcare services to them throughout the crisis. She has had extensive experience dealing with other disease outbreaks including Zika, cholera, yellow fever and lassa fever. During her tenure as UN Medical Director, she developed and launched the UN system workplace mental health strategy, developed the UN Safety and Quality Standards and implemented reforms of the UN Trauma care system. Her current area of priority focus is now on Covid-19.
Outside of work, Jillann has been a martial arts practitioner for over 30 years, and is a keen hiker, kayaker, cyclist and cross-country skier.
Dr John Floridis
GP-Anaesthetist | Rural Generalist
Anaesthesia Clinical Lead | Clinical Education Co-ordinator
Gove District Hospital
Advanced Emergency Medicine Trainee
Australasian College of Emergency Medicine
John is a GP Anaesthetist, and Rural Generalist working in East Arnhem Land Northern Territory. He is also an Advanced Emergency Medicine Trainee, having completed all his training thus far in the Royal Darwin Hospital and surrounding Top End Health Services. He is currently the Anaesthesia Clinical lead for Gove District Hospital. He has a passion for providing high quality primary, preventative and critical care in limited resource settings. His clinical duties are complimented with an ongoing interest in clinical education, and multi-disciplinary learning.
Dr John Floridis
GP-Anaesthetist | Rural Generalist
Anaesthesia Clinical Lead | Clinical Education Co-ordinator
Gove District Hospital
Advanced Emergency Medicine Trainee
Australasian College of Emergency Medicine
John is a GP Anaesthetist, and Rural Generalist working in East Arnhem Land Northern Territory. He is also an Advanced Emergency Medicine Trainee, having completed all his training thus far in the Royal Darwin Hospital and surrounding Top End Health Services. He is currently the Anaesthesia Clinical lead for Gove District Hospital. He has a passion for providing high quality primary, preventative and critical care in limited resource settings. His clinical duties are complimented with an ongoing interest in clinical education, and multi-disciplinary learning.
Dr Jennie Hutton
Emergency Physician, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
Dr Jennie Hutton is an Emergency Physician who has worked at St Vincent’s hospital Melbourne for twenty years. During that time she has developed her interest in Social Emergency Medicine, and published numerous papers across the field.
Dr Jennie Hutton
Emergency Physician, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
Dr Jennie Hutton is an Emergency Physician who has worked at St Vincent’s hospital Melbourne for twenty years. During that time she has developed her interest in Social Emergency Medicine, and published numerous papers across the field.
Dr Gerben Keijzers
Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician, Gold Coast Health Service District
Professor of Emergency Medicine, Bond University and Griffith University (Adjunct)
Dr Gerben Keijzers an emergency physician at the Gold Coast Health Service District (Gold Coast University Hospital & Robina Emergency Departments). Gerben completed his medical training and Master's degree in Epidemiology in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. After moving to Australia in 2002 he completed his Fellowship in Emergency Medicine in 2008 and a PhD in quality of trauma care in 2014.
Gerben’s research focus is on encouraging collaborative clinical research and he is the principle or site investigator for several national and international studies. Both appropriateness of interventions as well as challenging the way we make decision are his interests. Specifically, Gerben likes to be part of work that challenges dogma and where less is more.
Besides being passionate about research and clinical reasoning, Gerben enjoys hanging out with his two border collies and stays fit by doing Brazilian jiu jitsu and obstacle course racing.
Dr Gerben Keijzers
Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician, Gold Coast Health Service District
Professor of Emergency Medicine, Bond University and Griffith University (Adjunct)
Dr Gerben Keijzers an emergency physician at the Gold Coast Health Service District (Gold Coast University Hospital & Robina Emergency Departments). Gerben completed his medical training and Master's degree in Epidemiology in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. After moving to Australia in 2002 he completed his Fellowship in Emergency Medicine in 2008 and a PhD in quality of trauma care in 2014.
Gerben’s research focus is on encouraging collaborative clinical research and he is the principle or site investigator for several national and international studies. Both appropriateness of interventions as well as challenging the way we make decision are his interests. Specifically, Gerben likes to be part of work that challenges dogma and where less is more.
Besides being passionate about research and clinical reasoning, Gerben enjoys hanging out with his two border collies and stays fit by doing Brazilian jiu jitsu and obstacle course racing.
Dr Nicole Liesis
Freelance Emergency Physician and CoMP: Coach for Medical Professionals
Nicole is a FACEM working in regional Western Australia and a certified Strengths coach. As chair of the ACEM Mentoring Reference Group she has driven the development of quality mentoring in Emergency Medicine to ensure a workplace culture of support and encouragement. She has presented, facilitated, coached and authored in her journey to enhance the communication skills and cross-cultural capabilities of health professionals. Nicole believes clinical skills are second place to skilled communication in the practice of Medicine. Her vision is to embrace the strengths of many cultural perspectives to improve healthcare delivery.
Dr Nicole Liesis
Freelance Emergency Physician and CoMP: Coach for Medical Professionals
Nicole is a FACEM working in regional Western Australia and a certified Strengths coach. As chair of the ACEM Mentoring Reference Group she has driven the development of quality mentoring in Emergency Medicine to ensure a workplace culture of support and encouragement. She has presented, facilitated, coached and authored in her journey to enhance the communication skills and cross-cultural capabilities of health professionals. Nicole believes clinical skills are second place to skilled communication in the practice of Medicine. Her vision is to embrace the strengths of many cultural perspectives to improve healthcare delivery.
Dr Marlene Longbottom
Aboriginal Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Ngarruwan Ngadju First Peoples Health & Wellbeing Research Centre, Australian Health Services Research Institute, University of Wollongong
Dr Marlene Longbottom is a Yuin woman, from Roseby Park mission (Jerrinja). Dr Longbottom has extensive experience in the health and human services sector, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in urban, regional and remote settings. Her PhD looked at understanding Aboriginal women’s experience of interpersonal violence and the support mechanisms available to them. Her current focus is on trauma informed responses and how issues of social justice can be better managed within systems. She adopts an interdisciplinary approach to research, allowing her to draw from many sources, including history, anthropology, sociology, Critical Race Theory, Black Feminism Intersectionality, and Indigenous Research Methodologies. Dr Longbottom’s focus is to ensure those often considered to be on the margins are centered, so their stories and voices can be told and heard through the research she conducts.
Dr Marlene Longbottom
Aboriginal Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Ngarruwan Ngadju First Peoples Health & Wellbeing Research Centre, Australian Health Services Research Institute, University of Wollongong
Dr Marlene Longbottom is a Yuin woman, from Roseby Park mission (Jerrinja). Dr Longbottom has extensive experience in the health and human services sector, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in urban, regional and remote settings. Her PhD looked at understanding Aboriginal women’s experience of interpersonal violence and the support mechanisms available to them. Her current focus is on trauma informed responses and how issues of social justice can be better managed within systems. She adopts an interdisciplinary approach to research, allowing her to draw from many sources, including history, anthropology, sociology, Critical Race Theory, Black Feminism Intersectionality, and Indigenous Research Methodologies. Dr Longbottom’s focus is to ensure those often considered to be on the margins are centered, so their stories and voices can be told and heard through the research she conducts.
Dr Rob Mitchell
Emergency Physician
Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre
Rob Mitchell (@robdmitchell) is an emergency and retrieval physician based at the Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre in Melbourne. He has a strong interest in global emergency care, having previously completed Australian Volunteers for International Development assignments in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands. Rob is undertaking a PhD focused on emergency care systems in resource-limited environments, and is currently leading triage development projects in PNG and Vanuatu funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Foundation. He is an active member of ACEM’s Global Emergency Care Committee.
Dr Rob Mitchell
Emergency Physician
Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre
Rob Mitchell (@robdmitchell) is an emergency and retrieval physician based at the Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre in Melbourne. He has a strong interest in global emergency care, having previously completed Australian Volunteers for International Development assignments in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands. Rob is undertaking a PhD focused on emergency care systems in resource-limited environments, and is currently leading triage development projects in PNG and Vanuatu funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Foundation. He is an active member of ACEM’s Global Emergency Care Committee.
Dr Anna Mulvaney
Intensivist
Middlemore Hospital
Dr Anna Mulvaney is a dual trained FACEM and FCICM and works as an Intensivist at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Middlemore is the home of the National Burns Unit, taking patients from all over the country. Her team has worked hard over the recent years to develop a culture of team resilience to enhance the ability of staff to adapt to changing situations and this was truly tested with the Whakaari explosion rapidly followed by the COVID pandemic.
Dr Anna Mulvaney
Intensivist
Middlemore Hospital
Dr Anna Mulvaney is a dual trained FACEM and FCICM and works as an Intensivist at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Middlemore is the home of the National Burns Unit, taking patients from all over the country. Her team has worked hard over the recent years to develop a culture of team resilience to enhance the ability of staff to adapt to changing situations and this was truly tested with the Whakaari explosion rapidly followed by the COVID pandemic.
Dr Matt Nettle
Senior Medical Officer
Mackay Base Hospital and Health Service Emergency Department, Queensland Health
Matt has worked throughout regional and urban Queensland and has been involved in ACCRM teaching workshops for over 10 years. His passion for the health equality and healthcare excellence delivery for regional centres has seen him take on a permanent post and lifestyle in beautiful Mackay. His journey has been circuitous, but flavoured and diverse in a way he hopes to see many new properly supported ACEM and ACCRM trainees learn their craft and build their connection with community in regional Emergency Medicine. Twitter handle: @mattnettle.
Dr Matt Nettle
Senior Medical Officer
Mackay Base Hospital and Health Service Emergency Department, Queensland Health
Matt has worked throughout regional and urban Queensland and has been involved in ACCRM teaching workshops for over 10 years. His passion for the health equality and healthcare excellence delivery for regional centres has seen him take on a permanent post and lifestyle in beautiful Mackay. His journey has been circuitous, but flavoured and diverse in a way he hopes to see many new properly supported ACEM and ACCRM trainees learn their craft and build their connection with community in regional Emergency Medicine. Twitter handle: @mattnettle.
Lydia O’Meara
PhD Candidate, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK
Nutrition Scientist Consultant, WorldFish CGIAR
Originally from a sheep station in outback Australia, Lydia O’Meara is an international nutritionist. She researches food systems for healthy, sustainable diets in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on maternal and child nutrition. Previously, Lydia was a project officer for the Emergency Medicine Education and Training (EMET) hub in Far North Queensland, Australia for 7-years. She has since worked in Fiji, India, Malawi, and Zambia with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, WorldFish, and the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition. She is a PhD candidate with the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK.
Lydia O’Meara
PhD Candidate, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK
Nutrition Scientist Consultant, WorldFish CGIAR
Originally from a sheep station in outback Australia, Lydia O’Meara is an international nutritionist. She researches food systems for healthy, sustainable diets in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on maternal and child nutrition. Previously, Lydia was a project officer for the Emergency Medicine Education and Training (EMET) hub in Far North Queensland, Australia for 7-years. She has since worked in Fiji, India, Malawi, and Zambia with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, WorldFish, and the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition. She is a PhD candidate with the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK.
Dr Louis Peachey
Senior Medical Officer
Atherton District Memorial Hospital, Queensland
Dr Louis Peachey is a Girrimay man from the Djirribaligan language group (Rainforest People) of North Queensland. He is a Senior Medical Officer at the Atherton District Hospital where he works as a Rural Generalist Anaesthetist, and runs a regular clinic at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre.
Dr Peachey was the founding President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, and is a former Board member of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
Dr Peachey is currently a member of the Strategic Leadership Council, for James Cook University Generalist Medical Training.
Dr Louis Peachey
Senior Medical Officer
Atherton District Memorial Hospital, Queensland
Dr Louis Peachey is a Girrimay man from the Djirribaligan language group (Rainforest People) of North Queensland. He is a Senior Medical Officer at the Atherton District Hospital where he works as a Rural Generalist Anaesthetist, and runs a regular clinic at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre.
Dr Peachey was the founding President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, and is a former Board member of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
Dr Peachey is currently a member of the Strategic Leadership Council, for James Cook University Generalist Medical Training.
Claire Letitia Reynolds
Photographer - "Changing Perceptions on Homelessness"
Studying Photography and Media in Canberra, ACT, led Claire to London, to work alongside top advertising and fashion photographers for titles such as The New Yorker and Vogue Italia.
This enabled her to hone intricate and detailed lighting and people skills. After working commercially in Sydney for 15 years, Claire now lives on the Sunshine Coast working both commercially and on her own fine art practice,
Until recently represented by Fine Art gallery 555 in Boston, MA, USA, Claire is renowned for engaging her subjects to capture intimate and candid moments.
Claire Letitia Reynolds
Photographer - "Changing Perceptions on Homelessness"
Studying Photography and Media in Canberra, ACT, led Claire to London, to work alongside top advertising and fashion photographers for titles such as The New Yorker and Vogue Italia.
This enabled her to hone intricate and detailed lighting and people skills. After working commercially in Sydney for 15 years, Claire now lives on the Sunshine Coast working both commercially and on her own fine art practice,
Until recently represented by Fine Art gallery 555 in Boston, MA, USA, Claire is renowned for engaging her subjects to capture intimate and candid moments.
Dr Scott Squires
Commander, Royal Australian Navy
Maritime Operational Health Unit, HMAS Penguin
Dr Scott Squires is an Emergency Physician with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Medical Specialist Program. Scott is posted to the Maritime Operational Health Unit, HMAS Penguin. His time is divided between working for the ADF and working as an Emergency Physician at The Tweed Hospital, Northern NSW. He lives on the Tweed Coast and is married with three children.
Scott originally entered the ADF as part of the Graduate Medical Scheme. Over the past 22 years of service, he has deployed extensively overseas in remote and austere environments, throughout the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Most recently, Scott was deployed as the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and Emergency Physician to the NATO Role 2 Health Facility in Taji, Iraq in 2019 and again in 2020. In between these deployments, he was the SMO, Emergency and Retrieval Physician, HMAS Choules, which played a pivotal role in the medical support and evacuation of the town of Mallacoota during the 2019/2020 Victorian Bushfires.
Scott has recently published two papers: one on the ADF Medical Response for Op Bushfire Assist and the second on Mutual capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region through strategic medical engagement.
Dr Scott Squires
Commander, Royal Australian Navy
Maritime Operational Health Unit, HMAS Penguin
Dr Scott Squires is an Emergency Physician with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Medical Specialist Program. Scott is posted to the Maritime Operational Health Unit, HMAS Penguin. His time is divided between working for the ADF and working as an Emergency Physician at The Tweed Hospital, Northern NSW. He lives on the Tweed Coast and is married with three children.
Scott originally entered the ADF as part of the Graduate Medical Scheme. Over the past 22 years of service, he has deployed extensively overseas in remote and austere environments, throughout the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Most recently, Scott was deployed as the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and Emergency Physician to the NATO Role 2 Health Facility in Taji, Iraq in 2019 and again in 2020. In between these deployments, he was the SMO, Emergency and Retrieval Physician, HMAS Choules, which played a pivotal role in the medical support and evacuation of the town of Mallacoota during the 2019/2020 Victorian Bushfires.
Scott has recently published two papers: one on the ADF Medical Response for Op Bushfire Assist and the second on Mutual capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region through strategic medical engagement.
Dr Amanda Stafford
Consultant, Emergency Department
Clinical Lead, RPH Homeless Team
Royal Perth Hospital
Dr Amanda Stafford is an Emergency Medicine specialist from Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) in Western Australia and the Clinical Lead for the RPH Homeless Team, which has been operating at RPH for 5 years. She is committed to reducing health inequalities among the homeless population, our most marginalised and vulnerable cohort with an average life expectancy of only 47 years.Dr Stafford is also involved in homelessness policy and strategy initiatives at both local and state government levels and in multiple collaborations with Perth’s homelessness community sector. In addition, she collaborates with the University of Western Australia’s Home2Health research team, building the evidence-base for effective interventions and policy measures to improve the health of people experiencing homelessness. This includes using data on healthcare costs to argue for integrating social interventions into hospital care and to highlight that providing housing and support is far cheaper than the cost of homelessness.
Dr Amanda Stafford
Consultant, Emergency Department
Clinical Lead, RPH Homeless Team
Royal Perth Hospital
Dr Amanda Stafford is an Emergency Medicine specialist from Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) in Western Australia and the Clinical Lead for the RPH Homeless Team, which has been operating at RPH for 5 years. She is committed to reducing health inequalities among the homeless population, our most marginalised and vulnerable cohort with an average life expectancy of only 47 years.Dr Stafford is also involved in homelessness policy and strategy initiatives at both local and state government levels and in multiple collaborations with Perth’s homelessness community sector. In addition, she collaborates with the University of Western Australia’s Home2Health research team, building the evidence-base for effective interventions and policy measures to improve the health of people experiencing homelessness. This includes using data on healthcare costs to argue for integrating social interventions into hospital care and to highlight that providing housing and support is far cheaper than the cost of homelessness.
Dr Cath
Tacon
Intensive Care and Retrieval Specialist
Cairns Hospital
Cath is an Intensive Care and Retrieval Specialist at Cairns Hospital and Lifeflight Queensland. She is the Supervisor of Training for Cairns ICU and a Fellowship Examiner for CICM. Having worked and trained in a variety of interesting places, including Papua New Guinea, Darwin and Alice Springs she has always had an interest in health equality and the delivery of medicine in remote and resource poor settings. She is a member of AUSMAT, deploying with Team Bravo to the Samoan Measles Epidemic and co-Vice Chair of the ANZICS/CICM Global Health Special Interest Group. Most of the time she would rather be in a helicopter than the four walls of an ICU.
Dr Cath
Tacon
Intensive Care and Retrieval Specialist
Cairns Hospital
Cath is an Intensive Care and Retrieval Specialist at Cairns Hospital and Lifeflight Queensland. She is the Supervisor of Training for Cairns ICU and a Fellowship Examiner for CICM. Having worked and trained in a variety of interesting places, including Papua New Guinea, Darwin and Alice Springs she has always had an interest in health equality and the delivery of medicine in remote and resource poor settings. She is a member of AUSMAT, deploying with Team Bravo to the Samoan Measles Epidemic and co-Vice Chair of the ANZICS/CICM Global Health Special Interest Group. Most of the time she would rather be in a helicopter than the four walls of an ICU.
Simon Thompson
Scientist with over 20 years’ experience working with botany, biodiversity, climate and Traditional Owners in North Queensland.
Simon Thompson
Scientist with over 20 years’ experience working with botany, biodiversity, climate and Traditional Owners in North Queensland.
A father of two with a Bachelor Degree in Science from 1994, Simon has been involved in observing the natural environment in a wide a range of ways. Mapping vegetation across north Queensland, performing biodiversity assessments, monitoring changes and mapping sea level impacts in Cape York Peninsula. Simon also has strong interests in chemistry and physics, bringing an energetic first principles approach to climate threats and solutions.
| Important Dates | |
| Sponsorship & Exhibition Prospectus Released | Now available |
| Call for Abstracts Opens | Closed |
| Registration Opens | Now open |
| Call for Abstracts Closes | 19 February 2021 |
| Early Bird Registration Closes | 16 April 2021 |
(c) ACEM Winter Symposium 2021