Dr Sally Lewis will be coming to Australia as our keynote speaker and also as a panellist throughout the Congress.

Sally was a GP for 24 years and has front-line experience of primary care at its most challenging.

She entered a career in medical management in 2011 and was appointed to Assistant Medical Director for Value-Based care in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in 2014.

Since 2018, Sally has been leading the national Value-Based healthcare programme in Wales, and is director of the Welsh Value in Health Centre. She is an Honorary Professor at Swansea School of Medicine.

Prior to his appointment at IHACPA, Prof Pervan was Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.

As Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania, Prof Pervan was responsible for designing and implementing major health sector and organisational reforms.

Prof Pervan has represented Western Australia and Tasmania at the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council and at Council of Australian Governments working groups on system reform, health workforce and mental health over a number of years.

This has included leading financial governance initiatives, and implementing reform programs across health, human services, child protection, out of home care, youth justice and ambulance services as part of his role at the Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania.

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Susan is a forward-thinking CEO and non-executive director on a mission to make quality healthcare more accessible, safe and patient-centred. Since starting her career as a Registered Nurse, Susan has spent over 40 years working to improve healthcare systems across the public, not-for-profit and private sectors. Susan holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Movement Studies, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Susan’s strategic and values-driven approach inspires creative thinking, bold innovation and a collaborative workplace culture. Susan is also a highly respected thought leader and expert advisor in the delivery of value-based health care. In her current role as CEO of Dental Health Services Victoria, Susan is leading the transformational change required to shift the provision of oral health care from outputs to outcomes and volume to value across the Victorian public health system.

Never one to pull the ladder up behind her, Susan mentors aspiring healthcare leaders and strongly advocates for gender equity, cultural diversity and social justice for all.

She lives by the motto, 'If not now, when? If not you, Who?'

Zoe has previously held roles as the Director of Clinical Governance and Head of Public Health at Bupa Australia and New Zealand, and Chair of the Board of Dental Health Services Victoria. Zoe also has deep expertise and a continued advocacy focus on the importance of sex differences across health from basic research to health systems implications. Zoe holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Flinders University, and has a clinical background in cardiothoracic surgery and thoracic surgical oncology. She has a PhD and a Master of Public Health from The University of Melbourne, is a fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is an Enterprise (Hon) Professor at the University of Melbourne.

Mike is an experienced CEO and senior health care executive officer with experience in working for not for profit, publicly listed and private companies both in Australia and in the United Kingdom. Over a 30-year career, Mike has overseen the delivery of aged care services (both community based and residential), community mental health services, children and family support services, homelessness outreach initiatives, carer support programs and community health education schemes. He has held senior roles with FKP (Aveo), Prime, Eureka and Gateway Lifestyle, in addition to aged care organisations PresCare and TriCare. Mike has a Master in Public Health and an Honours Degree in Business. Mike is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane South Primary Health Network (PHN).

Associate Professor Reema Harrison (BSc hons Psychology; MSc Health Psychology; PhD in Psychology of Patient Safety) is a mixed-methods researcher with a strong track record of translational health systems and services research. A/Professor Harrison is the 2023 Deeble Fellow. She leads a program of research at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation investigating how increasing stakeholder engagement can contribute to improved healthcare quality, experiences and outcomes. Her work has sought to generate, investigate and evaluate models of care through a lens of equity, specifically in relation to culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people with intellectual disabilities. With a background in Psychology, A/Professor Harrison has devised and validated tools to evaluate patient and clinician experiences of care in a range of contexts. She has also published on the use and quality of peer support, mentorship and co-design approaches for creating change to enhance healthcare experiences and outcomes.

In April 2022 Elizabeth was appointed Managing Director of Telstra Health, Australia’s largest digital health company and a subsidiary of Telstra Group Limited.

Prior to this Elizabeth was Secretary, NSW Health for a six-year term. As Secretary, Elizabeth was responsible for the management of the NSW health system, the largest health system in Australia with a $30 billion budget and 124,000 FTE. Key strategy achievements include the implementation of value-based care across NSW, the progression of e-Health initiatives and a $2B/year capital infrastructure program. In 2020/2021 Elizabeth led the NSW Health system through the COVID-19 pandemic and advised NSW crisis cabinet on the management of COVID-19 in NSW and the subsequent vaccination rollout.

Elizabeth was chair of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) and its subsequent iteration of Health Chief Executives Forum. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.

Elizabeth was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours. In September 2022 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Western Sydney University for her contribution to healthcare in Western Sydney and in May 2023 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sydney in recognition of exceptional service to healthcare and her significant role in shaping and guiding the future of health in NSW and across the nation.

Alexandra Barratt is a professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney. She is a lead investigator in Wiser Healthcare, a research collaboration to reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and in the Healthy Environments and Lives national network, which supports research for sustainable and resilient health systems. Her research team is the academic partner for NSW Health’s Net Zero Leads program.

Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in March 2023. With experience as a practicing clinician, policy maker and health sector leader, Professor Duggan has gained an in-depth understanding of the complex issues surrounding safety and quality in health care.

Before her appointment as CEO, Professor Duggan was the Commission’s Chief Medical Officer from 2021 - 2023 and a Clinical Director from 2014 - 2021. Before joining the Commission, Anne was Director, Clinical Governance, with the Hunter New England Local Health District. She is a highly respected gastroenterologist and is also Conjoint Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle.

Professor Duggan was a member of the expert panel for the Independent review of the regulation of medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery. She is also the Chair of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee (MRAC).

Prof Inacio is the Director of the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) based at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership Fellow. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia and Deputy Medical Editor of the Medical Journal of Australia.

Her work has the goal of identifying good models of care, areas in need of improvement, risk factors for poor health outcomes, and opportunities to improve health and wellbeing of older Australians accessing aged care services.

Dr Katharine See is the Chief Health Outcomes Officer and Director of Respiratory Medicine at Northern Health where she leads the Clinical Leadership, Effectiveness and Outcomes team. In addition to her medical qualifications, Katharine has completed an MBA (Exec) from the Melbourne Business School. At Northern Health, she is responsible for implementing outcomes collection via digital care pathways, redesigning clinical models of care by enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration, and implementing new technologies all aimed at achieving better outcomes for individuals and better health for populations.

In 2022 Monique was named the Australian of the Year, South Australian Local Hero SA, and received the Joy Noble Medal for her lymphoedema patient advocacy leading to the launch of the South Australian Lymphoedema Compression Garment Subsidy Scheme in 2020. Originally trained as an orchestral musician, teacher, and manager, at 37, Monique’s life was turned upside-down by a cancer diagnosis leaving her with severe cancer treatment-related lymphoedema. Unable to resume her career path, Monique reinvented herself as a patient advocate, dedicating her energy to improving the lives of cancer survivors and individuals affected by lymphoedema with a focus on systemic advocacy.

Monique contributes to peer-reviewed journals, forums, advisory bodies, conferences and health research. Monique contributed to the seminal AIHW Lymphoedema Scoping Report released in 2023 and is currently an associate investigator on the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) International Delphi Consensus on measures to improve patient outcomes of Breast Cancer Treatment-Related Lymphoedema.

Monique's membership includes the PC4 Consumer Advisory Group, FHMRI Consumer Advisory Board, and the SA Health Lymphoedema Advisory Group.

Dr Alicia Veasey, a sovereign Torres Strait Islander cis-woman, is an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist with a subspeciality in Paediatric & Adolescent Gynaecology. She holds a senior leadership position within Queensland Health as Co-Chair of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Clinical Network, where she provides leadership on systemic cultural safety and strengths-based approaches to health system reform that centres Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s sovereignty and right to self-determination.

Recognising early on in her medical career the need for health system reform to address the racism and inequity in health care, Alicia completed a Master of Public Health and a Master of Health Management. In 2023, Alicia was awarded a Fellowship with the prestigious Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity, where she is completing a Master of Social Change Leadership that is embedded in Indigenous Knowledge. Within this fellowship she is exploring approaches to embed Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty within clinical governance systems.

Prior to medicine, Alicia was a Paediatric Registered Nurse. She has previously served on the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association Board of Directors, was a founding member of Health Workforce Australis Future Health Leaders Council and was a delegate with the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. She currently resides on beautiful Bundjalung Country with her husband and three jarjum.

Tracey has been CEO of Inala Primary Care, a charitable general practice in Queensland’s most disadvantaged suburban location for more than 10 years. The IPC model was named as one of four which should be adopted nationally under the 10 Year Health Reform Process.

The practice embraces multi-disciplinary teamwork and forms partnerships to support improved delivery through posing novel models of care which achieve better value. Tracey is an economist, an experienced health service researcher and programme evaluator. She regularly provides commentary, training and engages in advocacy around healthcare reform. Tracey is Deputy Chair of the Primary Care Advisory Group of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. To support practices build performance she co-founded Cubiko, Australia’s dominant practice dashboard software solution in 2018.

Tessa was born and grew up on unceded Gadigal land (Sydney), where she lives again after four years living in England, China and India. She is the founding CEO of Health Justice Australia, established in 2016 as the national centre of excellence for health justice partnership. Originally a criminologist, she has worked in health, criminal justice and human rights organisations in Australia and internationally. She was previously Deputy CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service and was the inaugural Fulbright Professional Scholar in Nonprofit Leadership. Tessa’s PhD looked at the detention and release of mentally disordered offenders. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and combines her passions for young people and arts and culture as Deputy Chair of the Board of Gondwana Choirs, the leader in Australian choral performance. She’s on the advisory committees of the ANU’s Menzies Centre for Health Governance, Sydney University’s Institute of Criminology and UNSW’s Social Policy Research Centre. She plays Ultimate Frisbee.

Tessa’s TEDx on health justice partnerships explains why seeing a lawyer might be good for your health and her TEDx on philanthropy through partnership argues against ‘bizsplaining’ and builds on her work as the inaugural Fulbright Professional Scholar in Nonprofit Leadership.

John is an experienced senior executive. He has extensive experience in the Australian health care sector, as a C-level executive advisor, health policy manager, strategic policy analyst and developer, applied econometrician, and health economist.

John's capabilities include executive leadership and communication skills bringing together diverse stakeholders, leading the design, development, analysis, and implementation of system-wide strategic policy solutions, funding models, economic evaluations, benchmarking and productivity studies, equity models to advance allocative efficiency, models of care assessment, performance management, contract development, government relations, national health care funding and industry negotiations.

John is passionate about the advancement of health outcomes, improvements in health equity and the contribution of value based health care across the whole continuum of care for health system sustainability.

John is originally from Sydney, and currently lives with his two children in Adelaide.

Shireen Martin is the Director of Connected Care and Partnerships. Her role is to lead statewide program implementation in partnership with key stakeholders and to deliver on value and sustainability for our health system, by enabling the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Key to her work is using the principles of integration to support a person-centred, interdisciplinary approach to care that engages with the patient, carer and family and the providers in the care circle.

Shireen has worked in health for the past 30 years, she is passionate about systems improvement and through her work strive to address equity for the most vulnerable in our community, as the impact of social determinants and health literacy limitations increases vulnerability and places communities at greater risk of deteriorating health, and partnerships with Primary Care is key to our work for supporting the community to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Academic qualifications include Diploma in Nursing and Masters in Health Management.

Dr Kate Sinclair is a change leader developing a consumer advocacy project in the health system. Recently retired, Kate holds a B.A. in Psychology and Ph.D. in Law, with a systems theory focus. Kate was the founder of Global Citizen Leaders, an education and engagement initiative linking students across multiple nations to design and deliver action projects based on shared values and interests. Her research, writing and advocacy skills as a change leader have contributed to accomplishments across legal, health and political settings - including national media reports, a Parliamentary Inquiry and Attorney Generals’ Inquiry. Experiences in the health sector as a senior contract negotiator give Kate added insights into the work she is now doing to establish citizen assembly projects, with the aim to help address what she has identified as ‘unintended circles of harm in our health system’.

Philippa Hawke is Lead Evaluator at CheckUP Australia, the jurisdictional fund holder for Federal Government outreach health service programs in Queensland. Philippa has a 30-year career in health and community service program management, monitoring and evaluation, and is currently leading CheckUP's exploration of gathering patient feedback via PREMS and PROMS from rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients receiving third party outreach health services.

Dr Sonĵ Hall has a career spanning leadership and senior executive positions across government, healthcare and higher education. Sonĵ served on the West Moreton Hospital and Health Board for four years and currently serves on various national and state government committees. In March 2022, Sonĵ joined the Tasmania Department of Health as Deputy Secretary for Policy, in this role she is accountable for the delivery of the core health system functions of policy, planning, purchasing, performance analytics, and public reporting

Sonĵ was appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the AHHA’s journal the Australian Health Review in 2017. She is a passionate advocate for evidence-based policy to address community needs whilst maintaining a whole-of-system perspective to the provision of effective, equitable, efficient, ethical and sustainable policy and system reform.

Sonĵ has previously held professorships in health systems, economics, policy and epidemiology; was Head, School of Nursing at The University of Tasmania, led the Emergency Medicine Foundation, The Health Collaborative Research Network, and was Executive Director, Health Research Policy and Innovation at ACT Health, and led the Queensland Productivity Commission.

In 2005, Sonĵ was awarded a Harkness Fellowship in Healthcare Policy by the Commonwealth Fund representing Australia in Washington DC. She has a PhD and Master of Public Health; she is also a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Management and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Associate Professor Jefferey Rowland is a geriatrician and general physician. He is also Director of Internal Medicine at The Prince Charles Hospital and Executive Director of the Medicine Stream in Metro North Health Service. He is an accredited practitioner in VAD and has managed patients through the process.

Dr Belinda Gavaghan is a speech pathologist by background with a diverse range of clinical, research and health management experiences in Queensland and New South Wales. She has extensive experience in health equity, public health, service development and innovation. Currently, Belinda is Director of Allied Health within Clinical Excellence Queensland and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Queensland University of Technology. Belinda is a graduate of the NSW Public Health Training Program.