National Medicines Symposium 2020

‘Karl Briscoe is a proud Kuku Yalanji man from Mossman – Daintree area of Far North Queensland.

Karl is the CEO of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Association (NATSIHWA). Karl has worked for over 18 years in the health sector at various levels of government and non-government including local, state and national levels which has enabled him to form a vast strategic network across Australia.

NATSIHWA is the peak body for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners in Australia’.

Professor Clara Chow is Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC), Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. She is a cardiologist and the Program Director of Community Based Cardiac Services at Westmead hospital, Sydney, Australia. 

She currently holds honorary appointments as the Charles Perkins Centre Westmead Academic Co-director and President of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Chow’s research focuses on the prevention of cardiovascular disease, innovation in the delivery of cardiovascular care and the evaluation of digital health interventions. 

She has expertise in the design, delivery and implementation of clinical trials. Her PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia was in cardiovascular epidemiology and international public Health and her Postdoc from McMaster University, Canada in clinical trials and cardiac imaging. She is supported by a NSW Health Clinician Scientist Fellowship

Tim Ferguson is one of Australia’s most accomplished comedians. He has battled Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 30 years, but it won’t get in his way!

He wrote and directed the comedy movie SPIN OUT [Sony Pictures, 2016] tours the world with comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars [DAAS] and has written bestselling novels, comedy manuals, and live shows.

He’s a highly regarded corporate event host and keynote speaker. He travels in a wheelchair, but has a brilliant ability to delight and amuse audiences. He proves that disability can be conquered. “My wheelchair helps me move faster than most people!”

Tim works with various professional and government organisations to generate employment for disabled people. Tim writes, directs and produces sitcoms, movies, entertainment TV and live comedy shows.

A highly respected senior clinician and leader in intensive care medicine, with extensive operating and leadership experience in the development, evolution and provision of critical care services at both state and national levels.

Dr Herkes is the Chief Medical Officer at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care providing expert clinical advice to the wide range of programs managed by the Commission. Dr Herkes has a significant role in identifying areas for synergies, partnerships and new opportunities across the Australian health sector in collaboration with all health sector stakeholders, and providing leadership and education around the latest evidence on safety and quality in health care.

Andrew has been a director of NPS MedicineWise since the 3^rd of August 2010 and Chair of Board since 1 July 2019.

He is a staff specialist general practitioner and Director of the South Western Sydney Local Health District Primary and Integrated Care Unit.

Andrew holds academic appointments at the University of NSW and Western Sydney University. He was previously a Director of Training in the Australian General Practice Training Program. He has had extensive experience in quality improvement for general practice through the Australian Primary Care Collaboratives Program. He is the former chair of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network.

He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the NPS MedicineWise Board Governance and Nomination Committee.

Simon is a GP and medical educator based in Newcastle, NSW. He has worked in the medical education sphere for over two decades and is passionate about high quality education and training.

Simon has worked in clinical and educational roles in both NSW and the NT, as well as in the Republic of Ireland. He has published over 50 peer reviewed journal articles, and in 2018 received the RACGP Corliss award for his contribution to medical education.

Simon has particular interests in GP supervisor professional development and the rational use of tests and medicines. He is a member of the Choosing Wisely Advisory Group and a proud member of Doctors for the Environment. He spends his spare time cycling, writing travel stories and pretending that he is a musician in an all-GP band, the Euthymics

Dr Danielle Muscat, B.Psych. [Hons], PhD, is a founding member and Westmead Lead of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab. She currently holds a highly-competitive Westmead Fellowship (Early Career Researcher) funded by the Research and Education Network, Western Sydney Local Health District. In 2019, she was appointed as an Advisor on Health Literacy to the World Health Organisation and Health Literacy Chapter Co-Lead for the revised International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS). Dr Muscat’s PhD research involved the development and evaluation of the world’s first combined health literacy and shared decision-making training program for adults with lower literacy, implemented across TAFE NSW.

Leanne has held executive positions in federal government and non-government organisations. Leanne is the Chief Executive Officer of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia and previously served as CEO of national peak and local service delivery organisations in the primary care sector. 

She is a health advocate and service executive with over thirty years’ experience in health and social policy, program and service development. Leanne has broad governance experience and is currently Board Director of Coordinare (South East New South Wales’ Primary Health Network), the Ozhelp Foundation, and the Australian Pharmacy Council, Independent Chair of Coordinare’s Community Advisory Committee and a member of the Healthdirect Clinical Governance Advisory Committee. 

She has several advisory appointments including the Commonwealth’s Primary Health Care Advisory Group, the National Preventative Strategy Advisory Committee and the OECD PaRIS Patient Advisory Panel.Leanne has tertiary qualifications in communications and business. She is a member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Management.

Dr Wroth graduated in Medicine from the University of Sydney in 1981 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1992. She began her longstanding involvement in medical care for older Australians in 1990.

Dr Wroth is a Senior Staff Specialist in Geriatric Medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She has been extensively engaged in clinical teaching especially in Geriatric Medicine, and is a Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. She has been a consultant to the NSW Medical Council, and is a senior member of the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.