Speakers
Health care reform, safety and quality, communication and e-health are all critical factors affecting quality improvement. National experts in primary health care will not only present at Quality Around the World, but they will also be delegates. Join your peers and discuss how we can improve health outcomes.
Keynote Speakers
Dr Stephen C. Schoenbaum 
Dr. Schoenbaum is Executive Vice President for Programs at The Commonwealth Fund and Executive Director of its Commission on a High Performance Health System, USA. The Fund is a national foundation based in New York City that is devoted to improving coverage and access to health care and quality of care through its support of health services research and health policy analysis.
Dr. Schoenbaum has practiced as an infectious diseases specialist and a general internist. He was a top manager in a large physician group practice, and is author of over 150 medical publications on diverse subjects including influenza epidemiology and quality improvement. He is vice-chairman of the board of the Picker Institute, an organization devoted to promoting patient-centered care, an honorary member of the British Association of Medical Managers, and an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite
Director of the Centre for Clinical Governance Research - University of New South Wales
Professor Braithwaite is Director of the Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Professor in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales. Prof Braithwaite will speak on change management in health care, health funding programs and integrated health care systems, ensuring informative and lively program sessions.
Patricia Cameron- Hill and Shayne Yates
As a nurse and doctor, Patricia Cameron-Hill and Shayne Yates observed first-hand the causes and consequences of stress. Laughter is what they prescribe and laughter is what they dispense to their audiences. You’ll laugh as you learn how to beat stress and have more fun in your life.
Session Speakers
Professor Chris Baggoley
Chief Executive, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health CareProfessor
Chris Baggoley was appointed as Chief Executive of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care on 21 December 2007. Prior to this appointment he was Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of Public Health and Clinical Coordination in the South Australian Department of Health.
His other medical positions were Professor/Director of Emergency Medicine at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Executive Director, Medical Services and Director of Emergency Services at ACHA Health SA and Director of Emergency Medicine at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide.
Professor Baggoley’s other key roles in health have been President of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Chair of the Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges, and Chair of the Board of the National Institute of Clinical Studies.
Professor Doris Young
Professor and Chair of General Practice, University of Melbourne
Professor Doris Young is Professor and Chair of General Practice at the University of Melbourne. As an academic general practitioner for over 25 years, she has been actively involved in undergraduate, vocational and postgraduate GP education and GP Divisional evaluation programs. She has served on numerous Boards including Northern Health Regional Health Service in Victoria and is a member of NHMRC Academy. She leads the chronic disease research group in the Primary Care Research Unit located in the Department. She continues to work as a part time GP in a community health centre serving a multicultural, and disadvantaged community.
Professor Michael Georgeff
Professor Michael Georgeff is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Precedence Health Care and Director of the e-Health Research Unit at Monash University. He is an advisor to businesses and governments in the US, Europe and Australia on information technology strategy and innovation.
In 1983, as Program Director in the Artificial Intelligence Center at SRI International, Professor Georgeff and his team created one of the first implementations of an intelligent software agent, deploying it on NASA’s space shuttle. In 1988 he was invited back to Australia by the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, to establish the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute. He is currently leading a number of initiatives in Australia to establish broadband health services for the management of chronic disease.
Professor Georgeff is Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence and the Australian Computer Society.
Assoc Professor Sabina Knight
Centre For Remote Health and Director Rural Health Education Foundation
Associate Professor Knight’s professional activities have been focused on remote, isolated and rural health, in particular Aboriginal primary health care and health inequalities, and she is a recognised leader in remote health nationally and internationally. Associate Professor Knight was a foundation member, and past president, of the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia (CRANA), foundation deputy Chair and Chair of the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA), and Chair of Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association (CARPA) editorial committee producing the internationally recognised CARPA best practice guidelines for remote practitioners.
Professor Megan-Jane Johnstone
Prof Megan-Jane Johnstone, Professor of Nursing/Associate Head of School (Research), Deakin University, Melbourne
Prof Johnstone is renowned internationally for her scholarly research in the area of health care ethics. She has published extensively in this area, and is the author of several books including the internationally acclaimed: Bioethics a nursing perspective (Elsevier Science) and Ethics in nursing practice: a guide to ethical decision making (Blackwell Publishing, co-authored with Sara T. Fry). She has recently completed a study investigating ‘The use and misuse of Alzheimer’s disease/dementia in the euthanasia debate’ (funded by Alzheimer’s Australia).
Professor Margaret Banks
Prof Margaret Banks, Senior Program Advisor, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
Margaret Banks holds undergraduate degree in Science and Physiotherapy and worked for 9 years as a physiotherapist in Australia and Papua New Guinea. She also hold a Graduate certificate in public sector management and Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Since completing a Masters degree in Health Administration Margaret has worked on policy and projects for state and federal government and national bodies, including the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee. She accepted an Adjunct Professorship with the University of Technology Sydney in 2007.
Margaret currently holds the position of Senior Program Advisor with a national peak body, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Her role with the Commission includes the policy development and implementation of accreditation reforms nationally across the health care system.
Dr Nathan Pinskier
Dr Nathan Pinskier is a Melbourne GP with an extensive involvement in primary health care. He specialises in practice management systems, information technology, change management and general practice accreditation. Nathan holds a diploma in Practice Management from the University of New England Partnerships and holds fellowships with the Australian Association of Practice Managers (FAAPM) and the Australian Association for Quality in Healthcare (FAAQHC). Nathan was involved in the development and implementation of the information security standards for the general practice sector. He has a special interest in developing business applications that leverage the capacity of the Internet.
Assoc Professor Ron Tomlins
Chair, National Standing Committee for Quality Care, RACGP and e-Health Working Group RACGP
Ron is a General Practitioner in Castle Hill and Ermington with a particular interest in implementing cost effective health care programs in the community setting.
As well as active clinical practice, Ron has been closely associated with national initiatives for the delivery of preventive and quality health care through the RACGP. He is the chair of the RACGP National Standing Committee on Quality Care and its e-Health Working Group. In addition, he has a special interest in respiratory illnesses.
In December 2004, Ron was appointed Adjunct Associate Professor in the Discipline of General Practice, Western Clinical School, University of Sydney.
Assoc Professor Michael Greco
Michael Greco is Director of Client-Focused Evaluations Program (CFEP) which has offices in Australia and the UK, and is involved primarily in the measurement of patient experience to support healthcare organisations in advancing patient-centred care.
In Australia, CFEP works closely with GP organisations responsible for accreditation, training and professional development. He is a Director on both a GP Division and Regional Training Program Board, and holds honorary professor and senior research fellow posts at the School of Medicine, Griffith University and the Peninsula Medical School, UK. His academic background focused on healthcare, evaluation and clinical pastoral education, and includes a PhD in medical education and a Bachelor of Theology.