Linda Denehy is Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne and a registered Physiotherapist. She also has a joint appointment as Professor of Health Services Research: Allied Health at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Professor Denehy has extensive teaching and learning experienceat both under and post graduate levels and introduced the new Doctor of Physiotherapy course in 2011. She waspreviously Head of the Physiotherapy Department at the University of Melbourne. Professor Denehy is a past President of the Council of Physiotherapy Deans of Australia and New Zealand and is the current deputy chair of the Council of Victorian Health Deans. She is a current member of the Australian College of Optometry Council. Linda has supervised over 40graduate research students to completion.She currently supervisesfour PhD and five Post-Doctoral students.Her research interests are in rehabilitation including in intensive care, oncology and perioperative management where she is passionate about improving patient centred outcomes. She has over 200 publications andhas been successful in nationally funded research in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Panel Speaker
Neville Board is Victoria’s Chief Digital Health Officer and heads the Digital Health Branch. The Branch leads implementation of Victoria’s digital health roadmap, to improve the safety and efficiency of Victoria’s healthcare system, and to keep patients at the centre of care.
The team is implementing unique patient identification across Victorian health services, connecting health services to the My Health Record system, and operates a series of applications for health services.
The Branch also leads the Victorian health service cyber security and ICT operational assurance programs, applying Australia’s only Digital Health Maturity Model. The Branch conducts health sector planning and assurance, sets standards for clinical systems, and is supported by a clinical advisory council and the Victorian Health CIO Forum.
Prior to coming to Victoria in 2018, Mr Board headed the eHealth and Medication Safety program at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. He also convened the WHO clinical practice working group for the Global Patient Safety Challenge Medication without Harm.
Dr Karen Price was awarded the 2016 RACGP FMCER grant to undertake her part time PhD with the Monash Department of General Practice. She is exploring the construct of peer-connection in general practice. This explores GP’s wellbeing, and goal-directed informal learning.
Karen’s research builds on her lifetime expertise as a GP. She is the co-developer and facilitator of GPs Down Under, an 8000+ member community of Australian and New Zealand GPs. She has chaired committees and developed mentor programs for both the AMA and the RACGP. Karen began her general practice in a large procedural practice which included providing medical assistance to the local district police surgeon. She has also been a successful practice owner growing a languishing practice into a thriving community practice in under a decade whilst wrangling three young school-aged children (who are now fully grown).
Karen has presented nationally and internationally; plenary lectures; workshops on women’s medical leadership; social media; resilience, and informal learning.
She is published on women’s medical leadership and received a 2011 Monash University award for medical student teaching. Karen continues to develop evidence-based medicine, leadership, advocacy, and peer support, in both research and her ongoing clinical general practice.
Most recently her advocacy, research and lifetime experience have coalesced into running for RACGP President after her service as deputy chair of the Victorian Faculty of the RACGP and past chair of the Women in General Practice committee of the RACGP. Karen was elected RACGP President in the 2020 national election. She commenced her two-year term on 30 November 2020.
Professor Dorothy Keefehas led Cancer Australia, Australia’s national cancer agency, since 2019.Prior to this she had a long and distinguished career as a medical oncologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and as Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Adelaide, where she remains an Honorary Clinical Professor.Her long-term research interest is in Supportive Care in Cancer and she is a past-President of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). She has led cancer services at all levels, as well as health reform in South Australia. She has a Master’s in Medical Leadership and a strong interest in advocacy, career development and mentoring.She is committed to patient-centred care, reducing unnecessary variation in cancer outcomes, and to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. During her tenure as CEO of Cancer Australia, she has led the enquiry into Lung Cancer Screening for Australia, and started work on the first national Australian Cancer Plan.
Nicholas is an cancer advocate, surviving and thriving after Acute Myeloid Leukaemia at the age of 16. He is currently studying a Bachelor of Social Work at La Trobe University, hoping to enter the world of adolescent and young adult cancer care with his unique perspective.
Yvonne is a Nurse Practitioner in the clinical haematology service at Peter Mac & the Royal Melbourne Hospital, clinical lead for the Allogeneic BMT long term follow up service, Associate Director of Nursing & team lead for haematology, late effects and paediatric specialist nurses.
Yvonne has a special interest in late effects experienced by patients after Allogeneic BMT, particularly screening, risk reduction and self-management. Yvonne is also interested in sexual health issues, chronic graft versus host disease and post-transplant rehabilitation. Yvonne has led and been involved in research studies focussing on innovative shared care models of long term follow up and strategies to optimise post transplant recovery including exercise programs. She has completed a research study supported by the VCCC nursing research hub that explored facilitators and barriers to transitioning from paediatric to adult long term follow up.
Meg originally worked as a Radiation Therapist and educator at RMIT University in Melbourne before moving into strategic oversight of programs at Cancer Council Victoria including 13 11 20 Cancer Information and Support, Cancer Education and Peer Support Programs, and the Victorian Cancer Clinicians Communication Program. Meg has been instrumental in building communication skills programs for health professionals and non-clinical staff working with cancer patients in Victoria. Meg has personally delivered more than 1000 experiential healthcare communication skills programs to several thousand clinical and non-clinical staff. Meg is a member of the International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) and is the Australian representative on the teaching subcommittee (tEACH) for this group. In 2016, Meg convened the inaugural Teaching Communication in Healthcare Conference and Education Program in partnership with EACH and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, bringing together more than 120 local and international delegates.
Meg has led a previous Cancer Survivorship grant bringing exercise and information to regional cancer patients using telehealth. Meg moved to Deakin 3 years ago, and has co-designed Your Thoughts Matter, a whole of organisation intervention for communication skills training currently being implemented at 3 health services. Over the next 3 years, Meg and the team at OCPH Deakin will deliver Conversations Matter to 7 regional Cancer Centres. Meg has post-graduation qualifications in individual and organisational coaching, adding to her skill set of program design, education, and facilitation.
After completing medical training at Monash University, Dr Wheeler was a medical resident and registrar at Monash Medical Centre prior to commencing Radiation Oncology training at Peter Mac. After gaining the FRANZCR he completed a fellowship at The St Jude Childrens research hospital in memphis TN, USA. Dr Wheeler became Chair of the Paediatric and Late Effects Service at Peter Mac in 2005 and is particularly interested in ameliorating the long term effects from radiotherapy.
Bernadette is a qualified Occupational Therapist who has been working in cancer care for the last 14 years, primarily in the areas of service improvement and supportive care. Bernadette is currently a Senior Project manager with North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (NEMICS). Bernadette has a strong interest in cancer survivorship careand has contributed to the implementation of an innovative new service model delivering survivorship care through community partnership. Bernadette is passionate about patient self-determination and enabling people with cancer to have the best quality of life possible, both during and after treatment.
Associate Professor Kylie Mason is a clinical haematologist with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she leads the Late effects and Survivorship and the Classical Haematology teams. A/Prof Mason is a member of the Late Effects Haematology clinic and has an interest in the transition of young adults from the paediatric arena to the adult hospitals. Her background includes experience in AYA health as a committee member of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the RCH and through CanTeen. A/Prof Mason is herself a survivor of Acute Leukaemia and understands first hand the importance of good transition and long term care of people living beyond cancer.