Date & time
Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 October 2021
Venue
Virtual
About the event
The National Nursing Forum (NNF) is the Australian College of Nursing’s signature annual leadership and educational event bringing together nurses, students and other health professionals from around the country and across the globe. The NNF will take place virtually from Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 October 2021.
The theme for the NNF is ‘Champions of Change’ which will be explored in the keynote plenary sessions and throughout the program.
Registrations will close at 4.30pm AEDT on Thursday 28 October 2021.
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Sponsorship and exhibition enquiries
Australian Conference & Event Organisers
e: info@aceo.net.au
t: 0432 651 588
Speakers
Your hosts
Professor Christine Duffield FACN
President Address
Professor Christine Duffield FACN
President Address
Christine Duffield is an internationally renowned and passionate nurse who has worked across direct care, consultancy, academia, research and in leadership roles to spearhead the advancement of the nursing profession in Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and Australia for over 40 years. She is a Professor of Nursing and Health Services Management at Edith Cowan University, Perth; Emeritus Professor University of Technology Sydney and President/Chair Australian College of Nursing.
Having published over 200 research papers, Christine was named in Mendeley’s Top 100,000 Cited Researchers of the World in 2020. Christine is also the Associate Editor for the International Journal of Nursing Studies, the most highly ranked international nursing journal.
Christine led the development of the first five industry funded Chairs of Nursing in Australia and has been instrumental in establishing key institutions including the Centre for Graduate Nursing Studies (1989) and the Centre for Health Services Management (1999).
Christine has held numerous senior University roles on Academic and Graduate Students Committees and has made a significant impact to the nursing profession by attracting over $14M in research funding as Chief Investigator, supervised 30+ research students and examined 30+ research theses.
Christine is an experienced Board Director who has established and chaired Clinical Governance Committees for two aged care Boards.
As the President/Chair of the Australian College of Nursing (ACN), she has led the review of the ACN Constitution, governance policies and procedures and assisted in moving to a skills-based Board.
A skilled leader, Christine has been a member of State and Commonwealth Committees including Health Workforce Australia; Grants Committee Rosemary Bryant Centre; NHMRC and ARC expert review panels; Australian Commission on Safety and Quality Advisory Committee – Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration and has represented Australia on panels for the International Council of Nurses.
The Hon. Greg Hunt MP
Minister Address
The Hon. Greg Hunt MP
Minister Address
Greg was born and raised on the Mornington Peninsula where he currently resides with his wife Paula and their two children.
Greg graduated from Melbourne University with First Class Honours in Law and subsequently won a Fulbright Scholarship to complete a Masters of International Relations at Yale University.
Throughout university and his time on a kibbutz in Israel he worked in warehouses, as a metal worker and as a fruit picker.
After university, Greg worked with Mallesons Stephen Jacques before becoming Associate to the Chief Justice of the Federal Court.
Between 1994 and 1998, Greg worked as a Senior Adviser to the then Opposition Leader and subsequent Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer. He then headed Australia’s electoral mission to Cambodia in 1998.
Greg then worked with McKinsey and Co for almost three years, during which time he became an Engagement Manager and specialised in telecommunications, start-ups, government reform and the banking sector.
Greg’s achievements include being named a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, being a runner up in the World Debating Championships and being selected as Australia’s debating captain.
Greg was elected as the Federal Member for Flinders in 2001, and became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage and then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs as a young MP in the Howard Government.
Greg was Shadow Minister for the Environment from 2007-2013, and was Minister for the Environment between September 2013 and July 2016.
As Environment Minister, Greg counts his key achievements as establishing Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund, developing the Great Barrier Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan and $1 billion Reef Fund.
In 2016 he was selected as the inaugural Best Minister in the World recipient at the World Government Summit.
Greg was appointed Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science in July 2016 and was responsible for implementing the Government’s innovation agenda and ensuring support for Australian jobs today, tomorrow and the jobs of the future.
In January 2017, Greg was appointed Minister for Health and Sport. In May 2019, Greg was appointed Minister for Health and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Cabinet.
Greg is incredibly passionate about the health portfolio and his vision is to ensure that Australia has the best health care system in the world.
Greg is guaranteeing Australians’ access to health services and affordable medicines with the establishment of the Medicare Guarantee Fund to secure the ongoing funding of Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Greg has struck partnerships with the nation’s GPs, specialists, pharmacists and the medicines sector. This is historic; as it is the first time a Government has achieved simultaneous partnerships with all sectors and underscores the Government’s rock solid commitment to Medicare and delivering the health care people need.
Mental health is an issue that is particularly important to Greg. Mental health touches nearly every family in Australia and he is making this a focus of his role as Health Minister to improve mental health services.
Greg is a keen sportsman and has competed in seven marathons as well as numerous local events such as the Arthurs Seat Challenge fun run, the Mount Martha Australia Day Swim and the Dromana Life Saving Club swim.
As the Member for Flinders, Greg has completed five 500km walks around his electorate – in 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2018 – to raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Dr Veronica Croome MACN
Master of Ceremonies
Dr Veronica Croome MACN
Master of Ceremonies
Veronica (Ronnie) Croome was appointed Chief Nurse for ACT Health in January 2009. Since commencing in the role, Ronnie has overseen the development of a career path for Enrolled Nurses, expansion of the Advanced Practice Nurse role, the employment of Eligible Midwives, the introduction of Assistants in Nursing and the creation of a Clinical Nurse Coordinator role as part of a Ward Leadership program.
Ronnie has overseen a number of Enterprise Agreements for Nurses and Midwives in the ACT which have resulted in improved employment conditions, introduced a workload methodology for inpatient units, led the work on a publicly funded homebirth trial and held the important role of Executive Sponsor for the Respect, Equity and Diversity Framework, a whole of government initiative aimed at improving workplace culture.
During her time with ACT Health, Ronnie has been nominated for several awards including finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards (2012) and an ACT Public Service Award for Excellence in 2013. Ronnie was named as an Honoured Friend of CIT in 2014 and delivered the Occasional Addresses to graduands at the University of Canberra and at the Canberra Institute of Technology. She has served as a Board member on Our Wellness Foundation, the Canberra Hospital Foundation and as a Council member of the Canberra Institute of Technology.
In 2018 Ronnie was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Canberra for services to nursing and the ACT community.
Keynote speakers
Fiona Brew MACN
Fiona Brew MACN
Keynote speaker
Fiona Brew has undertaken many roles in the Victorian health system during a career that spans over three decades. Her experience includes nursing, consulting and corporate roles giving her a breadth of experience and depth of knowledge of the Victorian health care system.
Fiona has held senior executive roles including Chief Nurse and Midwife Officer, Executive People and Culture and relieving Chief Executive Officer Positions in the rural and regional setting.
In 2018, Fiona was seconded to the ACT as part of an Independent Review into the Workplace Culture within the ACT Public Health Services delivering the final report in March 2019.
Fiona was appointed to the Chief Executive role at Colac Area Health in June 2019 leading a transformational change agenda. During her current tenure, Fiona has led the organisation successfully through a cyber-attack and more recently, two COVID 19 outbreaks (105 and 39 respectively). The outbreaks remain Australia’s largest regional COVID outbreaks resulting in Fiona appearing in the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into contact tracing system and testing regime. The management of the outbreaks have been published internationally and been the subject of external reviews.
With a long-standing passion for building positive work cultures – investing in staff, building capability ultimately leads to positive patient experiences and outcomes. Fiona holds an Adjunct Research Fellow role at Federation University.
Anthony Dombkins
Anthony Dombkins
Keynote speaker
Anthony Dombkins until appointed the ACT Health Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer in January 2020 was the Director Nursing and Midwifery, Northern Sydney Local Health District. Anthony Dombkins graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1987 and holds postgraduate clinical certificates in Renal and Transplantation Nursing and Intensive Care Nursing, as well as a Masters, Health Management (UNE). Anthony Dombkins has held a variety of senior health management positions within the public and private health sectors across NSW. In June 2014, Anthony Dombkins was appointed an Adjunct Professor – Nursing with the University of Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. Anthony Dombkins was a member of the Clinical Excellence Commission Advisory Board and a Board Director for Stewart House.
Associate Professor Denise Heinjus
Associate Professor Denise Heinjus
Keynote speaker
Denise trained as a general nurse at Albury Base Hospital and as a midwife at Preston and Northcote Community Hospital in Melbourne. She has a Graduate Certificate in Law and Management and a Masters (Honours) in Health Science Management.
Denise has a background in rural and regional health, managing community based services in The Greater Murray Area Health Service for many years.
Previous nurse leadership roles include Area Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Northern Sydney Central Coast Health Service; Area Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Illawarra Health Service; and Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at Monash Health prior to her appointment to the Royal Melbourne Hospital as the Executive Director of Nursing Services, Allied Health and Residential Aged Care in July 2007.
Denise has a strong interest in building clinical and operational leadership capability and facilitating a healthy workplace culture for all staff to thrive in their careers. Through her executive roles, she has a long history in both NSW and Victoria in emergency management preparedness and responsiveness. She was the RMH Emergency Commander following the Bourke Street attack in Jan 2017 and more recently has had been responsible for leading RMH in planning and responding to COVID-19.
The Hon. Nicola Roxon
The Hon. Nicola Roxon
Keynote speaker
The Honourable Nicola Roxon is Chair of HESTA, the health and community sector industry super fund, and Chair of VicHealth, and independent statutory health promotion body in Victoria. She is also a non-executive director on listed and not-for profit boards – Dexus, Lifestyle and HealthJustice Australia.
Nicola may be better known to you as Australia’s first female Attorney-General (2011-2013) or as the Minister for Health and Ageing (from 2007-2011) in the Rudd/Gillard governments, where she initiated major reforms in hospital funding, primary health care and health prevention.
She has been recognised nationally and internationally for her work related to tobacco control and establishing the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to child sexual abuse. These awards include an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Sydney University, the Sidney Sax Public Health Medal and WHO Special Recognition Award.
Nicola is a lawyer by training and lives in Melbourne with her husband and teenage daughter.
Sarah Rowan – Artist
Sarah Rowan – Artist
Keynote speaker
Sarah Rowan is an artist and thought-leader who empowers individuals and organisations to ignite a better future through creativity. As one of Australia’s top Speed Painters, she has lived and breathed the dynamic process of transformation for over 20 years, turning blank walls and cavasses into thought-provoking pieces of art, with limited time and often in front of a live audience. Merging her artistic talent with her passion for public speaking, Sarah has reimagined the role of the artist, pushing the boundaries of a studio-based pursuit into a trail-blazing performance genre that challenges the limitations of time and space.
After graduating from Converse College in 2003 with a BFA in Studio Art, Sarah started an art business in Greenville, South Carolina, USA before moving to Sydney to expand her horizons. It was here that she used the process of creative futurism to overcome depression, challenge chronic illness and create a new future for herself and her family. No longer shackled by societal norms, she has stepped into the full power of her truth personally and professionally.
Sarah’s strong emotional storytelling, along with her ability to paint fast and think fast has captivated hundreds of clients like Google, ANZ, AMP, Hewlett Packard, Beam Suntory, Mi9, The Salvation Army and the Business Chamber of NSW. She has inspired audiences to embrace their own creativity which she believes is a “birthright to all” and to date has painted at over 400 events raising over $200,000 for charity.
Master class panellists
Belynda Jane Abbott FACN
Belynda Jane Abbott FACN
Master Class Panellist
Bio coming soon
Tony Dolan MACN
Tony Dolan MACN
Master Class Panellist
Tony Dolan is the North Metropolitan Health Service Acting Chief Executive. He is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership, advice and direction on all issues and opportunities related to NMHS.
He is a Registered Nurse, holds a Masters in Nursing and has strong clinical, managerial and leadership experience.
Tony has an active interest in the promotion of health leadership, staff wellness as well as patient and clinical key performance indicators.
Professor Christine Duffield FACN
Professor Christine Duffield FACN
Master Class Panellist
Christine Duffield is an internationally renowned and passionate nurse who has worked across direct care, consultancy, academia, research and in leadership roles to spearhead the advancement of the nursing profession in Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and Australia for over 40 years. She is a Professor of Nursing and Health Services Management at Edith Cowan University, Perth; Emeritus Professor University of Technology Sydney and President/Chair Australian College of Nursing.
Having published over 200 research papers, Christine was named in Mendeley’s Top 100,000 Cited Researchers of the World in 2020. Christine is also the Associate Editor for the International Journal of Nursing Studies, the most highly ranked international nursing journal.
Christine led the development of the first five industry funded Chairs of Nursing in Australia and has been instrumental in establishing key institutions including the Centre for Graduate Nursing Studies (1989) and the Centre for Health Services Management (1999).
Christine has held numerous senior University roles on Academic and Graduate Students Committees and has made a significant impact to the nursing profession by attracting over $14M in research funding as Chief Investigator, supervised 30+ research students and examined 30+ research theses.
Christine is an experienced Board Director who has established and chaired Clinical Governance Committees for two aged care Boards.
As the President/Chair of the Australian College of Nursing (ACN), she has led the review of the ACN Constitution, governance policies and procedures and assisted in moving to a skills-based Board.
A skilled leader, Christine has been a member of State and Commonwealth Committees including Health Workforce Australia; Grants Committee Rosemary Bryant Centre; NHMRC and ARC expert review panels; Australian Commission on Safety and Quality Advisory Committee – Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration and has represented Australia on panels for the International Council of Nurses.
Adjunct Professor Sue Hawes FACN
Adjunct Professor Sue Hawes, FACN
Master Class Panellist
Sue is a registered nurse and has worked in numerous roles as a senior clinician and executive. She was the former Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer of the Northern Territory (NT) and the Executive Director of the Hazard Management Authority, which held governance and accountability for NTs COVID-19 response.
Sue is committed to the developed of others and participates in regular coaching and teaching. She enjoys collaborating with health staff to solve wicked problems that deliver improvements to service delivery. Sue is a Fellow of ACN and Board member.
Associate Professor Shelley Nowlan FACN
Associate Professor Shelley Nowlan FACN
Master Class Panellist
Adjunct Professor Shelley Nowlan, Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner represents Nursing and Midwifery (0.2FTE) within the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner.
A registered nurse with more than 34 years’ experience, Adj. Prof. Nowlan holds a long-standing interest in the health outcomes of rural and remote Australians. Adj. Prof. Nowlan had worked for decades to ensure nurses and midwives were supported to meet the needs of people living in rural and regional Australia. As Deputy Rural Health Commissioner, Adj. Prof. Nowlan will play a key role in the Federal Government agenda to increase access to rural health services, address rural workforce and advise on key initiatives that support rural communities.
Shelley holds a number of Adjunct Professor appointments:
– School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Queensland
– School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology
– School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southern Queensland
– School of Medicine, Griffith University
Adj. Prof. Nowlan holds a Master Health Management (University of New England), Bachelor Degree Nursing (UNE), Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis (Griffith University), Diploma Project Management (TAFE Queensland) and is an Institute of Company Directors Graduate.
In her professional role, advocacy and contribution to nursing and midwifery at a state level, nationally and internationally, a Director on the Emergency Medicine Foundation and the Queensland Health Leadership Advisory Board. She is a Member of the Council of Australian and New Zealand Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers, the International WONCA World General Practice Rural Practice Committee and a Fellow of Australian College of Nursing. Shelley is also an ICN Global Nursing Leadership Institute Alumni and virtually attended the WHO assembly as an Alumni delegate in 2021.
Adj. Prof. Nowlan has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contribution to population nursing, education, equity and the community. In 2007 she was recognised for her work on Cyclone Larry Relief, receiving the QLD Premier Award. In 2008 she was awarded the Australia Day Award for Queensland Health Development and Leadership from Caloundra Health. In 2012 she was the recipient of the Chief Executive Officer Encouragement Award, Central Queensland Staff Awards. In 2015 her leadership was recognised through an Australia Day Award for Nursing Executive Team Childrens Health Queensland HHS and in 2015 she was the recipient of The Association of Queensland Nurse Leaders: Outstanding Achievement in Nursing.
Associate Professor Julienne Onley FACN
Associate Professor Julienne Onley FACN
Master Class Panellist
RN (Ret) Cert Gerontological Nursing MSc (Mental Health) FACN (DLF)
Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Tasmania College of Health and Medicine
I have been a registered nurse since 1973 (retired from active registration in 2020). I have worked as a clinician, professional officer administrator, educator and academic. My clinical specialties were aged care, dementia care and mental health particularly in older people. During my career I have been privileged to represent my profession and employers in various forums: NSW Health; Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing; Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Sydney Local Health District (LHD); South Western Sydney LHD; South Eastern Sydney LHD; NSW Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Services; University of Tasmania; Continence Foundation of Australia; Australian Nursing Homes and Extended Care Association; Australian Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Council; Aged Care Accreditation and Quality Agency; Quality Society of Australasia; Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery ANZ; and NSW Ambulance Service.
Spheres of advice and professional services encompassed; dementia care, mental health in older people; clinical practice placements in undergraduate nursing and paramedic practice degrees; curriculum development and regulatory compliance (tertiary and vocational sectors); community nursing for veterans; continence assessment and management of incontinence; infection control in residential and community care; compliance with Standards in aged care; training for quality assessors in aged care; development of funding instruments for aged care; et al.
I have also been proud to be elected by members of my profession to serve on the Boards of the NSW College of Nursing, The College of Nursing and the Australian College of Nursing (Transitional Board).
Adjunct Professor David Plunkett FACN
Adjunct Professor David Plunkett FACN
Master Class Panellist
David Plunkett FACN GAICD, MBA, RN is Chief Executive Eastern Health Melbourne Victoria, where he operationalises the strategic plan, quality and financial plan for the current and future financial years of the health service. David has been an Executive for Eastern Health in Melbourne for a number of years where he provided professional leadership to the nurses and midwives within Eastern Health. He has a deep understanding of the need to manage and mitigate risk, scope, assess and implement improvements to performance – on any aspect of health service performance.
Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN
Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN
Master Class Panellist
CEO, RN, M.Mgt, Dip.App.Sci (Nursing), Acute Care Cert., FACN, FCHSM, Wharton Fellow, MAICD
Policy Reformer. Humanitarian. Visionary. Nurse. For-Purpose Leader. Equality Warrior. Adjunct Professor. Executive Coach. Mum. Transformation Specialist.
Kylie Ward was born and bred in the outer western suburbs of Sydney. Life was simple but Kylie wasn’t. She was a dreamer. What she didn’t know then, was that she was destined to become one of the most influential health professional leaders of her country and a formidable, passionate advocate for health, women and equality.
Kylie currently serves as the CEO of Australian College of Nursing (ACN). She has led a program of transformation at ACN, turning around membership numbers to increase revenue and tripling student numbers – all within five years.
She has done this by leading the ACN community to find their relevance through policy leadership, political and industry influence. ACN is now Australia’s beacon for Nurse Leadership.
Kylie holds honorary academic appointments with five leading Australian Universities and was ministerially appointed as a Director to ADHA (Australian Digital Health Agency) and NHMRC Health Translation Advisory Committee (HTAC) whilst holding numerous other board positions. In 2020 Kylie was named as one of the Top 100 Health Voices for LinkedIn worldwide and in 2021 was recognised as a National Influencer by AuSAE, the leading body for Association Executives.
Kylie has served on Senate and Parliamentary Inquiries and gave evidence at the Aged Care Royal Commission of 2019.
In 2017, Kylie won Telstra Businesswoman of the Year in ACT for Purpose and Social Enterprise.
David Stewart
David Stewart
Master Class Panellist
David Stewart, RN, BN, MHN, has been with ICN since 2016 and has led several seminal projects in the Health Policy and Nursing Team. Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, David is committed to improving healthcare systems that deliver better outcomes and experiences for patients, clinicians, governments, and the public. He has worked in both the public and private sector with high level experience regionally, nationally, and internationally. Over the course of his 20+ year in healthcare, David has developed expertise in consultancy, public policy development, patient safety, strategy and innovation, health service planning, management, strategic and transformational leadership. Prior to working for ICN, David worked for the Queensland Government Ministry of Health in a number of senior leadership positions including the Director of Nursing, Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in nursing, he has a Masters‘ of Health Administration, and is a Certified Global Nurse Consultant (CGFNS International).
Panellists
Carey Blaik MACN
Carey Blaik MACN
Panellist
Carey originally trained as a nurse and has over 30 years’ experience in both hospital and outpatient settings. She has undertaken additional study in mental health management and trauma awareness.
Carey is the Founder and Director of Our House Our Haven, which was established in 2016 after she recognised a distinct lack of services targeted at mental illness sufferers who had been either discharged or felt unsupported by the current hospital-based models of care.
Carey’s vision was to provide a safe, non-clinical feeling space for her patients to feel comfortable to develop a sense of purpose and receive therapy through holistic experiences and social immersion in addition to the existing medical support.
Our House Our Haven is set on 2 acres and is a unique facility run largely by volunteers and has been successfully rehabilitating those most consumed by mental illness and helping them redevelop their sense of place within the community. Starting from very small beginnings, Carey continues to work pro bono with fierce dedication.
Carey is incredibly passionate about providing care to those who most need it, by breaking down the barriers that typically prevent them from seeking professional help. Carey hopes the service will reduce the stigma around mental health and normalise seeking help in an unconventional environment.
Lorna Cook MACN
Lorna Cook MACN
Panellist
Lorna Cook has been a Registered Nurse for over 40 years. She has worked in both private and public hospitals, in industry, in the Public Health Department and in private enterprise.
She has been a lifelong learner, even as a single mother of three young children, having graduated with a Hospital Based Diploma, then a Bachelor of Health Science, a Master’s Degree in Nursing and an MBA.
In 2013, she and her business partner started a Hospital-Substitution Health Service, chemo@home, which, as the name implies, administers chemotherapy to and immune therapy to cancer patients and to patients with chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
The company has grown exponentially and since 2017 has won numerous business awards for its innovation and disruption of the health sector. The company now employs some 80 people across Australia and continues to expand its service offerings. Lorna is now a proud grandmother of 5 and says nursing has been the most wonderful career and life’s privilege.
Francine Douce MACN
Francine Douce MACN
Panellist
Chief Nurse and Midwife, MACN, FACM
With more than 35 years’ experience as a registered nurse and midwife, Francine is passionate about giving back to the professions as an active member of the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and a Fellow of the Australian College of Midwives (ACM).
In 2015, Francine completed the Global Nursing Leadership Institute at ICN, the first Tasmanian alumni for the GNLI. In October of the following year, 30 years to the day that she graduated as a registered nurse, Francine was appointed as Tasmania’s Chief Nurse and Midwife.
Francine served as member and Chair of the Nursing Board of Tasmania/NMBA (Tas) 2005-2010, member National Council ACM 2015, Chair Australian and New Zealand Council of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers 2017-2019, current Chair Florence Nightingale Grants and Awards Committee and was recently appointed for a second term as the International Commissioner for Pathways to Excellence with the American Nurses Credentialing Centre.
Francine has postgraduate qualifications in nursing and midwifery; Graduate Certificate Business (Public Sector Management Program) and in 2021 completed the ANZSOG Executive Fellows Program.
Energy, courage and resilience have been characteristic of her professional leadership in Tasmania, nationally and more recently the international context.
Lisa Hellwege MACN
Lisa Hellwege MACN
Panellist
Lisa identified a gap in the market for providing safe and gentle micro-suction procedures for earwax removal after working for many years in the ENT field. She believed there had to be a better way to access this procedure without extensive waiting times. This led to a process of discovery and entrepreneurship that resulted in the founding of Earworx in 2016; a nurse-led dedicated professional earwax removal service.
Lisa’s idea to take a procedure previously only available via an ENT specialist to the Tasmanian community was embraced by both the medical and audiology professions, and by the public. Earworx has now expanded nationally with 26 (and growing) clinics across five states.
Lisa leads a vast national clinical team and has designed and now delivers extensive online education, practical-based training and ongoing support to 26 Registered Nurses working with Earworx.
Motivated and inspired by a desire to maintain excellence in standards of care, Lisa works each day to ensure Earworx Registered Nurses work to the highest-clinical levels and are professionally supported within their scope of practice. Lisa is passionate about Earworx clients receiving the same high-quality care, no matter where they live.
An advocate for the advancement of nursing, Lisa is inspired to empower nurses through their professional development as she believes their education, skills and expertise directly impacts on the efficiency of Australia’s health care system.
Lisa has over 27 years’ experience in nursing, holds a Bachelor of Nursing, qualifications in Micro-suction, Aural Hygiene and Aural Care. Lisa has now also cleaned 40,000 ears!
Lisa was State Coordinator of the Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Nurses Group Tasmania for six years, coordinating nurse and audiology education alongside ENT specialists to bring education experiences to Registered Nurses and allied health professionals in her field.
Dr Leesa Hooker MACN
Dr Leesa Hooker MACN
Panellist
Dr Leesa Hooker is a nurse/midwife academic and Senior Research Fellow at the La Trobe Rural Health School and the Judith Lumley Centre-La Trobe University. She leads the Child, Family and Community Health research stream and co-leads the Preventing and Reducing Violence against Women and Children research stream within the Centre. Leesa is the President of the Nursing Network on Violence against Women International (NNVAWI) and works with global experts to eliminate violence by advancing nursing and midwifery education, practice, research, and public policy.
She has established expertise in the epidemiology of family violence, women’s mental and reproductive health and parenting. Her research includes intervention trials, observation studies and systematic reviews with a focus on improving maternal and child health outcomes, and the healthcare service response to abused women and children. She has recently completed research for the Commonwealth Department of Social Services on the primary prevention of sexual violence and harassment and developed a theory of change to inform future development of the next National Action Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.
Sonia Martin MACN
Sonia Martin MACN
Panellist
Powered by a passion to decrease stigma around homelessness, Sonia Martin had a vision to step up and tackle the issues head-on and provide access to quality health care for thousands of vulnerable Australians.
A nurse through and through, Sonia has spent a lot of time with people on the streets who have been disengaged from health care for years, listening to their stories and their worries. She was struck by the loneliness of people sleeping rough and doing it tough and combined with witnessing hundreds of representations to the Emergency Department in the role of Nurse Unit Manager, she decided she had to do something different for vulnerable Australians. So, she made the courageous decision to resign from her permanent public health sector managerial role together with Dr Nova Evans, to address the gap in provision of care to people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Australia.
In 2018, Sonia and Nova, who passionately believe there had to be a better way to provide equitable, quality health care for vulnerable Australians, decided to put their vision into action and literally take health care to the streets.
Sonia began to change the lives of thousands of Australians by setting up a simple nursing kit and started providing health care from the back of a car boot. This led to the development of the innovative service we know today as Sunny Street.
Whilst many of Sonia’s friends and family told her it wasn’t possible to step out and truly make a difference, Sonia backed herself and found the way forward. Today, Sunny Street is an award-winning health care service and since 2018, has provided over 30,000 consultations.
Dr Jacqui Pich MACN
Julie Westaway MACN
Panellist
Dr Jacqui Pich is a senior lecturer and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Technology.
Her areas of research interest include violence, aggression and bullying experienced by nurses working in healthcare. Her PhD explored patient-related violence against emergency department nurses (The VENT Study). She recently worked on the Australian College of Nursing’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Taskforce and worked to develop a position statement on this important topic. She also worked closely with NSW Nurses’ and Midwives’ Association on a large (n = 3500) survey of their membership on the issues of violence from patients and/or family and friends. Her research has been highlighted in a number of media stories, including print, radio and television, and was the focus of a 2020 edition of the 730 Report on the ABC.
Ms Rheannwynn Sneesby MACN
Julie Westaway MACN
Panellist
Rheannwynn (Rhee) Sneesby is an advanced practice nurse with expertise in child protection across both acute hospital and community health settings. With 11 years working in this field, Rhee is skilled in action-research, practice and process enhancement, conference speaking (including internationally), and report writing.
Most recently, Rhee has been working as a Clinical Nurse Consultant – Child Protection at Canterbury Hospital, Sydney Local Health District. She has been implementing a nurse-led, multidisciplinary model of child protection (action-research) in an acute hospital facility. This work has been awarded local funding. Rhee also holds a Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Health Nursing (NSW College of Nursing), has completed additional training in the Health Child Protection space and, completed the Child Protection and Domestic Violence units within a Master Social Work (Qualifying). Together, her combined experience and knowledge has convinced Rhee that nurses are critical to supporting children, their families and the community where child protection concerns exist.
Shannon Wallis MACN
Shannon Wallis MACN
Panellist
Shannon Wallis is the Virtual Care Nurse Unit Manager at West Moreton Health Service (WMHS) and is leading clinical teams to deliver virtual care closer to home. WMHS has a variety of virtual care models that facilitate a smooth transition for patients through different stages in their health care journey. These innovative programs use Remote patient monitoring, telehealth, clinical software and reporting to focus on delivering personalised care to patient’s in their own home.
Shannon has held a variety of senior nursing positions during her career including a background in general nursing, Intensive care nursing, Nurse manager in patient flow/after hours and Cancer care services. Shannon is passionate about caring for her community and understands the importance of empowering patients to become active participants in their own healthcare.
Shannon was fortunate to be nominate by the executive team at West Moreton Health and received the 2020 Minister of Health award for Nursing Trailblazer.
Julie Westaway MACN
Julie Westaway MACN
Panellist
Over the last 40 years, Julie Westaway has had extensive nursing experience as a Registered Nurse, midwife, lactation consultant, child and adolescent health nurse, and community continence clinical nurse consultant.
Julie initially developed the Continence Specialist Nurse position within the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service in which she worked tirelessly providing specialist continence care for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions in acute and community sectors.
Ten years ago, Julie collaborated with a consultant with a special interest in urogynaecology to undertake a review of international and national recommendations and guidelines after significant gaps in service provision were identified from clinical audits, wait lists and risk analysis.
As a strong advocate and pioneer for women’s health, Julie embraced her passion and experience to transform Women’s Health Services for Darling Downs Health. This has provided a platform to develop a unique specialist nursing model of care, and establishment of the Nurse Practitioner Urogynaecology and Continence role.
Julie has strong mentoring and leadership attributes, contributing to National webinars, forums, conferences and credentialling. She has been a content writer and reviewer for the Australian College of Nursing, Continence Foundation of Australia and Benchmarque, developing Certificate 2 and post graduate training programs.
Julie is also a recipient of the 2017 award for Patient Dignity and is a recipient of the 2019 Grateful Patient Program. In 2015, she was awarded Queensland Urological Nurses Conference Best Abstract and in 2009, the Excellence in Education & Research Award by the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.
Professor Georgina Willetts FACN
Professor Georgina Willetts FACN CMgr FIML
Panellist
Professor Georgina Willetts has 40 years nursing experience and more than a decade of experience in leading nursing and midwifery reform within the healthcare industry, moving to academia in 2011.
Currently she leads an Academic Nursing tram at Swinburne University where she established a new nursing program introducing a contemporary nursing curriculum using innovative teaching strategies. Her clinical interests are medical/surgical nursing, models of care, interprofessional practice/education and professional identity. Her research interests include Practice Development and translational research into the areas of healthcare education, health care workforce, and the performance of professional identity in practice.
Georgina is a passionate nurse representing her profession whenever and wherever she can across industry, at a state and national level and internationally. She is both a Fellow and board Director of the Australian College of Nursing.
Matiu Bush
Matiu Bush
Panellist
I am a Nurse Practitioner in Community Health with a focus on Infectious Diseases and over the past 19 years have developed experience in a range of healthcare settings locally and internationally, including Emergency, ICU, Aged Care, Oncology and Outpatients. My Masters of Public Health has given me a grounding in population health, I have a high level understanding of COVID-19 transmission prevention and the pandemic response. In previous roles I have project managed large health initiatives in major tertiary hospitals. I bring a hybrid approach which is simultaneously a multidimensional view of human experience and orientation of activity back to a set of principles that are psycho-socially supportive at the individual, community and organisational level.
Registration fees
All participants are required to register to attend. Please read the following information carefully before completing your registration. Fees are in Australian Dollars and inclusive of GST.
| Standard Full Registration | |
|---|---|
| Members | $299.00 |
| Non-Members | $399.00 |
| ACN Undergraduate Members and Retired Members | $150.00 |
| Non-member retirees and undergraduate students | $200.00 |
Registrations will close at 4.30pm AEDT on Thursday 28 October 2021.
Full registration includes:
- Entry to Forum plenary and concurrent sessions
-
NNF registration pack valued at $400
Virtual Forum Q&A
Unless a cancellation or refund request is received, all bookings will automatically roll over to the virtual platform, and you will be refunded the difference in registration fees. Payments made for any social events will be refunded in full.
The event managers will be in touch to discuss the options available.
Yes. The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) will offer 100% refund of monies paid if you wish to cancel your registration or exhibition booking.
All refund requests must be made in writing to acn@aceo.net.au. Refunds will be returned in the same form as the original method of payment. There will be no cancellation fees. Please allow up to 30 days for funds to be credited back to accounts.
The NNF online portal will remain open until 5:00pm AEDT Thursday 4 November 2021.
Sponsors
In-kind sponsors
NNF 2019 highlights
Contact us
The National Nursing Forum 2021 is organised with the assistance of Australian Conference and Event Organisers (aceo). For further information or assistance, please contact the Forum Office:
T: 0432 651 588
E: acn@aceo.net.au
