Australia's health 2008 conference Debate members

How are we going? How do we know?

Monday 23 June 2008, Welcome Dinner, National Convention Centre, 27-31 Constitution Avenue, Canberra

Tuesday 24 June 2008, Conference, National Convention Centre, 27-31 Constitution Avenue, Canberra

Debate members

Kate Carnell
Chief Executive Officer, Australian General Practice Network

Kate Carnell spent eight years in the ACT Legislative Assembly, of which five were as Chief Minister. As Chief Minister, Kate also assigned herself the health portfolio, one of the few heads of government to do so.  

Before her life in politics Kate was a pharmacist in the Canberra region for over 15 years. Her strong interests in business and health led her into a political career, starting at the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and becoming its first female National Vice-President.

Following her political career Kate became a driving force behind Transact Communications. She also spent three years as Executive Director of the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI). Since 2004 Kate has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian General Practice Network.

On Australia Day 2006 Kate was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for her services to community through contributions to economic development and support for the business sector, knowledge industries, the medical sector and medical technology advances.

Professor Peter Collignon
Director, Infectious Diseases and microbiology, ACT Health, Professor, ANU Medical School

Professor Collignon has qualifications as a Specialist Physician from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians with training in clinical infectious diseases. He graduated with First Class Honours from Sydney University with a combined Medical and Surgical degree.

Peter has been Director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at The Canberra Hospital for over 20 years and is also a Professor in the Medical Faculty of the Australian National University. He is involved in teaching and research and is an author of several articles published in both Australian and international medical and scientific journals.

Peter continues to be active and involved in many research projects associated with infections and infection control, in the Canberra area, Australia-wide and for international programs. Of particular interest are the problems of antibiotic resistance and the issue of resistance and its development through the use of antibiotics in animals. He has also been involved in research projects involving infection control, procedures and practices in medicine.

Peter has been an active member of many national committees, including those of National Health and Medical Research Council, and has chaired expert panels for the World Health Organisation. He has acted as Chief Quarantine Officer and Chief Health Officer in the ACT for extended periods.

 

Dr Stephen Duckett
Executive Director, Reform and Development Division Queensland Health

Stephen Duckett, an economist, heads the Queensland Health Reform Team. He was Secretary of the Commonwealth Health Department from 1994-1996 and has held leadership positions in the Victorian Health Department, at La Trobe University and as Chair of the Boards governing The Alfred Hospital and the Brotherhood of St Laurence. He is a member of the National Hospitals and Health Reform Commission.
Stephen was recognised by his peers in 2004 for his academic excellence when he was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and in 2006 by the University of New South Wales by award of a higher doctorate, the Doctor of Science, on the basis of his published works. He is also a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Services Executives and of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Professor Stephen Leeder, AO
Director, Australian Health Policy Institute, University of Sydney

Stephen Leeder is Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Sydney and Director of the Australian Health Policy Institute. The Institute is the Australasian base of the Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) and hosted the 2008 OxHA Summit.

Professor Leeder is also co-director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, a joint enterprise with the Australian National University. He has a long history of involvement in public health research, educational development and policy. His research interests as a clinical epidemiologist have been mainly in asthma and cardiovascular disease.

In 2003-04, Professor Leeder worked at Columbia University, New York, in the Earth Institute and Mailman School of Public Health, developing a substantial report based on research data and scientific interpretation of the economic consequences of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in developing economies.

Professor Katherine McGrath
Group Manager, Corporate & Medical Affairs, Medibank Private

Originally trained as a haematologist, Katherine has held active clinician, academic, and senior executive positions in the Victorian and New South Wales health systems.

These include Chief Executive Officer of Hunter Area Health Service and Deputy Director General, NSW Health. Katherine is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Newcastle.

During her time as Chief Executive Officer, Hunter Health was recognised as one of the most innovative and successful health services in Australia.

At NSW Health she led the Clinical Service Redesign Program, an ambitious program of clinical service reform across NSW Health which led to substantial improvement in access to emergency departments, elective surgery and innovative programs for chronic disease and aged care management.

She is a member of the Australian Commission for Safety & Quality in Health care and Chair of the Steering Committee for its National Hand Hygiene Initiative.

Mark Metherell
Sydney Morning Herald

Mark Metherell, based in the Canberra press gallery, writes on national health policy issues for the Sydney Morning Herald. His initial stint as medical reporter for The Age in the 1980s included covering transformational events in the health arena: the appearance of HIV-AIDS, the development of IVF and the introduction of Medicare.

After moving to other roles in newspapers, Metherell returned to writing on health matters with the Herald in 1999.