Session 1 and 2
10.00am – 1.05pm AEDT

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Session 3
1.35pm – 3.00pm AEDT

2024 National Medicines Symposium

NMS 2024 PROGRAM

Please note all timings are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Sydney, NSW time)

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10:00 – 10:05 amWelcome to CountryMs Yvonne Weldon AM
10:05 – 10:10 amIntroduction with FacilitatorMs Tegan Taylor
NMS Facilitator, Health and Science Journalist
10:10 – 10:15 amOpening AddressThe Hon. Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care
10:15 – 10:20 amWelcome on behalf of CommissionConjoint Professor Anne Duggan
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
10:20 – 10:35 amQuality Use of Medicines in AustraliaProfessor Libby Roughead
Director of the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia
10:35 – 10:50 amWHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without harm – Australia’s response – 2023 status reportMr Steve Waller
Senior Advisor, Medication without Harm, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
10:50 – 11:05 amClinician’s perspective of managing medicines for an ageing populationProfessor Jennifer Martin
Physician, Clinical Pharmacologist and President of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
11:05 – 11:35 amPanel Discussion: How are the challenges of medication safety for an ageing population being addressed?

Professor Libby Roughead
Director of the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia

Mr Steve Waller
Senior Advisor, Medication without Harm, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Professor Jennifer Martin
Physician, Clinical Pharmacologist and President of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians

11.35 – 11.40 amLightning talkPharmaceutical Society of Australia
11.40 – 11.50 amBreak
11.50 – 12:05pmApproaches to deprescribing of medicines

Professor Sarah Hilmer AM
Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Geriatrician, Royal North Shore Hospital.

Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell
Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney.

12:05 – 12:15 pmPolypharmacy Consumer PerspectiveMr Bronte Parkin
Dementia Advocate, Dementia Australia
12:15 – 12:30 pmChallenges of quality use of medicines in rural settingsProfessor Jenny May AM
National Rural Health Commissioner and General Practitioner
12:30 – 1:00 pmPanel Discussion: Medicine-related harm and the importance of safe and appropriate use of medicines

Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell
Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney.

Mr Bronte Parkin
Dementia Advocate, Dementia Australia

Professor Jenny May AM
National Rural Health Commissioner and General Practitioner

Dr Phoebe Holdenson Kimura
Medical Advisor Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

1:00 – 1:05 pmLightning TalkAdvanced Pharmacy Australia
1:05 – 1:35 pm Break: Lunch
1:35 – 1:45 pmMedication Management at Transitions of Care Stewardship FrameworkMs Natalie Kahwajy
Senior Project Officer, Digital Health, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
1:45 – 1:55 pmHuman factors and digital healthProfessor Melissa Baysari
Professor of Health Research, The University of Sydney   
1:55 – 2:05 pmManaging medicines safety using digital tools in rural and remote settingsMr Michael Bakker
Chief Pharmacy Information Officer, South Australia Pharmacy
2:05 – 2:20 pmDigital tools for medicines management in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health OrganisationsMs Alice Nugent
Pharmacist Advisor, Medicines Policy and Programs, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
2:20 – 2:50 pmPanel Discussion: Digital tools for the safe and appropriate use of medicines

Professor Melissa Baysari
Professor of Health Research, The University of Sydney

Mr Michael Bakker
Chief Pharmacy Information Officer, South Australia Pharmacy

Ms Kate Oliver
Program Manager, Digital Health, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

2.50 – 2.55pmClosing AddressProfessor Christine Kilpatrick AO
Board Chair, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
2:55 – 3:00pmClose with Facilitator Ms Tegan Taylor
NMS Facilitator, Health and Science Journalist
Close

Program is subject to change.

NMS 2024 SPEAKERS

Ms Tegan Taylor

NMS Facilitator, Journalist and Broadcaster

Tegan Taylor is a multi-award-winning health and science reporter for the ABC. She hosts Radio National’s Health Report, Quick Smart and What’s That Rash? She’s received a Walkley Award, the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism and her work has appeared in the anthology The Best of Australian Science Writing.

Hon Mark Butler MP

Minister for Health and Aged Care

Mark Butler is the Minister for Health and Aged Care. He served as Minister for Ageing and Australia’s first Minister for Mental Health in the Gillard Government. Mark has also held the ministries of Housing, Homelessness, Social Inclusion, Climate Change, Water and the Environment. In 2013 he was awarded the Alzheimer’s Disease International Award for Outstanding Global Contribution to the Fight Against Dementia.

Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan

Chief Executive Officer, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Anne Duggan is Chief Executive Officer at the Commission and a highly respected gastroenterologist with significant leadership experience in a range of healthcare settings. She is also a Conjoint Professor at the School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle. Anne is passionate about improving health care services through sharing knowledge and collaborating across the health system.

Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO

Board Chair, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO is the Board Chair of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. She has extensive clinical, academic, and hospital administration experience and is recognised for building strong clinical governance and safety culture. Her previous roles include Chief Executive at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Chief Medical Officer at Melbourne Health, and Executive Director at Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Session 1: Challenges of medicine safety in an ageing population

Professor Libby Roughead

Director of Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia

Libby Roughead’s research focuses on improving use of medicines. Libby is Director of the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, a member of the Australian Government Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Medication Safety and Quality Advisory Committee.

Mr Steve Waller

Senior Advisor, Medication Without Harm, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Steve Waller is a pharmacist and consultant with extensive Australian and international experience in clinical trials management, regulations, product registration, supply chain, finance and general management. Since 2018 he has consulted to the Commission on safe and quality use of medicines, developing Australia's response to WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge - Medication without harm, and other reports addressing appropriate prescribing.

Jenny-Martin

Professor Jennifer Martin

Physician, Clinical Pharmacologist and President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Professor Martin (FRACP, PhD) is a practising general physician and clinical pharmacologist. She is President of the RACP and is the Editor-in-Chief of the ASPET-BPS Journal - Pharmacology Research and Perspectives. Over the last 30 years, she has advised on clinical pharmacology matters for Pharma, Federal and State Health pharmaceutical regulation and reimbursement committees, and is the lead for the NSW State Medicines Formulary Committee. She leads a clinical pharmacology and drug repurposing team at the University of Newcastle.

Session 2: Deprescribing

Sarah-Hilmer

Professor Sarah Hilmer AM

Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Geriatrician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Conjoint Professor of Geriatric Pharmacology, Northen Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

Sarah Hilmer (BScMed(Hons) MBBS(Hons) FRACP PhD FAHMS) is head of department of Clinical Pharmacology and senior staff specialist geriatrician at Royal North Shore Hospital; Conjoint Professor of Geriatric Pharmacology at Sydney University; and leads Ageing and Pharmacology Laboratory at the Kolling. Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to clinical and geriatric pharmacology.

Lisa Kouladjian Odonnell

Dr Lisa Kouladjian O’Donnell

Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney and Deputy Chair, Australian Deprescribing Network

Dr Kouladjian O’Donnell is a Lecturer and credentialled pharmacist, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. Lisa is currently the Deputy Chair of the Australian Deprescribing Network, and leads a research program that aims to optimise medicine use in older adults.

-Phoebe-Holdenson-Kimura

Dr Pheobe Holdenson Kimura

Medical Advisor, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and General Practitioner

Dr Holdenson Kimura is a Medical Advisor for the Commission and a general practitioner based in Sydney, working in health policy and health professional education. She works clinically at the Hornsby-Brooklyn General Practice Unit and is passionate about promoting equitable and quality primary care.

Bronte-Parkin

Mr Bronte Parkin

Dementia Advocate, Dementia Australia

Bronte cared for his wife, who had younger onset dementia, for 13 years - her final three in residential aged care. As Dementia Australia’s nominated advocate, he participated in development of the clinical care standard of the “Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards” and the Commission’s Clinical Care Standard on use of psychotropic medicines.

Session 3: Digital tools for medicine safety

Natalie-Kahwajy

Ms Natalie Kahwajy

Senior Project Officer, Digital Health, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and Pharmacist

Natalie works with the Digital Health team at the Commission on national projects that support the safety and quality of digital health, including digital medicines and integrated systems. Natalie is a hospital pharmacist by background and has worked as a Senior Antimicrobial Stewardship pharmacist. Prior to her current role, she was a Quality and Accreditation Manager within South Western Sydney Local Health District, overseeing accreditation, quality improvement and risk management processes.

Professor Melissa Baysari

Professor Health Research, The University of Sydney

Melissa leads the Human Factors Digital Health Research Group at the University of Sydney. She is internationally recognised for her research on evaluation and optimisation of health technologies to support healthcare work and improve patient safety, with a particular focus on technologies to support medication management.

Michael-Bakker

Mr Michael Bakker

Chief Pharmacy Information Officer, South Australia, SA Pharmacy

In addition to his role in SA Health, Michael is the chair of the Pharmacy Informatics group within the Advanced Pharmacy Australia and a PhD candidate with Flinders University. He is clinical lead for AutoMedic which is a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) project to transform complex medicines review processes using AI.

Kate-Oliver

Ms Kate Oliver

Program Manager, Digital Health, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Kate is the Program Manager for the medicines arm of the Commission’s Digital Health team. She leads the program strategy and execution, supporting the development and ongoing stewardship of nationally standardised tools, indicators and guidance used in the Australian healthcare system to manage medicines safely. Kate has extensive experience in electronic medication management and has managed several national digital medicines programs in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Sea-Urchin

Acknowledgement of Country

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care acknowledges the Traditional Owners, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation on whose land the Commission’s office is located, and the lands across Australia where those we partner with work. The Commission pays our deep respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging.

Sea urchin design: Ms Tanya Taylor is a Worimi artist (mid-north coast of New South Wales) who is drawn to the underwater world through a deep connection with her saltwater heritage. Tanya’s design is inspired by the patterns found in the sea urchins, corals and sea creatures found in the ocean.

Privacy Policy

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Email NMS@safetyandquality.gov.au if you prefer not to receive communications from us.

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