PROGRAM

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History of the National Medicines Symposium
Symposium Streams
International Speakers
Official NPS & Pharm Representatives
Discussion Panel
Invited Speakers and Session Chairs
QUM Scholarships
National QUM Awards 2006
Professional Development
Social Program

History of the National Medicines Symposium

The inaugural National Medicines Symposium was held in Melbourne in 2000.
The theme for this Symposium was Change in progress: progress in change.

Keynote speakers included:

Professor Flora Haaijer-Ruskamp, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Professor Laurence Malcolm, University of Otago, New Zealand

Barbara Mintzes, DCTA Impact Assessment Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Vancouver, Canada

The second National Medicines Symposium was held in Canberra in 2002.
The theme was Linking people, actions and policy for QUM.

The international keynote speakers included:

Dr Mary Moran, Medicines Sans Frontieres

Professor Tom Walley, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom

Professor Dennis Ross-Degnan, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, USA

The third National Medicines Symposium was held in Brisbane in 2004.
The theme was Quality Use of Medicines - time for total integration.

Keynote speakers included:

Professor Peter Brooks, Executive Dean of Health Sciences, University of Queensland

Professor Tom McDonald, Dundee University, Scotland

Professor Stephen Chapman, Keele University, United Kingdom

Sri Suryawati, Head of Clinical Pharmacology Department, Director of Centre of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine Policy Studies and Management, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia

Gillian Calvert, NSW Commission for Children and Young People

Bouathong Sisounthone, Lao Ministry of Health.

Symposium Streams

Balancing beliefs and behaviours about medicines
People's beliefs and behaviours about medicines depend on culture, experience, literacy, environment and current understanding. This stream explores how we balance the diversity of beliefs and behaviours in making choices about medicines and how medicines are used. This stream will include presentations on (but not restricted to) quality use of complementary and traditional medicines, programs working with people from multicultural communities including Indigenous communities and culturally appropriate communication tools.

Balancing benefits and harms
Medicines have the potential to benefit and to harm. This stream explores the issues related to assessing, interpreting and communicating benefits and harms of medicine use to policy makers, health professionals, consumers and the media. This stream will include presentations on (but not restricted to) methods used to convey degrees of benefits and harms, minimising medication misadventures and errors.

Balancing systems and settings
Medicines use occurs in a complex health environment with a multitude of players. This stream explores barriers and enablers in the systems and settings where medicine use occurs. This stream will include presentations on (but not restricted to) successful cross-system collaboration, medication use at the hospital/community interface, continuity of care and using medicines in aged care and mental health.

International Speakers

Professor Jerry Avorn

Professor Ebba Holme Hansen

Professor Richard Laing

Official NPS & Pharm Representatives

Dr Roger Boyd

Professor Richard Day AM

Dr Lynn Weekes

Discussion Panel

Dr Paul Collins

Professor Trisha Dunning

Abd-Elmasih Malak AM

Dr Mukesh Haikerwal

Dr Graeme Killer AO

Professor Paul Komesaroff

Janet McDonald AO

John Montgomery

Professor Kerryn Phelps

Kos Sclavos

Invited Speakers and Session Chairs

Dr John Aloizos AM

Dr Jill Beattie

Henry Councillor

Sue Cook

Jennifer Davis

Professor Andrew Gilbert

Dr Rowan Hammett

Professor Ian Hickie

Mr Ben Horgan

Rosemary Huxtable

Dr Shanthi Kanagarajah

A/Professor Andrew McLachlan

John Mendoza

Professor Stephen Myers

Professor Mark Nelson

A/Professor Christopher Newell AM

Debbie Rigby

Professor Lloyd Sansom

Dr Julie Thompson

Patti Warn

Diane Walsh

A/Professor Alison Yung

QUM Scholarships

Cheah Chee Ho

Dr Maneerat Rattanmahattana Layton

National QUM Awards 2006

Click here for more information.

Professional Development

NMS 2006 will be submitted to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) for point allocation in the professional development category of the Quality Assurance and Continuing Professional Development Program as well as to the Royal College of Nursing, Australia (RCNA) for Continuing Nurse Education points.

The outcomes of these applications will be published at a later date on the NPS website.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has allocated points for NMS 2006 (activity RI - 2/05). On your registration form please record your PSA membership number if you wish to receive PSA points for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Practice Improvement (PI).

Social Program

Welcome Reception
All delegates are invited to attend the Welcome reception. Renew old friendships and make new acquaintances as we welcome you to NMS 2006. Drinks and canapés will be served.

Venue: Ballroom, National Convention Centre
Date: Wednesday 7 June 2006
Time: 18:30 - 20:00
Cost: Included in the registration fee for full delegates and students/unwaged. Please indicate on your registration form if you will be attending as tickets will not be automatically allocated.
Additional tickets: $45 per person

Symposium Dinner
Enjoy an evening of fine food and wine at the nation's most prestigious and high profile building, Parliament House, one of only a few parliamentary buildings in the world available for private functions.

Venue: Great Hall, Parliament House
Date: Thursday 8 June 2006Time: 19:30 - 22:30
Cost: Included in the registration fees for full delegates. Tickets will not be automatically allocated. You will need to indicate on the registration form if you will be attending.
Additional tickets: $110 per person
Transport: Coaches will depart from the National Convention Centre at 19:15 and return to your Hotel approximately 22:45

Professor Jerry Avorn

Jerry Avorn is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. An internist, geriatrician, and pharmacoepidemiologist, he studies the intended and adverse effects of drugs, physician prescribing practices, and medication policy. Jerry pioneered the 'academic detailing ' approach in which evidence-based information about drugs is provided to doctors through educational outreach programs run by non-commercial sponsors. He has served on several national and international panels as an expert on the determinants and consequences of medication use and is a past President of the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology. Jerry is the author of over 200 papers on medication use and its outcomes, and is one of the most highly-cited researchers working in the area of medicine and the social sciences. He is the author of the book, Powerful Medicines: The Benefits, Risks, and Costs of Prescription Drugs.

Professor Ebba Holme Hansen

Ebba Holme Hansen has been the professor at the Department of Social Pharmacy, Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences since 1992, and has worked for the University since she earned her MSc degree in pharmacy in 1968. She has been one of the driving forces behind the development of social pharmacy as an academic discipline. Ebba is the architect behind and director of the Research Centre for Quality in Medicine Use, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional initiative. In addition to numerous scientific articles and books, she is also the author of many teaching materials for use in undergraduate and postgraduate programs at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences and other institutions of healthcare education.

Professor Richard Laing

Richard Laing, a Medical Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe, is responsible for editing the Essential Drugs Monitor and for coordinating training and research related to promoting rational use of drugs in the community. Richard worked for 18 years as a physician in the Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe. After receiving post graduate degrees in public health and health policy, he spent 13 years in Boston, USA, working for an international consulting company to establish the International Network for the Rational Use of Drugs. He was a professor of international public health at Boston University School of Public Health before joining WHO in mid 2003. Richard has served on a number of WHO Expert Committees and has an extensive list of academic publications. He is one of the editors and authors of the standard text Managing Drug Supply. Most recently he was one of the authors of the report, Priority Medicines for Europe and the World.

Dr Roger Boyd

Roger Boyd has recently been elected chair of NPS. He has over twenty years experience in hospital and health services management, approximately half in each of the public and private sectors, and a considerable breadth of involvement in the health care industry. Graduating from Sydney University's Faculty of Medicine in 1978, he completed his clinical and initial administrative experience at Royal North Shore Hospital, rising to be Director of Medical Services and Community Health for RNSH and Area Health Service. Moving to the private sector in 1989, he joined Health Care Corporation (HCC). Initially serving as Chief Executive Officer of Charles Wentworth Private Hospital near Westmead, Roger was promoted in 1992 to become Managing Director of HCC, with overall responsibility for the strategic direction and operational performance of the company's successful hospitals and associated development projects. Following the sale of HCC in late 1997, he established an independent consulting practice in health management, policy and planning. Since the establishment of this practice - Boyd Health Management - he has been providing consulting services to a diverse range of clients including numerous public and private hospitals, area health services, divisions of general practice, industry bodies and the NSW Health Department.

Professor Richard Day AM

Ric Day has chaired the Pharmaceutical Health And Rational use of Medicines (PHARM) Committee since 1999. As Chair of PHARM he also sits on the Chairs of the National Medicine Policy (NMP) Group. He is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at UNSW and Director of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney. He has a clinical practice in Clinical Pharmacology and Rheumatology and also a pathology practice at St Vincent's Hospital. Ric has research interests into the mechanisms and pharmacological treatments of the rheumatic diseases, which have ranged across studies in inflammation, musculoskeletal pain, nonsteroidal anti-inflammotories, antirheumatic drugs, and hypouricaemic therapies and has published over 200 papers in these areas. He has developed a number of innovative approaches to teaching therapeutics to undergraduate medical students and extends his teaching activities to involve hospital doctors and general practitioners. Ric has a particular interest in promoting QUM in the community which has found expression in membership of the PHARM Committee and sub-committees and in his membership of other committees.

Dr Lynn Weekes

As inaugural Chief Executive Officer of NPS, Lynn has contributed significantly to the development of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) resources and services for health professionals and consumers in Australia since 1998. As part of her PhD thesis, "Organisational Structures to Promote Quality Use of Medicines" Lynn developed indicators for QUM for Drug and Therapeutics Committees and for hospitals more generally. She has a strong professional interest in quality assurance, behaviour change and pharmacoepidemiology. With her expertise in the QUM area Lynn sits, by invitation, on various national boards and committees from government, pharmacy and academic sectors. Prior to Lynn 's appointment to NPS, she was Executive Officer of NSW Therapeutic Assessment Group where she was involved in drug use practice, evaluation and policy. She originally trained as a pharmacist and practiced in hospital and research settings.

Dr Paul Collins

Paul Collins was ordained in 1967 and then worked as a priest and secondary school teacher in Toowoomba. From there he went to Hobart, where he worked in a parish; Sydney, where he taught students for the priesthood; Papua New Guinea, where he taught in a university; and Michigan, USA, where he taught theology. Paul lives in Queanbeyan and works as a freelance priest-writer-broadcaster, with regular contributions in many newspapers, including The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He also does regular spots on ABC metro stations across Australia and often appears on ABC TV. Paul has a Masters degree in theology from Harvard University and a Doctorate in history from the Australian National University. He is still working on papal history, however, it is helping out in parishes on weekends that keeps Paul in touch with everyday reality.

Professor Trisha Dunning

Trisha Dunning is an active member of a number of local, national and international committees primarily related to diabetes. These include St.Vincent 's Health Human Research Ethics Committee and the School of Nursing Melbourne University Departmental Research Ethics Committee. Trisha is a very active member of a number of diabetes organisations and committees including the Australian Diabetes Educators Association, The International Diabetes Federation. She is widely published in books, journals and magazines on the issues of diabetes. Trisha has a regular column responding to people 's letters in Diabetes Conquest, the magazine produced by Diabetes Australia.

Abd-Elmasih Malak AM

Abd-Elmasih Malak,BSW,MSW has worked in the field of health and social welfare which, for the past 30 years, has included service provision, policy, planning and management. He has written and published various papers on cross-cultural issues. He is currently the Director of the Diversity Health Institute. Abd is also the Chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA)and the newly established Australian Partnership of Ethnic and Religious Organisations (APERO). In 2002 Abd was honoured to be included in the Australian Honours List as a Member in the Order Of Australia for his service to migrant communities.

Dr Mukesh Haikerwal

Mukesh Haikerwal was elected President of the Australian Medical Association in May 2005. Having advocated for his colleagues from his medical school days, representative roles in the Medical Associations are a natural progression. Mukesh also held the position of Vice President of Australian Medical Association from 2003 -2005 and President of the Australian Medical Association (Victoria) from 2001 to 2003. In his AMA roles Mukesh has represented the medical profession to the public, across all levels of government and all to often in the electronic and written media. Mukesh maintains that the roles of the AMA are to unashamedly represent the medical profession and advocate for its independence and vital role in health care, and keep the public aware of the significant public health challenges we face as a nation as well as to appraise the public of the needs of the Australian health care system and the effects of proposed policy pronouncements. Mukesh is a general practitioner in a small group practice in Melbourne 's West, Hobson 's Bay, where he has consulted in all aspects of general practice for over 15 years. Educated in the United Kingdom, Mukesh trained as a specialist general practitioner. He attained additional qualifications in emergency care, obstetrics and gynaecology, and family planning.

Dr Graeme Killer AO

Graeme Killer is the Principal Medical Adviser to the Repatriation Commission. He trained as an Occupational Physician and served for 23 years in the Royal Australia Airforce (RAAF) including overseas postings to Malaysia and the United Kingdom. He served in Malaysia during the Vietnam War and was involved in aeromedical evacuation. On his retirement from full-time Defence service in 1990, he was Director of Environment Health for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).He has been Principal Medical Adviser to the Department of Veterans 'Affairs (DVA) since 1991 and has taken a leading role in departmental initiatives in the quality use of medicines. He is a Member of the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Reference Committee (RPRC), Chairman of the Editorial Committee and Consumer Reference Group for the Veterans 'Medicines Advice and Therapeutic Education Services (MATES) Program. He pioneered the introduction of care planning and preventive annual health assessments for older Australians and initiated the Health Links Program between the Departments of Defence and Veterans 'Affairs. He has extensive health care interests including occupational and public health and aged care. He maintains part-time clinical practice and has been personal physician to Prime Ministers Keating and Howard and has a similar role with Government House, Canberra. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1999 for his service to the veteran community.

Professor Paul Komesaroff

Paul Komesaroff is a physician, medical researcher and philosopher at Monash University in Melbourne. He is Professor of Medicine at Monash University, Director of the Monash Centre for the Study of Ethics in Medicine and Society, Physician-in-Charge of the Menopause Clinic at the Alfred Hospital and Head of the "Hormones and the Vasculature" Laboratory at the Monash University Department of Medicine, Alfred Hospital Campus. He has been involved in a wide range of activities related to ethics in medicine and society. He is the author of more than 200 articles in the fields of endocrinology, medical ethics and the philosophy of medicine, and author or editor of nine books.

Janet McDonald AO

Janet McDonald has been very actively involved in women's health issues for more than 20 years. She has been a member of the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) since 1996 and was appointed Chair of the NBCC in April 2003. Janet is also a member of the Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee for the Australian Government. Some of her past board memberships include: Trustee of the Powerhouse Museum for nine years, Chair of Royal Hospital for Women, Member NSW Mammographic Screening Advisory Council and board member of National Breast Cancer Foundation.

John Montgomery

John Montgomery is CEO of Alphapharm and Regional Director, Asia Pacific for the Merck Generics Group. He is also Chair of the Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMIA). John spent 20 years with Warner Lambert in the UK and then spent 11 years in the US in roles as diverse as Business Director, Europe, Vice President Cardiovascular, Regional Director Australia/New Zealand and Vice President Marketing for North America. Given this background, John has extensive experience of both the patented and patent-expired segments of the pharmaceutical business in the UK, US and Asia Pacific. John has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University of Reading in the UK, a Diploma in Marketing from the University of Southhampton in the UK and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Professor Kerryn Phelps

Kerryn Phelps is a general practitioner with twenty five years of clinical experience. In May 2000, Kerryn was elected Federal President of the Australian Medical Association, becoming the first woman to head this organisation. Since the 1980s she has appeared regularly on television, radio and in the print media informing the Australian public on health issues. She is particularly interested in integrative medicine, public health and human rights issues. Kerryn travels frequently to speak to health professionals and to the general public on all aspects of health, wellbeing, the health system, and human rights issues, as well as leadership and strategy for professional organisations. Kerryn is currently the health writer for the Australian Women's Weekly and writes medico-political commentary for Medical Observer. She is also currently working in general practice and was appointed Adjunct Professor at Sydney University in the Faculty of Medicine in the School of Public Health and the Discipline of General Practice.

Kos Sclavos

Kos Sclavos was recently elected to the position of National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. At just 41,Kos is the youngest ever National President of the Guild and his election has signalled a period of generational change in the profession. For the past nine years he had served as the Queensland Guild Branch President and achieved a number of key milestones for Queensland Members during this period. In addition to his role as National President, Kos serves on a wide variety of industry bodies and committees and is a regular feature writer in the Australian Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacy News. In 1999, Kos was awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)Young Pharmacist of the Year Award and the PSA Bowl of Hygeia Award. Kos has been a driving force behind a number of industry initiatives including the Advanced Diploma of Community Pharmacy Management and the Quality Care Pharmacy Program.

Cheah Chee Ho

Cheah Chee Ho is the Manager of Research at the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA). He holds a degree in Food Science and his main area of research is in the fields of public health policy, nutrition, and food security. Currently he is the project coordinator of the 3-year national project on the Rational Use of Medicine with the Pharmaceutical Services Division. He represents FOMCA as well as the consumer movement in the Ministry of Health meetings. He is actively engaged in the civil society movement and is currently the steering committee member representing FOMCA in the Coalition Against The Privatization of Healthcare (a collaboration of over 80 local NGOs), and also in the NGO Coalition on US-FTA issues in areas of drug patents and access to medicines. He frequently lends support and information sharing among regional and international NGO groups such as Consumers International (CI) and Health Action International (HAI), particularly on matters relating to drug policies and rational use of medicines.

Dr Maneerat Rattanmahattana Layton

Maneerat Rattanmahattana Layton has a PhD in Public Health (International Program) from Khon Kaen University (KKU) and is currently working as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, KKU. Her research is in the area of prescribing behaviour among Thai physicians including direct-to-consumer advertising activities. Her professional career includes research undertaken at the University of Maryland and Temple University in the USA. Maneerat was awarded the Fellowship at Centre for Pharmaceutical Health Services Research from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. At KKU she has been involved in the Curriculum Committee for the Master 's in Pharmaceutical Management. She has initiated the course plans for the Business Pharmacy track and mentored the students in the Pharmacy English Program. Maneerat has instructed courses in Pharmaceutical Marketing Management and Communication in Business Pharmacy for both the baccalaureate and Master's Pharmacy students.

Dr John Aloizos AM

John Aloizos is a graduate of the University of Queensland and has worked as a general practitioner at Upper Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, since 1977. John was appointed as Chair of the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (APAC) in 2001. In January 2003, he was awarded a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia by the Australian Government for services to medicine, particularly medical administration, and the Australian Divisions of General Practice.

Dr Jill Beattie

With 30 years as a nurse clinician, educator, consultant and researcher, Jill Beattie has considerable experience in the administration and management of medicines, policy development and review, curriculum development, and change management. She is involved in a number of multidisciplinary committees and professional activities with the aim of improving QUM in Australia. Jill 's interest in the appropriate use and management of medicines is evident in research she is involved in related to medicines and older people, both in the acute care and residential aged care settings.

Henry Councillor

Henry Councillor is a Jungual man from the Jaru people from the Kimberly Region of Western Australia. His family comes from the Mt Dockwell area, southwest of Halls Creek. Henry 's commitment to Aboriginal Health spans more than two decades including the past 10 years as CEO of the Kimberly Aboriginal Medical Services Council. Henry 's career in health is well grounded in the broad life experience of growing up in a remote Kimberly town. Henry is actively involved in a range of local, state and national committees and aims to progress partnerships with mainstream services for the betterment of the health of Aboriginal people in Australia.

Sue Cook

Sue Cook is Regional Director of Health and Pharmaceuticals, APAC and Director, Health and Pharmaceuticals, Hill and Knowlton Australia. She is based in Sydney. Sue has extensive consumer and health professional media knowledge combined with experience in dealing with health professionals, medical organisations and patient support groups. These skills have been employed to develop and implement healthcare communications programs on behalf of pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organisations. In her Asia Pacific role, Sue oversees and provides strategic direction on healthcare work undertaken by Hill and Knowlton 's offices in the region. She also works closely with her counterparts in Europe, Canada, Latin America and the United States.

Jennifer Davis

Jennifer Davis has more than 17 years experience in the health promotion field. She completed a Masters in Health Promotion at Kings College, London, following an initial career in HIV antiviral research, and HIV and sexual health counselling. In Australia, she worked at the National Breast Cancer Centre before joining NPS where she established and currently coordinates the Multicultural Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Program. In partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia, the Program aims to improve the health of culturally and linguistically diverse communities through QUM.

Professor Andrew Gilbert

Andrew Gilbert is the Director of the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre in the Sansom Institute, at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia. He has conducted extensive research in pharmacy practice, especially in the area of Quality Use of Medicines. He is currently Director of a large research project with the Department of Veterans 'Affairs which involves analysing a database of 380,000 patients and providing patient specific prescribing feedback to medical practitioners, as well as health information to the veterans to improve outcomes for these patients. Andrew has also previously practiced as a community pharmacist. He received the 2005 Australian Pharmacist of the Year award. Andrew graduated from the University of Adelaide with Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Dr Rowan Hammett

Rowan Hammett is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Royal North Shore Hospital. His interest in healthcare improvement led him to establish Northern Sydney Health's Clinical Practice Improvement Unit. In his role as Director of this unit he became the Project Director for the Australian Open Disclosure Project, which established national standards for how healthcare professionals and organisations should respond to adverse events. In recent years he has also been the Director of Healthcare Improvement Projects at the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission designing and delivering several state and national Breakthrough Collaborative Programs aimed at improving care within the public health system. Rowan maintains active research interests in outcomes research in gastroenterology and has been a leader within the patient safety movement within Australia. Rowan is the principle medical advisor for the Theraphutic Goods Administration.

Professor Ian Hickie

Ian Hickie is currently a Professor of Psychiatry as well as the Executive Director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney. Ian is a clinical advisor to beyondblue; the national depression initiative. Ian completed his Doctorate of Medicine in interpersonal relationships and depressive disorders at the University of New South Wales in 1990.

Mr Ben Horgan

Ben Horgan was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in 1973 at the age of 2. The disease quickly consumed every joint in his body changing his and his families' lives forever. Not expected to live past the age of 10, Ben 's story is one of determination and courage. He has not only enabled himself to survive but he has also helped hundreds of families to live with juvenile arthritis. He was instrumental in starting camps for kids with the disease and has travelled the world inspiring people to make the most out of any situation. Ben is currently working for the Arthritis Foundation of WA. He was the world 's first patient representative to be inducted as an Ambassador to the International Bone and Joint Decade 2000 -2010. Recently Ben was appointed Chair of the Bone and Joint Decade Australia National Action Network. Ben has travelled the globe advocating for people with arthritis and other chronic conditions to play a much greater role in the treatment of their disease and to spread the message that arthritis is not just 'a fact of life '.

Rosemary Huxtable

Rosemary Huxtable is First Assistant Secretary of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Services Division of the Department of Health and Ageing. In this role, she provides policy and program advice to the Australian government and manages the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule which provide all Australians with access to cost effective and high quality medical and pharmaceutical services.

Dr Shanthi Kanagarajah

Shanthi Kanagarajah is a geriatrician with a strong interest in general medicine. As such her interest naturally extends to the Quality Use of Medicines. She has taken this interest further in her work as a member of the Executive Editorial Committee of NPS Australian Prescriber. Shanthi is also interested in the delivery of healthcare and how systemic improvements can result in large improvements in clinical outcomes. A recent arrival in Queensland, Shanthi plans to return to clinical practice when her two-month-old daughter becomes a little more self-sufficient.

A/Professor Andrew McLachlan

Andrew McLachlan is a pharmacy educator involved in the teaching and supervision of undergraduate students, postgraduate students, practicing pharmacists and scientists in the pharmaceutical sciences. He has experience in research and teaching in Australia and the United Kingdom. His main research interests are in the field of clinical and experimental aspects of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics where he has authored (or co-authored) over 60 papers in peer reviewed journals and contributed to over 80 conference papers. His recent research has focused on herb-drug interactions with warfarin.

John Mendoza

John Mendoza was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA)in January 2005. From late 2000, until his appointment to the MHCA, John was Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, a Commonwealth statutory authority. John was previously a Director of Education and Prevention Services with the Drug and Alcohol Services Council of South Australia, and for three years was a member of the National Steering Committee for the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse. John has qualifications in education and public health. He is a former teacher, academic, consultant and senior manager in health and human services. In 2002, John was awarded two Outstanding Alumni awards from the Queensland University of Technology for his achievements in public health and anti-doping.

Professor Stephen Myers

Stephen Myers is the Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (ACCMER). Prior to the commencement of ACCMER in 2001, Stephen was the Foundation Head of the School of Natural and Complementary Medicine at Southern Cross University, where he still pays an active role. Stephen initially qualified as a naturopathic practitioner (ND) and later in western medicine (BMed,an Australian MD equivalent). He has a PhD in basic and clinical pharmacology having studied the effect of lyophilised garlic on pharmacologically modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. He has acted as a consultant to industry, government and educational institutions on a broad range of issues involving natural medicine. In conjunction with Alan Bensoussan, he co-authored the report Towards a Safer Choice in 1995, which reviewed the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia for the Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland state governments. In 1997 he was appointed by the Australian Government to the Complementary Medicine Evaluation Committee (CMEC) which is a statutory expert advisory committee to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). In 2003 he was appointed to the Australian Government 's Expert Committee on Complementary Medicine in the Health System which reviewed complementary medicines and practices in Australia. In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Lady Cilento Award by the Complementary Healthcare Council which is awarded by the Australian Complementary Medicines industry to individuals who have made a significant and sustained contribution to the field of complementary medicine over many years.

Professor Mark Nelson

Mark Nelson was the Victorian Medical Co-ordinator for the Second Australian National Blood Pressure (ANBP2) study recruiting over 1000 GPs and 2500 subjects into the trial (41% of the entire cohort). He developed a substudy of 500 subjects on predictors of successful withdrawal of antihypertensive medications during the run-in phase of ANBP2. He continues to be active in clinical and academic general practice which will assist in general practice recruitment strategies and collaboration with Divisions of General Practice throughout the country. He is on the Steering Committee for ASPREE, a randomised placebo-controlled trial of low-dose aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the elderly, and REACH, an international multi-centred observational study of individuals at CVD risk in general practice, and is completing post hoc analyses of the ANBP2 dataset. He is Professor and Chair of the Discipline of General Practice, University of Tasmania, School of Medicine.

A/Professor Christopher Newell AM

Christopher Newell is Associate Professor in Medical Ethics within the School of Medicine, University of Tasmania. He also is in charge of the Personal and Professional Development theme of the Tasmanian integrated medical course, one of five themes in the Medical School's new undergraduate curriculum. He has a particular interest in the use of consumer narratives in health care. As a person with disability he seeks to use his life experience and networks in making links between the community and academic research and teaching. Current board memberships include the Consumers' Health Forum of Australia, the Australian Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Council and Australian General Practice Accreditation Ltd. He is currently a member of NHMRC Licensing Committee and is the consumer member on the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care. Recognition of his work includes his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2001 and the 2005 Non-Fiction Human Rights Award for his co-authored book Disability in Australia.

Debbie Rigby

Debbie Rigby is a consultant clinical pharmacist with a background in hospital, community and government pharmacy. For over 10 years, she has been involved in providing clinical pharmacy services, including medication reviews, to aged-care homes and more recently, Home Medicines Reviews. She is currently the Medication Management Review Facilitator for Queensland at the Pharmacy Guild. Debbie is an accredited pharmacist and a National Councillor for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), and is on the Board of Directors and National Advisory Group of the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP). In 1999 Debbie was awarded an AMRAD Pharmacy Specialisation Grant by the Society of Hospital Pharmaceuticals to sit for the Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy examination in the United States and is an internationally recognised Certified Geriatric Pharmacist. She has recently achieved her recertification as a CGP. In 2001 Debbie was awarded the PSA Australian Pharmacist of the Year and in 2002 the PSA Qld Bowl of Hygeia.

Professor Lloyd Sansom

Lloyd Sansom has been the Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee since 2001 and was the inaugural Chair of the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (APAC) from 1991 -2000. Lloyd has been involved with the development of the National Medicines Policy and his research interests are pharmacokinetics and Drug Policy development.

Dr Julie Thompson

Julie Thompson has been a member of the PHARM Committee since 2003. She is currently Medical Director of Central West Gippsland Division of General Practice and has 20 years experience as General Practitioner in Rural Victoria. She also has a longstanding involvement in health policy development and implementation at a national, state and local level. Julie is the immediate past Chair of Australian Divisions of General Practice (ADGP) and she has also served as Çhair of General Practice Divisions -Victoria (GPD-V), the Victorian state based organisation. Julie's other current positions are: Chair of the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Initiative Advisory Group, Member of the National Mental Health Working Group, ADGP representative on Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee (APAC)and ADGP nominee to the General Practice Partnerships Advisory Council.

Patti Warn

Patti Warn serves on the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Aging, the NSW Health Ethics Committee and the Professional Conduct Committee of the NSW Law Society. A former researcher on Four Corners, she was also an adviser to Commonwealth Ministers for Social Security, Health and Community Services from 1983 to 1984 and a Member of the Immigration Review Tribunal from 1994 to 1999.

Diane Walsh

Diane Walsh is serving her second term on the Governing Committee of the Consumers' Health Forum of Australia (CHF) and is a member of the NPS Community QUM and the Joint Telephone Lines Working Groups. Diane is the current Chair of the Consumer Reference Group of the Top End Division of General Practice, and a member of Top End Division Board of Management. She is also a Public Member of the Medical and Dental Boards of the Northern Territory and a member of the NT Health Advisory Council. Last year she was elected to represent the Northern Territory for the Health Consumers of Rural and Remote Australia.

A/Professor Alison Yung

Alison Yung MD,MBBS,MPM,FRANZCP, Grad Dip Epidem, is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne Department of Psychiatry and ORYGEN Research Centre. In 1994 she established and developed the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) Clinic, a clinical and research centre which manages young people at incipient risk of developing first onset psychosis, that is, thought to be in the initial prodromal phase before a first psychotic episode. This was the first clinic of this type in the world and research conducted within PACE is now being replicated internationally. She has several grants and numerous publications related to PACE research. The US based National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) recently chose her for an Independent Investigator Award for continuing and expanding this research.