Dr Robert Crouch

Dr Robert Crouch OBE, RN, PhD, FRCN, FCEM (Hon) Consultant Nurse, University Hospital Southampton/Southampton University, Faculty of Health Sciences & Visiting Professor, University of Surrey.

He works clinically within the Emergency Department and in the pre hospital setting as a HEMS Consultant Critical Care Practitioner. With an interest in advanced roles he has developed the nurse practitioner service at UHS and the regional Emergency Care Trainee Consultant Practitioner programme preparing clinicians for this senior clinical role. Nationally he is leading the development of a curriculum and credentialing process for Emergency Care Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs). He is recognised a leading clinical academic and has published extensively in peer reviewed journals.

He is a member of the International Emergency Nursing Editorial Board and Reviewer Advisory Group of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Dr Crouch is one of the Editors of the Oxford Handbook of Emergency Nursing.

Dr Karen Sue Hoyt

Karen "Sue" Hoyt, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CEN, FAEN, FAANP, FAAN is an ENP at St. Mary Medical Center in California. She is formerly the Director of the Masters Entry Program in Nursing at the University of San Diego. She established the first Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal in the U.S with Lippincott. She has served as President of the Emergency Nurses Association, was the Co-Editor of the Trauma Nursing Core Course and Emergency Nursing Core Curriculum.

Dr. Hoyt spearheaded The Delphi Study on Competencies for NPs in Emergency Care and is the recent Past Chair of the NP Committee. She is now on the Board of the new American Academy of ENPs. Dr. Hoyt is also the co-owner of EmergeED, an education/consultation company.

Her mypocketguru series the Emergency NP/PA Pocket Reference Guide now includes pediatric/geriatric pocket guides. She consults for the Hoyt Law Firm on medical malpractice/personal injury cases.

Professor Paul Bennett

Paul Bennett is the Foundation Professor in Translational Research at Western Health-Deakin University Partnership. Paul’s research focuses on strategies to improve the quality of life of people with chronic and end stage kidney disease using resistance and aerobic exercise, laughter therapy, home dialysis, e-learning, communication techniques, imagery, and workforce models.

Professor Bennett is the Foundation Editor-in-Chief of the Renal Society of Australasia Journal, Foundation Chair of the Kidney Health Australia Nursing Grants Program and Foundation Co-Chair of the Joanna Briggs Evidenced Based Renal Node.

Associate Professor Alison McMillan

Associate Professor Alison McMillan has more than 30 years experience as both a clinician and an executive in the public healthcare.

In her role as the Chief Nurse & Midwifery Officer for Victoria, Alison provides strategic leadership to the health sector and plays a pivotal role in collaborating with other state and territory counterparts on national issues and initiatives relating to nursing and midwifery.

Alison also provides a strategic leadership role representing the Department of Health and Human Services in its collaboration with other departments and emergency service organsiations in the State Emergency Management Team and she has previously held the roles of Director, Quality, Safety and Patient Experience.

Professor Claire Rickard

Professor Claire Rickard is from the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research or AVATAR Group at the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Nursing Interventions at Griffith University in Brisbane. She is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Prince Charles, and Princess Alexandra Hospitals.

Prof Rickard believes a randomized controlled trial is a thing of beauty and its joys last forever. She attempts to apply that beauty and joy to improve the care of almost all hospital patients, and many community patients who need intravascular access for treatment.

With over 100 publications, including a 1st authored paper in The Lancet, her work has significantly advanced global recommendations such as the safety of removing peripheral intravenous catheters based on clinically-based rather than time-based criteria.

Prof Rickard was inducted into the prestigious STTI International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2012.

Ms Lee Thomas

Lee Thomas is the Federal Secretary of the ANMF and her priority is to ensure that the voices of nurses, midwives, and assistants in nursing are heard.  Improving the lives of all those in the nursing and midwifery family is paramount to Lee.

Prior to becoming ANMF Federal Secretary, Lee held the position of Assistant Federal Secretary and Branch Secretary of the ANMF (SA Branch).  In the role of SA Branch Secretary, Lee achieved significant membership growth, and enterprise bargaining across all sectors of nursing and midwifery.

Lee commenced her nursing career as a personal care attendant in aged care, and completed her General Nurse education at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide and subsequently her Midwifery education at the Queen Victoria Hospital in 1987.  Lee also holds a Bachelor of Nursing and a neonatology certificate, is a registered midwife and is currently enrolled in a law degree.