Dr Tammy O'Rourke
Topic: Leading the Way to the Centre of Care: NP-Led Innovations
Topic: Shaping, Sharing and Protecting a Vision for Nurse Practitioners in Australia 
Dr. O’Rourke’s background is in primary health care with a specific focus on the advancement of nursing and other allied health provider’s scope of practice within team based health care delivery models. Dr. O’Rourke practiced as a RNP for 10 years, prior to returning to her academic pursuits. She is well-known for her involvement in the advancement of NP-led clinics in Canada and she was the Chief Nurse Practitioner at a NP-led clinic from 2010 to 2014. She is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta.
National Plenary Speakers
Dr Marion Andrew
Topic: Decoding Behaviour - Keeping the Patient in the Centre 
Senior Consultant Anaesthetist, Women's and Children's Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital. Dr Marion Andrew a staff specialist anaesthetist, working in obstetrics and paediatric departments at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in SA. Her major interests are in patient safety and quality, communication, and doctor’s welfare.Marion is currently the chair of the ANZCA/ASA/NZSA Welfare of Anaesthetists Special Interest Group and is a board member of Doctors’ Health SA. As a Certified Trainer in Process Communication Model Marion facilitates Process Communication Model seminars, and supports medical education in interpersonal communication skills, collaboration and professionalism.
Dr Christine Connors, General Manager Darwin Region & Strategic Primary Health Care, Top End Health Services
Topic: Without limits: delivering Primary health care in the NT
Dr Christine Connors is a General Practitioner and public health physician who has been working in the Northern Territory for twenty eight years, providing clinical and public health services. She is currently the General Manager Darwin Region & Strategic Primary Health Care, Top End Health Service. Christine has had a major focus on improving models of care and quality improvement, with a particular focus on chronic conditions. She has been a member of national committees focusing on preventive health in Australia and improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Her research interests include health systems approaches to improving outcomes in chronic disease and diabetes in pregnancy, self-management approaches and quality improvement research.
Mrs Deborah Foskett
Donna Diers Oration
Topic: If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking!
Registered Nurse and Diabetes Educator, Insulin Pump Angels. Deb has been nursing since 1975, specialising in paediatric nursing early in her career. She moved into Diabetes Education in 1988 where a passion was born for children with this long term chronic illness. She has worked for the past 28 years in paediatric diabetes and 20 years in private practice. She has been the recipient of the Rotary award for pride of workmanship in 2009. She also won the inaugural Australian Diabetes Educator association, Educator of the Year in 2013, Following this she the won the ‘Jan Baldwin Award ‘ in 2015. In addition she Is the president of the charitable trust ‘ the Glawry Association. In 2014 she became an endorsed nurse practitioner and her research was published in the international Journal of Paediatrics in 2016.
Mrs Michelle Garner
Topic: Establishing the Nurse Practitioner Roles in a Rural/Remote Health Care Arena
Michelle has been the Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery with the North West Hospital and Health Service for 8 years. Michelle is a member of the Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Executive Council, Executive Directors of Nursing Advisory Committee, and is a nursing member of the Clinical Senate. Michelle is an Adjunct Associate Professor with Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health together with the James Cook University. Michelle completed her Masters of Nurse Practitioner in 2007 and was endorsed to practice in 2008. Since becoming a nurse practitioner Michelle has worked at a strategic level to ensure the nurse practitioner role is the norm in health care planning for rural and remote.
Ms Tess Ivanhoe
Topic: The Role of the Nurse Practitioner Within a Chronic Disease Model of Practice.
Nurse Practitioner - Remote, Centre for Remote Health and Nganampa Health. I have been a nurse for many years and worked across a variety of areas including CCU, ED, Management and teaching. Over the last 15 years I have worked mainly in Remote Health Practice both in a clinical and teaching capacity. In order to improve my knowledge and skills in remote practice and primary health care I completed a Masters in Remote Health Practice/ Nurse Practitioner in 2005. I am currently employed by an NGO as an NP in the role of Chronic Disease Nurse Coordinator and I do casual lecturing at the CRH promoting Remote Area Nursing as a speciality profession to anyone who will listen!!
Dr Richard Johnson
Topic: The Weird and Wonderful World of Retrieval Medicine; Taking Critical Care to the Patient
Dr Richard Johnson is a UK and Australian trained Emergency and Pre-hospital Retrieval Medicine Specialist and has been Central Australia Retrieval Service Director for four and a half years. Richard has previously worked for mission hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa, expedition companies around the world as well as the UK Helicopter Emergency Medicine System GNAAS and UK Mountain Rescue. He has a keen interest in trail running and rock climbing, mountaineering and being a long way from anyone else.
Ms Kath Martin
Topic: The Stolen Generation
Topic: Prescribing Considerations in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Lecturer Remote and Indigenous Health, Centre for Remote Health. Kathleen Martin is the Lecturer in Indigenous Health at the Centre for Remote Health, a joint University Department of Rural Health of Flinders University. Kathleen has worked with Indigenous people in many roles including nursing, Aboriginal liaison, training & community services. Having completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Community Development Kathleen has a keen interest in social justice and supporting her local community ensuring that all Aboriginal people are treated with respect and have and understanding of their health and treatments.
Mr John Paterson
Topic: Tie It All Together: Centre of Care
Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory (AMSANT). Born and bred Territorian, John's family is affilitated with the Ngalakan tribe, located in the Roper River region. John was appointed as the EO of AMSANT in June 2006 and immediately outlined his priorities for the organisation in the coming years.
John's goal is to strengthen and enhance our community controlled health services in the NT so we an improve both the quality and duration of life for Aboriginal people. He is particularly keen to help improve the mental health of the people in our region, with a holistic view to primary health care.
He hopes to build on the AMSANT's strong history of advocacy and to continue lobbying the territory and federal governments to acknowledge the ongoing success of teh Aboriginal community controlled health sector.
His other important agenda is to advocate vigorously for the further roll-out of the Primary Health Care Access program (PHCAP) to improve the access of Aboriginal people to comprehensive primary health care services.
Dr Helena Popovic
Topic: What if Disease Were a Doorway?
Medical Doctor and Founder of Winning at Slimming. Dr Helena Popovic is a medical doctor, leading authority on how to improve brain function, international speaker and best-selling author. She graduated from the University of Sydney and is the founder of a groundbreaking weight loss program called Winning at Slimming – thinking the light way. She is also the author of two books: In Search of My Father and NeuroSlimming- let your brain change your body. Her philosophy is that education is more powerful than medication and she believes in slow ageing despite fast living. Helena shared her mother’s journey with lung cancer and now her father’s journey with dementia. She speaks from both a personal and professional perspective.
Dr Craig San Roque
Topic: The Time It Takes
Craig San Roque has worked within indigenous areas mental health for 30 years. An independent consultant and supervisor on such matters he is involved in many intercultural projects and has long association with local indigenous thinkers and practitioners, including traditional healers (Ngangkari). His many publications focus on what it takes to understand and work within indigenous areas in these troubled time.
Mr Tobias Speare
Topic: Prescribing Considerations in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Pharmacy Academic, Centre for Remote Health. Tobias Speare is the pharmacy academic at the Centre for Remote Health, a joint University Department of Rural Health of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University. Toby possesses a keen interest in improving health care in a holistic fashion, and completed a Master of Public Health in 2012. Toby arrived in Alice Springs to work as a clinical pharmacist at Alice Springs Hospital in August 2013, before taking up the position of pharmacy academic at the Centre for Remote Health in November 2013 to pursue the goal of improving the Quality Use of Medicines through education and research.
Ms Tanya Vogt
Topic: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Registration Standard Endorsement as a Nurse Practitioner
Tanya Vogt was appointed the Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia in July 2014. Tanya has been working in the area of health practitioner regulation in Australia since 2007, and has been directly involved in the development of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in Australia. Tanya has qualifications in nursing and law and has practised in both areas. The combination of these qualifications has provided a solid foundation for her roles in health practitioner regulation and especially in the role of Executive Officer for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
Dr Mary Wicks
Topic: Epigenetics and Chronic Disease
Staff Specialist, Alice Springs Hospital. I am Specialist Physician in General and Acute Medicine at the Alice Springs Hospital. My main professional interest is in Indigenous Health and Chronic Disease Prevention and Management. I have worked in remote, rural and tertiary health settings. Prior to studying Medicine I was a Nurse – working variously in Intensive Care, Midwifery and Remote Area Nursing over a 20 year period. I work as a member of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinic at Alice Springs Hospital in the hope of positively influencing the rates of diabetes in the next generation. Thus my interest in epigenetic mechanisms.