Global Speakers

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Forum Chairperson

Topic:

The Early Bird; How AI Is Used To Detect Dementia Before Its Onset

Sandeep is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare researcher based at the Deakin School of Medicine besides functions as a certified health informatician and a World Health Organization recognized digital health expert. He has a medical and healthcare management background and has completed machine learning/ health informatics training from various sources. He is currently engaged in research about the safety, quality and explainability of the application of AI in healthcare delivery in addition to developing AI models to treat and manage chronic diseases. Also, he has authored several articles and books about the use of AI in Medicine. Further, he has set up local and international forums to promote the use of AI in Healthcare in addition to sitting on various international committees focusing on AI in Healthcare.

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic: 

Changing The “Face Of Aged Care”,  “Normal Is The Innovation” Or “Death – The Greatest Disruptor”

Natasha Chadwick is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NewDirection Care™, an innovative privately-owned organisation which has created the world’s first inclusive microtown™ Aged Care community.

A pioneer in the Australian Aged Care industry, Natasha is passionate about changing the way we care for our elderly members of society and those living with dementia, including younger onset dementia, not just in Australia but worldwide.

This desire took her on a mission to invent an alternative to traditional institutional settings to provide an innovative change to residential care.

Natasha was awarded the prestigious 2019 Australian Business Women of the Year at the Telstra Business Women Awards. An ode to her work in Aged Care, innovating and rewriting Australian’s Aged Care as we know it. Natasha also took home the 2019 Medium to Large Business category award. The win came after coming in strong at the state awards – achieving the 2019 Telstra Queensland Business Woman of the Year and in the Medium to Large Business Category.

In 2012, Natasha began her global search for a proven, alternative model for Aged Care that aligned with her vision for an inclusive community. As an Australian first, two houses were built in Wynyard, Tasmania in December 2014. Natasha’s bold new direction had a significant and positive impact on the lives of its residents as well as their families. The success of the small-scale model in Tasmania led to Natasha pioneering the development of NewDirection Care’s microtown™ at Bellmere, located between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Backed by more than two decades of experience in Aged Care, Natasha wants to revolutionise a sector often considered excessively institutionalised, segregated and task driven. Through experience in traditional Aged Care and spending time with seniors in their last stages of life, it became apparent to Natasha on both a personal and professional level, that the industry can improve.
“I set about changing the beliefs, attitudes and opinions of the industry by creating a system that operated around intrinsic human values, encouraging inclusiveness and driving empathy, all while still being viable as a business. We needed to create a system that revolves around the things that really matter in life,” said Natasha.

Natasha’s entry into the Aged Care industry stemmed from her background in financial management. Natasha worked as the National Executive Officer for the National Association of Nursing Homes and Private Hospitals, providing strategic planning, financial and operational management. During this period, she played a pivotal role in reforming Federal Government policy, providing advice around the provision of quality care, which was implemented in the Aged Care Act 1997.

As the founder of Innovative Business Improvement Systems Pty Ltd (IBIS) and later Director and Chief Executive Officer of IBIS Care Holdings Pty Ltd, Natasha led the development of alternative models of Aged Care facilities and retirement villages. From 2006 to 2011, she spearheaded the growth of IBIS Care Holdings to six operating Aged Care centres, one retirement village and two centres under development.

Natasha was previously a committee member of Leading Aged Services Australia (NSW/ACT) and a past Board Member of this peak body. She has also been a member of the Ministerial Dementia Forum Working Group and the ACFA Advisory Group. With a reformer’s zeal, Natasha is helping to fundamentally improve the lives of people with a dementia diagnosis.

Another cause close to her heart is education and for many years she has mentored young women in their final year at the University of Sydney and Western University, as part of the LUCY mentoring program.

Awards & Recognition

• Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year, 2019
• Telstra Australian Medium to Large Business Award, 2019
• Telstra Queensland Business Woman of the Year, 2019
• Telstra Medium to Large Business Category, 2019
• Global Awards Most Outstanding Care Innovator in the World, 2018

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic: 

Case Study – Transforming Pain Management With PainChek® At The Barossa Village For Aged Care

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic: 

Reimagining Dementia Learning Through The Use Of Technology

David is the Director of Dementia Australia’s, Centre for Dementia Learning, a leading national provider of dementia education and consultancy.  David has over 20 years experience in senior roles across business, government and the not for profit sectors.  David is passionate about transforming dementia practice through creating unique learning experiences which touch, move and inspire participants to improve their practice.

The Centre has been at the forefront of the use of learning technologies including the multi award winning Virtual Dementia Experience and more recently the Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE). The Centre is widely acknowledged as national and international leaders in dementia education having received multiple awards for its use of technology in learning. A comprehensive suite of programs is delivered across Australia and it has also successfully sold its programs into Canada, the Czech Republic and Singapore.

David chaired the organizing committee for the highly successful national dementia conference in 2017. He represents Dementia Australia on the Dementia Training Australia Executive as a Director and was on the judging panel for the Better Practice Awards in 2017 and 2018. David is currently on the Australian Government Aged Services Industry Reference Committee reviewing qualifications in the aged care sector. David is also on the LASA Centre for Workforce Development and Innovation, Advisory Group.

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic:

Inclusive Care For LGBTIQ+ Communities

Samantha Edmonds is the Silver Rainbow, National Project Manager at the National LGBTI Health Alliance. Silver Rainbow provides national coordination and support activities promoting the well-being of LGBTI elders and the ongoing delivery of the LGBTI awareness training to create an LGBTI inclusive aged care sector.

She is also a member of the Aged Care Sector Committee (ACSC), which provides advice to the Government on aged care policy development and implementation, and is the Chair of the ACSC Diversity Sub-Group.

Samantha is a Death Doula and Palliative Care Volunteer as well as a member of the Dementia Australia Consumer Advisory Group and contributes whenever she can to their blog.

Samantha holds Masters Degrees in Social Policy, Politics and International Relations. She has also completed the Macquarie University Global Leadership Program. Prior to her current role Sam has worked in diverse fields including health policy and human rights. She was part of a small team with the Australian Human Rights Commission working on the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry

Samantha is passionate about social justice and human rights especially for elders and older people within our communities and ensuring that their needs are met by the aged care and palliative care sectors.

3 Key Pointers:

• There is significant diversity amongst people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse and people with intersex characteristics
• Palliative care services must provide a safe environment where LGBTI people with life-limiting conditions can live and die with equity, respect and dignity
• It is important that LGBTI people are supported in choosing their end of life pathway.

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic: 

Novel Therapies For Dementia And Interventions To Assess Their Impact – Music Theraphy

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic: 

Creating Connections Using Wireless Headphone Technology

Alison Harrington is a passionate social entrepreneur who has worked in technology for Microsoft and has found 2 technology businesses and been recognized as a finalist in the Telstra Business Women of the Year Awards.

More recently Alison has dedicated her passion and skills to social impact and has completed post graduate studies in social impact at UNSW. It was during her studies Alison applied her technology expertise to create an innovative project that utilized silent disco technology to create better physical and mental health outcomes for seniors. From a university idea and a small NSW government grant the MooveandGroove program was born, a world first.  The program has flourished and has demonstrated proven benefits for those living with dementia. Alison has presented at Aging 2.0 in San Francisco , is a 2020 finalist for She EO and the program was a finalist in the 2019 innovAGEING Awards.

Alison is committed to re-inventing aging and utilizing technology to assist those living with dementia and their families by creating connections, conversations and joyful moments.

Day 1 – Dementia Care

Topic:

Seeing The World Through The Eyes Of Dementia Patients With VR

Liam is the design lead at Opaque, a software development & consultancy firm specializing in using immersive & emerging technologies to solve intractable problems in the Healthcare, Education, Awareness and Enterprise spaces. He has led a number of cutting-edge and innovative projects such as the award-winning Virtual Dementia Experience, which allows carers to better understand the perspective of a Person With Dementia through the use of emerging technology. He has worked with a diverse range of high-profile clients and partners such as Microsoft, Vision Australia, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, NASA and The Royal Children’s Hospital to produce industry-leading tools, projects and technologies to transform people’s lives.

Day 2 – Aged Care

Forum Chairperson

Topic: 

Navigating Rapidly Evolving Internet Of Things Technologies With Agility

A/P Stranieri research in combining argumentation theory with machine learning led to a new approach for modelling discretionary reasoning and resulted in a spin-out company in the early 2000’s. This formed the basis of approaches to support reasoning from multiple human and artificial agents. His work in remote sensing of vital signs and the real time analysis of data to raise alarms has led to a current spin-out serving hospitals in India. He is currently research involves models for the integration of data analytics, intelligent decision support, and human expertise. He is the author of over 150 peer reviewed articles and has published three books.

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

Australia’s New Aged Care Quality Standards: Shifting Focus From Compliance To Quality And How It Will Impact The Future Of Aged Care

Luke Westenberg is the Chief Executive Officer of the Aged Care Industry Association.

He has worked in senior roles in government and the NFP sector, with extensive experience in policy and program management as well as Ministerial offices.

Luke holds qualifications in politics and economics, and works to support and advocate for aged care providers, to ensure Australia’s aged care system is able to provide the ongoing high-quality care older Australians need.

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

Ageist Tech, Co-Design And Innovation Dead-Ends: Is Empathy Really Doing What It Says On The Tin?

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

Creating Inclusive Aged Care Organizations Through Diversity And Inclusion Policy And Practices

Lisa Tribuzio is the Manager of the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing. Her most recent role before this was the Assistant Director for Inclusion strategies for the National Disability Insurance Agency. She has had 20 years experiences in a range of sectors and held roles including Diversity Advisor for the Hume Whittlesea Primary Care Partnership overseeing diversity planning and practice in Melbourne’s North Metro region for CHSP and HACC-PYP providers, Youth Services Manager for the Victorian Arabic Social Services, Refugee and Asylum Seeker Partnership Coordinator at Spectrum, and as a researcher at the Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University in Melbourne. She has also undertaken work in Egypt for the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue in Cairo.

Lisa is the Founder and Managing Director of Lotus Consulting, which aims to promote cultural competency skills and intercultural dialogue supporting diverse organisations to build their capacity for social inclusion. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science (Psychology), a Bachelor of Social Work, Masters in Islamic Studies and a Graduate Diploma in Creative Arts Therapy.

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

Technology-Enabled Aged Care For A Post-Covid World: Key Considerations For Care Providers

Adam Jahnke became a carer after his grandpa was hospitalized due to a fall in his home. Unable to reduce his full-time work, Adam turned to technology, but found tech-based solutions did not meet his family’s needs. This drove him to build his own solution and to found Umps Health, with the goal of empowering family members to provide better care using artificial intelligence.

Adam’s background is in the commercialisation of technology to improve public health. One of his earliest roles was at Cochlear China, where he developed partnerships with enterprise and government stakeholders to make cochlear implantation accessible to disadvantaged and remote communities. Prior to founding Umps Health, he worked at Ericsson, where he led the development of digital transformation projects to improve the liveability and accessibility of cities in Australia and South East Asia.

Adam believes that a deep understanding of the challenges facing older Australians and carers is essential for the design of effective solutions. In 2017, he received the inaugural Gourlay-Trinity Social Impact Award and was awarded the Cameron Fellowship for his analysis of the systemic issues driving the challenges facing informal carers in Australia. Adam is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Melbourne Accelerator Program, and has spoken extensively both in Australia and abroad on the role of artificial intelligence in supporting the delivery of aged care in the home.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Diploma of Languages (Mandarin) from the University of Melbourne where he also currently teachers corporate innovation and entrepreneurship, and is a guest lecturer in social entrepreneurship.

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

Aged Care Companion Robots: Engagement And Experience Of Older People With Socially Assistive Robots In Home Care

Professor Rajiv Khosla is the Managing Director of Human Centred Innovations Pty Ltd Australia. In Japan he partners with NEC, Japan for delivery of social robot enabled Japanese services. He has a multidisciplinary background in management, engineering and computer science. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, a Master’s degree in Management and Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Delhi), and a Masters and PhD in Computer Science (AI and Machine learning) from La Trobe University, Australia.

He has collaborated and worked with NEC Corporation, Japan and Kyoto University for 10 years (2007-16) to pioneer design, development and development of scalable intelligent social robot enabled IoT systems. He is responsible for successfully establishing and leading the first research centre for computers, communication and social innovation at La Trobe University in 2009 involving social robots with humanoid features. The social robots have been deployed in Australia, Hong Kong and Japan in aged care, home-based dementia care, disability centres, special needs schools, education and human resource management sectors respectively.

Recently he has also extended his work to augmented and mixed reality systems as well as robot process automation.

His work has had a transformational impact in several areas including aged care, dementia, autism, health care, education, managerial decision making, organizational innovation, smart cities and personalization of services to improve quality of life.

His work is outcome of 10 years of research (http://www.latrobe.edu.au/reccsi) in the above areas and more than 40 field trials of socially assistive robots in residential care, home-based care, special needs schools and community centre settings to support people with autism and dementia as well as their carers in Australia and Japan.

His expertise in social robot enabled services has been sought for by the Japanese, Australian and Canadian governments for social innovation, policy making and funding of priority research in eHealth innovation.

In the last 10 years, his work in this area has made significant impact nationally and internationally with more than 60 invited talks, 200 media reports in 14 countries   including documentary films, TV science shows and videos, radio interviews and podcasts in 6 languages.

He has published around 200 research papers including 4 authored books. His latest authored book is titled Managing Service Innovation using Social Robots: Transforming Business and Lives is to be published by Routledge, U.K. in 2021. He has been the Associate editor of the International Journal of Pattern Recognition (2000-2007), Regional editor of Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing (Springer-verlag), Associate Editor of Journal of Cognitive Systems Research (Elsevier) and Associate Editor of IEEE Intelligent Informatics Bulletin (2005-2009). Rajiv’s research covers three main disciplines: information systems, computing and engineering has been published and reported in many journals. These journals include: Pattern Recognition, Expert Systems with Applications, IEEE Transactions in Engineering Management, IEEE Multimedia, Communications of the ACM and IEEE Transactions in Power Systems.

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

How Autonomous Robot Helpers Reduced Staff Workloads At Prins Willem Alexander Village

Day 2 – Aged Care

Topic: 

Designing Technologies For The Elderly With An Emotion-Oriented Approach

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Forum Chairperson

Topic:

Panel Discussion: Palliative Care Conversations: The Art Of Approaching End-Of-Life Topics With Patients

Dr Meredith Doig OAM FAICD is Secretary of Dying With Dignity Victoria. She is a professional company director and governance specialist, with a background in blue chip corporates (Ford, Rio Tinto, ANZ). She is also president of the Rationalist Society of Australia and writes a regular bulletin, RSA Daily, for rationalists and secular humanists. The right to die with dignity is one of the RSA’s Ten Point Plan for a Secular Australia.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Rogers Wish: Why Advance Care Planning Is Needed In Palliative Care

Passionate Advocate, Empowered Ambassador using her personal experiences as a Cancer survivor, carer, and family member to ensure optimal care resulting in a positive change in people’s lives. Experienced Chair with a demonstrated history of working in the education, hospital, and health care industries at Acute and Primary service levels.

Skilled in Patient Support, patient-centered Care, Palliative Care, Cancer Advocacy and Advocacy Training,  Health Literacy, Supportive Care, Survivorship, Optimal Care Pathways,  Aged Care Advocacy, Education at all levels from Preschool to Tertiary.Steering and Governance Committees representing National, State , Regional and Rural projects. A Finalist in Pride of Australia Care and Compassion Award & DHHS  Life Time Achievement  Award. Inaugural Life Member Barwon Health Volunteer Services.

Curriculum & Policy Development, Public Speaking, Teacher and Nurse Eduction, Research, and Pastoral Care.  Safer Care Vic Victorian Care of Older People VCOP Governance Committee, Chair Cancer Action Victoria ; PHN Geelong Otway Western Integrated Council & Western Alliance.Melbourne University/VCCC ‘Older & Wiser’ and ‘Using the internet to find cancer health information. – Exploring the views of cancer consumers’ Project collaborator.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Experiences From A Doctor Involved In Voluntary Assisted Dying In Victoria

Nick is a GP in St Kilda and honorary clinical senior lecturer in the Department of General Practice at The University of Melbourne.  He trained at Cambridge University and Charing Cross Hospital, London before moving to Melbourne in 1988. He completed a Master’s degree at The University of Melbourne in 1992.

True to his chosen career as a generalist, Nick has a wide variety of interests without any special expertise in any of them. He has published on a range of subjects, from sore throats to parenting, baby sleep programs, enemas, sport, benzodiazepines, consumer issues, computers, psychosis and chicken bones. He is a regular broadcaster on radio and television.

Nick is a Board member of Dying with Dignity Victoria, and has been actively involved with providing Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) care since the Act commenced in June 2019. In March 2020 he took part in the SBS Insight program on VAD.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Collaborating To Enhance And Develop Palliative Care Beyond Borders

Dr Suharsha Kanathigoda is the Director of Palliative Care in the ACT & a Senior Staff Specialist in Palliative Medicine at Calvary Health Care & Clare Holland House. He is the clinical lead for Clare Holland House, the Renal Supportive Care Service, the Motor Neuron Disease Service & the Aboriginal Palliative Care Service in the ACT. He is also a Clinical Lecturer at the ANU.

He is the Deputy Chair of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians NSW/ACT & an examiner for the RACP & RACGP. He is also the Founder & Chairman of Shanthi Foundation Australia which is an Australian registered charity, developing & propagating Palliative Care throughout the world , especially in developing countries such as Sri Lanka & India, which is building Sri Lanka’s first Palliative Care Centre/Hospital.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Māori Palliative And End-Of-Life Experiences During Lockdown Restrictions, Enabling Culturally Safe Care

Dr Melissa Carey is Registered Nurse who descends from Ngāti Raukawa Iwi. Melissa has worked as a registered nurse for over 20 years practising within the acute clinical setting in regional and rural Australia. Since 2006 Melissa has been employed within the tertiary education sector where she has developed and delivered various nursing education programmes for undergraduate and post graduate students. Completing a PhD in 2016 at Queensland University of Technology, Melissa is an emerging health researcher with experience in Ethnographic, Auto-ethnographic and Kaupapa Māori research methodologies. Her research areas include Indigenous knowledge and research, creativity and health education, cultural recovery and healing, cultural safety, cultural needs at end of life and healthy ageing for Māori. Melissa is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Southern Queensland, and in 2020 Melissa commenced a three year Postdoctoral Māori Career Development Fellowship funded by the Health Research Council New Zealand at the University of Auckland within the School of Nursing, with the Te Arai: Palliative Care and End of Life Research Group. The focus of this research is to develop and pilot a compassionate community toolkit for healthy ageing and end of life care for Māori people in South Auckland.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic:

When The Drugs Don’t Work: Innovative Approaches To Pain Management In Palliative Care

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Panel Discussion: Palliative Care Conversations: The Art Of Approaching End-Of-Life Topics With Patients

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Panel Discussion: Palliative Care Conversations: The Art Of Approaching End-Of-Life Topics With Patients

Rodney Syme has been in medical practice for forty-five years, primarily as a urological surgeon. He was Chair of the Victorian Section of the Urological Society of Australasia in 1990-92, and chair of the Urology Study Group of the Cancer Council of Victoria in 1992-94. He has had extensive experience with cancer patients and with people with severe spinal injuries. He has been an advocate for physician-assisted dying for nearly twenty years, and the President of the Dying With Dignity Victoria for ten years. He is the author of A Good Death and A Time to Die.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Panel Discussion: Palliative Care Conversations: The Art Of Approaching End-Of-Life Topics With Patients

Dr Greg Mewett MBBS, FRACGP, DRCOG, Postgrad Dip Pall Med, FAChPM, Grad Cert Clin Teaching

Palliative Care Physician
Ballarat Health Services
Grampians Regional Palliative Care Team

Greg was a GP in Bendigo, Central Victoria, for 22 years during which time he developed a special interest in palliative care and was an educator & advisor in the Loddon-Mallee Regional Palliative Care Team.

He left general practice in 2004 and retrained as a palliative care physician in Melbourne, completing his Fellowship in 2007. After a year as a locum consultant in the north-west of Tasmania, he commenced as a palliative care physician at Ballarat Health Services and the Grampians Regional Palliative Care Team in March 2008. He has been in this role for the past 13 years.

Greg has developed a special interest in clinical ethics particularly as related to end-of-life care and decision-making. He was a member of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Implementation Taskforce appointed by the state Minister of Health and DHHS to oversee the introduction of the VAD legislation in Victoria.

He is a ‘conscientious provider’ of VAD which he incorporates into his palliative care work.

Day 3 – Palliative Care

Topic: 

Keeping Palliative Patients In Their Home Where They Want To Be: The Successful Collaboration Of Palliative Care Services With Pre-Hospital Clinicians

Andrew is an Extended Care Paramedic and Clinical Team leader with SA Ambulance Service (SAAS). He coordinates the training of SAAS ECPs and is a senior clinical lecturer at Flinders University in their undergraduate and post graduate paramedic courses.  He has worked as a rescue paramedic in the Solomon Islands and at Uluru.  Andrew’s interests include remote area paramedicine and the evolving field of low acuity/high complexity emergency department avoidance, in particular palliative care.

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Forum Chairperson

Topic:

Panel Session – Advances, Opportunities And Challenges In Australia’s Mental Health Care System

Ahmad, a fully AHPRA registered psychologist having previously completed a Bachelors of Psychology at Western Sydney University, a Post Graduate Diploma of Professional Psychology, and Macquarie University and an internship. He has since gone on to complete a Diploma in Leadership and Management at the NSW Health Education and Training Institute and recently completed the Thesis for my Masters of Health Service Management with the University of Tasmania. He is also a trained health safety representative, has served as a fire warden and child safety representative within NSW Health.

Ahmad’s work experience spans 10 years within the fields of information technology, mental health and disabilities. During this time, he has worked with private organizations, not-for-profit providers and government agencies. His roles ranged from a frontline support worker, implementing functional support to clinical lead, collaborating in the design and implementation of government-funded pilot programs.

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Topics: 

• Protecting Your People & Culture – Fundamentals For A Mentally Healthy Workplace
• Panel Session – Advances, Opportunities And Challenges In Australia’s Mental Health Care System

Anna Pannuzzo, Director of WorkPlacePLUS, has 25+ years of senior HR management experience in the health, disability, aged care and NFP sectors. She is degree qualified and a certified professional member of several highly regarded industry associations, including the AHRI and the Australasian Association of Workplace Investigators. Anna is a regular guest on ABC Radio National’s “This Working Life” and “Best Practice”. She has delivered training programs on bullying & harassment, leadership and performance management to some of Australia’s leading health, aged care and NFP organizations. Anna’s nursing background provides a unique insight into the HR challenges facing many employers.

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Topic: 

Loss And Grief In Aging: Addressing Mental Health Issues In The Elderly

Catherine Cini, a former CEO of GriefLine’s also, a Family Therapist, Educator and Bereavement Counsellor with over 40 years experience. Before GriefLine, she worked in private practice for 25 years.

Catherine began her career as a school teacher and then school counsellor within secondary schools. During her time as an educator, Catherine prepared a specialized framework for alternate programs tailored to year 11 and 12 students who were troubled. She then delivered these programs to adolescents.

Catherine has also worked in prisons where she designed and delivered programs for youth. The aim was to decrease recidivism within the prison system.Catherine was also the director of Monash Family Therapy and in 2012 received an award recognizing her humanitarian services to the community.

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Topic: 

Suicide Prevention In Aged Care: A Systems Response

Carmen is Director and Principal Psychologist with Suicide Risk Assessment Australia, delivering training, supervision and consultation services specific to suicide prevention and workplace psychological health and safety. Carmen is Co-chair of the Suicide and Workplace Special Interest Group with the International Association of Suicide Prevention and has contributed to systems based suicide prevention initiatives within NSW Health via the Zero Suicide Australasia Institute.

Carmen has delivered hundreds of training sessions in suicide prevention and is a Lecturer and Senior Researcher with the Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP), Griffith University.

Memberships

• International Association of Suicide Prevention, Member – IASP
• Co-chair Special Interest Group, Suicide and the Workplace, International Association of Suicide Prevention – IASP
• Suicide Prevention Australia, Member – SPA
• American Association of Suicidology, Member – AAS
• Australian Institute of Health and Safety, Member – AIHS
• Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine, Member – ANZSOM
• Australian Association Psychologists Incorporated, Member – AAPi

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Topics: 

• Simply Simulating: The Future Of VR In Mental Health Care
• Panel Session – Advances, Opportunities And Challenges In Australia’s Mental Health Care System

Damian is a tech entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for psychology and cognitive science. As the co-founder and CEO of Liminal VR Damian has been a driving force in the development of a new product category of Virtual Reality experiences designed to change how people feel and perform.

Holding an unwavering conviction that Virtual Reality is going to fundamentally transform our world and augment ‘virtually’ every aspect of our lives, Damian is one of Australia’s leading VR evangelists.

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Topic: 

“The Future ROI Of Mental Health In The Workplace. Why It Will Save You Money.”

Beverley Honig BA LLB MBA is the CEO of Honeylight Enterprises Pty Ltd and is well known in industry and government as a business guru.

She has been named as one of the top 10 entrepreneurs in Australia, one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence, and was listed in the Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame. She is an international lawyer and global consultant, with very strong connections in Government and business. Her business was winner of Westpac Bank’s 200 Businesses of Tomorrow, and she was named one of the 9 Australian businesswomen dominating 2017 (http://hermag.co/9-australian-businesswomen-dominating-2017/).

Beverley is a renowned international public speaker and has delivered over 200,000 professional training courses globally. She is passionate about social impact and her popular courses on the value of mental health wellbeing in the workplace, and its relationship to occupational health and safety, has been mentioned in the news across the globe. With a background as an international lawyer, she is a Senior Fellow at Monash University and previous Honorary Fellow of Melbourne University and Convener at QUTs bespoke school in Canberra for the Department of Defence.

As a much sought after presenter and facilitator, she brings a wealth of global commercial experience in the areas of supply chain management, contracts, projects and sourcing and mental health in the workplace. She brings tacit knowledge and experience in managing mental health as Director of Uniper Care, an innovative tech platform to manage Mental Health amongst isolated and lonely people challenged with mental and physical health issues. She has led reviews and structured management programs in the public and private sector across many industries. In particular, she is a trusted adviser, as she brings both her legal and business skills together to make workplaces work. 

Beverley is a Presiding Judge, Essential Services Commission Appeals, and has held many board directorships including Board Director Melbourne Markets, Centre for Adult Education, and Australia Chamber of Commerce.

Beverley had many years of general management experience in public companies such as Coles Myer, with responsibilities for asset portfolios worth $1.5 billion.  She is also the published author of several textbooks, including the authoritative bestseller business book “Making Contracts Work”, and the co-author of the textbook “Project management: A Managerial Process” (McGraw Hill).

Beverley was nominated International Businesswomen of the year and is the recipient of several business awards presented by the Prime Minister, in recognition of outstanding contribution to international trade links. She is a 2020 Global Stevie Award Winner for sustainability, and is listed in the Who’s Who of Business.

Day 4 – Mental Health Care

Topic: 

Changing The Face Of Mental Health Treatment Through Technology

Heidi Sturk is the Director of eMHPrac (e-Mental Health in Practice) at Queensland University of Technology. eMHPrac is funded by the Commonwealth Government and is led by QUT in partnership with Black Dog Institute, Menzies School of Health Research, and the University Centre for Rural Health (USyd). Heidi develops, delivers and evaluates training and support on digital mental health to health practitioners and service providers nationwide. She holds a Master of Organisational Psychology and has over 25 years’ experience working in mental health. Her areas of interest include how to integrate appropriate digital technologies into health care, rural and remote health care practice, and wellbeing of health practitioners.