Sarah Gleeson grew up in Northern NSW on a cattle and cropping property and has called Goondiwindi home since 2011.

She is a Practice Partner at Goondiwindi Medical Centre, is engaged at the Goondiwindi Hospital as a VMO with an AST in Obstetrics, and provides a weekly outreach service to an Indigenous community across the border called Boggabilla.

Post fellowship, she managed to have 3 wild boys in 3 years whilst juggling work and on-call commitment. Between this, navigating the pandemic as a border community, and trying to tempt rural generalists to come more than 200km from Brisbane, she is finally going grey.

She loves sport, being outdoors, gardening, and enjoys tending to her Noah’s ark of animals.

Her husband jokes she’s a fiery redhead, but she insists she’s just passionate about the things that matter, and certainly indulges in some feather ruffling from time to time.

Sarah Venn is the Executive Manager – Workforce and Service Planning at Health Workforce Queensland. Sarah is a registered nurse with over 25 years’ experience in the health industry working in clinical, project and program management and executive positions within the public, private and not for profit sectors. Sarah’s current role provides the opportunity for firsthand consultation with key stakeholders and rural communities all over Queensland and she enjoys collaborating with individuals and organisations that advocate for and work towards sustainable health services and workforce solutions. Her experience working in health policy and planning, as well as education and training, has directed her ongoing passion for working innovatively and strategically to improve health outcomes in rural and remote communities.

FRACGP, FACRRM,DRANZCOG, GAICD is a GP and joint owner of the Myall Medical Practice in Dalby.

Dr Maxwell graduated from the University of Queensland Medical School in 1982. Ross worked at the Princess Alexandra, QE2 and Redcliffe Hospitals prior to commencing general practice at Dalby in 1989. Ross has previously practiced anaesthetics and obstetrics at the Dalby Hospital until 2019.

Dr Maxwell's other interests have been in health care organisations having served on the board of the local division of general practice, the state branch council of the AMA, and as president of the Rural Doctor's Association of Australia in 2006. Ross was Chair of Rural Health Workforce Australia and was on the board of the National Prescribing Service. He is currently the Board Chair of Health Workforce Queensland.

Dr Dunn was born and raised in Maryborough. He studied Science and Medicine at the University of Queensland and trained as a rural generalist at both Nambour and Cooktown Hospitals. From 2011 to 2017 Dr Dunn worked as the Medical Superintendent in Weipa on Cape York where he dealt with a broad range of medical conditions in both the community and hospital settings.

In 2018 Dr Dunn relocated to Gympie with his wife and 3 daughters where they have been enjoying and exploring all that this beautiful part of the world has to offer. Dr Dunn works in anaesthetics and emergency at the Gympie Hospital and as a training advisor on with the QLD Rural Generalist Pathway.

He enjoys all aspects of rural medicine and is passionate about health equity, Indigenous health and medical education.

Outside of work he loves family time, the outdoors and is a cricket tragic!

Lara Wieland has been a rural generalist in remote and rural Australia for over 23 years as well as more recently a remote medical educator. She has a passion for remote Indigenous health and the importance of quality medical care and continuity in relationships and therefore retention.

In 2018 she was awarded a Churchill fellowship to explore retention of remote doctors in Canada which has parallels with Australia. This sparked an interest in qualitative research around remote retention.

She has a passion for mentoring upcoming colleagues who wish to work in remote communities and works as a medical educator for trainee Rural generalists in remote areas of Australia. Her other professional interests are clinical systems and leadership, maternal and child health and IT in health.

In addition, Lara and her husband Ron are involved in volunteer youth work with remote Indigenous youth through a charity she helps run (www.otk.org.au) and she also is involved in International aid volunteer work when not hampered by COVID.

Ms Donna Burns became the Chief Executive Officer the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association late last year. She is a proud Wiradjuri descendant with extensive experience in executive leadership and governance roles, particularly within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health space.

Ms Burns is also a Registered Nurse, with postgraduate qualifications in Emergency Nursing. She previously used this experience to lead organisational change through her own consultancy work, and has held Executive leadership roles in the Primary Health Care and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander sectors.

As a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Ms Burns is a non-executive Director on a number of Boards, including headspace National and Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit).

Ms Burns is currently focused on growing and advancing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce, while championing a culturally safe health system for all our peoples.

Tarun Sen Gupta is Head of the Townsville Clinical School, and Professor of Health Professional Education at the James Cook University College of Medicine and Dentistry. He has worked in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education since 1993, with interests in rural medicine, small group teaching, community-based education and assessment. He is a Training Adviser for the Queensland Health Rural Generalist Pathway and has previously worked in solo remote practice in Richmond, northwest Queensland.

He is a Past-President of the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland and is Treasurer of the Rural Doctors Foundation. He currently chairs the assessment committee of the Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine and sits on the ACRRM Education Council and its Selection Committee. He was a foundation staff member of the James Cook University medical school when it was established in 2000, and has published numerous papers on its educational model and graduate outcomes.

Outside of medicine he enjoys the company of his wife Wendy, their two adult children and highly intelligent cocker spaniel, Daisy. His newest and most significant role is as grandfather to Eliza and Jack’s twins, Millie and Mason, now 8 months old.

Prof Kay Brumpton is a highly experienced subdean for the Griffith Rural Medical Program which proudly partners with rural communities to deliver longitudinal integrated clerkships (LIC - Longlook) for about fifty Year 3 and Year 4 Griffith University medical students each year. Tracking our graduates shows doctors who have completed a 2-year Longlook have a rural retention rate of nearly 70%.

Kay believes that when we cultivate a strong sense of professionalism we better equip our learners to deliver high-quality care and to navigate the complex and evolving landscape of healthcare. A challenge of the LIC program is that when students are fully immersed in the healthcare team, for an entire year, professionalism concerns that may have gone undetected in shorter rotations or in larger groups can be revealed. Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss this importance of professionalism in medical education.

Aaron Hollins is Associate Professor Rural Health for the JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry based in Atherton. He is a GP and public health physician and involved in teaching across the spectrum of undergraduate medical students, and vocational training for ACRRM and RACGP registrars 

Aaron completed all of his training in north Queensland and most of his clinical work has been in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. 

Aaron coordinates the final year medical student short and longitudinal rural placements for JCU and has been leading the rural and remote medical education efforts for GP training for JCU. Aaron has published across a number of fields including medical education, rural health services and infectious diseases.

John Ridler is a Senior Lecturer for the University of Queensland under the Mayne Academy of Rural and Remote Medicine. He is an ACRRM fellow with an AST in Emergency Medicine and Senior Medical Officer for West Moreton Rural. He has lived in rural and regional communities for over 10 years now with his wife who is also a rural doctor and their 3 children.

Vaughan is an Endorsed Enrolled Nurse with a background in Aged Care and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT. He has a special interest in Sexual Health, LGBTQI+ health, HIV, and Transgender and gender-diverse health. Vaughan previously sat on the board of directors for Queensland Positive People (QPP) for 2 years. 

Vaughan has lived experience in many different forms as a queer person living with HIV. 

Vaughan works at QCGP+, which is the general practice of the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health. Previously at Gladstone Road Medical Centre (specialist HIV and sexual health GP).

Vaughan aims to provide patient comfort by establishing rapport to ensure the parent has a friendly and personable experience.  As well as striving to remove barriers and stigma surrounding the LGBTQI+ and the HIV-positive community to allow for open and honest communication between health providers and patients, with the goal of reaching better outcomes for patients and the greater community.

Andrew brings a unique combination of accounting and wealth management experience to guide and advise clients on the optimal strategies to reach their retirement goals.

Andrew has a reputation for building strong personal relationships with clients and providing well thoughtout holistic financial advice. He is regularly called upon by CPA Australia to share his expertise at conferences and seminars. Andrew began his career as an accountant in country New South Wales in 1985 before moving to a Brisbane-based superannuation administration firm in 1989. In 1991, Andrew joined MGD as a senior accountant managing the accounting functions of the firm’s many self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs). In 1998, he became an equity owner and has been building a strong and loyal client base since then.

As a leader within our Wealth Management team, Richard is driven to make a positive difference in the lives of our clients through the provision of specialist goals-based advice and education. His insights are particularly valuable for Australians who are on a successful path and seeking to attain and maintain financial independence.

Richard, with the support of MGD’s team of relevant specialists, works closely with local and expatriate executives and senior staff. He is a strong advocate of people using a goals-based decision-making framework to build strong and resilient personal balance sheets that can be deployed to meet their needs and life aspirations. Richard also works closely with a range of large organisations that facilitate the provision of financial services and advice to their employees and/ or members, including private companies, government-related entities, and professional associations. Previously holding senior wealth management positions with NAB, Berkley Group, and Tynan Mackenzie, Richard relocated to New York in 2011 and, in 2015, joined MGD to provide specialist Australian expat advice. Richard returned to Australia in December 2019 where he is now a leader in our Wealth Management team. Richard regularly presents educational seminars and webinars for executives, professionals, and senior staff across a range of private companies, professional associations, public sector organisations, and universities.

Dr Lewandowski is a Rural Generalist in Far North Queensland, and is an ACRRM Fellow with advanced skills in operative obstetrics and endoscopy. He currently works as a Senior Medical Officer providing endoscopy and gastrointestinal services in Cairns Base Hospital and obstetrics, endoscopy and emergency services in Innisfail Hospital.
He spent the previous 12 years providing general practice, emergency, obstetrics and endoscopy services in Kingaroy, after immigrating from the United States in 2008 where he worked as a rural doctor in Missouri.
Dr Lewandowski is President Elect of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) a past President of the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ), and former Director of the Rural Doctors Foundation.

I was born and bred on the Atherton tablelands, schooled in Ravenshoe and Herberton, and graduated from James Cook University in 2009, with the sole intention of becoming a rural GP.  I attained advanced skills training in emergency medicine and anaesthetics in Townsville, before signing a 1-year contract at Ayr Hospital in 2014...  11 years later, my family and I now call the Burdekin home.  When not running around after 3 kids I enjoy long distance running, fishing, boating, and destroying 80-year-olds at pickleball.

Jason King is a Yued Noongar man from south-west.  He grew up in the small Wheatbelt town of Dandaragan, the traditional lands of his grandmother, a member of the Stolen Generations.  Moving to Perth on a cricket scholarship in 1991 gave him the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest in the game and understand why mentors and being coachable was so important.  Entering medicine in 1994 was the start of a journey that saw him graduate from the University of Western Australia before what seemed like a life in Emergency medicine.  After taking the leap to GP training in 2011 from the Emergency Department at Royal Perth Hospital, Jason’s career has seen him work in places as diverse as One Arm Point, Bidyadanga, Broome and Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley.  In 2015 he and his family moved to Cairns to start work at Wuchopperen Health Service and then in 2018 he took the drive to Yarrabah to take up the Senior Medical Officer and eventually Director of Clinical Services position at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service.  In the subsequent years the challenges of working in Australia’s largest discrete Aboriginal community has been compounded by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Kate Vogler is an Emergency Physician at the Cairns Hospital and previously worked as a Rural Generalist across the Torres and Cape York area for several years including stretches of time in Thursday Island Hospital, Cooktown Hospital and Kowanyama. She has worked for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in both a Primary Health Care and Aeromedical Retrieval capacity. Her passion remains Rural Emergency Medicine and ongoing contact with the rural and remote clinicians of Far North Queensland. She is the clinical lead for EMET Cairns which allows lots of chats and visits to the small hospitals doing the hard yards of Rural Generalist practice. 

Dr van der Meer is a Rural Generalist with advanced skills in mental health and addiction medicine, who is passionate about reflective practice and empowering her colleagues to achieve a sense of wellbeing and meaning in their work and home lives.

Kimberley Norris is a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences within the College of Health and Medicine. As both a psychological scientist and a clinical psychologist working across academic, research and clinical practice settings, Kimberley’s research and academic interests are focused on maximising human health, wellbeing and performance in both normal and extreme environments. Having worked extensively with people returning from extreme environments such as Antarctica, along with FIFO workers in remote places, Kimberley works to increase access to evidence informed healthcare for all.

Dr Greg Starmer is a Clinical and Interventional Cardiologist with special interests in interventional cardiac and endovascular procedures, including coronary angioplasty and stenting, percutaneous valvuloplasty and structural heart interventions.

Greg was raised in Mareeba in Far North Queensland and completed his secondary education at St Augustine’s College in Cairns.

Greg then completed his Physician training and Advanced Cardiology training at the Princess Alexandra and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital prior to moving with his family to London, Ontario, Canada where he completed a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at the London Health Sciences Centre, University Hospital.

Greg returned to Far North Queensland in 2011 and commenced practice at both the Cairns Hospital and Cairns Private Hospital. He is the current Director of Cardiology at the Cairns Hospital and is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the James Cook University School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr van der Meer is a Rural Generalist with advanced skills in mental health and addiction medicine, who is passionate about reflective practice and empowering her colleagues to achieve a sense of wellbeing and meaning in their work and home lives.

Kimberley Norris is a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences within the College of Health and Medicine. As both a psychological scientist and a clinical psychologist working across academic, research and clinical practice settings, Kimberley’s research and academic interests are focused on maximising human health, wellbeing and performance in both normal and extreme environments. Having worked extensively with people returning from extreme environments such as Antarctica, along with FIFO workers in remote places, Kimberley works to increase access to evidence informed healthcare for all.

Dr Katrina Starmer is a rural generalist for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and an emergency medicine specialist working at Cairns Hospital.  

She enjoys flying to Chillagoe every fortnight as the towns local GP but this year also took on the role as statewide telehealth medical education officer for the RFDS.  

Katrina is part of the Emergency Medicine Education and Training faculty for North QLD and she has a special interest in ultrasound education having established focussed echo training for clinicians in the far north. She has 4 children and a husband who happens to be speaking at this conference at the exact same day and time.  

Dr Lachlan McIver MBBS MPH&TM PhD JCC(Anaes) FACRRM FACTM FAFPHM is a medical doctor, writer, activist and musician.

Lachlan specialises in rural & remote medicine, tropical medicine and public health, and has a PhD in global health. Originally from Millaa Millaa in Far North Queensland, Australia, his travels to date have spanned almost one hundred countries. Lachlan has treated patients in some of the most isolated, volatile, resource-deprived communities on the planet, while grappling with complex health challenges such as climate change and antibiotic resistance.

He has co-authored close to fifty scientific publications in medical journals and textbooks on topics ranging from environmental health and infectious diseases to anaesthetics and emergency medicine. He is an adjunct Associate Professor at James Cook University in Australia and the co-founder of the international non-profit organisation Rocketship Pacific Ltd, which focuses on improving health in Pacific island countries through stronger primary care.

Lachlan and his wife live in Switzerland, where he is the Tropical Diseases & Planetary Health Advisor at the Geneva headquarters of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). In his spare time, Lachlan writes and records cheeky, ironic punk-rock music in his basement under the pseudonym The Serpent’s Nest.

His first book, Life and Death Decisions, an explosive memoir that combines Lachlan’s personal journey with an urgent call to arms for action on some of the greatest but neglected health crises of our time, was published in September 2022. More information here.