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2024 congress speakers
Delvecchio S. Finley, FACHE, President, Georgia Market, Atrium Health (formerly, the President of Atrium Health Navicent) (AHN), a part of the Atrium Health enterprise, one of the largest non-profit and leading academic health systems in the United States. As a member of the executive leadership team, Finley is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for the meaningful, measurable goals that will position Atrium Health Navicent’s strategic growth and success. Finley also leads the Atrium Health Navicent integration, as well as the implementation of new technology platforms that position AHN to embrace market dynamics and excel.
With more than 20 years of health care leadership experience, Finley joined Atrium Health Navicent in 2021, following Navicent’s strategic combination with Atrium Health. Previously, Finley served as chief executive officer of Alameda Health System. Additional leadership positions held throughout his career include chief executive officer of LA County/Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and interim chief operating officer for Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center.
A Georgia native, Finley received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta before obtaining a master’s degree in public policy from the Sanford Institute for Public Policy at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Through hard work and a solid educational foundation, Finley quickly established himself within the health care industry, becoming a first-time CEO in his mid-30s.
A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Finley currently serves as Immediate Past Chair for the organization. He is also a former board member for the American Hospital Association, a member of the Council on Healthcare Spending and Value and the past-chair of the America’s Essential Hospitals Institute. Finley serves on the Georgia Hospital Association’s board of trustees, on the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals’ board of directors and executive committee and is a board member for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Central Georgia Health Network, Secure Health, Phoenix Healthcare Management Services, and the Georgia Research Alliance.
He has previously served as chair-elect of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and a member of the California Hospitals Association board of directors, as well as multiple locally based health boards, prior to his selection to lead Atrium Health Navicent.
Finley has been recognized by industry peers for several awards and commendations, including Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Minorities in Healthcare Watch List and its Up and Comers Award, Becker’s Hospital Review Top Healthcare Executives under 40 and received the Robert S. Hudgens Young Healthcare Executive of the Year Award by the American College of Healthcare Executives organization. He was also named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders in Healthcare for 2021 and 2023, and was included on Georgia Trend’s GEORGIA 500 list of most influential leaders of 2022 and 2023.
Professor Cindy Shannon AM BA (Economics and History), Grad Dip Ed, MBA, DrSocSc (Pol Sci), GAICD, FQAAS (FQA), Chair of Gold Coast Hospital and Health Board
A descendant of the Ngugi people from Moreton Bay, Cindy Shannon was appointed the Chair of Gold Coast Hospital and Health Board in April 2024.
Most recently Cindy has been the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Indigenous, Diversity and Inclusion) at Griffith University and is an Emeritus Professor with the University of Queensland.
Cindy led the development and implementation of Australia’s first degree-level program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, has led major reforms in Indigenous health and played a key role in establishing the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health in South-East Queensland.
Cindy served on the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) from 2005-2012 and is the Chair of the Queensland Ministerial Advisory Committee on Sexual Health; Chair of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation from 2008 -2021 and is currently the co-patron; and a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Advisory Council.
She has sat on a number of not-for-profit boards, including the Brisbane South Primary Health Network where she chaired from 2018 – 2023. In December 2022 appointed Chair of the Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council, having served may years as a council member.
In 2017, Cindy was recognised as a Queensland Great for contributions to Indigenous Health and Education and, in 2020, was made a Member of the Order of Australia (in general division) for contributions to Medical Education and Indigenous Health.
Harold (Hal) Wolf is the President and CEO of HIMSS, a global non-profit advisor and thought leader supporting the reform of the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology.
Wolf is respected internationally as a healthcare and informatics leader, with areas of expertise in Digital Health, product development, integrated care models, marketing, distribution, information and technology, and large-scale innovation implementation.
Before joining HIMSS, Wolf served at The Chartis Group as director, practice leader, information and digital health strategy. Prior to The Chartis Group, he served as senior vice president and COO of Kaiser Permanente’s The Permanente Federation, representing more than 16,000 physicians. Wolf also held executive positions at MTV Networks and Time Warner, and served as senior health advisor to McKinsey & Co.
Simon Kuestenmacher is a Director and Co-founder of The Demographics Group.
He presents on demographic and global trends that are shaping Australia today and into the future and his observations are enjoyed by corporate, government and industry audiences alike.
Simon is a columnist for The New Daily newspaper and a regular contributor to The Australian newspaper; and he is a media commentator on demographic and data matters.
In his spare time Simon has authored three books on maps and runs what is by now the world’s largest Twitter account dedicated to maps and data. His social media posts reach over 35 million people every month. Simon ranks as one of the world’s top 10 influencers in data.
Gunther De Graeve is the Managing Director of Destravis; a Health Planning firm he founded specifically to bring expertise to the strategy, planning and design of health projects. He has over three decades of health project experience across Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. This depth of specialised knowledge allows Gunther to unpack complex problems, identify underlying issues and develop real solutions for infrastructure and operational projects.
He has long been championing initiatives to create a more sustainable health sector; from system transformation, health facility innovation, prefabrication, and digital adaptation. Gunther speaks on these topics frequently at national and international conferences and is a university guest lecturer.
As a renowned thought-leader, Gunther has led many pilot projects and new initiatives for the public and private sector which are now business as usual. He continues to work with our clients to strive for a holistically sustainable health service.
Kate is a health infrastructure professional with executive leadership experience in health service planning, infrastructure planning, hospital design, project and program management, procurement and project delivery in the public sector.
She has recently retired from her role as Executive Director, Strategy Planning Assets Infrastructure and Strategic Developments for Metro North Hospital and Health Service, a position she held since 2016.
Kate continues with a range of honorary roles, including working with the Herston Health Precinct Board, ACHSM, AHDC, Griffith University, and Racing Qld.
Christine Gee is the National President of the Australian Private Hospitals Association. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Toowong Private Hospital and holds a number of local, state and national Board appointments. Christine is a longstanding board member of the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care and she chairs its Private Hospitals Sector Committee, Mental Health Advisory Group and Open Disclosure Advisory Group.
Christine is also Chair of the Medical Board of Australia’s National Special Issues Committee (Sexual Boundaries and Family Violence) which is the delegated committee responsible for regulatory decisions for matters relating to sexual boundary violations and family violence. She was first appointed as a Community Member of the Queensland Board of the Medical Board of Australia in 2014.
Christine was awarded a Centenary Medal for distinguished service to the health industry in 2003. She was honoured as the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Gold Medal of the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards for her contribution to safety and quality in Australian health care and in June 2023, Christine was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) for significant service to the community, particularly through hospital administration. Christine’s personal philosophy puts patients at the centre of care, and both acknowledges and values the power of lived experience in the planning, design, delivery, measurement and evaluation of care.
Michael Walsh commenced as Acting Director-General on Monday 24 July 2023. On 21 December 2023, Michael was appointed as Director-General.
Michael was previously the Director-General Queensland Health from July 2015 to September 2019. Most recently, Michael was Chair of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Chair of the Western Australia Health, Health Support Service. Michael was the Administrator, North West Hospital and Health Service from June 2021 to April 2022.
Michael was Chair of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) providing advice to the COAG Health Council from 2016 to 2018. From 2019 to 2020, Michael was the inaugural Chair of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health and has previously been on Board of the Australian Digital Health Agency. From 2019 to 2022 Michael was Chair of the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre.
Michael holds a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Human Movement and Bachelor of Education.
Michael has a passion for organisational excellence and leading value-based teams achieving outcomes that improve the lives of all Australians.
Helen Trinca is an associate editor at The Australian. She has had a long career in journalism as a reporter, columnist, feature writer and editor. Helen was the European Correspondent for The Australian in the 1990s; in the 2000s she founded the business magazine BOSS at the Australian Financial Review; in the 2010s she edited The Weekend Australian magazine and spent several years as Managing Editor of the paper.
These days she is interested in stories on management; social and cultural trends, and rural Australia. Helen has written and co-written three books and is working on a biography of novelist Elizabeth Harrower which will be published next year.
David Rowlands, FAIDH, AFCHSM is one of Australia’s most senior health informaticians, whose work on digital health is grounded in health service and system executive management experience. He is a recognised leader in digital health and health informatics, nationally and internationally, and a health system/service strategist and change agent with extensive international consulting and community building experience.
David Holds adjunct positions at RMIT University (Melbourne) and the RCSI University, Ireland. He is a Director at WentWest Ltd (Western Sydney PHN), and a member of the WHO Roster of Digital Health experts.
David is author of ‘A Practitioner’s Guide to Health Informatics in Australia’, the text underpinning Australia’s Certified Health Informatician program, and a passionate pursuer of digital health interoperability and standards.
Colleen Jen is the Deputy Director-General, Clinical Planning and Service Strategy for Queensland Health, leading portfolios in research, innovation, and genomics as well as strategy and planning for the health system; mental health, alcohol and other drugs; and workforce.
With a Bachelor of Nursing, Master of Critical Care Nursing and a Graduate Certificate in Policy, Colleen is an experienced executive and health professional with more than 40 years working in Hospital and Health Services, the Department of Health and the private sector.
Colleen is committed to advancing health system sustainability through robust and evidence-based approaches and to improve health outcomes for the community.
Professor Brian Dolan is a dual-qualified nurse whose clinical background is in emergency and mental health nursing and has worked as an Executive Director and also Clinical Director of several emergency departments. He is the author/editor of seven books on emergency care, education and leadership. His ‘Clinician’s Survival Guide to ward leadership and management’ will be published by Elsevier in July, and the 4th edition of ‘Accident & Emergency: Theory into Practice will be published in 2025. He’s also working on a book on Deconditioning to be published this year.
He originated the global social movements #Last1000Days, to value patients’ time, and #EndPJparalysis, to encourage patients to get up, dressed and moving to reduce their risk of deconditioning while in hospital. He is the first nurse to become Honorary President of AGILE – the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy network for physios working with older people and holds Full and Honorary Professorships at Coventry University, Bond University, SE Queensland, and Salford University, Manchester,
Brian was voted one of the 20 most influential people in the 70-year history of the UK’s National Health Service in 2018 and in the Queen’s 2019 New Year’s Honours List, and was awarded an OBE in the ‘For Services to Nursing and Emergency Care’.
Dr Tanya Kelly is currently acting Deputy Director-General, eHealth Queensland, leading Queensland’s public health digital modernisation agenda in support of Queensland Health priorities and broader system reforms.
She is an experienced and active senior clinician (anaesthetist) who has held clinical leadership roles for the past 10 years, most recently as acting Chief Clinical Information Officer, eHealth Queensland providing clinical leadership and clinical strategic direction for digital health across the state-wide eHealth program.
As Chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate, Dr Kelly is keen to ensure that healthcare in Queensland is safe, highly effective and maximises the opportunities provided by clinician and consumer co-design, to provide a responsive healthcare system that meets the needs of consumers.
In addition, Dr Kelly’s previous clinical leadership roles include Director of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine and Clinical Director for Digital Transformation within the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.
Beyond her clinical practice, she has qualifications in clinical redesign, business and is a Certified Health Informatician (CHIA).
Dr. Michael Young leverages his extensive expertise in acute and community-based medicine from Australia’s rural and remote areas to lead the development of safe, effective, and technologically augmented models of care in the community. His deep understanding of healthcare systems and commitment to patient-focused care drive his advocacy for healthcare systems to adopt and support innovative models that integrate seamlessly with and augment traditional hospital-based approaches.
A recognized leader in the field, he serves on the board of the Hospital In The Home (HiTH) Society of Australasia and various homecare corporations in Australia, the UK, and the US.
Professor Analise O’Donovan is an experienced university executive, with leadership roles including Head of School and Dean Academic. Analise currently leads Griffith University’s largest academic group as Pro Vice Chancellor of Griffith Health with over 15,000 enrolments, offering over 100 health degrees across 5 campuses. The Group produces world class impactful research and is ranked highly both nationally and internationally. Her areas of research include clinical training and supervision, positive psychology and mindfulness. Analise is a recipient of a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. Analise is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Holly Cook brings extensive experience working with people in the organisational development environment. She commenced her career in the Resources sector, working in safety culture change and fatality prevention. A passion for deeply understanding how to create an environment for individual and group behaviour change, saw Holly work globally, leading psychology-based change programs across all layers of leadership.
Holly led the growth of the leadership and learning practice at a Big Four Consulting Firm, working across a variety of industries including healthcare, federal and state government, high-performance sports, and in the private sector. Her health care work included supporting the top 100 nonclinical leaders to effectively drive financial system transformation in Queensland, coaching Senior Executives in complex healthcare environments and working with leaders and teams to develop their leadership and reform strategies.
Holly chose to start her own business after becoming a mother to three beautiful children. She is the founder and Director of North, a consulting business specialising in building and sustaining high-performance. This work includes building courageous leaders, uniting leadership teams and securing higher levels of business performance.
Holly is passionate about applying psychology and neuroscience principles to the development of people, enabling individuals and organisations to achieve and sustain their best.
As Chief Executive of Metro South Health, Noelle Cridland is responsible for the operational management of one of one of Australia’s largest public health services. Noelle is an experienced health sector leader who has held senior roles at Metro South Hospital and Health Service as Executive Director of the Logan and Beaudesert Health Service, and Acting Chief Operating Officer. She has previously held executive roles in other Hospital and Health Services in Safety and Quality, Women’s and Newborn, Medical Imaging and Development and Commissioning. Noelle is a Registered Nurse and holds a Masters in Nursing.
Ms Hodgetts joined Health and Wellbeing Queensland in February 2020, prior to which she held senior leadership, policy and governance roles within the Departments of Health, State Development and Community Safety. Through these roles, she has led the provision of strategic advice and service delivery options for government.
Gemma’s contributions centre on reforming engagement practices and system leadership in the delivery of policy and strategic advice. Ms Hodgetts holds qualifications in Policy Analysis, a Master of Business Administration, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Gemma is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences the University of Queensland and an Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA), Queensland Division Council Member.
Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience across the resource and rail sectors, as a leader committed to creating sustainable, productive businesses that make meaningful contributions to the community.
Andrew has led initiatives to leverage Aurizon’s core expertise in heavy haulage and rail infrastructure and to drive improved safety and operational performance.
The business is well-positioned to benefit from long-term demand for Australia’s resources, including traditional exports of coal and iron ore, as well as new-economy commodities to fuel and feed the world such as nickel, copper, lithium and grain.
Andrew champions the role of rail in decarbonising the nation’s supply chains, leveraging the environmental, safety and productivity benefits of rail freight for economic and community benefit.
Aurizon has committed to a target of net-zero operational carbon emissions by 2050 with work underway on battery and hydrogen-powered freight trains of the future.
With more than 80 per cent of employees living in regional Australia, Aurizon has a business model where employees live in and contribute to the local communities in which they work.
Prior to starting with Aurizon, Andrew was the global Chief Executive of Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore business with responsibility for managing supply chains for the world’s largest integrated portfolio of iron ore assets.
Andrew completed a Bachelor of Mining Engineering at the University of New South Wales and holds a MBA from Deakin University. He is a member of the 2012 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute.
He is married with three daughters and lives in Brisbane.
Peter was appointed Mater Chief Executive Officer in January 2019 and has a wealth of healthcare administration experience and clinical expertise.
In September 2019 Peter was appointed as CEO of Mater’s services across Queensland where he manages the development of a shared strategy to sustain the Mission of Mater’s ministries in health, education and research.
Previously, Peter was the Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) in London from January 2015 to December 2018.
He commenced his medical career at Mater Brisbane in 1982 after graduating from The University of Queensland and worked at Mater until 1987.
After four years in New Zealand and Canada with further training in Neonatology, Peter returned to the Mater Mothers’ and Children’s Hospitals in 1991 and continued as Neonatologist and subsequently Executive Director of Mater Children’s Hospital from 1995 until 2002.
Peter then spent further time at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada as President and Chief of Paediatrics at McMaster Children’s Hospital and Professor and Chair, Department of Paediatrics at McMaster University. On return to Brisbane he was charged with the merger of Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s Hospitals and the delivery of the $1.4 billion Queensland Children’s Hospital as CEO of Children’s Health Queensland.
Cam Ansell, a Chartered Accountant and the Managing Director of Ansell Strategic, brings over 25 years of expertise in the aged care sector across Australia, the US, Asia, and New Zealand. Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in leading significant studies that provide guidance to both the Government and the industry on policy, financial viability, and sustainability.
As an advisor, Cam has conducted thorough financial and operational reviews of retirement and aged care services and most recently led an independent survey aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the New Zealand aged residential care sector and the financial performance of providers.
Cam has been instrumental in facilitating numerous mergers and partnerships among charitable entities, contributing to some of the largest transactions in aged care. His wealth of experience, knowledge and insightful advice have established him as a recognised thought leader in the sector..
Tracey Johnson is the CEO of Inala Primary Care, a charitable, multidisciplinary, teaching and research active general practice in Queensland’s most disadvantaged suburban location. In 2015 she undertook a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship studying how to bring care out of hospitals and into the community. She continues to initiate projects which span the primary and secondary care and even the health and social care divides. Valued based care is a passion given her experience as a health economist, clinician and health administrator and has led to various integrated care solutions.
In May 2016 IPC was recognised as Australian General Practice of the Year and continues to win awards for its work. In 2022, the group and its partners won a number of national and international awards for incorporating social workers and social prescribing into patient supports. The embrace of new models of care means that the practice has spent time thinking about the co-location, collaboration and shared care necessary to support an increasingly aged and chronic disease burdened population. Moving general practice from a cottage industry referral provider to the centrepiece of the health system is something Tracey has spent decades exploring. For this reason she was co-opted to support the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, appointed to the Expert Advisory Panel reviewing after hours and incentive funding to general practice and involved in shaping the national implementation plan for social prescribing.
Tracey will bring to her presentation data from her work as a Health Service Researcher, insights from founding two medical software businesses, Cubiko and Cooee Health and her role as Deputy Chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Primary Care Advisory Committee and Chair of a working group developing the third iteration of “Getting Australia’s Health on Track”.
Dr Isobel Frean is a strategic advisor in digital health, data, and information governance. She trained as a head and spinal injury clinical nurse specialist at the University of Edinburgh and Pennsylvania and went on to work in acute and rehabilitation settings in the UK, USA, and Australia in the early part of her career.
An interest in health prevention and health policy led to a career in the Australian public sector, which provided the opportunity to be part of the shaping of national reforms in health prevention and disability services. These experiences opened doors that over the past few decades have included leadership roles in private and public health and aged care sectors in the UK and Australia.
Isobel received an ARC Industry Grant to undertake a PhD in health informatics at the University of Wollongong, focusing on HL7 interoperability standards. She has been a volunteer for HL7 in the UK and Australia for the past twenty years, including as the publishing facilitator for the HL7 V3 Clinical Statement specification; and is currently the Chair of HL7 Australia, the standards development organisation responsible to the HL7 FHIR interoperability standard.
The exposure to data standards and the fickle world of standards use, uptake, and promulgation has provided her with a unique skills base combining healthcare governance, policy and advocacy and the application of information communications and technologies to health and social care markets. Isobel has worked with the DHCRC as a consultant since 2019. In December 2023 Isobel assumed the role of Director of Digital Health Integration to facilitate translation thought leadership opportunities informed by DHCRC research projects.
Dr Neale Fong FCHSM CHE has more than 40 years’ experience in medical, health care and aged care leadership roles. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Bethesda Hospital, Chair of the WA Country Health Service Board, Chair of the Wyllie Group, President of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, a Non-Executive Director of ASX-listed companies Little Green Pharma and Intelicare , a NED at the Digital Health CRC, Chair of Mineral Resources Ltd (Health) and Chair of the WA Institute of Sport.
He was formerly, the Director General of the WA Department of Health, Chief Executive Officer of St John of God Hospital Subiaco, Project Director for the establishment of the Curtin University Medical School, and Chairman of the WA Football Commission.
He currently consults widely through Australis Health Advisory to a number of key health clients in Australia. He holds Bachelor Degrees in Medicine and Surgery, a Masters in Theological Studies and a Master’s in Business Administration.