We’re delighted to have an outstanding selection of invited speakers joining us at ACIPC 2018.
We’re delighted to have an outstanding selection of invited speakers joining us at ACIPC 2018.
He has a longstanding research interest in hospital infections, and has led guideline development groups in the UK and Ireland on MRSA and infection prevention in the operating theatre room/theatre. In recent years, his research has focussed on the healthcare environment and the role it may play in healthcare infection causation and transmission. He is also collaborating with engineers and others in the evaluation of cold plasma as a decontamination technique.
He is Dean of the Faculty of Pathology at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) since 2016, Chair of the Irish Expert Group on Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriales, and up to 2017, was Chairman of the Irish Department of Health’s National Clinical Effectiveness Committee.
He has been based at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok since 2010 and is an associate professor in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. His work uses mathematical modelling and statistical techniques to help understand infectious disease dynamics and evaluate control measures. This involves developing mathematical models and data-driven approaches for the analysis of infectious disease data (increasingly making use of whole genome sequence data), and designing and analysing epidemiological studies.
Applications of previous work include SARS, MRSA, pandemic influenza, Ebola, and Hepatitis E. Current work focuses on multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections and the use of adaptive trial designs in emerging epidemics.
He is also an EXCO member of the International Society of Infectious Diseases and Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
As well as this current project to update Australia’s Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines in partnership with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, Emma manages NHMRC’s nutrition portfolio. She holds a Bachelor of Human Nutrition and a Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Patricia Cattini
Infection Prevention Society
Her commitments include an executive member of the Australia and New Zealand Mycoses Interest Group (ANZMIG) and the National Antimicrobial Committee of Australia. Internationally, she serves on the management committee for US Mycoses Study Group (MSG) studies, is a site CI for the ISHAM European Aspergillus PCR Initiative to standardise fungal PCR assays. The laboratory is also one of the few non-European sites for fungal diagnostics and clinical trials for the European Confederation for Medical Mycology,
Dr. Chen has an active research interest in the surveillance and tracking of fungal and transplant-related infections, outbreak investigation infection prevention in immunocompromised hosts, drug resistance and novel diagnostics
His research covers a diverse area within infectious diseases, including sepsis and severe melioidosis, tropical medicine, influenza and vaccine effectiveness, hospital infection prevention and control, antibiotic pharmacokinetics, antimicrobial drug policy and clinical infectious diseases. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications (as well as >40 letters/editorials and 17 book chapters).
Geoffrey Coombs is the Chair of Public Health at Murdoch University and a Senior Clinical Scientist for PathWest Laboratory Medicine – WA. At Murdoch University he and his colleagues have established a three million-dollar one health antimicrobial and infectious diseases research laboratory, which performs basic and clinical research on human and animal isolates. The laboratory is the reference laboratory for the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance’s (AGAR) S. aureus and Enterococcus Sepsis onset programs, and employs a suite of molecular assays, including next generation sequencing, and new bioinformatic methodologies which can handle large-scale data analysis and perform comparative genomic analysis.
He is a member of the Commonwealth’s Australian Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, Secretary General of the International Society for Chemotherapy, and President Elect of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials. Professor Coombs is a long-term member of the AGAR Executive and is the Chair of AGAR.
Her major role is clinical liaison, working closely with the Clinical, Infection Control and Infectious Diseases teams at GC. She is involved in teaching of peers and students and supports local research initiatives focused on practical service improvements.
As Director of Pathology GC, she has responsibility to ensure the efficient and smooth running of the Pathology Service at GC. As acting Chief Pathologist, she has responsibility to provide strategic oversight and governance of all Pathology Queensland laboratories; maintain and improve quality systems, provide professional medial leadership and supervision.
She leads a team that provides medical and scientific advice to assist in the work of the Department in communicable disease control and health emergencies. This includes planning and responding to health emergencies such as floods, bushfires, radiation exposure, critical drug shortages, food contaminations and communicable disease threats and outbreaks. The latter has included the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, H7N9, MERS Coronavirus, and Ebola. During the latter event she was a member of the Infection Prevention and Control Expert Advisory Group developing infection control guidelines for Australian health care settings.
In addition she has been closely involved the development of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and is a member of the Healthcare Associated Infection Committee of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health care.
She joined the CEC in 2009 and gained initial experience in the statewide Hand Hygiene program. Since 2010 she has been involved in all aspects of the SEPSIS KILLS program development and roll out. She has developed strong networks across the NSW health system as well as links with national and international organisations working to improve sepsis care.
Mary has a clinical background as a Registered Nurse and has worked in the United Kingdom and Australia in intensive care and education prior to moving the quality and safety arena. Mary has broad experience in clinical governance and quality/safety improvement at hospital, local health district and state-wide levels. She has a strong interest in large systems improvement and culture change in the health care setting.
Fiona’s previous role was at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (the Commission), working within the National Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Program, where she led the work on several projects as part of the antimicrobial stewardship initiative, including implementation of the antimicrobial stewardship actions within the National Safety and Quality in Health Service Standards, and national antibiotic awareness week. Along with antimicrobial stewardship, her main interests are in implementation and translation of research evidence to practice, multidisciplinary teamwork, and quality improvement.
Fiona is an active consumer health advocate in her home city of Adelaide, South Australia. In 2017 she contributed to the inaugural Australian Sepsis Roundtable, Stopping Sepsis: A National Action Plan and its subsequent report released in March this year. Fiona is hopeful that the recommendations of this report will be adopted nationally, resulting in reduced deaths and improved outcomes for survivors.
When not advocating for Sepsis Fiona is a Business Development Manager in the Mortgage and Finance Industry and has more than 20 years experience in her field.
Lisa’s current research focuses on the interface between evidence, policy and implementation to improve the surveillance and prevention of healthcare associated infections. Her work examines not only the effectiveness, but also the cost-effectiveness, feasibility and sustainability of health services.
Dr Patrick Harris
The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research
Dr Robert Herkes – A highly respected senior clinician and leader in intensive care medicine, with extensive operating and leadership experience in the development, evolution and provision of critical care services at both state and national levels.
Dr Herkes is the Chief Medical Officer at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care providing expert clinical advice to the wide range of programs managed by the Commission. Dr Herkes has a significant role in identifying areas for synergies, partnerships and new opportunities across the Australian health sector in collaboration with all health sector stakeholders, and providing leadership and education around the latest evidence on safety and quality in health care.
Professor Paul Johnson
Austin Health
Cathy Jones has 25 years’ experience in public and private hospitals, including 20 years in Quality and Risk Management. Her experience spans acute hospitals, rehabilitation and mental health services in both public and private sectors. Cathy has worked for Healthscope for 12 years and prior to this was the Director of Strategy for St Vincent’s Health Melbourne. She lectures internationally on quality and safety in healthcare.
Cathy has written the quality chapter in the Transitions in Nursing: Preparation for Practice handbook, used by the majority of nurses in Australia in their final year of study. She represents the private hospital sector on several national committees with the Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Health Care and Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.
Cathy has been a lecturer since 2003 for the International Hospital Management MBA Program at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management University in Frankfurt, Germany. Her particular areas of interest are person centred care, measurement of clinical indicators, public reporting, outcome measures, open disclosure and consumer participation.
Tricia’s dual role between clinical and research activities has provided unique opportunities to improve vascular access outcomes for paediatric patients. Tricia is internationally recognised as an expert in paediatric vascular access and is a member of the Australian Vascular Access Society, Association for Vascular Access and Infusion Nurses Society.
Tricia promotes an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to planning and managing vascular access to ensure best practice.
Her laboratory uses genetic approaches to understand how these micro-organisms harness regulatory and virulence factors to cause disease, and they are developing immunotherapeutics and small molecules to prevent and treat these infections in collaboration with industry partners. Antibiotic resistance and DNA mobility are also studied in her laboratory, in the context of gut pathogens and antibiotic-associated diarrhoeal disease.
Terry McAuley has over 25 years’ experience as an independent Consultant in her own business, STEAM Consulting Pty Ltd. In this capacity, she has conducted training and consultancy reviews of hospital based sterilising services, day procedure centres, dental, podiatry and general office-based practices and performed state-wide audits for various Australian Departments of Health.
She has representsed the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control on the Australian Standards Committee responsible for AS/NZS 4187 Reprocessing Reusable Medical Devices in Health Service Organisations and the sister Standard AS/NZS 4815 applicable to office-based practice for over 19 years. Terry also participates in ISO TC 198 Sterilization of Healthcare Products Working Group 6 – Chemical Indicators and Working Group 12 Information for reprocessing resterilizable medical devices.
Dr Geoffrey Playford
Queensland Health
Her vision is for complication-free vascular access devices and infusion therapy. She founded the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR Group), within the Menzies Health Institute QLD, with >$13 million research funding and >200 publications.
Claire’s publications in the Lancet have seen global change from time-based to assessment-based focus for peripheral intravenous catheters, and recognition of the need for better catheter dressings.
She has been inducted in the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, and is one of only two nurses elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Claire has worked with nurses, doctors, patients, medical device companies, clinical and academic researchers. She has delivered invited presentations in >10 countries.
Now a PhD candidate, Vanessa is exploring infection control at Atoifi Adventist Hospital, Solomon Islands using a Participatory Action Research approach.
He’s a member of several Victorian and national healthcare infection and patient safety committees, and is current Chair of the Australian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) Healthcare Infection Control Special Interest Group (HICSIG).
Jane Tomlinson joined the Royal Children’s Infection Prevention and Control Team as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in 2016 and has a background in hospital Infection Control since 2008. She has worked in paediatrics for 22 years. She is a member of ACIPC.
She has worked as Nurse Unit Manager and clinical nurse in paediatric infectious diseases wards, paediatric cardiac nursing and in Neonatal Intensive Care. Her interests include childhood infectious diseases, healthcare cleaning and staff health. She is an Accredited Nurse Immuniser and HIV and Hepatitis C Pre and Post Test Counsellor.
Her current research focuses on the cost-effectiveness of clinical genomics for informing decision making in oncology. Nicole also has an interest in evaluating the impact of big data analytics on decision making within health services.
Peta-Anne is the Director of the Griffith Graduate Infection Prevention and Control Program at Griffith University, an associate member of the Menzies Health Institute Queensland, and Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Infection Control at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia.
This site uses cookies. Find out more about cookies and how you can refuse them.