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Associate Professor Chris Toye
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Christine Toye is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Post-Graduate Medicine at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. She teaches in the School’s postgraduate program and conducts research for the School, the Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care, and the Western Australian Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care. She is also a research consultant in the Centre for Nursing Research at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Her clinical background is primarily in the nursing care of frail elderly people. Dr Toye obtained a PhD in Nursing in 2001, after approximately 25 years of clinical experience, and then worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Palliative Care under the supervision of Professor Linda Kristjanson.
Under Professor Kristjanson’s guidance, she played a strong role in developing guidelines for a palliative approach in residential aged care. Associate Professor Toye is also currently involved in a program of research to test and refine pain assessment tools for use with frail older adults and in a study examining reasons for the early representation to hospital of older adults.
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| Lead investigators |
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| Ms Jennifer Tieman |
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Jennifer Tieman is Director of the Australian Palliative Care Knowledge Network project. This project is developing a web based set of resources that will support the palliative care community within Australia. The project is based at Flinders University.
Jennifer previously managed the development of the CareSearch website and conducted research on search strategies and knowledge translation. She was also involved with the literature search and evidence review to develop the Guidelines for a Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care. She has recently been involved in a series of reviews looking at integration, coordination and multidisciplinary approaches in primary care. www.flinders.edu.au
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| Associate Professor Lynn Oldham |
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Associate Professor Lynn Oldham was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Palliative Care funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) from 2004 to 2006. She currently holds a joint appointment between the WA Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care (Curtin University of Technology) where she is Deputy Director and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in the Centre for Nursing Research where she is the Director of the Cancer and Palliative Care Research Division. Associate Professor Oldham has extensive clinical and research experience in palliative care and has been a chief investigator on several NHMRC funded projects. Currently, she is a chief investigator on projects funded by the Australian Research Council and the Department of Health and Ageing. Her ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage multi-site projects are two of her particular strengths. www.curtin.edu.au
She has forged successful palliative care research partnerships with health care professionals locally from aged care facilities, inpatient hospice units, the Silver Chain Hospice Home Care Service, Hollywood Private Hospital, Palliative Care Unit, the Cancer Council of WA Cottage Hospice, the Murdoch Community Hospice, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, nationally with Monash University and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute and internationally with the University of Manitoba and Dublin University. |
| Professor Linda Krisjanson |
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Professor Linda Kristjanson is Pro-Vice Chancellor Research & Development, Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. She emmigrated from Canada in 1997, and until 2006 she held the position of The Cancer Council WA Chair of Palliative Care. In this role Professor Kristjanson created and led the Western Australian Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care.
Professor Kristjanson has received competitive research funding from local and national organisations in Canada, USA and Australia. During her research career Professor Kristjanson has received more than $20m in research grants and has published more than 120 refereed papers and book chapters.
Professor Kristjanson is a member of the NHMRC Council. In 2004 she was appointed by the Minister of Health to the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute and holds the position of Deputy Chair of this Institute. Prof Kristjanson has led the development of a number of productive state and nationally funded research centres and institutes. Professor Kristjanson’s relationships with industry, government, and non-government organisations are especially strong and she is comfortable moving across sectors to achieve mutual goals. Professor Kristjanson was chosen as the 2002 Australian Telstra Business Woman of the Year for her entrepreneurial work in health and science. www.curtin.edu.au
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| Professor David Currow |
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Professor David Currow has recently taken up the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Australia. Prior to this appointment he was Director of Southern Adelaide Palliative Services and Professor and Head of Department of Palliative and Supportive Services at Flinders University.
He has extensive research interests and experience in clinical and health services aspects of palliative care. He has been or is Chief Investigator of a number of national and international studies including the “Palliative Care Trial”, guidelines for palliative care assessment, and the Evidence Based (Palliative Care) Project.
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| Ms Meg Hegarty |
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Ms Hegarty is a lecturer in the Department of Palliative & Supportive Services, Flinders University, Adelaide. She is the Course Co-ordinator for the post-graduate Palliative Care in Aged Care courses and has recently co-ordinated the development of a Master of Palliative Care in Aged Care and a Master of Applied Gerontology.
Ms Hegarty has 22 years experience as a palliative care nurse, clinical manager and educator.
Her recent research involvement is in:
the impact of the multidisciplinary team on health care outcomes for the frail elderly in primary care settings;
palliative care provision in acute care settings;
the role and support of care-workers in palliative care in community settings;
and palliative care in undergraduate Australian health care curricula.
Her further research interests lie in:
the interface of ageing and palliative care;
the “Baby-boomer generation”, ageing and dying;
education in palliative care and palliative aged care; and
the ways care of the human spirit is done and is learnt in palliative care.
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| Professor Jennifer Abbey |
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Dr Jenny Abbey is Queensland’s first Professor of Nursing (Aged Care). The position is a joint appointment between three partners, Queensland University of Technology’s School of Nursing (QUT), The Prince Charles Hospital Health Service District and the Kedron-Wavell Services Club. She is also Director of the Dementia Collaborative Research and Training Centre for Consumers, Carers and Social Research and Co-Director of the Eastern Australia Dementia Training Centre. The needs of people with dementia has been an interest of hers for at least two decades. She is the author of the Abbey Pain Scale, a scale designed to be used by all staff of Residential Aged Care Facilities to assist in assessment of pain in people with dementia who cannot speak or make their needs known. Her present research interests are the provision of palliative for people with end-stage dementia, the impact of aged care clinical placements on undergraduate students and the assessment and management of pain for people unable to verbalise. Professor Abbey has sat on, and continues to sit on, numerous Commonwealth Committees and given many conference presentations. She has presented her work both nationally and internationally. |
| Department of Health and Ageing representatives |
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| Ms Phyl Crawford |
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Ms Crawford is currently an Assistant Director in the Palliative Care Section of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing with responsibility for Workforce and Education issues.
Prior to this she has worked in the ACT Government Public Service and the Commonwealth Ombudsman office and has had an extensive career in nursing. She works in a voluntary capacity in community development particularly in the disability field and school governance. Ms Crawford was awarded an OAM in 1987 for services to children with disabilities.
She is currently on the Board of the ACT Nursing and Midwifery Board, has an ACT Ministerial appointment and is also in her 13th year on the management committee of a local disability service. |
| Project staff |
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Dr Jeremy Drake is the Acting Project Manager for the ComPAC project and is a research associate at Edith Cowan University, in the Western Australian Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care. Jeremy's PhD focused on molecular and genetic aspects of human cancer but his work with the Centre has been in the area of dementia care. He has been working with Alzheimer's Australia, McCusker Learning and Development, Aged Care Australia (WA), and Aged and Community Services (WA) to evaluate the education in dementia care that these consortium members provide for WA carers. This Dementia Care Essentials project is also funded by the Department of Health and Ageing. |
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Ms Kristi Holloway is a project officer for the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Post-Graduate Medicine at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. Ms Holloway is a registered nurse, who completed an Honours program, studying the area of pain management for older people in residential aged care. She has a clinical background in aged care and specific dementia care. |
| Dr Anna Petterson |
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Anna is a Medical Art Psychotherapist and Researcher and has recently been awarded her PhD (Interdisciplinary) for her qualitative study titled, "Ovarian Cancer and Medical Art Therapy: Drawing on Experience". As a result of this study Dr Petterson plans to improve psychosocial care to women with ovarian cancer. Previously Dr Petterson worked part-time in the Palliative Care Unit of Hollywood Private Hospital as Art Therapist.
Her clinical practice (Creative Counselling and Medical Art Therapy Services) specialises in women’s health and issues of grief and loss, especially the trauma associated with a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness. She has a particular interest in art as a therapeutic tool. Dr Petterson is a professional registered member of the Australian and New Zealand Art Therapy Association Inc. A former Arts Administrator and practicing artist she has held numerous leadership roles in government and non government organisations and is comfortable moving across sectors to achieve mutual goals. |
| Lesley Hastings |
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Lesley is the librarian for the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Postgraduate Medicine at Edith Cowan University. She entered university as a mature aged student, having initially trained as a dental nurse at the Perth Dental Hospital. She has a B.App.Sc (Library Studies) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences (Curtin). |
| Ms Helen Morris |
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Mrs Helen Morris has worked at Edith Cowan University for over 20 years in various administrative roles including nine years as the University Records Officer. Helen works for The Western Australian Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care and has previously worked as a research assistant on projects such as, "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Complicated Grief". |
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Project Officer |
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Project Officer |
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Project Officer |
| Ms Kayty Plastow, Project Officer |
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Ms Plastow has recently commenced working as a casual Project Officer on the ComPAC project. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Anthropology which included an Honours year in the area of reproductive biology, followed by several years of further research in this field. Ms Plastow has a particular interest in women's health. She now lives in Melbourne where she is studying Medicine as a graduate student. |
| Jannie Piercy |
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RN, Cert. Oncology, Grad Dip Community Health, Cert Management, Cert Palliative Care, and has completed her Master of Health (Nursing).
Ms Piercy has 28 years experience as a clinical nurse, with 5 years in acute oncology and 7 years in community palliative care. She has worked with the frail aged in high and low residential care and as a Complex Care Coordinator in a hospital setting. Her community experience includes working with an Aged Care Assessment Team and the Discharge of the Elderly from Emergency Department. Ms Piercy has research experience with the Australian National University and Immunology Department, Barwon Health. She has managed a number of projects within both hospital and community care, these include Effective Discharge Strategy, and the Breakthrough Series in Victoria and developing the Quality Framework for HACC and the Access project for Department of Health, Western Australia. Her research interest is the needs of family carers of patients who experience delirium.
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| Department of Health and Ageing representatives |
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| Reference group |
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| Mr Jeff Fiebig |
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Mr Jeff Fiebig graduated from Adelaide University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1975. In 1971 he commenced employment with the Commonwealth Government. From 1980 to 1995 he managed the Commonwealth Aged Care Program in South Australia. While with the Commonwealth, was instrumental in the development and implementation of many national and state projects and initiatives including, Community Options, Community Aged Care Packages (CACP’s), Extended Aged Care at Home Packages (EACHP’s), Multipurpose Services, User Rights initiatives including the Seniors Information Service (SIS), the Aged Rights Advocacy Service, the Community Visitors Scheme and the “Residents Rights in Nursing Homes” publication, the establishment of the “Multi-cultural Aged Care” agency (MAC), the establishment of the Aboriginal Elders Village and Home Care Service.
From 1995 to 2001, Mr Fiebig was the Director of the Office for the Ageing with the South Australian State Government. He was responsible for the development of many initiatives around ageing policy in South Australia including “Ageing a Ten Year Plan for South Australia” and “Moving Ahead” a strategic plan for the development of health services for older people. Jeff is currently employed as the Manager Program Development) by the ACH Group (0.8 position) and the Italian Benevolent Foundation for the rest of his time in a similar position. He is currently on the Board of the Aboriginal Elders Village Community Program, COASIT (a group of Italian organisations involved in the delivery of aged care services to people of Italian background) and MAC. ww.ach.org.au
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| Mr Gordon Gregory |
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Gordon Gregory is Executive Director of the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA). The NRHA is the peak nongovernment body working to improve the health of people throughout rural and remote Australia, organiser of the biennial National Rural Health Conference, and owner of the Australian Journal of Rural Health. Before 1993 Mr Gregory worked at the Rural Development Centre at the University of New England, and for nearly eight years on the staff of a Federal Minister as an adviser on rural affairs, fisheries and horticulture. He is a lapsed economist who has had a longstanding interest in policies and services for rural and remote communities in Australia. From 1997 to 2003 he was on the Board of the Australian Council of Social Service. |
| Ms Meredith Gresham |
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Ms Gresham is an Occupational Therapist with a long involvement in aged and dementia care. She coordinated and developed the internationally acclaimed Dementia Carers Training Programme with Professor Henry Brodaty at Prince Henry Hospital, a programme which has remained the international gold standard for carer training over the last 25 years.
Ms Gresham has worked in dementia and palliative care in community, residential and hospital settings, and has been responsible for education and support of patients, carers, residential and community care staff and undergraduate Occupational Therapy students. She has been responsible for the development and presentation of many dementia training sessions throughout Australia and overseas, in particular, Hong Kong and the United States.
Recently she conducted a review of the management and accommodation of older people with severe and persistent challenging behaviours in NSW residential aged care, developing a model of care that has been adopted as policy by NSW Health. Ms Gresham now works as a Services Development Manager for the Hammond Care Group in Sydney NSW. Hammond Care provides Community and Residential Aged Care services to over a 1000 older people in NSW
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National Coordinator, Carer Counselling Program, Carers Australia
'profile coming soon' |
| Dr Gill Lewin |
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National President Elect, Australian Association of Gerontology, and Head of Research Department, Silver Chain
Dr Lewins’ background is Clinical Psychology, in which she gained both a Master’s and a Doctoral degree. Subsequent to a ten year period in clinical practice, she returned to tertiary studies and gained a Master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Western Australia. Since then, she has been continually involved in health services research in Western Australia, initially as a consultant working out of the University of Western Australia and now as part of Silver Chain.
Dr Lewin has been the Research Manager at Silver Chain for the last 13 years. She also currently holds the positions of adjunct Associate Professor at the Centre for Research into Ageing at Curtin University and adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Postgraduate Medicine at Edith Cowan University. During her time at Silver Chain, Gill has been involved in a broad range of health and aged care research and evaluation projects, many of which have involved collaborations with other providers and/or local and inter-state universities.
Dr Lewin's current research interests include: the development and testing of new service models, promoting independence in older people and the implementation of evidence-based clinical practice.
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Mr Schaper is the Chief Executive Officer of Alzheimer's Australia WA Ltd, a position he has held for the past eight and a half years. A strong advocate for people with dementia and their carers, Mr Schaper has been the driving force behind the development of the 'Dementia Action Plan for Western Australia 2003 - 2006'. His background includes teaching, a stint as General Manager of a Property Management and Development Company, a period in local government and some twenty years in the not-for-profit sector. |
| Associate Professor Moira Sims |
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Associate Professor Moira Sims is the Coordinator of Postgraduate Medicine at ECU. The Centre for Postgraduate Medicine provides on-line education in palliative care for a broad range of health professionals in an interdisciplinary setting. Moira is a Fellow of both the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine. In addition to clinical work in general practice, she is a Liaison GP for Osborne Park Hospital and the North Metropolitan Area Health Service Chronic Disease Teams in Western Australia. Moira has extensive experience in GP education and GP health system integration through her long history of work with Divisions of General Practice at local, state and national levels.
http://snmpm.ecu.edu.au/people/moira-sim.php |
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Health Consultant |
| Dr Louise Welch |
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Palliative Care Australia
Dr Louise Welch is currently the Director of Palliative Care Service Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Originally born in Cairns, she graduated from the University of Queensland, Australia in 1977, then started working as a GP in Cairns 1982 and continued until 2005 as part-time GP as commitments to palliative care work increased.
Dr Welch has worked with a special interest in palliative care from the early 1980s,receiving specialized training in the 1990s. Dr Welch has always had a strong interest in care of the aged. General Practice in Cairns has a large elderly patient population both in the community and residential care facilities. She has been actively involved in the development of a District and regional palliative care service including a Palliative Care Unit for the region based at Gordonvale Memorial Hospital just south of Cairns. Dr Welch has been a member of the Palliative Care Association Executive for three years and president of Palliative Care Queensland.
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Palliative Care Intergovernmental Forum (PCIF), Western Australia
Ms Walker is the PCIF representative on the ComPAC Reference Group. Ms Walker currently holds the position of Palliative Care Program Coordinator of the newly formed Palliative Care Network, Department of Health WA. She has over 25 years experience in palliative care including clinical nursing, service management, collaborative research work, development and implementation of palliative care education programs at all levels with Adjunct Lectureship positions at both Curtin University of Technology and Edith Cowan University.
Ms Walker has played a key role in several national palliative care projects including being the WA Project Manager of Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach and the Indigenous Palliative Care Principles Implementation; an Associate Investigator in the national APRAC Project to develop the Guidelines for a Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care and subsequently led the WA implementation training in 2005. Currently she is the West Zone coordinator of the national PCOC project.
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Dr Rowland is currently a practising geriatrician and general physician at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. He recently completed his Masters of Public Health at the University of Queensland. Prior to that he had been a geriatrician and Director of Aged Care at the Liverpool Hospital in Sydney. He has been on countless committees involved in improving the health care of the elderly. He has also been involved in many research projects and is a member of the team that developed the RUDAS (The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale, a multicultural screening tool for dementia). He was a participant in the group that developed the Palliative Care Guidelines for Residential Care. |
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Pharmaceutical Society of Australia |
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Pharmaceutical Society of Australia |
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Dr Victor Chan is a fellow of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and also a fellow of the Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine (RACP). Dr Chan works half-time as a GP and half-time specialist of palliative medicine, looking after palliative care patients in the community. He is not attached to any institution, although has been appointed as Adjunct Associate Professor of Palliative Medicine by the Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA since 2000. He also represents the RACGP in the Conjoint committee of the Clinical Diploma of Palliative Medicine. Dr Chan has represented GPs in the local area health services committees and also NSW Health in the state level. Dr Chan has published four editions of Outline of Palliative Medicine, the first edition published in 1998 and the last edition was published in March 2006. It was written for GPs and allied health professionals who look after palliative care patients. Further, Dr Chan has written many articles in referenced medical journals. |
| Guidelines Assessment Register (GAR) Consultant |
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Dr Weston PhD is a Director of the Sydney-based consultancy Health Technology Analysts Pty Ltd and has previously held research, academic and consulting positions in NZ, the UK, South Africa and Australia. HTanalysts employ a team of 15 staff, and specialise in the conduct of systematic reviews and economic evaluations for government, not-for-profit, and industry clients. HTanalysts serve the NHMRC as GAR consultants, providing evidence-based medicine methodological advice to developers of clinical practice guidelines. They also act as independent reviewers of externally developed guidelines and other health advice for the NHMRC, and provide health technology assessment services to the National Breast Cancer Centre, the NZ Ministry of Health and the Cancer Institute NSW. Dr Weston has published widely in the scientific, clinical and health technology assessment literature and continues to hold an honorary academic appointment at the University of Sydney. |