CEO World Vision Australia

Reverend Tim Costello is well known for both his pastoral work with the homeless and other marginalised people and his stance against the excesses of gambling. As CEO of World Vision Australia since 2004, Tim's efforts as one of the key public faces of the Asian tsunami appeal were outstanding. He was quick to be on the ground after the disaster, leading by example in giving hope and help to those who needed it most.

Tim studied law and education at Monash University, followed by theology at the International Baptist Seminary Rueschlikon, Switzerland, and a Masters in Theology at the Melbourne College of Divinity. After ordination as a Baptist Minister in 1984, Tim established a vibrant and socially active ministry at St Kilda Baptist Church between 1986 and 1994. In 1993 he was successful as a candidate for Mayor of St Kilda. In 1995 he was appointed a Minister of the Collins Street Baptist Church and the Executive Director of Urban Seed, a Christian not-for-profit organization created in response to concern about homelessness, drug abuse and the marginalisation of the city’s street people. Urban Seed offers hospitality to those at the margins of society, providing outreach to the disadvantaged and includes a lunch program, which feeds around 50-80 people each day.

In July 2004, Tim was named 2004 Victorian of the Year and in November 2005 was awarded the Victorian Division winner of the Australian of the Year. In June 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for “service to the community through contributions to social justice, health and welfare issues, international development assistance, and to the Baptist Church”.

Tim has written several books including Streets of Hope: Finding God in St Kilda; Tips from a Travelling Soul Searcher and Wanna Bet? Winners and Losers in Gambling’s Luck Myth (which was co-written with Royce Millar).

Tim has been to places most would deny exist and has learnt many lessons and skills there. These skills can be applied in all aspects of our lives – both personal and professional. Rev. Costello’s presentation promises to be inspirational and will challenge each of us to keep going when it seems too tough.

Professor Merilyn Annells
RN, PhD
Professor of Community Nursing, School of Nursing & Midwifery, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.
Merilyn has 19 years of experience of nursing practice, 10 years of teaching nursing and 4 years as a research consultant.  In the past 6 years, Merilyn has conducted or led 12 community nursing research studies, mostly focused on community-dwelling older people.  As a qualitative research methodologist, Merilyn is at present also supervising eight doctoral candidates’ researching topics regarding community nursing care.

Professor Paul Arbon RN PhD, AM, FRCNA

Professor of Nursing (Population Health) and Associate Dean (Research) School of Nursing and Midwifery, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia and Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra and James Cook University.
Paul is a Board Member of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM), Steering Committee Member of the International Council of Nurses Disaster Response Network, Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Chief Commissioner of St John Ambulance Australia.

His current research is focused on community capacity building and resilience and includes the study of triage decision-making, community resuscitation training, first aid, innovative approaches to emergency care and the role of nurses in responding to disaster.

Monsignor Cappo
Commissioner for Social Inclusion & Vicar General, Archdiocese of Adelaide, South Australia.
Monsignor David Cappo is a Catholic Priest and is currently the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Adelaide, making him the deputy to the Archbishop of Adelaide. In May 2006, Premier Mike Rann appointed him to the position of Commissioner for Social Inclusion in order to strengthen his ability to influence the development and implementation of social policy. Monsignor Cappo continues as Chair of the Social Inclusion Board – a role he has held since March 2002- and is a member of the Economic Development Board and the Board of the National Beyond Blue Initiative.

Monsignor Cappo is a qualified social worker and a former National Director of the Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission. He has made major contributions to national debates in social policy development and has been directly involved in national strategic planning and implementation of social programs.

In recognition of his service to the community of South Australia, particularly as Chair of the Social Inclusion Board and through his involvement with social justice and health organisations, and to the Catholic Church, Monsignor David Cappo received the Officer of the Order of Australia award on 26th January 2007.

Professor Mary Chiarella
RN, CM, LLB (Hons), PhD
Professor of Clinical Practice Development and Policy Research, Centre for Health Services Management, Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Mary’s career spans over 30 years both in the United Kingdom and Australia across a variety of nursing services.  Her current position is a personal chair sponsored by the NSW Health Department. Other recent appointments include Special Professor, School of Nursing, University of Nottingham; in 2003/04 she was the Chief Nursing Officer, NSW Health Department and prior to that was the Foundation Professor of Nursing in Corrections Health, with the University of Technology, Sydney. 

Mary has provided her professional expertise to health services, organisations and governments over the years. Examples include a review of professional practice and boundary issues for Justice Health, membership of the NSW Law Reform Commission Division Working Group on minor’s consent to medical treatment. She was a founding member of the Australian Bioethics Association and the Australian Institute for Health, Law and Ethics and is currently Co-Chair of the Clinical Council of the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission, Chair of the Advance Care Planning Steering Group, NSW Health, recently elected Chair of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council and a member of the Health Services Research Working Group of the National Health and Medical Research Council.

She is also a member of the Hospital Alliance for Research Collaboration, a jointly convened group between the Sax Institute and the Clinical Excellence Commission. She was also appointed to the Australian Research Quality Framework Panel 7. 

Mary’s particular research interests focus on legal, policy and ethical issues in nursing and health care delivery. Examples of her research include an international review of nursing regulation, an examination of the legal and professional status of nurses, a review and analysis of the disciplinary decisions of the NSW Nurses Registration Board, and an international review of policy in end-of-life care. Her current projects are a state-wide review and analysis of models of nursing care for the Nursing and Midwifery Office of the NSW Health Department and she is a CI on a Challenge grant looking at co-production in health. She is currently working with Amanda Adrian to undertake the second review and analysis of the disciplinary decisions of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Board.

Professor Claire Goodman
BSC, MSc, PhD, RN, DN
Professor of Health Care Research, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Claire has worked in America and India and her clinical background is district nursing.
Current research focuses on the contribution of primary care nursing to promoting the health and well being of community dwelling older people, evaluations of new roles in primary care nursing and the health needs of excluded groups in primary care.

Claire is currently leading nationally funded studies on the nursing contribution to chronic disease management, interventions to improve continence care for older people in care homes and a systematic review of palliative care interventions for people with dementia. She is also a co-investigator on studies concerned with different ways of working between health and social care for older people, scoping of nursing entrepreneurial activity, the development of new senior and case management roles for nurses in primary care and the health needs of women prisoners.  She has published widely in academic and professional journals and books and is the co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Primary Care and Community Nursing published by Oxford University Press.

Associate Professor Debbie Kralik
RN PhD
Director of Research, Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) of SA Inc, Adelaide, South Australia / Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of South Australia and The University of Adelaide
Debbie’s research interests focus on the experience of living with chronic illness, community health and development of a transition theory. She has published widely and is Senior Editor of two international journals, theJournal of Advanced Nursing and the Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness.

Mr Craig Lockwood
RN, BN, GDipClinNurs, MNSc
Associate Director Research and Innovation/Clinical Tutor, Joanna Briggs Institute, Adelaide, South Australia
Craig Lockwood is the Associate Director for Research and Innovation at the Joanna Briggs Institute, and coordinates the JBI Research and Innovation program. Craig oversees the Evidence Review team, which maintains and develops the JBI COnNECT nodes and content. His interests are in methods and outcomes of qualitative synthesis, the conduct of systematic reviews of health care interventions, practices and experiences; and in methods to promote implementation and evaluation of evidence based practice. Craig is a Registered General Nurse with a clinical background in Renal and Dermatological Nursing and has been a part of JBI for 10 years, working across each of its scientific programs in that time.

Professor Sophie Mogotlane
Dip Nurs Ed (Uni KwaZulu Natal), Dip Midwifery (King Edward VIII Hospital), BA Cur (UNISA), BA Cur Hons (UNISA), MA Cur (UNISA), PhD (Uni KwaZulu Natal)
Chair, Department of Health Studies, University of South Africa and Director of WHOOCC and Editor of the Africa Journal of Nursing & Midwifery

Sophie has previous experience in working as a professional nurse, Head of Department and currently as Chair of the Department of Health Studies at the University of South Africa.  Her areas of interest include community health and research.  Sophie has written several journal articles and has contributed to nine chapters in the “Juta’s Manual of Nursing Volumes 1 to 4”.

Professor Don Nutbeam
Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
Don was appointed as the first Academic Provost of the University of Sydney in April 2006.   His career has spanned positions in government, health services, universities and independent research centres. For the period 2000 – 2003, he was Head of Public Health in the UK Department of Health.  In this role he was responsible for leading policy development within the Health Department and across government on a range of major public health challenges. These included a cross-government program to address health inequalities; policy and national programs on the prevention of heart disease and cancer; and prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol misuse, and HIV/AIDS. He was also responsible for the development of the public health workforce, and public health research and information strategies.

Don has substantial international experience in both developing and developed countries. He has worked as an advisor and consultant for the World Health Organisation over a 20 year period, and as consultant and team leader in projects for the World Bank. In his role as Head of Public Health for the UK Department of Health, Professor Nutbeam represented UK Public Health interests in the European Union, and in bi-lateral agreements with the USA. 

Before coming to Australia, he was a co-founder and Research Director of an independent research centre - the Welsh Heart Program (1985-90) and Director of Research and Policy Development for a UK government agency - the Health Promotion Authority for Wales (1988-90). The early part of his career was spent in public health positions at local and regional level in the British NHS. Professor Nutbeam’s research interests include studies of health literacy, adolescent health behaviour, and public health intervention research in schools and communities. More recently, he has examined the transfer of research into policy. He is author of more than 100 scientific papers and book chapters, and two popular public health text books.

Professor Gregory Peterson
BPharm (Hons), PhD, MBA, FSHP, FACP, FPS, AACPA
Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Unit for Medication Outcomes Research and Education, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Science, University of Tasmania, Australia

Since 2000, Greg has held a personal Chair in Pharmacy, awarded on the basis of research and teaching excellence.  Greg established and leads a vibrant research unit in Improving Medication Outcomes (UMORE; Unit for Medication Outcomes Research and Education).  In the past 6 years Greg’s research team has attracted competitive external funding of almost $7M.  Greg has led many state and national projects directed at improving the use of medications and patient outcomes in both community and hospital sectors. He has had over 120 research papers published in refereed international and national journals. 

He is alternate Director, National Prescribing Service and a member of two of their standing advisory groups, and Member of the Independent Review Board for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.  Greg is still a practicing pharmacist, partner in a rural community pharmacy, and also employed as the sole Medical Advisor to Sigma Pharmaceuticals.  He was recently awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s highest honour – the Australian Pharmacist of the Year.

Dr. Kay Price
Kay is a Registered Nurse and a Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of South Australia.  She works closely with A/Prof. Debbie Kralik – Director, Research Unit, RDNS.  Together they have undertaken ARC funded qualitative research with people with chronic illness.  This paper is based on a NHMRC Project grant submission they have currently under review tilted “Understanding how to work with people who live in domestic squalor”. The research proposed was prioritised by community health professionals as being important for provision of effective community health practice.

Dana Shen
Director, Program Development, Statewide Service Strategy Division, Department of Health, Adelaide.

As Director, Dana is responsible for developing the program of out-of-hospital services that contributes to the GP Plus Health Care Strategy.  Programs include the GP Plus Health Care Networks, the GP Plus Health Care Centres, other Chronic Disease Management activities and the South Australian element of Health Direct, the National Health Call Centre. Dana also carries such portfolios as Early Childhood, Homelessness and Sexual Health.

Previously as Executive Director, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health, Dana was responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of service delivery to local communities to work towards an improvement in overall Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health outcomes.  This position faced a range of challenges that included the under representation of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people in data collection and ensuring the diverse Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities in this region have a say about their health.

Dana began work with young people in the Hills Mallee Southern Region at Adelaide Hills Community Health Service & Murray Mallee Community Health Service.  Supported by the Regional Health Service, she developed a Regional Youth Plan and worked with the Murray Mallee Aboriginal community in developing health services for the local community.  Following this, she moved into Country Health SA and then out to the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service.

Sally Thorne
PhD, RN, FCAHS, Professor and Director of the School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
An academic nursing leader, Dr. Thorne teaches graduate courses in the philosophy of science, and has a longstanding interest in the refinement of qualitative research methods so that knowledge pertaining to human subjective experience can be effectively applied within the context of an evidence-based health care practice culture.

Her research and writing have primarily focussed attention on chronic illness and cancer experience, with a particular emphasis on the impact that dominant scientific orientations and population health ideologies have had on the human experience of seeking and obtaining appropriate care. She is also actively engaged in various community-based and strategic initiatives related to cancer care, chronic illness advocacy, and global health issues, forging linkages between the theoretical enterprise and social action within the health and social sciences.

Dr Antonia van Loon
RN, DipAppSc (CHN), BN, MN(Research), PhD
Senior Researcher, Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) of SA Inc, Adelaide, South Australia / Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Flinders University, South Australia
Antonia’s post doctoral research interest has focused on the health of marginalised people living with chronic conditions using qualitative participatory research methods. Antonia has completed several recent research projects working with adult women who have survived child sexual abuse (CSA). A recent capacity building research project worked with women CSA survivors who had become homeless due to addictions to alcohol, drugs and gambling. Three resource books were published to assist CSA survivors and those services working with such vulnerable people. Her conference presentation will focus on the methods used to facilitate group work, create a climate of trust, and focus the vulnerable participants to work with their strengths to build personal capacity.