Dr Singh has been appointed National Chair for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Social Prescribing Specific Interest Group. Last Wednesday, she assumed this remarkable role and will consult with over 500 doctors nationwide. Her dedication and leadership are truly admirable. In addition to her role with RACGP, Dr Kuljit Singh is the lead doctor at the Southport Lower Acuity Facility, providing vital support for overflow patients from the Gold Coast Hospital. She is also actively involved in the Social Prescribing Pilot Project at SeaWorld, furthering her impact on healthcare innovation. (BMedSC, MBBS (Hon), FRACGP)

Dr Richard Symes is a Consultant Ophthalmologist and consults at Sydney Eye Hospital, Gordon Eye Surgery and Lane Cove Eye Surgery in Sydney. Dr Symes has a strong interest in cataract surgery, particularly complex cataract surgery in patients with retinal disease, uveitis or glaucoma. For the last 5 years, Dr Symes has been actively involved in clinical trials for retinal Diseases. He has published a number of articles in the scientific press on cataract surgery visual outcomes.

My research explores individuals’ information behaviours, including people’s experiences of technology and social media. I also conduct research on societal impact and the strategies researchers use to engage with the public, across disciplines. As a methodologist, my work examines researchers’ practices with social research methods and how the public engages with research tools (e.g., questionnaire design; interview methods). At a broad level, my work is interdisciplinary and explores how people use information to make decisions in their work and personal lives. I have studied a range of topics including students’ experiences, consumer behaviour, health-related information needs, collaborative work, translation of research results into practice, misinformation, and many other topics where people use technologies to access the information they need to solve daily problems.

Dr Violet Kieu is a consultant Gynaecologist specialising in fertility, reproductive endocrinology, and fertility preservation. Violet graduated from Medicine, Surgery & Medical Science from the University of Melbourne in 2007 and was awarded the Vernon Collins Prize in Paediatrics. She holds a Diploma in Surgical Anatomy 2009, a Masters of Reproductive Medicine with Excellence 2019 from UNSW and is a strong advocate for fertility care and women’s health. Violet completed a three-year Clinical Fellowship at the Reproductive Services Unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH) & Melbourne IVF and is now a consultant in the Endocrine Metabolic Clinic and Fertility Preservation Service at the RWH, as well as at Eastern Health. She has completed her Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility subspecialty certification (CREI). Violet’s research awards include the Australian Gynaecology Endoscopy Surgery (AGES) Platinum Laparoscopy Award 2018 and a presentation prize from the Australian and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Radiology (ANZSPR) 2012. As an Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne, Violet conducts both quantitative and qualitative research into the patient experience of IVF. She has published in both national and international peer-reviewed journals. Violet contributes to education and leadership through lecturing and thesis assessment for MD and Biomedicine Honours students. She is also a journal reviewer and Associate Faculty Member of Faculty Opinions. Violet’s passion is narrative medicine. That is, listening to and understanding the patient journey. Violet uses Evidence-Based Medicine to improve IVF outcomes by integrating patient values with the best scientific knowledge and clinical expertise.

Dr. Caroline Seiler recently defended her PhD in Medical Sciences (Physiology and Pharmacology) at McMaster University on the clinical effects of gluten, wheat, and the nocebo effect in irritable bowel syndrome and whether patients change their diets when presented with tailored information. Having worked at McMaster’s Farncombe Institute, she published high-impact meta-analyses on celiac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, and probiotics, and coordinated two irritable bowel syndrome clinical trials. In her free time, she has been a ballroom dancer for the past 7 years and enjoys dancing modern jive and American-style tango.

Dr Powell is a neurologist and geriatrician with a special interest in cognition and dementia. She obtained her MBBS from the University of Adelaide and completed her neurology and geriatric medicine training across St Vincent’s, Concord and the Prince of Wales Hospitals with a neurodegenerative disease fellowship at the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre. She is currently undertaking a PhD through the University of New South Wales Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing focusing on maintaining high cognitive ability and mental and physical health with increasing age.

I am a molecular pharmacologist who works at the University of Adelaide, Australia. I have a broad interest in the understanding of how surface receptors can modulate neuronal function and survival, as well as interests in natural product pharmacology and drug design. As well I am interested in evolutionary biology, science communication (committee member of SA Science Communicators) and am an avid amateur astronomer. My astronomy blog is astroblog. I did postdoctoral work in the Institute of Pharmacology at the Free University of Berlin in 1991-1994, returning to Australia in 1994. I have collaborated with Professor John Carver, Dr. Scot Smid and Professor Colin Barrow on using natural products to attack the neurodegeneration process in Alzheimer’s Disease. I was recently elected as convenor of the Toxicology Special Interest Group of the Australasian Society for Pharmacology and Toxicology. I am also collaborating with Professor Roger Byard on the forensic implications of herbal medicines. I have held NH&MRC funding and currently hold ARC funding.

Dr Chiu completed her medical degree with Honours at the University of Sydney. She also completed a Bachelor of Medical Science and following a dedicated research year, graduated with First Class Honours. Her academic pursuits continued, completing a PhD supported by prestigious scholarships from University College London and Cambridge University. Dr. Chiu has contributed significantly to peer-reviewed publications and authored a book chapter for Oxford University Press. Her ophthalmology training was undertaken at Sydney Eye Hospital, with further subspecialty Fellowship training in refractive surgery, including a further post-graduate academic qualification in this field. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Chiu has been a dedicated medical educator, specializing in teaching cataract surgery, including advanced and complex techniques. Currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Education at Harvard University, Dr. Chiu remains deeply committed to medical education. Beyond her clinical practice in private and public hospitals, she actively engages in advisory boards and participates in clinical trials focusing on Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) IOLs. Dr. Chiu is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences, sharing her expertise in refractive eye surgery.

Dr Baulderstone graduated from Flinders University Medical School in 1996. On completing her internship at the Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park SA she worked in Paediatrics at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, North Adelaide. She was awarded a Post-graduate Diploma in Child Health in 1998. Dr Baulderstone then specialised in family medicine and obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 2004. She then trained in the Griffiths Child Developmental Assessments in 2010 and in Medical Psychology (Interpersonal Therapy) in 2011. She has worked at the Oakden Medical Centre since 2013. Dr Baulderstone is passionate about helping parents with the “best and hardest” job in the world in the world. Her proudest professional achievements in the last year have been becoming a certified provider of the two following evidence based programs: “What’s the Buzz” child social and emotional skills programme (July 2016) and the Melbourne University “Tuning in to Kids” Parenting Program (May 2017). Dr Michaela Baulderstone provides special clinics for child health and wellbeing and parenting support. These include the Kids Clinic and the “Potties & Pillows” Sleep and Toileting Clinic. She has undertaken targeted training in primary care child health, child behaviour, parenting counselling and interpersonal therapy.

A/Prof Amanda Gilligan is a consultant neurologist with specialist interests in stroke medicine, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. She has a passion for teaching, research and new developments in clinical neurology. In the 1990’s, as the study coordinator, she launched the first national thrombolysis trial in acute stroke. After neurology training, based at Austin and Royal Melbourne Hospitals, she completed a PhD in stroke medicine with NH& MRC scholarship support. She has held senior roles at Eastern Health and continues her long association with Austin Health in their stroke service.She joined Epworth Healthcare in 2016 as the Director of the new Epworth Eastern Neurosciences Unit, based at Box Hill. She has been pivotal in the development of their Rapid Access Inpatient TIA service. In 2018, she was appointed as Director of Epworth Neurosciences Clinical Institute which oversees neurology, neurosurgery and spinal surgery across 4 Epworth sites, including 43 neurologists, 34 neurosurgeons and 10 orthopaedic spinal surgeons. Epworth appointments: Director, Epworth Neurosciences Clinical Institute Director, Epworth Eastern Neurosciences Unit

Sally joined the University of Essex in 2019. She graduated as a Sports Therapist in 2001 and has since spent time in academia, sport and clinical practice in the UK and in South Africa. She completed her PhD in Human Movement Science at the University of Pretoria in 2014 and an MSc in Sports Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University in 2019. She is a member of the Society of Sports Therapists, Sport and Exercise Nutrition register and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority. Research interests include training and nutrition for endurance sports (with a particular focus on iron-distance triathlon masters athletes) and physical activity and health.

Dr Chris McManus is a lecturer at the School of Sports Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences and is Cluster Lead for the Human Performance Research Group at the University of Essex. In these roles, he is responsible for designing and delivering courses in sports nutrition, exercise physiology, and exercise testing. He also conducts research, secures external research funding, and provides sports science and nutrition services to athletes.