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Indigenous health workers appointed to leading health advisory body

Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, has appointed ten new expert members to the NHMRC's Health Advisory Committee, including two prominent indigenous doctors.

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24 June 2003

Indigenous health workers appointed to leading health advisory body

Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, today appointed ten new expert members to the NHMRC's Health Advisory Committee, including two prominent Indigenous doctors.

This represents record Indigenous representation for Australia's leading public health advisory body which provides broad-ranging advice on matters such as drinking water quality, the effect of poverty on health and conserving Australia's blood supply.

Dr Noel Hayman, who received the 2003 Centenary Medal for his long service to primary health care in Aboriginal communities, and Dr Mark Wenitong a GP at the Wu Chopperen Health Service in West Cairns, will join the 17 member Committee.

"The appointment of members of the calibre of Dr Hayman and Dr Wenitong continue the NHMRC's commitment to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples," Senator Patterson said.

"Their expertise and knowledge in Aboriginal health will be invaluable in assisting the Health Advisory Committee address health inequalities for these Australians."

The Minister has also appointed Dr Andrew Langley, a respected public health physician from Queensland with key expertise in environmental health, and Ms Sophie Hill, Coordinating Editor of the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group.

Ms Hill will join Ms Sally Nathan, who is being reappointed as a community representative on the committee. Former members, Dr Rosemary Aldrich, Ms Fiona Stoker, Dr Katrine Baghurst, Dr Peter Joseph and Dr Peter Greenberg have also accepted reappointment for a further term.

Professor Adele Green from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research will continue as Committee Chair. In total, the 17 new and reappointed members will bring a wealth of expertise and skills to the new-look Committee.

Media inquiries:
Sarah Higginbottom, Media Adviser, Senator Patterson's office, 02 6277 7220,
Jeanne Klener, Media Unit, NHMRC, (02) 6289 5796;
 

Health Advisory Committee 2003-05 triennium

Chairperson:
Professor Adele Green
Professor Green is a Senior Principal Research Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and Professor at the University of Queensland. She was reappointed as the Chair of the Health Advisory Committee on the 22 May 2003 for the 2003-2005 Triennium. Her current research interests include cancer epidemiology, women's health, and indigenous health.

Dr Rosemary Aldrich
Dr Aldrich is an Executive Officer with the Newcastle Institute of Public Health and conjoint lecturer at the School of Medical Practice and Population Health Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle. She was also a member of the Health Advisory Committee in the 2000-2003 Triennium. Dr Aldrich's interests include social policy and the impacts of social inequalities on health outcomes.

Ms Kathryn Antioch
Ms Antioch is Principal Adviser for evidence based medicine and funding reforms at Bayside Health, the Alfred Hospital and she holds a position as Honorary Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University Melbourne. Her interests include health economics, evidence based medicine and linkages with interdisciplinary research.

Dr Katrine Baghurst
Dr Baghurst is currently the Program Manager, Consumer Science, CSIRO Division of Health Sciences and Nutrition. She was also a member of the Health Advisory Committee in the 2000-2003 Triennium. She has interests in all aspects of nutrition and diet.

Dr Branko Cesnik
Dr Cesnik is currently an Accident and Emergency Clinician at KNOX Private Hospital and is active in the field of Health Informatics in Australia and internationally. He holds an honorary position as Associate Professor with the Monash Institute for Health Services Research and has been the Director of the Centre for Medical Informatics at Monash University.

Associate Professor Judith Dwyer
Assoc/Prof Dwyer is a senior health care manager at La Trobe University's School of Public Health. Her major work is in the areas of health system governance and clinical governance, health policy and governance reviews. She holds an honorary appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Institute of Health Services Research, Monash University and has a long-standing interest in women's health.
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Dr Peter Greenberg
Dr Greenberg is a Physician with the Broadmeadows Health Services and is a Principal Fellow with the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine. He has a background in evidence-based clinical practice and was also a member of the Health Advisory Committee in the 2000-2003 Triennium.

Dr Noel Hayman
Dr Hayman is currently the Manager of the Indigenous Health Service at QE11 Hospital Health Service District in Brisbane. He holds a Master of Public Health and has gained Fellowship to the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine. His interests include improving the access of Indigenous people to mainstream health services and medical education.

Ms Sophie Hill
Ms Hill holds the position of Coordinating Editor for the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group based at La Trobe University's School of Public Health. The Review Group produces systematic reviews of the effects of interventions affecting consumers' interactions with the health system.

Dr Peter Joseph
Dr Joseph is a practising General Practitioner and has had numerous high level appointments in medical associations. He is a member of the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia. Dr Joseph served on the NHMRC Health Advisory and the Australian Health Ethics Committees during the 2000-2003 triennium.

Dr Andrew Langley
Dr Langley is a Public Health Physician with the Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit, Queensland. He has a strong background in environmental health and is currently Chair of enHealth Research Taskgroup and a clinical lecturer with the Department of Community Medicine at Flinders University in SA.

Ms Sally Nathan
Ms Nathan is a lecturer at the Centre for Public Health, University NSW, in the areas of community development, community participation and health promotion. Her interests include community development, health promotion and the involvement of patients in decision-making about their care. Ms Nathan was also a member of the Health Advisory Committee in the 2000-2003 Triennium.
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Professor Frank Oberklaid
Professor Oberklaid is a paediatrician and Director of the University of Melbourne's Centre for Community and Child Health, located at the Royal Children's Hospital. He has authored numerous publications on children's development and was the recipient of numerous awards including a Medal in the Order of Australia in 1998.

Ms Fiona Stocker
Ms Stocker is the Principal Nurse Advisor responsible for the provision and coordination of high level advice to the Minister of the Department of Health and Human Services in Tasmania in relation to nursing issues. She was also a member of the Health Advisory Committee in the 2000-2003 Triennium.

Dr Elizabeth Waters
Dr Waters is the Director of the Research and Public Health Unit, Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children's Hospital in Parkville Victoria. Dr Waters has a background in nursing and psychology with expertise in health inequalities. She has a range of interests including management of obesity, air quality and public health.

Dr Mark Wenitong
Dr Wenitong is a General Practitioner at Wu Chopperen Medical Service in West Cairns. He is a member of the National Aboriginal Health Council. His main areas of interest are Indigenous men's health, chronic and infectious diseases, health promotion and community development.

Dr Helen Zorbas
Dr Zorbas is the Clinical Director of the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the NBCC's clinical and health service delivery programs, evidence based guidelines and information resources. She is also a staff specialist physician at the Rachel Foster Breast Clinic, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.