PROGRAM & SPEAKERS

The APP2010 Conference Program at a Glance is now available. The Organising Committee is working with academia, health economists, industry representatives and pharmacists in the field to bring you a comprehensive and thought-provoking educational program for 2010.

In response to overwhelming delegate feedback from APP2009, the 2010 program will see the introduction of a number of valuable innovations. These include the addition of CPD attracting “Clinical Bites” sessions which will be held on the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday of the conference.

Download a copy of the Program.

A full copy of the conference program will be available in December.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) POINTS

The educational activities within APP have been endorsed by the Australian College of Pharmacy. Attendance at all educational activities will earn a maximum of 30 Group ONE credits (without any assessment) or 39 (including 18 Group Two credits where assessment will be available).

Delegates will be able to register sessions they have attended on the College website at www.acp.edu.au. A summary of sessions attended, CPD credits and competency areas addressed can then be downloaded from the College website around one week after APP2010.

Conference MCs

Lisa Goldsmith
President, National Australian Pharmacy Students Association (NAPSA)

Lisa graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from QUT in 1999 and worked as a registered nurse for four years before returning to university to study pharmacy. Currently studying a Master of Pharmacy at Griffith University (Gold Coast Campus), Lisa was formally elected as the National President of NAPSA. Lisa came well prepared for her post as President, following 12 months spent as Vice President and an additional 12 months spent actively observing committee meetings. Lisa is passionate about the industry and the important role student pharmacists play.

Anthony Tassone
Community Pharmacist

Anthony Tassone is a registered pharmacist with a partnership in a South East Melbourne community pharmacy. He was elected to the Victorian Branch Committee of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, and is the Chairman of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian College of Pharmacy. Anthony is also a radio and television media representative on behalf of the Guild, and has been co-host of APP since 2008.

Speaker Profiles

Dr Roshmeen Azam
Manager, Primary Care Practice, National Prescribing Service

As Manager of Primary Care Practice at the National Prescribing Service (NPS), Roshmeen is responsible for designing, planning and coordinating national and local interventions for improving prescribing and medicines use including providing training and support for NPS facilitators in Divisions of General Practice. Roshmeen is a medical practitioner with a background in public health, health economics and health professional education. Her interests lie in therapeutics, Quality Use of Medicines, drug utilization and clinical practice improvement.

Kingsley Bibby
Chief Investments Officer, Guild Capital Asset Management

Kingsley is the Chief Investments Officer for the Guild Group, responsible for managing funds in excess of $250 million, and is fund manager for Guild Capital Asset Management (GCAM), an Australian Shares Fund which has outperformed the benchmark since inception. Kingsley was Guild Group’s portfolio manager for six years, managing various Australian equity mandates. Prior to joining Guild Group, Kingsley spent three years at AXA in a financial services roles, including Investment and Research Analyst. He is also a CFA charter holder. He remains committed to investment principles of capital preservation and long-term wealth creation.

Judith Burrows
Health Workforce Queensland

With a background in hospital pharmacy and a Master's in Clinical Pharmacy, Judith has been involved in many research projects in respiratory medicines and worked as an NPS and HMR facilitator for over five years. Judith works part-time with the postgraduate clinical pharmacy program at the University of Queensland and has been involved in the recent development of the online delivery of this program. She is currently studying Higher Education and has a passion for Quality Use of Medicines.

Li Cunxin
Author, Mao's Last Dancer

Li was born into utter poverty in Mao's communist China. At age 11 he was selected to train in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy to become one of China’s best dancers. He later defected to the West. In 1995 Li and his family moved to Australia where Li was a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet. Li is now a senior manager at one of Australia's largest stockbroking firms. The rich story of Li's inspirational life is recounted in his memoir, Mao's Last Dancer, which has recently been made into a film.

Peter Davey
Director, Illuminate Health Consulting

Peter is a Director of Illuminate Health Consulting which provides services in health reimbursement policy and pricing. Together with his knowledge of the use of evidence based medicine and economic evaluation in health care reimbursement Peter has both international and local expertise in pharmaceutical pricing and policy.

Patrick Davies
Chief Executive Officer, Symbion Pharmacy Services

Patrick has extensive experience across multiple sectors of the healthcare industry and has been in executive management roles with Symbion for more than nineteen years. Commencing with Faulding in 1991, Patrick held various roles across the group's corporate, pharmaceutical and pharmacy divisions in South Australia. In 2003, Patrick was General Manager of the National Medical Centers business in Melbourne. Following the formation of Symbion Health in late 2005, Patrick was appointed to lead the Pharmacy Services business where he holds the position of Chief Executive Officer.

Elmo de Alwis
CEO & Managing Director, Sigma Company Limited

Elmo de Alwis joined Sigma Pharmaceuticals in 1977. His various roles within the company have included Cost Accountant, Chief Accountant, General Manager of Operations, General Manager, and CEO of Sigma Pharmaceuticals. In February 2001 Elmo was appointed to his present position of CEO and Managing Director, Sigma Company Limited. He is an alumnus of both the Melbourne University Graduate School and the University of New South Wales.

Aaron D'Souza
Manager, Pharmacy Services, Mirixa Australia

In the five years since graduation, Aaron D’Souza’s pharmacy industry achievements include being the recipient of the 2005 Eleanor Chalmers Prize, the 2006 FIP International Travel Scholarship and the 2007 PSA Young Pharmacist of the Year. From these awards, Aaron has witnessed pharmacy practice in a variety of settings worldwide including volunteer work in Ghana in an HIV/AIDS clinic. Recently, Aaron was positioned in the US to work on the localisation and implementation of Mirixa professional pharmacy programs in Australia. Aaron is a passionate advocate of professional practice change through service provision.

Mark Fitzgerald
Solicitor Director, Guild Lawyers

Mark has more than 20 years' experience as a commercial and corporate lawyer. His major project work includes representation of a US defence contractor on the supply of cutting edge technology to a major government business enterprise, acting for a Victorian agribusiness association in a proxy collection and voting campaign, advising an international professional services firm on its restructure and capital management project, and acting for a large insurance and financial services group on a strategic acquisition. Mark has recently completed Chartered Secretaries Australia's Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance.

Peter Frazer
Principal Solicitor, Guild Lawyers

Peter heads the Guild Group's Employment Law and Occupational Health and Safety practice. Peter has practiced exclusively in all aspects of employment law, discrimination and harassment law, industrial relations and occupational health and safety for over 10 years. He has acted for some of the world’s largest employers across a range of industries including health, hotels, private prisons, wineries, councils, manufacturers and primary producers and has a special interest in small businesses and the detailed knowledge of the challenges they face.

Linda Graudins
Senior Pharmacist, Centre for Medication Use and Safety, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne

Linda has worked as a clinical pharmacist at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney specialising in Haematology/Oncology and in Boston as the Drug Information Pharmacist. She held the inaugural position of Medication Safety and QUM Pharmacist in the Paediatric Therapeutics Program at UNSW/Sydney Children’s Hospital, and lectured in Paediatric Therapeutics at the University of NSW. Linda was also the project officer for the SCH/UNSW Improving Medication Safety in Children project. In 2010 she joined the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, as a Senior Pharmacist in the Centre for Medication Use and Safety.

Professor Ian Harper
Director, Access Economics

Ian Harper is one of Australia's best known economists. He has worked closely with governments, banks, corporates and leading professional services firms at the highest level. As a member of the Wallis Inquiry, he was at the forefront of financial market reform in Australia. In August 2008, Ian joined Access Economics where he is now a Director. Ian has served as Chairman of the Australian Fair Pay Commission, an independent statutory body whose role was to set and adjust minimum wages in Australia. Ian was elected to a Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and to a Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, as well as to the ANU Faculty of Economics and Commerce Alumni Hall of Fame.

Matthew Laird
Senior Financial Planner, Guild Financial Services

Matthew is the Senior Financial Planner for Guild Financial Services in New South Wales. Matthew has been in the industry for 10 years involved predominantly in advising small business owners on how to structure their affairs for a prosperous retirement. Matthew is also involved in advising new and existing owners on risk management, asset accumulation and taxation strategies. Matthew is a Certified Financial Planner CFP, and an Accredited SMSF Specialist. He holds a Masters in Financial Planning, a Bachelor of Commerce and a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.

Judith Liauw
Chair, Women & Young Pharmacists' Committee

Judy has over 30 years experience in community pharmacy including 20 years as a community pharmacy owner. Judy is actively involved in official pharmacy as President of the Tasmanian Branch and National Councillor of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Member of the Pharmacy Board of Tasmania, Chair of AACP and Chair of the Women and Young Pharmacists’ Committee. Winner of the Telstra Business Women’s Award (Westpac Business Owners’ Section) for Tasmania 2002, Judy is committed to expanding the professional service area within community pharmacy, believing that the future of community pharmacy lies in the provision of paid professional services.

Greg Mapp
Consultant/lecturer, Griffith University

Greg has opened three pharmacies where he currently maintains a partnership in one and started Mirakai, a Government-funded drug detox and information centre on the Gold Coast to educate the public and volunteers about illicit and legal drugs. Greg holds a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Nutrition and a Graduate Diploma in Herbal Medicine from the University of New England. Greg began holistic health information consultations after his AACP accreditations and now lectures at the Griffith University School of Pharmacy part-time. Greg continues to work in pharmacy today.

Terry McCrann
Financial Columnist, News Limited

Terry has provided critical analysis on a wide range of events and personalities that have shaped the nation. He has worked for the Sun News-Pictorial, the National Times and The Age. Terry writes a national business column for newspapers including The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail, and The Weekend Australian. He is a former Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year, Financial Journalist of the Year, and winner of the Melbourne Press Club’s Golden Quill Award.

John Montgomery
CEO, Alphapharm & President, Mylan Asia Pacific

John joined Alphapharm in 1999 after 20 years with Warner Lambert where he occupied positions including Business Director Europe, Vice President Cardiovascular, Regional Director Australia/New Zealand and Vice President Marketing for North America. From 2002, John also held the position of Chairman of the Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA) for five years. John’s background has given him extensive experience in both the patented and patent-expired segments of the pharmaceutical business in the UK, US and Asia Pacific.

Dr Geraldine Moses
Senior Drug Information Pharmacist, Mater Health Services

Geraldine is a consultant drug information pharmacist based at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, where she operates the NPS Adverse Medicine Events Line, a national service for reporting adverse reactions and medication errors. Geraldine is also an accredited pharmacist and is involved in training and mentoring pharmacists who wish to become accredited. She is also well known as a spokesperson for pharmacy, making appearances on television and radio. Geraldine has a special interest in drug interactions, adverse reactions and disease state management.

Paul Naismith
Chief Executive Office, Fred Health Pty Ltd

Paul is the CEO of Fred Health, Australia’s largest pharmacy IT solution provider and a practising pharmacist. Paul’s aspiration to reduce dispensing errors using technology and limiting computer related risks by computer systems resulted in his collaboration to create the original Fred Dispense software in 1991. In 2009 Paul launched eRx Script Exchange which provides the first Australia-wide electronic service linking doctors and pharmacists. He is a member of the advisory board for the pharmacy indemnity provider PDL, a Fellow of the Australian College of Pharmacy, a member of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia as well as the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and a Director of the Australian Pharmaceutical Publishing Company.

Michael Pascoe
Finance and economic commentator

Michael is one of Australia’s most respected finance and economics commentators with 36 years in newspaper, broadcast and on-line journalism. Michael appears regularly on Channel 7’s Sunrise, is Contributing Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age online business section, and is a weekly finance columnist for Yahoo7. Michael pioneered specialist finance journalism in commercial broadcasting, first with the Macquarie Radio network, then with Channel 9, Sky News and Channel 7.

Dr Andrew Pipingas
Unit Leader, Ageing Research, Brain Sciences Institute, Swinburne University

As unit leader of Ageing Research at the Brain Sciences Institute, Swinburne University, Andrew’s primary research is in cognitive neurosciences using brain electrical activity neuroimaging techniques, computerised cognitive testing and biochemical markers to investigate brain function and cognitive decline. Andrew has also conducted research into healthy ageing investigating effects of vitamin, herbal and other nutritional interventions on cognition, brain function and in the prevention of cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease.

Warwick Plunkett
National President, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

Warwick has served on the PSA National Council for nine years and was National President from 1996-97. Warwick was again elected as the President in 2008. He has been actively involved in the development and introduction of the Return Unwanted Medicine Program, the Pharmacy Offshore Refresher Course and the Pharmacy Self Care Program leading to the acceptance of the Domiciliary Medication Management Reviews. Warwick has also served on the Council of the Australian College of Pharmacy Practice (ACPP) for nine years. He has been President of the Pharmacy Practice Foundation since 2004.

Martin Reukers
National Commercial Lending Manager, Guild Commercial Finance

Martin is the National Lending Manager for the specialist Business Finance division of the Guild Group. He has a wealth of finance and lending experience and has previously worked for major financial institutions including Commonwealth Bank, BankWest, NAB & Medfin. He has an intimate knowledge of pharmacy and has been instrumental in developing key strategies for the broader health market including medical centres and radiology practices.

Toni Riley
Community Pharmacist & National Councillor, The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Toni is a National Councillor of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia and chair of the Health Economics Committee, which is involved in the ongoing management of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement and the negotiations of the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement. As a member of the board of Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists, Toni is a strong advocate for development and availability of professional services and technologies, especially to rural pharmacies, and the status of women within pharmacy. Toni has worked in various roles in community pharmacy for almost 30 years, mainly in rural and regional areas of Queensland and Victoria.

Assoc Prof Margaret Robinson
Editor, New Drugs Brief

Margaret has lectured pharmacy courses at both the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. Margaret is a prolific writer of further education articles for pharmacy journals in Australia and overseas and has written four books which have been utilised in pharmacy courses across Australia. Currently the editor of the online New Drugs Brief, Margaret has been involved in continuing education lecturing to pharmacists for several years and is a consultant to the pharmacy industry in a range of clinical areas, particularly work flow.

Stephen Roche
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Australian Pharmaceuticals Industries Limited

Stephen was appointed CEO of API in 2006 having joined the company in 2005 as Head of Strategic Development. In conjunction with a Bachelor of Business in Finance and Accounting from the University of South Australia, Stephen has strong operational and leadership experience, including management of complex businesses in the healthcare sector and other industries. Previous roles have included Chief Operating Officer Healthcare Services for Faulding and a number of management roles at CSR. He was also the Group General Manager of Healthcare Services at Mayne.

David Roddis
Group Risk Manager, Guild Insurance

With more than 25 years experience in the insurance industry, David Roddis brings the knowledge and perspective of broker, insurer and client to his role as Chief Risk Officer of Guild Group. Heading up the Risk, Audit and Compliance Division, David is responsible for developing and driving highly tailored risk management solutions for a range of allied healthcare professionals. David has a Graduate Diploma in Risk Management and a Bachelor of Business Insurance. Within Pharmacy, David’s team is behind the GuildWatch: Risk Management Guide for Pharmacists which has become a well regarded risk awareness publication. In the broader insurance industry his team has been recognised by peers as Risk Manager of the Year in the 2005, 2007 and 2008, Australian and New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards.

Peter Saccasan
Director of Pharmacy Services & Executive Director, Guild Accountants

Peter is Director of Pharmacy Services and Executive Director for Guild Accountants (formerly Saccasan Bailey), which provides management and taxation advice to community pharmacies and pharmacy owners. Peter and his team have been providing expert pharmacy advice for over 10 years, helping pharmacy owners to buy pharmacies, improve pharmacy performance and manage their tax and cashflow. Peter is a Fellow and a national director of the Australian College of Pharmacy. He received the 2008 NSW Chapter Chairman’s Award for contribution. Peter was part of the Guild’s PBS Reforms Roadshow in 2008, writes regularly in the pharmacy press, and is a regular speaker for the College and the Guild on pharmacy management issues.

Kos Sclavos
National President, The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Kos has been the driving force behind many industry initiatives, including eHealth developments and many of the new Fifth Agreement programs since his election as National President in 2005. As the architect of QCPP, this Fifth Agreement will see accreditation take on even more importance in pharmacy practice. Prior to his national presidency Kos spent nine years as the Queensland Guild Branch President and six years as National President of the Australian Institute of Pharmacy Management. In 1999 he was awarded the PSA Young Pharmacist of the Year Award and in 2008 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University. Over the last two years Kos has also made numerous live national TV presentations at the National Press Club.

Paul Sinclair
National Councillor, The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Paul has operated community pharmacies in South West Sydney and the Southern Highlands. He was elected as a Committee member of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, New South Wales Branch in 2005 and again in 2008, when he was also elected as a member of the National Council. Paul served as Chairman of the Professional Programs & Services Advisory Committee (PPSAC) from 2005-2008. Paul also is founding Chairman of the Kids of Macarthur Health Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Management of Myrtle Cottage Group, which provides respite care services to the Frail Aged, Young Disabled and Dementia sufferers within the Macarthur region.

Frank Sirianni
Managing Director, Medici Capital

Frank is Managing Director of Medici Capital, a financial services and management consulting practice which provides integrated financial solutions, finance and capital raising services for the health sector. Specialising in the pharmacy industry, Frank consults to owners and prospective owners of community pharmacies, lending institutions, industry bodies, manufacturers and wholesalers. He has completed research for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Commonwealth and State Health Departments, as well as lending institutions and wholesalers. Frank has published authoritative papers and reports on valuation, rents, business benchmarks, practice development and industry outlook for pharmacy.

Prof Richard Stark
Visiting Neurologist, Alfred Hospital

Richard was appointed Visiting Neurologist at the Alfred Hospital, and also at Caulfield Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, and is Honorary Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Monash University. His major areas of clinical interest have included headache and the neurology of cancer. He has been involved in many multi-centre trials of migraine treatments and has been a proponent of active intervention, using intravenous lignocaine, in patients with severe analgesic rebound headache.

Marta Stybowski
Community Pharmacist, Willach

After graduating from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Pharmacy, Marta moved to Melbourne to complete a traineeship in community pharmacy in 2002. Marta has worked predominantly within community pharmacy embracing the opportunity to work within both rural and urban pharmacy settings enabling her to experience a variety of pharmacy models and responsibilities. In 2007, Marta returned to study at La Trobe University in Melbourne to pursue a Masters of Business Administration. She is currently working at Willach as a consultant pharmacist.

Ian Todd
National Councillor, The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Ian has been President of the South Australian Branch of the Guild since 2002 and a member of the National Council since 1998, and is actively involved in all aspects of professional practice from research through to the development of the final service. His responsibilities include chairing the Guild’s Rural and Professional Services division and QUMAX program management group. Ian has been appointed to the Guild’s Health Economics Committee in the lead up to the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement, where he hopes to maintain a focus on the future development of the suite of professional services currently on offer through pharmacy.

Greg Turnbull
Director of Communications, The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Greg joined the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in 2008 as Director of Communications. Prior to this Greg worked for the TEN Network in a variety of roles including Executive Producer of Network News (Sydney), Executive Producer of Meet the Press and as a Political Reporter. Greg’s previous roles include Senior Media Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley and Prime Minister Paul Keating, and Media Operations Manager for World Expo 88 in Brisbane.

Assoc Prof Marcus Watson
Senior Director Skills Development Centre, Queensland Health

Marcus is a Cognitive Systems Engineer who has worked in defence and healthcare simulations. He is currently Senior Director of the Queensland Health Skills Development Centre, which provides the tools and training to improve the skills for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in Australia and the Asia Pacific to enhance the quality of patient care.

Marion Whalan
Divisional Manager, Workplace Relations & Small Business, The Pharmacy Guild of Australiah

Marion has over fifteen years experience in workplace relations and human resource management across a diverse range of industries. Before joining the Guild in March 2009, Marion worked in the land management, public health, family law, small business and tertiary education sectors in both state and federal jurisdictions. In 2001 she completed a Masters in Human Resource Management majoring in Employment Law at the Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW.