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National Medicines Symposium 2026

Join us online on Wednesday, 11 November for the National Medicines Symposium 2026. This year, we will explore the topic of ‘Medicines stewardship: safer use starts with all of us’.

Register now for this important event, which brings together clinicians, consumers, researchers and policymakers to explore strategies and interventions to improve the safe and quality use of medicines across the Australian healthcare system.

What you’ll gain at NMS 2026

  • Practical strategies to support the safe and quality use of medicines in different care settings
  • Approaches to managing medicine shortages while ensuring medicines are used safely, effectively and sustainably
  • Insights into integrated digital health tools and technologies to improve care delivery and patient outcomes
  • Approaches to reduce barriers to care and delivering culturally safe, inclusive services for priority populations
  • Valuable insights from real-world case studies and consumer perspectives, that can be directly applied to everyday practice

Featured speakers

  • Professor Jason Roberts – Advancing antimicrobial stewardship in every care setting
  • Professor Jason Trubiano – Penicillin allergy delabelling
  • Ms Kimberley Grima - Living with chronic pain: Empowering self-management
  • Dr Hester Wilson, Dr Emma Leitinger, Ms Elizabeth Su, Mrs Kelly Roberts and Dr Janney Wale – The role of the multidisciplinary team in promoting medicines stewardship in the acute care setting
  • Professor Katharine Wallis, Associate Professor Juanita Breen, Ms Emma Shanahan and Ms Kimberley Grima – The role of the multidisciplinary team in promoting medicines stewardship in the primary care and aged care setting
  • Mr Daniel McCabe, Professor Clair Sullivan, Dr Walid Jammal, Mr Richard Taggart and Adjunct Professor Naomi Dobroff – Exploring digital health tools and technology for medicines stewardship
  • Adjunct Professor Manya Angley, Associate Professor Dianne Crellin and Dr Phoebe Holdenson Kimura – Challenges and opportunities in medicines stewardship for priority populations

Key themes

  • The right medicine, for the right person, at the right time
  • Person-centred medicines use beyond ‘the right drug’
  • Equity and access for all Australians
  • Technology and innovation for the safe and quality use of medicines
  • Promoting culturally safe and inclusive care

Preliminary program


Please note all timings are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Sydney, NSW time)

9:00 – 9:02 amWelcome to CountrySpeaker (Aboriginal Land Council, TBC)
9:02 – 9:07 amIntroduction with facilitatorMs Hediyeh Vahdat
Chief Executive Officer, Linéaire Projects; Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Royal North Shore Hospital; Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW; Senior Academic, University of Sydney
9:07 – 9:10 amOpening addressThe Hon. Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Ageing and Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme
9:10 – 9:15 amWelcome on behalf of the CommissionConjoint Professor Anne Duggan
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
9:15 – 9:30 amMedicines stewardship as a shared responsibility: The state of medicines use, harm, and opportunities for improvementDr Jay Ramanathan
9:30 – 9:40 amAdvancing antimicrobial stewardship in every care settingProfessor Jason Roberts
Pharmacist, Metro North Health; NHMRC Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland and Chair of the Commission’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee
9:40 – 9:50 amIntroduction to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) AcademyDr Thomas Mylne 
NACCHO AMS Academy Advisory Group Member and Ophthalmology Registrar, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) Vocational Training Program
9:50 – 9:55 amLightning talk: Penicillin allergy delabellingProfessor Jason Trubiano 
Infectious Diseases Physician, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne and Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Austin Health
9:55 – 10:40 amPanel discussion
The role of the multidisciplinary team in promoting medicines stewardship in the acute care setting

Dr Hester Wilson 
General Practitioner and Addiction Medicine Specialist, Chair of the specific interest group in addiction, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)

Dr Emma Leitinger 
Haematologist and Medical Lead of Anticoagulation Stewardship, Monash Health

Ms Elizabeth Su
Pharmacist and Senior Project Officer, Medicines Optimisation Service, Austin Health and Professional Officer, Victorian Therapeutics Advisory Group (VicTAG)

Mrs Kelly Roberts 
Endorsed Nurse Practitioner, Crowley Care, Ballina

Dr Janney Wale 
Consumer advocate

Facilitator – Ms Hediyeh Vahdat
Chief Executive Officer, Linéaire Projects; Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Royal North Shore Hospital; Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW; Senior Academic, University of Sydney

10:40 – 10:55 amLiving with chronic pain: Empowering self-managementMs Kimberley Grima 
Peer Mentor Manager and Facilitator, Chronic Pain Australia
10:55 – 11:05 amBREAK
11:05 – 11:35 amPanel discussion
The role of the multidisciplinary team in promoting medicines stewardship in the primary care and aged care setting

Professor Katharine Wallis 
General Practitioner and Head of General Practice at The University of Queensland Medical School

Affiliate Associate Professor Juanita Breen 
Aged Care Onsite Pharmacist, Optimal Medication Management and Academic, University of Tasmania

Ms Emma Shanahan
Proud Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) woman, Registered Nurse in the emergency department within the Tasmanian health service.

Ms Kimberley Grima 
Peer Mentor Manager and Facilitator, Chronic Pain Australia

Facilitator – Ms Hediyeh Vahdat
Chief Executive Officer, Linéaire Projects; Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Royal North Shore Hospital; Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW; Senior Academic, University of Sydney

11:35 – 11:45 amMedicineInsight: COPD case studyDr Lee Fong
Medical Advisor, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and General Practitioner
11:45 am – 12:05 pmUsing medicines safely and appropriately during medicine shortages

Speaker (Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, TBC)

Ms Helen Dowling 
Pharmaceutical Advisor and Project Manager, Medicines Safety and Quality, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care 

12:05 – 12:20 pmConsumer lived experience: Managing multiple medicinesSpeaker (TBC)

 

12:20 – 12:50 pm
*Includes a 10 min lunch break session		LUNCHLunch Break Session
(12:20 – 12:30 pm)
Watch videos on 'Safe medication management at transitions of care'
12:50 – 1:20 pmPanel discussion
Exploring digital health tools and technology for medicines stewardship 

Mr Daniel McCabe
First Assistant Secretary, Technology Assessment and Access Division, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Professor Clair Sullivan 
Director, Queensland Digital Health Centre, The University of Queensland

Dr Walid Jammal 
General Practitioner, Hills Family General Practice and member of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s MedicineInsight General Practitioner Advisory Group

Adjunct Professor Naomi Dobroff 
Chief Nursing, Midwifery and Consumer Information Officer, Monash Health and Fellow Australian College of Nursing

Facilitator – Ms Hediyeh Vahdat
Chief Executive Officer, Linéaire Projects; Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Royal North Shore Hospital; Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW; Senior Academic, University of Sydney

1:20 – 1:50 pmPanel discussion
Challenges and opportunities in medicines stewardship for priority populations

Adjunct Professor Manya Angley 
Director, Manya Angley Research and Consulting and Advanced Practice Pharmacist

Associate Professor Dianne Crellin
Associate Professor and Paediatric Emergency Nurse Practitioner at The University of Melbourne and Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and Research Fellow, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

Facilitator - Dr Phoebe Holdenson Kimura 
Medical Advisor, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and General Practitioner

1:50 – 1:55 pmClosing addressConjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick
Chief Medical Officer, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
1:55 – 2:00 pmClose Ms Hediyeh Vahdat
Chief Executive Officer, Linéaire Projects; Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Royal North Shore Hospital; Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW; Senior Academic, University of Sydney


Please note: Program is subject to change

 

Last updated: 17 August 2026