Speaker profiles – National Medicines Symposium 2025

Professor Andrew McLachlan AM is a pharmacist, academic and researcher with experience in clinical pharmacology and the quality use of medicines. He is Head of School and Dean at the Sydney Pharmacy School, the University of Sydney. Andrew serves on committees related to human research ethics, medicines safety, medicines evaluation and international anti-doping. He is the current Chair of the Medicines Safety and Quality Advisory Committee at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Mark Butler is the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing and Australia’s first Minister for Mental Health in the Gillard Government. Mark has also held the ministries of Housing, Homelessness, Social Inclusion, Climate Change, Water and the Environment. In 2013, he was awarded the Alzheimer’s Disease International Award for Outstanding Global Contribution to the Fight Against Dementia.

Anne Duggan is Chief Executive Officer at the Commission and a highly respected gastroenterologist with significant leadership experience in a range of healthcare settings. She is also a Conjoint Professor at School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle. Anne is passionate about improving health care services through sharing knowledge and collaborating across the health system.

Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO is the Board Chair of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. She has extensive clinical, academic and hospital administration experience and is recognised for building strong clinical governance and safety culture. Her previous roles included Chief Executive at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Chief Medical Officer at Melbourne Health, and Executive Director at Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Professor Simmons is Chief Medical Officer for Diabetes Australia, Professor of Medicine at Western Sydney University, District Advisor on Diabetes for the South Western Sydney Local Health District and previous Director of the Macarthur Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism Service in Sydney. He remains a practising endocrinologist holding weekly diabetes in pregnancy clinics.

Professor Jonathan Shaw is Deputy Director at Melbourne’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. He is also an endocrinologist, Chair of the Diabetes Advisory Group to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Council member of the Australian Diabetes Society, and Past-President of the International Diabetes Epidemiology Group.

Professor Twigg has 30 years of adult endocrinologist experience and has supervised many Advanced Trainees and PhD students. He was the A

ustralian Diabetes Society (ADS) Kellion Awardee in 2021 and ADS past-President. With over 250 publications and 15,000 citations collaborating mainly in diabetes and its complications, Professor Twigg delivers leadership in public and private clinics, and urban and rural/regional settings.

Jason is a General Practitioner and epidemiologist with a focus on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. He works alongside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community across policy, practice and research and is an Honorary Associate Professor at Yardhura Walani at the Australian National University.

Experienced education specialist and Consultant clinical pharmacist with decades of education and experience across both western and alternative/integrative medicine. Skilled in complex chronic disease care, Public Health, Epidemiology, Healthcare, Clinical Research, and Medical Education.

Professor Acharya is an endocrinologist who led his team to implement an innovative, cost effective and sustainable Diabetes Alliance program Plus (DAP+). DAP+ has improved the outcomes across thousands of people living with diabetes.

Renza Scibilia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1998. For over twenty years, she has championed person-centred care as an advocate, health writer, presenter, media spokesperson and influential voice in the diabetes community. She has led in shaping healthcare communication, co-designing technology, building peer support, and reducing stigma, grounded in the belief that there should be #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs.

Dr Gary Deed is a General Practitioner dedicated to improving diabetes and obesity care through education, guidelines, research and policy. He chairs the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Diabetes Specific interest network, edits the RACGP type 2 diabetes guideline and serves on the Australian Diabetes Society’s clinical advisory committee. He is a senior research fellow at Monash University and contributed to the ‘STAREE’ trial.

Kirrily is an advanced practice pharmacist and was the first credentialled diabetes educator pharmacist in Australia. She spends her time equally between dispensing and working as a diabetes educator. Her passion is insulin pump therapy and mental health in chronic diabetes management.

Margaret McGill AM is an Associate Professor with the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health and Associate Director of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes Centre, Sydney. Margaret has a very broad range of experience in developing innovative clinical services for diabetes and medical and health professional education, and is recognised as a global leader in these areas.

Associate Professor Spiros Fourlanos is the Director of the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Diabetes and Endocrinology Department and an honorary Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Melbourne. He completed his PhD at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute on Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA). With over 170 peer-reviewed publications, Spiros is a co-stream lead in the University of Melbourne Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations collaborative and co-chair of the Australian Diabetes Society ‘In-Hospital Diabetes’ sub-committee.

Glynis is Lead Endocrinologist of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes and Pregnancy service, a Director on the Board of Diabetes Australia and chairs the National Diabetes Services Scheme Diabetes in Pregnancy Expert Reference Group. She is a Past President of both the Australian Diabetes Society and the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society.

Professor Alicia Jenkins is an adult endocrinologist with over 30 years of experience in diabetes care and research, including 8 years in paediatric diabetes. Her interests include predicting and preventing diabetes complications, type 1 diabetes care and healthcare technology. Alicia is based at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and St. Vincent’s Public Hospital, Melbourne. She is also chair of the International Diabetes Federation Western Pacific Region.

Michael is an endocrinologist living with type 1 diabetes, committed to improving care for others with the condition. He has paediatric clinical and research experience, previously working at Perth Children’s Hospital. He now practices at Living Diabetes & Endocrinology and Royal Perth Hospital, focusing on improving the care and transition of youth living with type 1 diabetes.

Dr Holdenson Kimura is a Medical Advisor for the Commission and a general practitioner based in Sydney, working in health policy and health professional education. She works clinically at the Hornsby-Brooklyn General Practice Unit and is passionate about promoting equitable and quality primary care.

Professor Martin (FRACP, PhD) is a practising general physician and clinical pharmacologist. She is President of the RACP and is the Editor-in-Chief of the ASPET-BPS Journal - Pharmacology Research and Perspectives. Over the last 30 years, she has advised on clinical pharmacology matters for Pharma, Federal and State Health pharmaceutical regulation and reimbursement committees, and is the clinical lead for the NSW State Medicines Formulary Committee. She leads a clinical pharmacology and drug repurposing team at the University of Newcastle.

Rachel has type 1 diabetes and is a Western Sydney University PhD candidate researching lived experiences of diabetes and pregnancy. She has a Breakthrough type 1 diabetes PhD Scholarship, an Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society Novo Nordisk Education Research Grant, is a Member of the Inaugural Consumer Health Forum Australia Assembly and the International Diabetes Federation Blue Circle Voice.

Ronda is a Consumer and Cultural Advisor with lived carer experience. She is Lead Community Activator for Western Sydney University’s Pasifika Preventing Diabetes Programme, and published advocate, bridging research and Pasifika communities, driving equity through co-design, cultural leadership, and strategic partnerships that amplify consumer voice in health policy.

Dr Robyn Barnes is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Credentialed Diabetes Educator. She is a Senior Diabetes Dietitian at Bankstown- Lidcombe Hospital Diabetes Centre where she completed her PhD alongside her clinical role. Robyn is also the Diabetes Coordinator for the South Western Sydney Local Health District.

Dr Casey Peiris is a physiotherapist and Associate Professor, holding a joint position between La Trobe University and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. As a clinician, she worked in chronic disease management, and now her academic expertise is also in physical activity for chronic disease management alongside health services research.

Sarah Lam is the Senior Clinical Psychologist at Bankstown Hospital Diabetes Centre, and has over twenty years of experience in public and private diabetes settings. She regularly presents to healthcare professionals regarding the daily challenges of living with diabetes, and how diabetes clinicians can support psychological wellbeing.

Shane is the Head of Endocrinology & Diabetes at Western Health, Melbourne, Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne and Deakin University, the current President of the Endocrine Society of Australia and a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

Dr Lee Fong is a Medical Advisor for the Commission and general practitioner based in the Hunter region, working in clinical governance, service development, guideline development and advocacy roles. Dr Fong has a particular interest in developing and facilitating connections, collaboration and innovation across healthcare organisations, with the goal of realising system changes that will improve healthcare equity.