GP Excellence | Celebrating 50 Years of General Practice in the Monash Medical School

Speakers

• More details about KEYNOTE | Professor Michael Kidd AO

  KEYNOTE | Professor Michael Kidd AO

  As Chief Medical Officer, Michael is the key medical advisor to the Secretary and Minister for Health. Michael brings a wealth of experience to this role with his career as a general practitioner and health researcher. He previously served as President for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the World Organization of Family Doctors and held academic appointments at Monash University, the University of Sydney, Flinders University, the Australian National University and the University of Toronto. Michael currently is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and is the Foundation Director of the International Centre for Future Health Systems at the University of New South Wales.

• More details about HOST | Professor Michelle Leech AM

  HOST | Professor Michelle Leech AM

  As Deputy Dean (Medicine), Professor Michelle Leech AM oversees the delivery of Monash’s flagship medical program across our Clayton, Gippsland and Malaysia campuses. Michelle ensures that the learning objectives and outcomes of both the direct and graduate entry degrees are aligned, and coordinates a range of academic initiatives for Monash medical students. She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria and Vice President of Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand. Michelle is the Head of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinic at Monash Health. She also maintains an active research profile as part of the rheumatology research group in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health. Her clinical research interests include cytokine biology, glucocorticoid action and cell cycle proteins in the context of Rheumatoid Arthritis pathogenesis, as well as medical and interprofessional education. Michelle’s work has been published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology, The Lancet Rheumatology, and Arthritis & Rheumatology. Prior to her role as Deputy Dean, Michelle held a number of teaching and leadership positions within Monash’s medical program and is a recipient of the Australian Medical Students’ Association national teaching award. She has previously served as the Medical Director of Arthritis Australia, held positions on a number of National Rheumatology Advisory Boards and is the outgoing chair of the Clinical Examination Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians National Exam Panel of the College of Physicians. A proud Monash alumna, Michelle holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) and a PhD, and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP).

• More details about HOST | Professor Danielle Mazza AM

  HOST | Professor Danielle Mazza AM

  Professor Danielle Mazza AM FAHMS is an internationally recognised clinician researcher whose work has transformed women’s health care in primary care settings. She is Head of the Department of General Practice at Monash University and a practising GP, dedicated to improving access, quality and equity in women’s sexual and reproductive health. A trusted advisor to government, she has led the development and implementation of nationally adopted clinical guidelines, translating evidence into policy and practice at scale. Professor Mazza’s research has reshaped how contraception, medical abortion, preconception care and endometriosis are delivered through primary care. Her work has directly informed major health system reforms in Australia, including the expansion of GP led medical abortion, federal funding for long acting reversible contraception training, and the introduction of permanent Medicare funded telehealth services and workforce capacity building in women’s sexual and reproductive health—significantly improving access to care. She leads the NHMRC funded SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care, bringing together multidisciplinary collaborations across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. Her expertise has informed World Health Organization guidance and Asia Pacific policy initiatives, and her sole authored textbook, Women’s Health in General Practice, has been officially translated into Chinese. Professor Mazza is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to women’s health. Her work continues to strengthen primary care as the cornerstone of equitable, evidence based women’s health care globally.