Surviving to Thriving: 25 Years of Refugee Health in NSW

Join us for a light-hearted overview of the NSW Refugee Health Service’s growth and milestones, with contributions from two of the people who have shaped the service and the refugee health landscape more broadly. Our speakers will remember some of the challenges and champions over the last 25 years, the anecdotes, and the many lessons learned along the way.

Speakers:

Dr Mitchell Smith

When Dr Mitchell Smith took on the job as founding Director in 1999 he was just a fresh-faced public health physician with a passion for working with the forcibly displaced. After over 25 years at the helm of the NSW Refugee Health Service, he is not so fresh faced but there is little he does not know about refugee health. Dr Smith provides advice on refugee health policy and practice at local, state and national levels. He has been a member of the Refugee Health Network of Australia since its inception, amateur pickle-ball player, and holds a conjoint appointment at the University of New South Wales.

Sandy Eagar

Sandy Eagar is the Nurse Manager of the NSW Refugee Health Service, founding member of Refugee Nurses of Australia, and a great teller of stories. From Operation Safe Haven, to the Refugee Health Nurse Program, Sandy has been there advocating and providing clinical advice to the more challenging cases. Sandy a founding member of Refugee Nurses of Australia, a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing, a serious golf-tragic, and holds a Master of Research and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Advanced Nursing.