The WELL Collaborative Connect Share Collaborate October 2025 Meeting

The WELL Collaborative Connect Share Collaborate (CSC) Group provides a forum where people can come together to share insights about the current activity taking place in WA to improve care and support for people living in larger bodies, learn from each other’s knowledge and experience, and work together to build partnerships to bring to life the purpose, belief and values of The WELL Collaborative.

Obesity is one of Australia’s most pressing health challenges, yet effective treatments remain out of reach for many who need them most. Join us at our October Connect Share Collaborate meeting to explore how evidence-based treatments – from surgery to medications – can be made more accessible and better integrated into our health system.

You’ll hear from:

• Dr Alex Craven, surgeon and co-founder of the Every.Body.Equity. project, who is leading national efforts to expand access to obesity care in public hospitals.

• Dr Mark Mellor, Perth-based GP and founder of Perth Weight Clinic, who supports people living with obesity every day through multidisciplinary care and mentors other GPs developing skills in this field.

Together, they will unpack the science behind treatment, address common misconceptions, and discuss why fair access to care matters – not only for individuals and families, but for the sustainability of our health system. Whether you are a consumer, carer, or health professional, this is a chance to challenge assumptions, ask questions, and be part of the movement for equitable obesity care.

Speakers

Dr Alex Craven
Dr Alex Craven is a Melbourne‐based bariatric surgeon and health equity advocate. He is co-founder of the Every.Body.Equity. project, a national initiative aimed at expanding access to evidence-based obesity treatment in Australia’s public hospitals. He holds leadership roles with ANZMOSS, NACOS, The Obesity Collective, and international IFSO committees, contributing to policy, clinical communications, and strategies to improve equity in care. At Austin Health, Alex leads service development and pathway design for one of the country’s largest public bariatric surgery programs, and co-convenes the Austin Obesity Conference. His work is driven by reducing barriers to care and ensuring sustainable, fair access to effective obesity treatments across Australia.

Dr Mark Mellor

Dr Mark Mellor is a specialist General Practitioner based in Perth, and founder of the multidisciplinary Perth Weight Clinic, which provides integrated obesity and metabolic health care. He earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Obesity & Weight Management and is SCOPE-certified, and in 2025 received Recognition of Extended Skills in Obesity Management from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), a pathway he helped to develop. He leads the RACGP’s Obesity Specific Interest Group in Western Australia, mentors GPs working in obesity care, and provides advisory services to healthcare organisations. He also chairs a national stakeholder advocacy group working on equitable access to funded treatment for obesity, and is active in promoting improved models of care, reducing weight stigma, and integrating metabolic, cardiovascular, and mental health in obesity management.

The CSC group meets every eight weeks. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive notification of upcoming events, email us at info@thewellcollaborative.org.au