Meet the Program Committee | Health First Summit 2027

“How are you selecting the speakers and shaping the program?”

The answer matters because healthcare conferences are only as valuable as the conversations they create. Great events do not happen by accident. They are built through careful curation, diverse perspectives, healthy debate, and an unwavering focus on outcomes that matter.

That is why the Health First Summit is being guided by an independent, cross-sector Program Committee comprising some of Australia’s most respected healthcare leaders. Rather than relying on a single organisation, sector or viewpoint, the committee brings together experts from patient advocacy, healthcare delivery, policy, medical affairs, technology, private health, industry associations, innovation and STEM leadership.

Their collective role is straightforward but critically important. They are helping shape the agenda, review speaker submissions, identify emerging issues and ensure every discussion remains focused on practical solutions that can improve health outcomes for patients.

At a time when healthcare challenges are becoming increasingly complex, meaningful progress requires collaboration across the entire ecosystem. No single stakeholder group can solve workforce shortages, health inequities, access challenges, funding pressures, digital transformation or the adoption of innovation alone. The most effective solutions increasingly emerge when clinicians, policymakers, patient advocates, researchers, industry leaders and health funders come together around a shared objective.

That philosophy sits at the heart of the Health First Summit.

Created to bring together pioneers, disruptors and first movers who are delivering measurable impact, the Summit is designed to move beyond theory and showcase what is already working in practice. The focus is on implementation, lessons learned and proven approaches that others can adopt, adapt and scale across the healthcare system.

Every speaker application and session proposal is reviewed through five important lenses: implementation, impact, innovation, relevance and alignment with the patient voice. These criteria help ensure delegates gain access to ideas that have moved beyond concept and into real-world delivery.

The involvement of the Program Committee also provides an important level of credibility and independence. With leaders representing patient organisations, healthcare providers, industry bodies, medical colleges, private health, genomics, pathology, technology and policy, the review process reflects a broad spectrum of perspectives rather than any single interest group. For speakers, this means presenting their work to a highly respected panel of healthcare leaders. For delegates, it means confidence that every session has earned its place on the agenda because of its potential to create meaningful outcomes.

Why the Patient Voice Matters

A common theme emerging from committee discussions is the importance of embedding the patient voice in every conversation about healthcare’s future.

For many years, healthcare strategy has often been developed within organisational or sector boundaries. Increasingly, healthcare leaders recognise that sustainable reform requires a deeper understanding of patient experiences, expectations and outcomes.

This principle is reflected strongly throughout the Program Committee’s vision for the Summit.

As Deidre Mackechnie, CEO of the Australian Patient Advocacy Alliance, explains, healthcare’s future depends on maintaining a genuine cross-sector approach while ensuring the patient voice remains central to decisions that shape the health system. Similarly, leaders across industry, private health and clinical organisations have highlighted the need for collaboration that extends beyond traditional boundaries and focuses on delivering better outcomes for patients.

The result is a program being intentionally designed to bring together diverse experiences, challenge established thinking and create opportunities for practical action.

What Program Committee Members Are Saying

The enthusiasm from committee members reflects a shared belief that Australia’s healthcare challenges require new forms of collaboration.

Elizabeth de Somer, CEO of Medicines Australia, emphasises the importance of ensuring innovative medicines reach patients efficiently and sees the Summit as an opportunity to advance discussions that support better health outcomes.

Dr Erin Evans, CEO of the Industry Genomics Network Alliance (InGeNA), highlights the value of bringing together perspectives from industry, health systems and consumer leadership, noting that meaningful progress occurs when these groups unite around patient needs.

Ian Burgess, CEO of the Medical Technology Association of Australia, believes no single organisation can solve Australia’s healthcare challenges independently and views the Summit as an important platform for diverse voices to contribute to the future of healthcare.

Jodi Long, CEO of the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges, sees collaboration between clinicians, patients, government and industry as essential for health system reform and improved healthcare delivery.

Bupa Chief Health Officer APAC, Nic Woods, points to the rapid pace of change across healthcare and the growing importance of collaboration between providers, payers, researchers, government and industry while ensuring patient perspectives remain embedded in every decision.

Across these perspectives, a common thread emerges. The future of healthcare will not be built by any one stakeholder group. It will be shaped through collaboration, innovation, evidence-based decision making and a relentless focus on patient outcomes.

The Inaugural Health First Summit Program Committee

Main Plenary Committee

• Dean Whiting, Pathology Technology Australia (PTA)
• Deidre Mackechnie, Australian Patient Advocacy Alliance (APAA)
• Dr Erin Evans, Industry Genomics Network Alliance (InGeNA)
• Elizabeth de Somer, Medicines Australia (MA)
• Jodi Long, Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC)
• Ian Burgess, Medical Technology Association Australia (MTAA)
• Nic Woods, Bupa
• Kieran Schneemann, Ondina & Axis Health Co.

STEM Careers Forum Committee

• Dr Melina Georgousakis, formerly Franklin Women
• Jodi Tainton, Medical Affairs Professionals of Australasia (MAPA)
• Gisela Mautner, Founder, The Mautner Docs

Together, these leaders bring unparalleled expertise spanning patient advocacy, industry engagement, medical affairs, private health, clinical leadership, workforce development, genomics, technology and healthcare innovation. Their collective networks extend across the healthcare ecosystem, helping ensure the Summit attracts senior decision-makers, influential policymakers, healthcare executives, clinicians, researchers and patient advocates from across Australia.

Most importantly, they are helping build a program that remains true to the Summit’s mission: creating a platform where meaningful conversations lead to practical action and where collaboration accelerates progress for patients, healthcare organisations and the broader health system.

Join the Conversation Shaping Healthcare’s Future

As preparations continue for the inaugural Health First Summit on 18 February 2027, the Program Committee will play an integral role in identifying the voices, ideas and innovations that deserve greater visibility across the healthcare sector.

Whether you are interested in speaking, sponsoring, exhibiting or attending, the opportunity remains open to become part of a conversation focused on real-world impact rather than theoretical discussion.

Healthcare is entering one of the most significant periods of transformation in its history. The organisations, leaders and innovators who collaborate across traditional boundaries will play an important role in determining what comes next.

The Health First Summit has been created to help make those conversations happen.

Break the cycle. Lead the change.