National Executive
National Executive
President – Michael Reade
Vice-President – Helen Jowett
Immediate Past-President – Michael Parr
Treasurer – Sarah Adams
Secretary – Ben Gardiner
Committee – Michael Parr, Melissa Webb, Ian Civil, Alaina Campbell, Dinesh Varma, Tony Joseph, Mya Cubitt, Kate Dale, Savitha Bhagvan, Nicole Kelly
Conference Organising Committee
Tony Joseph, Alicia Jackson, Helen Jowett, Michael Parr, Ian Civil, Melissa Webb
Publication Committee
Ian Civil and Michael Reade
Website Committee
Melissa Webb
Research Committee
Professor Michael Charles Reade
Professor Michael Charles Reade AM MBBS(Hons) BSc(Med)(Hons) DMedSc Sydney, MPH Pittsburgh, DPhil Oxford, DMCC, DIMCRCSEd, PGCertAME, AFRACMA, FHEA, FCCP, FCCM, FANZCA, FCICM Brigadier, Australian ArmyProfessor Reade is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Chair of Military Medicine and Surgery, affiliated with the Jamieson Trauma Institute at the University of Queensland. A specialist intensive care physician, anaesthetist and clinician-scientist, he leads a programme of research relevant to military trauma medicine and surgery, and guides the implementation of modern trauma care into ADF practice. In parallel with his academic and clinical work, Michael served in the Australian Army Reserve until his appointment to the full-time ADF Chair in 2011. He was commissioned as a General Service Officer in the Australian Army in 1990, and prior to his current appointment deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo (on attachment to the British Airborne Brigade), Timor, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. In 2013 he commanded the Australian Specialist Health Group at the NATO ISAF Role 3 Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and in 2015 he was the first Director of Clinical Services of the ADF hospital deployed on Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. He deployed again to Iraq in 2016 and 2017. From 2015-2018 he was the Director of Clinical Services of the Australian Regular Army’s only deployable field hospital. In 2017 he led this unit to become the first ever ADF hospital accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Trauma Verification Program. He was recognised for this service by appointment as a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia in 2019. In December 2018 on promotion to Brigadier he was appointed Assistant Surgeon General - Army, responsible for technical regulation of specialist medical, nursing and allied health support to the Australian Army. His military academic work is performed on secondment to Joint Health Command. Professor Reade's clinical research focusses on treatments for exsanguinating haemorrhage, trauma systems, and acute cognitive impairment (such as that which results from traumatic brain injury). He is the Chief Investigator in an NHMRC-funded clinical trial of cyropreserved (frozen) platelets, a technology which holds equal promise to military and civilian trauma patients. He is also a Chief Investigator in NHMRC-funded multicentre clinical trials of tranexamic acid (a drug thought to reduce mortality from traumatic bleeding), erythropoietin as an inflammatory modulator after trauma, and a novel anti-delirium strategy for use in critically ill patients. Professor Reade currently supervises 12 postgraduate students and one postdoctoral research fellow. He has held faculty appointments at the Universities of Oxford and Pittsburgh, and still holds adjunct appointments at the Universities of Melbourne, London and Monash University. His clinical practice is based at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. He holds or has held research grants totalling >A$28.1M, has published >160 peer-reviewed papers and delivered >310 lectures at national and international conferences. In November 2019 he was elected President of the Australasian Trauma Society.”
Helen Jowett
Helen has over 20 years of paediatric experience at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne which is the Paediatric Major Trauma Service for Victoria where she holds the position of, Trauma Manager. She is the current President Elect for the Australasian Trauma Society where she plays an integral role in the organisation of the national trauma conference and the upcoming World Trauma Congress. Helen is the Society of Trauma Nurses International Council representative for Oceania and the current chair of the Centre for Global Trauma Quality Improvement taskforce which is dedicated to ensuring equitable access to resources, processes and systems whilst advancing trauma nursing care throughout the world whilst focusing on LMICs. She is a member of the Victorian State Trauma Committee, Trauma Case Review Group which oversees the trauma patient journey, with a key objective to ensure the best patient outcome and adherence to the state trauma system guidelines Helen is a Trauma Verification site reviewer with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons where she has conducted multiple site visits and she maintains an active role on the national Trauma Verification Committee. She developed and implemented a state-wide paediatric trauma education program within Victoria, delivering much needed trauma team training and education to rural doctors, nurses and paramedics involved in trauma resuscitation and management. Helen is a state-wide Emergency Management of Severe Trauma Coordinator with the Royal College of Surgeons where she plays an integral role in ongoing trauma education both regionally and nationally. Helen is passionate about paediatric patients and their families. She is committed to psychosocial care, trauma system development, training, education and injury prevention in ‘little people’. She has three beautiful but highly active children who unfortunately compete in very high-risk sports.
Michael Parr
Sarah Adams
Ben Gardiner
Ben Gardiner has extensive knowledge background in perioperative nursing and management in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. A former ACHS surveyor with additional backgrounds in clinical and corporate governance, medical administration, education and executive positions. He has been active in many state and national committees and organisations. Commenced in Trauma in 2014 at Gold Coast University Hospital and is currently holding positions as Adjunct Senior Lecturer Griffith University, Qld State wide Trauma Clinical Network (STCN) Committee, Qld Trauma Registry and Research Committee, Co-chair Qld Trauma Digital Working Group, Australia and New Zealand Trauma Registry Data Working Group as the STCN representative, Forum coordinator for the Australasian Trauma Network and in 2019 appointed Secretary of the Australasian Trauma Society. In addition to his expertise in registry development, implementation and management, he has interests in the quality of patient care and trauma research, including presentations at many national and international conferences. Currently undertaking a Higher Degree Research at Griffith University in Trauma. Special interests include development of trauma registries, geospatial analysis of trauma, impact of trauma services and trauma mortality.
Melissa Webb
Melissa has over 20 years of clinical practice in Trauma Physiotherapy at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she currently works as the Allied Health Team Leader in Trauma and Orthopaedics. She has been integral in the development of a specialised trauma physiotherapy service at the Alfred and has provided consultation to other services who wish to develop a similar model of care. Within her current role she has assisted in the development and co-ordination of a specialised allied health workforce providing an intensive therapy model of care for acute trauma and orthopaedic patients. Melissa has completed a Masters in Health Science, Graduate Certificate in Burn and Trauma Rehabilitation and a number of dedicated trauma professional development courses. She has also completed a clinical fellowship analysing the practice of physiotherapists in major trauma centres in the US, Germany and Switzerland. Her special interests include chest trauma management, trauma models of care and the role of physiotherapy and allied health within the acute trauma multidisciplinary team. Melissa has been integral in the development of trauma specific courses and education opportunities, delivering much needed trauma training and education to physiotherapists and other allied health clinicians involved in trauma care. Melissa is passionate about promoting and advocating for the important role that Allied Health play in trauma management and patient recovery and is an Executive Member of the Australasian Trauma Society and Committee Member of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons Trauma Verification sub committee. Melissa is keen to develop a strong allied health profile in trauma and support others to contribute to their local trauma teams and the broader trauma community.
Ian Civil
Ian is a graduate of the University of Auckland School of Medicine completing his MBChB in 1976 . His initial surgical training was undertaken in Auckland where he completed his general surgical fellowship in 1983. In the mid-80s he worked in the USA for three years, first as a vascular surgery fellow at the Cleveland Clinic and then as a trauma fellow in the Southern New Jersey Regional Trauma Center in Camden, NJ. After returning to NZ in 1987, Ian took up a combined University of Auckland/Royal NZ Army Medical Corps appointment in which he served for 5 years. In 1990-1 he led the NZ Army Medical Team to the first Gulf War. He has served on a number of international trauma organisations becoming President of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) in 1999 and President of the International Association for the Surgery of Trauma and Intensive Care (IATSIC) from 2007-2009. Ian is a founding member of the Australasian Trauma Society and served as President from 2011-2013. He was a RACS Councillor from 2003-2012 and from 2010-2012 served as President. He is a member of the Editorial Boards for the World Journal of Surgery and the World Journal of Emergency Surgery, Associate Editor of Traffic Injury Prevention, Senior Editor of the Australian and NZ Journal of Surgery and Deputy Editor of INJURY. In 2012 Ian was appointed Clinical Leader of the Major Trauma National Clinical Network for the Ministry of Health and ACC, and Clinical Leader of the Perioperative Harm Advisory Group for the Health Quality and Safety Commission. Ian is an Associate Professor of Surgery with the University of Auckland and practices as a General and Vascular surgeon at Auckland City Hospital where he is the Director of Trauma Services.
Alaina Campbell
Alaina Campbell is the Trauma Programme Manager/Nurse Consultant of the Midland Trauma System in New Zealand with over 20 years surgical nursing experience. She is an Oceania representative on the International council of the Society of Trauma Nursesand the Global Trauma Quality improvement Taskforce, member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Verification committee, and an active operational member of the New Zealand Major Trauma Network. Alaina has been integral to the development of the Midland Trauma System (MTS)and the Midland Trauma Registry since its inception in 2010. In 2015 the MTS supported the development of the New Zealand Major Trauma Network(MTNCN) by developing the Major Trauma Registry which Alaina continues to manage and coordinate the delivery of nationally. Alaina has a special interest in trauma quality improvement creating highly effective teams and patient experience.
Dinesh Varma
I underwent my specialist training in Radiology at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologist in 2000. My specialist training included an accredited Fellowship in MRI at The Alfred Hospital. My particular area of interest is Trauma and Emergency Radiology and MRI, and the role of radiologist in the integrated multidisciplinary approach to imaging and management of multitrauma patients. The Alfred Hospital is the largest Level 1 Trauma Centre in Australasia. My main area of research is in traumatic brain and cervical spine injuries. I am currently the Deputy Director of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Head of Trauma and Emergency Radiology at The Alfred Hospital, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Monash University. I am currently President Asia Oceanian Society of Radiology (AOSR), Chief of Professional Practice, Clinical Radiology,Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) and Past President and Chief Censor, Clinical Radiology, RANZCR. In 2016 I was established the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Radiology Group, a Special Interest Group (SIG) under the auspices of RANZCR and was elected the founding Chair of the SIG. I am an active member of numerous national and international Radiology Societies some of which include American Society of Emergency Radiology, American Roentgen Ray Society, European Society of Radiology, Society of Emergency Radiology, India.
Tony Joseph
Dr Joseph is the current Co-Director of the Trauma Service and senior Staff Specialist in the Emergency Department at Royal North Shore Hospital. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney. He is a past –President and co-founder of the Australasian Trauma Society (ATS). He is the current Chair of the ATS Program Committee and has been Chair of both the Organising and Scientific Committees for most of the Annual Scientific Meetings since the formation of the ATS. He has held numerous positions as Chair and member of committees for the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and was a member of the ACEM Court of Examiners from 2002 to 2018. He is a currently active EMST Course Director and Instructor. He has held positions on various Australasian Medical Association Committees and was awarded the AMA (NSW) President’s Award in 2008 for his advocacy for Emergency Medicine and NSW Public Hospitals. He has also been a previous Chair of the NSW Faculty of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine He is the current Chair of the International Federation of Emergency Medicine Trauma Special Interest Group and has been an advocate for improved road safety strategies in Australia. He is an author or co-author on over 35 publications published in peer-reviewed journals and has authored 6 chapters in medical textbooks. His research and teaching interests include emergency ultrasound, trauma radiology,mental health issues after trauma and trauma in the older person. He is currently a reviewer for articles submitted to the Injury, Emergency Medicine Australasia, and the European Journal of Emergency Medicine journals. He has been an invited speaker at over 60 national and international meetings on a variety of subjects including emergency medicine, emergency ultrasound and trauma topics.
Mya Cubitt
Mya is an Emergency and Acute Medical Unit Physician at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, one of Victoria’s two adult Major Trauma Services. Mya completed a Fellowship at The Royal Children’s Hospital and a Masters in Trauma Sciences at Queen Mary University in London, with her dissertation on frailty assessments in Geriatric Trauma recently published. She is convenor of Australasia’s first seminar and research day on Geriatric Trauma in Melbourne in 2020. Mya is passionate about the opportunities trauma care offers for interprofessional collaboration towards improving patient care and building community. You can find her on linkedIn and twitter (@myacubitt).
Kate Dale
Kate is a Trauma Nurse Practitioner with experience in remote area, emergency and trauma nursing. She has been the lead nurse for the Trauma Service at the Gold Coast University Hospital since December 2013. She has a special interest in resuscitative and acute trauma care, EFAST and nurse case management in both hospital and community settings. She has recently established a Trauma Connect Clinic which aims to continue the case management model of nursing post discharge, which has been recognised as a unique aspect of Trauma Care delivery at GCUH. She also holds a position as a Specialist Emergency Nursing Officer in the Royal Australian Airforce Reserves.
Savitha Bhagvan
Nicole Kelly
Nicole Kelly is the Trauma Coordinator (Advanced Nurse Consultant) for the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network and the Nurse Lead of the South Australian Trauma System & Co-Chair for the South Australian State Trauma Committee. Nicole has over 17years Emergency Nursing and Trauma experience and is a member of the College of Emergency Nurses Australasia (CENA) and has been an Emergency SA (EMSA) Conference Committee member for the past 6 conferences and is the Convenor of the EMSA 2020 Conference. Nicole is an EMST Coordinator and a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons SA Trauma Committee. Nicole was successfully nominated as an Executive Member of the Australasian Trauma Society this year. Nicole’s portfolio includes management of major trauma patients both within the emergency care setting as well as in-patient trauma case management within a Level 3 Trauma Centre (which treats both adult and paediatric trauma); ED and organisational major incident preparedness and injury prevention strategies including P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program. She is an EMST (ATLS) Coordinator, Hospital Major Incident and Medical Response (HMIMMS) Instructor. In 2011 Nicole was awarded the Nursing & Midwifery Excellence Award for Leadership and was named the Inaugural SA Health Young Professional of the Year in 2016. Nicole has a passion for quality patient focused coordinated trauma care and multi-disciplinary education both at the bedside, and educational forums, courses and conferences.