Unequal Burdens for Women in Healthcare

Tuesday 24th May 
12pm -1:30pm AEST
Online webinar via Zoom 

The pandemic has placed an unequal burden on women healthcare workers, who in Australia make up 75% of the workforce. Women in healthcare experienced a higher risk of exposure and infection, barriers to accessing personal protective equipment, decreased leadership and decision-making opportunities and increased workloads. Despite all this, women healthcare workers still absorbed the increased caregiving responsibilities when access to school and child care support was restricted. 

COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need for system level changes to better support women across the healthcare workforce. Join Women in Global Health Australia as we hear from the first hand experiences of healthcare workers, including representatives from medicine, nursing , allied health, and aged care. We will facilitate a discussion on the system changes required, particularly around care, parental leave and flexibility and highlight current approaches to drive evidence-based change. 

SPEAKERS & FACILITATORS

Professor Marie Bismark is a medical practitioner, health law academic, and company director. She heads the Law and Public Health Unit at the University of Melbourne where her research explores the intersection between health practitioner wellbeing and patient safety. Her research has been published in leading peer review journals and has influenced regulatory policy in Australia and internationally.

In addition to her academic role, Marie works as a psychiatry registrar with North Western Mental Health, and serves as a board member of The Royal Women’s Hospital, GMHBA health insurance, and Summerset retirement villages.

Marie has previously completed a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard University and is the recipient of an NHMRC Investigator Grant. She holds degrees in law, medicine, public health, bioethics, and psychiatry. In 2019, Marie was named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.

Louise O’Neill is the inaugural CEO of the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council. Louise has over 18 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service, holding positions across health, disability and communications portfolios.

Louise started her career as a registered nurse and brings a pragmatic reform-focused vision for aged care. She has a strong understanding of the dedication of so many aged care workers and is committed to providing the workforce with the recognition and opportunities it so deserves.

During her earlier years in the Department of Health, Louise was responsible for reviewing aspects of the end-to-end aged care system to inform future government policy. She played an integral role in designing and delivering the Living Longer Living Better reforms of 2012 including the Addressing Workforce Pressures measure. She led change management across aged care reforms, including internal and external stakeholder engagement. Later she continued her senior executive career in leading National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) negotiations on mainstream interface issues, including health and mental health.

Dr Magdalena Simonis is a GP, government health advisor, primary care researcher with the University of Melbourne, and a leading women's health expert and advocate.

Magdalena holds positions on several not-for-profit organisations, bridging gaps across the health sector, whilst informing their health initiatives. She is on the Expert Committee of Quality Care for the RACGP, President and National Coordinator of the Australian Federation of Medical Women, Medical Women's international Association (MWIA) Scientific and Research Subcommittee co-Chair and chair of the MWIA Mentoring group.

Magdalena's interests are in community health, chronic disease prevention, and the development of sustainable, equitable healthcare services.

Associate Professor Jacqueline Boyle is an academic obstetrician/gynaecologist. She has a clinical appointment at Monash Health and is the Head of Health Systems and Equity at Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University and has an honorary appointment at Menzies School of Health research.

Jacqueline's research is in women's public health and health services research to improve women's health across the lifecourse, with equity in health literacy, health access and health outcomes a priority.

Jacqueline is a founding member of Women in Global Health Australia and is the co-chair of the WGH Aus National Gender Equality in Health Leadership committee.

Associate Professor Faye McMillan AM is a Wiradjuri yinaa (woman) originally from Trangie, NSW. Faye is a community pharmacist and is recognised as the first Indigenous Australian to hold a western degree in pharmacy in this country. Faye is a strong advocate for improving Indigenous health care across professions, notably being a founding member and President of Indigenous Allied Health Australia. Faye is currently one of two Deputy National Rural Health Commissioners and works at UNSW as the Associate Professor in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in the School of Population Health, as well as a board member of The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) and is also the chair of the APC Indigenous health strategy group. Faye has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contribution to population health, education, equity, and the community.

In 2021 Professor McMillan was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List. Professor McMillan’s appointment recognises her significant service to Indigenous mental health, and to tertiary education. In 2019 she was named as the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the year; 2022 & 2017 she was recognised in the Who's Who of Australian Women; and in 2014 she was included in the Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 women of influence.

Faye is a Women in Global Health Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Gender Equality in Health Leadership committee member.

Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward is the CEO of the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and is a renowned nursing workforce leader and a passionate CEO who has shaped ACN to become a prominent and influential professional organisation.

Kylie’s distinguished career spans almost three decades, during which time she has been awarded honorary Professorships from Monash University, Deakin University, University of Technology Sydney and Western Sydney University, as well as holding Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery positions in the largest health services in NSW and Victoria.

Kylie currently sits on the Aged Services Industry Reform Committee (IRC) and the Health Translation Advisory Committee (HTAC) of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Associate Professor Nada Hamad is a senior staff specialist bone marrow transplant, cellular therapies, clinical and laboratory haematologist at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where she is the director of the haematology clinical trials unit. She is President of Australia and New Zealand Transplant and Cellular Therapies and chairs a number of national and international committees in the field of transplantation and cellular therapies.

Nada is a Conjoint Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales Sydney (UNSW) and Adjunct Associate Professor at University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Medicine. Her clinical research interests are in malignant haematology and bone marrow transplantation.

Nada is an intersectional feminist with an academic interest in gender equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in medicine. She is the deputy co-chair of the UNSW Medicine EDI committee, the EDI lead for The Lancet Haematology and Women in Global Health Australia National Gender Equality in Health Leadership committee member, amongst a number of other EDI committee leadership positions and memberships.