Speakers

Angela is a Clinical Nurse Consultant for Hospital@home South, bringing 30 years of extensive clinical and leadership experience across hospital, primary care, and community health settings. Her diverse career has spanned Hospital in the Home (HiTH), community nursing, hospital management, emergency care, aged care, rural health, homeless health, oncology, haematology, palliative care, general practice, and chronic disease management.
Angela has a strong commitment to innovative models of care that support patients to receive high-quality treatment in the community while reducing the need for hospital-based care. Her broad clinical expertise and leadership experience have contributed to service development, quality improvement, and advancing patient-centred care across a range of healthcare settings.
A member of the Hospital in the Home Society of Australasia, Angela is currently Co-Chair of the 18th Annual Hospital in the Home Annual Scientific Meeting 2026, to be held in Hobart.

Chris MacKenzie is a Senior Podiatrist with the Tasmanian Health Service (THS) at the Royal Hobart Hospital, working within the High Risk Foot Service. In his clinical role, he specialises in the management of complex foot wounds in high-risk patient populations. Chris came to podiatry with a research background, having completed his PhD within the Medical Research Council’s Brain Metabolism Unit at the University of Edinburgh, and 10 years of post-doctoral work, primarily as a Research Fellow with the British Heart Foundation.

Dr Beverly Siew is a Consultant in Palliative Care at Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine of the Royal Australasian
College of Physicians and holds specialist accreditation in Palliative Care from Singapore.

Dr Siew completed her medical degree at the University of Glasgow before undertaking postgraduate training in Family Medicine and Palliative Medicine across the United Kingdom
and Singapore. Prior to relocating to Australia in 2020, she served at Dover Park Hospice, where she was actively involved in both inpatient and community palliative care services.

Since moving to Australia, Dr Siew has continued her practice through roles at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Melbourne City Mission. She is currently at Monash Health where she does outpatient Palliative Care clinics, RAPID service (Rapid Palliative Care Inreach Division) and is the clinical lead for the HITH Palliative Care service.

Carmen is a palliative medicine physician working across community, acute hospital and inpatient specialist palliative care (hospice) settings in Hobart since returning in 2021 from palliative medicine training in Sydney. In the past provided specialist palliative care in private practice she is currently THS south palliative care head of department, she also has a voluntary role on the board of Palliative Care Tasmania. Carmen is passionate about improving palliative care provision across the community and recognises palliative care is everyone’s business.

Cathy is a general physician and palliative care physician working across both disciplines at Alfred Care Group in Melbourne. She is passionate about the care of those with chronic illness and in particular heart failure and provides palliative care consultation alongside the cardiology team in heart failure clinic. Cathy has worked closely with the General Medicine HITH team to build capacity to recognise and care for patients who may have palliative care needs alongside their acute care needs, promoting shared decision making, symptom management and future care planning.

I am a General Practitioner local to Hobart and have been part of our southern Hospital@home service since 2023. My work also includes general practice at a regional clinic and teaching medical students at the University of Tasmania. I am fortunate that these roles satisfy all my interests, which include management of chronic disease, women’s health, paediatrics, geriatrics and everything in between!

Dr Elizabeth Monks is a Tasmanian-based General Practitioner recognised for her leadership in aged care and her advocacy to advancing high-quality, integrated models of care for older people. A graduate of the University of Tasmania, she has built a distinguished clinical career across Australia and the United Kingdom, with over 25 years of medical experience and a focused dedication to aged care spanning the past 15 years.
As a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and holder of advanced postgraduate qualifications in rural general practice and sports medicine, Dr Monks brings a broad clinical perspective to her leadership in community-based aged and palliative care. Her practice is grounded in long-term relationships with patients and a strong commitment to continuity, dignity, and quality of life in later years.
Dr Monks has been widely recognised for her contribution to palliative and aged care medicine, receiving multiple state and national honours including the 2019 Palliative Care Australia National Award for Excellence in Palliative Care in an Aged Care Setting. These awards reflect her sustained leadership in improving end-of-life and complex chronic care within residential aged care settings.
At the HITH Society Conference, Dr Monks brings a strong voice and practical frontline insight into how the HITH model can transform outcomes for older people bridging hospital and residential care settings.

Dr Erik McClain is an Internal Medicine physician who is dedicated to safe and innovative medical practice. He has spent the last 15 years here in New Zealand testing and trialling digital tools, remote practices, and hybrid models of care in rural and urban centers. Dr McClain has been involved in projects like Robot Rounding, Remote Monitoring for Chronic Disease, and developing Hospital in the Home for New Zealand. Currently, He is the Clinical Lead for the Northern Region Hospital in the Home services and Chair for HitH Society Australasia, NZ Chapter.

Dr. Frank Nicklason is a distinguished Tasmanian geriatrician, staff specialist physician, and public health advocate. He has a longstanding career in general and geriatric medicine, with particular expertise in neurodegenerative disorders, as well as palliative and aged care. Dr. Nicklason was a founding consultant of the Hospital@Home Service in southern Tasmania and played a pivotal role in its development and implementation.
Beyond his clinical practice, he is an outspoken advocate for healthcare systems and professional standards within Tasmania. He serves as Chairman of the Royal Hobart Hospital Medical Staff Association and frequently addresses systemic challenges within health services and public health concerns.

Dr Richard Kane is a Consultant Geriatrician, National Clinical Director of St Vincent’s Care At Home and Clinical Program Director of Continuing Care at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.
He is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and a former member of Council with the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM).
In his roles at St Vincent’s and through his affiliation with the University of Melbourne, Richard balances specialist medical work, teaching and research with strategic and governance leadership across the spectrum of clinical services, including acute and subacute hospital in the home, Residential In-Reach and a Geriatrician in the Emergency Department program.
A big focus of his work is in supporting patients to safely receive high quality care beyond the hospital walls.

Karen Booth is the Chief Clinical Adviser (Nursing) for the Australian Digital Health Agency, and is the immediate past president of the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA). She has worked as a primary health care nurse and manager in general practice since 1998, which included acute and preventative health care, chronic disease management, care coordination, data management, accreditation, administration, staff training and mentoring.

Karen is an influential leader who has been advocating for the role of nurses in digital health for many years. She has been a key contributor to the advancement of digital health in the nursing profession and played a pivotal role in the future of the Australian healthcare system as a member of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce

She has participated in numerous Australian Government Department of Health national health policy advisory groups, including several Ministerial appointments, providing advice to the Primary Health Care Advisory Group, the MBS review and Primary Health Reform Steering Group for the National Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan.

Karen has more than 10 years’ experience in corporate governance and has held several board director positions. Karen is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kobi Rybak is an experienced senior nurse with over two decades in emergency, community nursing, Hospital in the Home (HiTH), and hospital management. She is passionate about delivering patient-centred care that enables people to receive safe, high-quality treatment in their own homes.
A strong advocate for innovative care models, Kobi works closely with multidisciplinary teams to reduce unnecessary hospital stays while improving outcomes. She is dedicated to advancing healthcare services in Tasmania by ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Kristyn Whitmore is a cardiovascular researcher affiliated with the University of Tasmania and the Menzies Institute for Medical Research in Hobart. Her work focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention, heart failure management, and the use of medical imaging and patient engagement strategies to improve long-term heart health outcomes. She has contributed to multiple clinical trials and peer-reviewed studies examining imaging, cardiovascular risk communication, and chronic disease management. Kristyn Whitmore collaborates with leading Australian cardiovascular research groups, including the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the University of Melbourne.

Laureen Hines is healthcare leader with more than 25 years of clinical and corporate experience. She has played a lead role in shaping hospital in the home (HITH) services in Queensland. Laureen has led the establishment of a major metropolitan health service, guiding its strategic direction, service development, and operational performance. For the past 14 years, she has held the statewide leadership portfolio for HITH, providing strategic oversight, advancing statewide capability, and driving innovation across Queensland. She is the principal author of the first Queensland HITH clinical guidelines and has directed significant scale and spread initiatives that have strengthened acute care and Geriatric Evaluation and Management within HITH programs. She also serves on the Board of the Hospital in the Home Society of Australasia. Across her career, Laureen has been a committed champion for integrated, patient centred care and for expanding safe, high value alternatives to traditional hospitalisation.

Marlien Varnfield is a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO and Group Leader of the Health Services Group at the Australian eHealth Research Centre. She is internationally recognised for her work in digital health and virtual models of care, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for patients with chronic conditions through technology-enabled interventions. Marlien’s research spans the design, implementation, and evaluation of remote monitoring, mobile health, and home-based care solutions that support hospital avoidance and early discharge. She has led the development and translation of innovative platforms, including a nationally adopted digital model for gestational diabetes management and a commercialised cardiac rehabilitation program. Marlien’s work bridges research and real-world impact, advancing scalable, patient-centred approaches that enable high-quality care beyond traditional hospital settings.

Miena Arnol is a registered nurse and healthcare leader in Tasmania, serving as the Nurse Unit Manager for the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Hospital@home (HITH) service. Miena has completed postgraduate studies in emergency and gerontological nursing and has broad nursing experience across the acute care and community sectors. Miena is recognised for her instrumental role in designing community-based acute care programs in Tasmania.

Naomi Bayliss is an Emergency-trained Nurse Practitioner who transitioned to community-based, hospital avoidance care in 2019. She has been instrumental in the development and expansion of Southern Tasmania’s Hospital in the Home (HITH) program, delivering personalised, inpatient-level care that supports patient independence. Naomi is also committed to workforce development, leading the creation of a Nurse Practitioner training program tailored to the HITH setting.

Phillip Dickson is an experienced Paramedic with over 17 years in the ambulance sector. He is currently the Acting Manager – Integrated Care and has held several leadership roles, including Health Relationship Manager. As a Health Relationship Manager, Phillip assisted in establishing a referral pathway between Ambulance Tasmania and Hospital@Home in Southern Tasmania and subsequently acted as the liaison between services to support its implementation. He is passionate about improving patient flow and strengthening collaboration across the health system to positively influence patient outcomes.

Robin Wilkinson was born in Sydney with severe physical disabilities. She has overcome those difficulties to become an advocate for social justice for the human rights of Tasmanians with disabilities.

She cites the two most influential people in her life as her father and stepmother. Born before Thalidomide, the extent of her physical disabilities was a challenge not often experienced by the medical profession. Robin has spoken of how her father accepted that his daughter was born without the usual two legs, two arms and straight back and his insistence that she be brought up a ‘normal child’.

Robin moved to Tasmania with her family when she was eight years old and was educated at The Friends’ School. After leaving school, she joined the State Public Service as a junior typist. An ardent theatre-goer, Robin helped establish a junior drama group and loved it. The love of performing led into a job as an ABC radio announcer. She was with the ABC from 1963-69.

Robin travelled overseas and began her studies in social work at the Quaker College ‘Woodbrooke’ in Birmingham, UK. She returned to Australia and completed her studies in welfare and social work and has since worked in a variety of roles.

From the 1970s onwards, Robin has worked to foster the rights of Tasmanians with disabilities as an integral part of Tasmanian society. She was founder of the organisation Tasmanians with Disabilities Inc. and was its President for many years. She has also been a Tasmanian delegate to a variety of national councils, including the Disability Advisory Council of Australia and the National Council of Disabled Peoples’ International (Australia).

Robin was a founding member, and is currently the Chair, of the Consumer’s Telecommunications Network (CTN) Inc. In 2005 (France) and 2006 (Chicago), Robin was a part of the Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) delegation from Australia to the Global Standards Collaboration meeting. The promotion of the rights of people with disabilities in the area of communications has led to international recognition of the work of the CTN.

Robin’s appointments and contributions to various committees over the years have been extensive. Her work in human rights has touched many people and this has been recognised by her being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 and being named Hobart Citizen of the Year in 2005. She is now considered an Elder with the Aging and Disability Community, a distinction she has embraced with her usual enthusiasm.

Sally was married to Chris Rackham for 57 years, and in the last few years took on the role of carer as he became less able from his Parkinsons disease. She and Chris were born in the UK and moved to Tasmania in 1971. From 2002 until 2019 they spent five months each year in the UK where they have an extended family. This travelling became increasingly difficult with Chris’s mobility problems.
Sally worked for 12 years at the university in the Student Administration department. She has always been interested in history, compiling an extensive family tree. She worked as a volunteer at TMAG for 15 years and more recently maintains the enthusiasm for history as she continues to help run a small museum in Newtown, Mid-Wales where her family was based. The WFH capacities that evolved during covid have enabled this involvement with zoom meetings and the ability to run the website from Hobart. These interests have given her an outlet during the last few years of caring for Chris. She was really grateful for the emotional and practical support during the last weeks of Chris’s life provided by the carers at Parkside, and from Frank and the Hospital at Home team. Being able to care for Chris at home was something that meant a great deal to all of us.

Stephen Rae is a Nurse Practitioner with two decades of clinical experience across emergency, primary care, and community services. His background includes Hospital in the Home, emergency medicine, hyperbaric medicine, wound care, and hospital management. Having recently completed the Nurse Practitioner Candidate program and transitioned into an endorsed prescriber role, Stephen brings a strong commitment to advancing community-based models of care.
His clinical interests include community wound management, soft tissue injury care, and community palliative care. He is also an instructor in Advanced Life Support (ALS), supporting education and clinical skill development across healthcare teams.
Outside of clinical practice, Stephen values time exploring Tasmania’s wilderness and engaging in outdoor activities, reflecting a strong appreciation for the natural environment and an active lifestyle.
Stephen is passionate about delivering high-quality, patient-centred care in the community and reducing reliance on hospital admission where appropriate. He is a member of the Hospital in the Home Society of Australasia and the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners.

Voni Leighton is Co-Founder and Clinical Director of Vitalis Healthcare at Home and a senior clinical leader with more than 35 years’ experience in nursing and healthcare.
With a background in intensive care, emergency nursing and Hospital in the Home, Voni has spent much of her career focused on how we can safely deliver more complex and acute healthcare outside traditional hospital settings.
She is a Board Member and Secretary of the Hospital in the Home Society of Australasia and is a strong advocate for HITH and healthcare-at-home as part of the solution to hospital capacity, workforce and health-system sustainability challenges.
Through Vitalis, Voni brings practical experience in developing and scaling clinical care-at-home models across the public, private and community healthcare sectors.