President

Adam Stormont FCHSM CHE

Vice President

Mark Upton AFCHSM CHM

Treasurer

Adam Sacks MCHSM

Immediate Past President

Briana Baass FCHSM CHE

Secretary

Cody Yuen MCHSM

Branch Councillors

Amanda Quealy FCHSM CHE
Adj A/Prof John Rasa LMFCHSM CHE
Marg Way FCHSM CHE
Birgit Goetz AFCHSM CHM
​John Kirwan AFCHSM CHM
Jan Pannifex AFCHSM CHM
Deb Stuart AFCHSM CHM
Paul Butler MCHSM
Hayden Fletcher FCHSM CHE
Colin Hackwood FCHSM CHE 
Sandeep Reddy FCHSM CHE

EHM co-representatives

Hannah Kennedy MCHSM
Cassie Moore AFCHSM CHM

In attendance at Branch Council meetings

Ex-officio members

Julie Owen (Executive Officer Vic/Tas ACHSM) 

Profiles

Adam Stormont

FCHSM CHE

President Victorian/Tasmanian Branch

Adam is the General Manager – Victoria at the National Heart Foundation of Australia. His role includes stakeholder engagement, advocacy and government relations,  fundraising and philanthropy. He provides a strong local leadership presence and represents the public face of the Heart Foundation in Victoria. He has over 18 years of public health experience in Australia. He has held roles as a clinical pharmacist, project manager and program director within the Victorian health system. He has the lead in the implementation of electronic medical records in several hospitals and has also presented and published on this topic.

He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Health. Services Management from Monash University. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) and a Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He has been a Victorian Branch Councillor for the ACHSM since 2017. He has a keen interest in improving the equity of health care delivery and experience for disadvantaged parts of the population and is also passionate about quality and safety in healthcare.

Mark J Upton

AFCHSM CHM

Vice President Victorian/Tasmanian Branch
Statewide Manager – Health Information Management Services (HIMS)
Tasmanian Health Service, Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH)

Mark holds a Bachelors of Health (Professional Honours) and a Masters in Health and Human Services.Mark has previously been an Executive Director on the Board of the Health Information Management Association Australia (HMAA).Mark is an Associate Fellow Australasian College Health Service Management (ACHSM) where he is a Certified Health Manager (CHM). Mark is a passionate patient/client advocate and believes in a person-centered approach. Mark’s current management and leadership role is varied, including the overall management of the states HIMS Department. This includes over 380 front line and back office clerical and administration staff across the corporate and clinical administration streams. Mark has undertaken and lead multiple major health related statewide projects and information systems, based on his expertise in information and informatics operations and governance. Mark is the Tasmanian Health Service (THS) representative on a number of Department of Health (DoH) committees at the state and national level.

 

Adam Sacks

MCHSM

Treasurer

Adam has over 16 years’ experience in health sector and is currently the Senior Business Manager of Investigative Services, Capital and the Chief Medical Officer Portfolio at Monash Health. Adam is a past graduate of the College Management Residency Program and has previously sat on the Committee for the Emerging Health Managers between 2011 and 2012.  Adam holds a bachelor of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at Deakin University and a Masters of Health Administration at Latrobe University.  Interests of expertise include investigating innovative approaches to achieve financial sustainability and process improvement to achieve a more sustainable health system. He has a passion to assist emerging leaders enter into the health system to continue driving innovation and change.

Briana Baass

FCHSM CHE

Chief Allied Health Officer (Vic)

Briana has over 20 years of experience in the health sector across Australia. She currently holds the role of Chief Allied Health Officer (Victoria). With a background in clinical Prosthetics and Orthotics, her experience spans health service leadership and operations, various roles in a government department and seven years of health and human services consulting in a global firm.

Briana is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) and a graduate of the College’s Management Residency Program. She is an ACHSM Board Director and the current National Vice President. Briana has conducted research into Low Intensity Cognitive behavioural Therapy programs in collaboration with beyondblue; and has published on Business Continuity Management in Hospitals. Briana is passionate about developing the health system and supporting emerging health managers to enable healthy communities across the country.

Cody Yuen

MCHSM

Secretary - Victoria/Tasmanian Branch

Cody is a Senior Consultant in Melbourne EY’s Consulting Practice with a focus on the healthcare sector. He is a dedicated individual who is passionate about making a difference by improving people's lives through the work he does. Currently, Cody is leading program assurance reviews for health clients across Australia who are delivering complex healthcare ICT programs through the identification of keys risks and mitigation strategies. Cody is an experienced consultant who has worked across multiple hospitals in the Asia Pacific region implementing Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Patient Administration Systems (PAS). Prior to joining EY, Cody was an experienced consultant with Cerner. He assisted in the successful Go-Lives at Monash Health (VIC), Ipswich (QLD), Westmead (NSW) and Parkway (SGP) hospitals. Cody has been an active member of ACHSM since 2018.

Amanda Quealy

FCHSM CHE

Amanda has had an extensive executive career in the health care industry over the past 30 years in the government, corporate and not- for-profit sectors. She is a Fellow of ACHSM and currently the CEO of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine (NIIM). She was previously President of ACHSM (Tas) and her commitment to health leadership culminated in an Adjunct Senior Lecturer role at University of Tasmania in the Masters program. Amanda has extensive governance and board director experience, serving on National and State based boards. She has was recognized in the Top 100 Women of Influence in 2013 and Telstra Business Woman of the Year (Tas) 2010. Her academic background includes degrees in Economics (Hons) and Social Work, Post Grad Diploma, Human Services Administration and an Masters in Business Administration. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an ACHS Hospital Surveyor.

Adjunct Associate Professor John Rasa

LMFCHSM, CHE, BA, MHP, AIM, MAICD, FAHRI 

John is a psychologist and a highly experienced CEO of Hospitals and Health Services in both Sydney and Melbourne, and has been CEO of General Practice Victoria and Networking Health Victoria. John is currently Unit Chair Hospital Financing in the MBA (Healthcare Management) at Deakin University, having previously been Associate Professor & Sub-Dean of Health Services Management - Charles Sturt University in NSW.

John is presently ACHSM Chief Examiner (International and Alternative Pathway), but was the National President of the Australasian College of Health Service Management until 2016 and was previously awarded 2011 Gold Medal for Leadership and Achievement. Currently facilitating the ACHSM From Clinician to Manager Facilitated Learning Group. John has held Board Directorships positions in both health and education. He is the current Chair of the Mental Health Professionals Network for Australia (since 2018), Chair of health Ability Community Health Service Board (since 2018) and Deputy Chair Latrobe Regional Hospital (2014 to present) and Chair of both the Board Quality and Board Population Health Committees at Latrobe Regional Hospital.

 

 

Marg Way

FCHSM CHE

Dr Margaret Way is currently the Director of Safety and Quality at Barwon Health in Victoria. Prior to that she was the inaugural Executive Director Innovation, Quality, Research and Education at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service in Queensland. She is an experienced Health Service Leader, Researcher and Educator with significant expertise in health service management, corporate and clinical governance, strategic and clinical service planning and stakeholder engagement, working in government, not for profit and university sectors. Margaret is an Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University Department Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, where she is part of a collaborative research team and teaches in the Masters of Public Health Program.

Birgit Goetz

AFCHSM CHM

Birgit Goetz is the Chief Executive Officer of a NFP 139-bed residential aged care facility and retirement village in Eastern Metro Melbourne, Australia. In the ever-evolving aged care environment, Birgit has led her organisation through an unprecedented period of growth, including the planning and implementation of multi-million Dollar construction projects. In addition, Birgit’s innovative care concepts have also played a key role in her organisation’s success at various industry awards, including the prestigious ACSA - Aged Care Provider Of The Year Award

Since the start of 2020, Birgit has successfully steered her organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic while operating in the hardest-hit sector in Australia’s worst-affected outbreak area, Victoria. Until this day, the aged care facility and retirement village remain Coronavirus free. In addition to her expertise in the aged care sector, Birgit is a passionate advocate for the multicultural community and, until May 2020, she volunteered as President of the Australian-German Welfare Society in Melbourne. She also contributes to several committees in the aged care and multicultural space, including organisations such as ECCV, LASA and ACSA.

Prior to taking on a CEO role in aged care, Birgit’s career had a clear focus on clinical services planning. She played a pivotal role in the development of large tertiary hospitals in Adelaide and Perth. Birgit’s professional leadership is based on an early hands-on career in midwifery and nursing as well as a broad tertiary and international education in the fields of health and business management. These qualifications include Diplomas and Certificates from Germany and the UK as well as a BSc(Hons) from the Anglia Polytechnic University and an MBA from Deakin University in Australia.

John Kirwan

AFCHSM CHM

John has over 40 years of IR, HR and operational health experience. He has been the Commissioner for Public Employment in the Northern Territory, the Executive General Manager responsible for the Acute, Community, Public and Aboriginal Health areas of the Health Department of Western Australia (HDWA), and the General Manager responsible for Health Workforce Reform in HDWA. John was also a full time union official. John has held CEO positions at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH), Northern Area Health Service (NAHS), the Tasmanian Health Organisation – North (THO-N) and is the inaugural CEO of the Royal Flying Doctor Service Tasmania, having been at the RFDS for over 6 years.

John is a former Board member and Vice President of the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and holds Fellowships of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and the Australian Human Resources Institute. John has been a member of ACHSM since the 1980s and is former Tasmanian Branch President.

Jan Pannifex

AFCHSM CHM

Jan is a healthcare leader with extensive experience in senior management roles in acute health, the Department Health Victoria and has a clinical background in critical care nursing. She has a strong track record in building effective relationships, developing and delivering strategic and operational plans, leading large teams, managing organisational change and process improvement in complex healthcare environments.

Jan is energetic and passionate about improving healthcare by working with patients, clinicians, academics, organisations and the broader community.  Jan is currently engaged by Barwon Health as Quality Improvement Coach and is a councillor on the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) - Vic/Tasmania Branch 

Deb Stuart

AFCHSM CHM


Deb Stuart is a highly experienced health and human services Executive who operates from a values-based philosophy and has expert contemporary knowledge of acute, community and primary care services across the life span. She holds a BSc. in Community Specialist Practice - University of Sussex, UK and is an Alumni of the Folio Community Leadership Victoria Program in 2015 and a winner of the SACS Executive Leadership Award in 2014. She is currently the CEO of Central Bayside Community Health Services, a role she commenced in 2018.

Prior to this appointment Deb held several significant leadership roles at Monash Health. Deb has a strong track record in building collaborative relationships for mutually beneficial outcomes and instils a culture of excellence for patients, clients, staff and the broader community. In addition to her current role, Deb was appointed as a Board Director for ermha Ltd from 2016 -2019, bringing her skills and knowledge in clinical governance and the health and community sector to the board.

 

Mr Paul Butler

MCHSM

Executive Director, South East Metro Health Service Partnership

Paul has had an extensive career in the Victorian public health system, including executive and senior management roles at Alfred Health, in the Victorian Department of Health (and formerly Health and Human Services) in regional and program management, and in disability services. His interests include health system and service planning and management and, particularly, the intersection of primary health care and acute hospital services. Paul has been a Board director on a variety of non-government organisations in the health and human services fields.

Paul’s current role as ED of the South East Metro HSP involves leading system-wide improvement projects and pandemic response across south east Melbourne in a partnership of the major Public Health Services (Alfred, Monash and Peninsula), Better Health Network and the Primary Health Network.

 

Hayden Fletcher

FCHSM CHE

Hayden is a health manager with diverse experience within the health and human service sector spanning service delivery, commissioning, project management and policy roles. He holds postgraduate qualifications in Health Management and Public Health, specialising in primary healthcare. Hayden is interested in developing health leadership and management workforce capability within the mental health and wellbeing, primary care and public sectors. 

Hayden is a member of the Victorian and Tasmanian Branch Council and coordinates the Education and Events Committee (EEC), which is responsible for curating an engaging range of professional learning and event offerings that meet the evolving development needs of health managers. 

As a values-based practitioner, Hayden is passionate about addressing inequities experienced by individuals, groups and communities by engaging them in decision-making on issues that affect and matter to them.
 

Colin Hackwood 

FCHSM CHE

My career pathway is founded on a clinical nursing platform, and to some may appear unconventional, but I have attempted to develop a career that provides me broad exposure to many aspects of hospital and health service management , and health infrastructure planning/development/delivery in the public sector and the not-for-profit sector in Australia and abroad. I have particular interests in building the careers of others through my own leadership skills, continue my own career in executive roles that are associated with transformative change, and advocate utilising expanding digital platforms to improve healthcare access and equity for all.

Sandeep Reddy 

FCHSM CHE

Sandeep Reddy has a PhD in healthcare management and is a Fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management. He also has medical training and is a certified health informatician. He has in the past attained extensive experience managing various health service projects and formulating high-level policy in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. He is now researching and teaching the application of evaluation methodologies and digital health. He has been recognized by the World Health Organisation as a digital health expert and placed on their digital health expert advisory roster.

He has also been appointed Adjunct Professor in several overseas universities to progress healthcare management research. Sandeep has published healthcare reform, health service evaluation, digital health applications and strategies in leading journals. He has also written several books and chapters about health service evaluation and digital health. Further, he has raised over a million dollars in grant funding to undertake various research and evaluation projects in Australia. Recently, he has been involved in several funded evaluation projects, including evaluation of AI in community pharmacies, mental health training programs, maturity of digital health systems in Victorian hospitals and digital health strategies, among other projects.

 

Hannah Kennedy

MCHSM

EHM Co-Chair
Masters Health Administation, B Health Science (Public Health)

Hannah has a proven track record working, and delivering successful projects in the tertiary health setting.Hannah has worked as a project manager across several tertiary and government health settings, including Cabrini Health, Alfred Health and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Hannah has demonstrated her expertise on a variety of projects, including design, implementation, evaluation and reviews within the acute health setting, with a strong focus on improvement.

Hannah currently works for management consulting firm, Impact Co. that deliver projects with a positive social impact. In her previous role at Cabrini Health, Hannah worked in the business development team; working closely with medical staff and General Practitioners (GPs). Hannah played a part in Cabrini Health's COVID-19 operational response, as a COVID-19 project lead. Assisting with project managing and implementing many of the DHHS guidelines and health service directives across multiple health service sites.

Hannah has been the chair of the Emerging Health Manager (EHM) committee in Victoria since 2019. The EHM is a sub-committee of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers (ACHSM) Victorian State Branch Council.

Cassie Moore

MCHSM

EHM Co-Chair
Masters Health Management; Masters Public Health; B Health Science (Health Promotion)


Cassie has extensive experience in rural health and primary health care and is passionate about bringing a community centred approach to management and service planning. Having lived and worked in rural and remote Australia, Cassie has experienced firsthand the difficulties faced by communities to access the care they need and s driven by this purpose.

Cassie has been with the Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria for over 6 years and has held a number of roles across the organisation, most recently the Quality and Impact Manager. Cassie has worked in many program areas, most notably developing the prototype for the telehealth platform adopted nationally by the Royal Flying Doctor Service; establishing a Community Transport service in Heathcote; achieving National Standards accreditation and increasing the footprint of RDF Primary Health Care services by 209% over 3 years.

Cassie has been a member of EHM since 2018, and has recently accepted the role of Co-Chair. She looks forward to furthering the success of EHM and contributing to the college.

Get in touch

To contact our Vic/Tas Branch office, click here.