Western Alliance Seventh Annual Symposium: Keynote Speakers Announced
Ms Clare Bowditch
Ms Clare Bowditch is a best-selling ARIA Award winning musician (Best Female), Logie Nominated actor (for TV Show Offspring), Best-Selling Author (for her recently released memoir Your Own Kind Of Girl), experienced speaker, M.C, broadcaster, and mother of three (including identical twin boys).
In 2008, whilst researching her best-selling album ‘The Winter I Chose Happiness’, Clare agreed to challenge her cynicism and undertake training as a ‘Life Coach’ (turns out, she bloody loved it). This culminated in her forming Big Hearted Business – a company designed to teach creative people about business and business people about creativity.
In Oct 2019 Clare released her fist book “Your Own Kind Of Girl” through Allen & Unwin. Its themes of shaping yourself through the stories we tell ourselves and taming your inner critic, have immediately found their audience, with a debut position of #7 in the Neilsen Book Chart#, #1 Best Seller on Booktopia, #1 Bestseller at Readings, #1 Bestseller at Dymocks, Book of the month at Dymocks for December, Audio Book #5 bestseller on Amazon. It won the 2020 ABIA for “New Writer of The Year” Award and has been named as one of Audible’s “Top 50 Books of All Time”.
In August 2020, she released an Audible Original audio book entitled “Tame Your Inner Critic” which has remained at the top of the Audible Charts since the day of it’s release. It epitomises her unique approach to skill-building, and story-telling, using a novel mix of humour, story-telling and science to help people have better relations with the voice of their self-doubt. It has been one of the most downloaded Audible podcasts over the course of the pandemic.
As a musician, she’s toured extensively with musicians such Leonard Cohen, Paul Kelly, John Butler, Cat Power, and Gotye, to name just a few.
As the beloved host of the “Afternoons” radio show on ABC Melbourne, she spoke and made friends with over 250,000 listeners daily.
Associate Professor Gabrielle O’Kane
A/Prof Gabrielle O’Kane is the CEO of the National Rural Health Alliance, the peak body for rural health. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Canberra and Charles Sturt University.
Gabrielle has extensive experience in the private and public health sector, which has contributed to her deep understanding of the need for collaborative partnerships to support the rural health workforce and achieve positive health outcomes for rural communities. She promotes solutions to the Australian Government to address the needs of rural communities and health professionals, through her position on many pertinent steering groups and committees.
Professor Suzanne Robinson
Prof Suzanne Robinson is the Director, Deakin Health Economics, in the Institute for Health Transformation (IHT) and the School of Health and Social Development.
Suzanne is highly regarded in her field of health economics, health systems research, digital health and data analytics. Her work in health system reform is influential in both national and local policy developments and practical application and translation.
Suzanne is leading international research in digital health that includes a focus on virtual care and telehealth implementation; using health data in clinical and population decision making with a focus on the delivery of effective, efficient and equitable health services. She has an outstanding track record in collaborative research activity and extensive experience working with policy makers and clinicians in using research to inform practice. In recognition of her work she received the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) Innovation and Excellence Award for her work in health system research and capacity building. She has secured more than $20 million in research funding and has a number of active research grants.