Facilitator:
Dr Monica Diczbalis (Qld)
I have been working at The Cairns Hospital since July 2022 as a consultant anaesthetist. My interests at work include quality and safety, patient blood management, regional anaesthesia and education. I am one of the co-leads for the morbidity and mortality meetings in Cairns. I have a strong interest in rural and regional healthcare, regularly attending surgical outreach trips to communities in Cape York. I am looking forward to co-convening the Emerging Leaders Conference in 2025 at Thala Beach Resort. During my spare time I like running and mountain biking. I am currently spending most of my time hanging out with my family including new baby and the worlds best dog.

Panellist bios
Dr Angus McNally (NSW)
Angus is a Wulgurukaba Man from Bindal land (Townsville) who currently practices at RPA and St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. Clinical interests include regional, neurosurgical and airway anaesthesia. He currently works within the colleges Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and the Indigenous Health Committee with a passion for First Nations parity in ANZCA.

Dr Brian Spain (NT)
Dr Brian Spain has been working at Royal Darwin Hospital, Northern Territory since 1997 and director of Anaesthesia in 2001. He is currently now CoDirector Division of Surgery and Critical Care.

The hospital provides care to the highest density of First Nations people in Australia who make up more than 50% of inpatients.

Brian was involved in the medical responses to Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005, International AUSMAT response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013 and subsequently to disasters in PNG, Samoa and Fiji.
He has long term interest in developing world medicine with many trips working and teaching in East Timor, Indonesia, Cambodia and Pacific nations.

Dr Saana Taylor (NZ)
Kia ora, I am an anaesthetist at Te Toka Tumai, Auckland City Hospital. I am a member of the NZ national committee and belong to MANA the Māori Anaesthetist Network Aotearoa. I am co-convenor for the 2026 ELC meeting in Auckland, NZ.

Dr Arvin Karu (PNG)
*Education: MBBS 1996, MMED Anaesthesia 2005, Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia 2014 *Current Job/position: Staff Specialist [2011-current]. Head of Dept 2021-current] Division of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Port Moresby General Hospital. *Special Interest Areas: 1. Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia, 2. Education & Training of new Anaesthetists and ICU Drs for the country. *President of Society of Anaesthetist of PNG [last 3 years].

Dr Emma Clow (Qld) 
I left my Consultant Anaesthetic post in the UK to work in Papua New Guinea.  En route, my husband’s work asked us to go to rural FNQ for about a year.  I applied for the only local job I could – a Junior Doctor in Mareeba Hospital.  I immediately started working with a GP at the local high security prison – Lotus Glen Correctional Centre trying to do as much Anaesthetic related work as possible. Almost 10 years later, I find myself more comfortable in a rural workforce, high security prison and very proud of helping implement Opioid Substitution Treatment into Correctional Centres in Queensland.

Facilitator:
Professor David Story (Vic)
Dave Story is Professor of Anaesthesia and Head of the Department of Critical Care at the University of Melbourne. Dave is President of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists (ANZCA). His main research interest is clinically and cost-effective approaches to reduce perioperative risk, complications, disability, and mortality. His clinical work covers most procedural specialties including liver transplantation.

Panellists:
Dr Vanessa Beavis (NZ)
Vanessa is a specialist anaesthetist at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand and is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anaesthesiology at Auckland University. She was President of ANZCA from 2020 to 2022 (the COVID years). Vanessa has contributed to a wide range of college activities including as a part 2 examiner, chair of the CPD committee, chair of the hospital training and accreditation committee, founding chair of the Leadership and Management special interest group and the founding chair of the Perioperative Medicine special interest group. She was the inaugural chair of the Perioperative Medicine Steering Committee, tasked with (amongst other things), the development of the ANZCA Chapter of Perioperative medicine.

Dr Hing Yu So (Hong Kong)
Graduate of Hong Kong University, President of the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists (HKCA), Chairman of Board of Intensive Care; Hon Clinical A/Prof Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Educationist, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. I have a border collie, now close to 14 years of age, and he just retired from bush walking and I really missed that opportunity of walking with him.

Professor Dr Ina Ismiarti Shariffuddin (Malaysia)
Professor & Sr. Consultant Anaesthesiologist, Dept of Anaesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Malaysia. President, College of Anaesthesia, Academy of Medicine, Malaysia. Qualifications: • MBChB (Dundee), MAnes(Malaya), MMedEdu(UM), FAMM • Fellowship in Paeds Anaesthesia (Singapore) • Cert in Paediatric Liver transplant, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Professional affiliation: 1. President, College of Anaesthesia, Academy of Medicine, Malaysia 2023-2025 2. President, Malaysia Society of Paediatric Anaesthesia 2022-2024. 3. Immediate PAST President, Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologist 2023-2025 4. Editor-in-Chief, The Malaysian Journal of Anaesthesiology (MyJA) 2022-current 5. EXCO, Asian Society of Paediatrics Anaesthesiology, 2023-2025 Statement Personal Teaching and leadership Philosophy She believes that education is the best tool for advocating patient outcomes. Thus, Dr. Ina strives to be an educator who fosters growth, learning, and empowerment for all her students. Her philosophy revolves around instilling in her students the values of having an open mind, a positive attitude, and maintaining high expectations for themselves. She firmly believes that these qualities are essential for personal development and success in academics and life beyond the classroom. She views it as her responsibility to bring consistency, diligence, and warmth to her role as an educator, inspiring these qualities in her students and benefiting the community. She firmly believes in maximizing the potential of each student, guiding them with dedication, perseverance, and hard work.

Professor Donal Buggy (Ireland)
Donal J. Buggy is Consultant in Anaesthesiology at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH); Full Professor of Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University College Dublin; Hon. President, College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (CAI); An elected Fellow of the ESA-IC, he is Chief Investigator of its’ Clinical Trials Network study, MOPED (A prospective observational study of the perioperative journey of patients with diabetes); Board Member of British Journal of Anaesthesia (BJA); and Founder ex-Chair of the ESA-IC Research Group in Onco-Anaesthesiology, Euro-Periscope. A clinician scientist in perioperative interventions on short, intermediate and long-term postoperative patient outcomes, he obtained a Doctor of Science (DSc, 2022), the highest order academic degree from NUI in recognition of a career’s research impact in this field. Leisurewise, I coach teams in the world’s fastest field sport called hurling, an Irish GAA sport. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnOnc91W0KE

Dr Dilip Kapur (SA)
Dr Dilip Kapur is a specialist pain medicine physician working in South Australia. Dr Kapur trained in anaesthesia and pain medicine in the UK before moving to Australia in 2002 where he gained fellowships with ANZCA and with the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM). Dr Kapur has served in multiple official roles with FPM since 2013.  He is the current Dean of The Faculty.

Dr Kapur has wide clinical interests within pain medicine.  He has extensive experience of both interventional pain medicine as well as multidisciplinary treatment.  He has a specific interest in delivery of pain medicine services to rural and remote communities, including provision of services to Australian First Nations People.

Dr Kapur has extensive experience as a clinician-researcher with original published work in pain-related pharmacology and psychology.  He continues to teach medical students, pain medicine trainees and psychiatrists as part of his academic role as a Senior Lecturer with Flinders University.

Facilitator:
Dr Tracey Tay (NSW)
Tracey has been the National Chief Medical Advisor since 2022 for Calvary Health Care, a not-for-profit organisation providing care through 13 hospitals, 62 aged care facilities and 12 home care services across Australia. She is also the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce for Calvary, an organisation of 18,000 staff.

She has been the Director of Perioperative Services at John Hunter Hospital after which she  joined the NSW Health Agency for Clinical Innovation as an Executive Director responsible for 23 state-wide clinical networks.

Tracey has had a career long interest in the wellbeing of clinicians and completed the Chief Wellness Officer Course at Stanford University. She is a Churchill Fellow looking at involvement of doctors in health service management and leadership, holds a Masters in Health Policy and is a Board Director.

She asks of herself – “What’s my next job?”

Panellists:

Dr Emile Kurukchi (Qld)
M as known by his friends and colleagues, is an anaesthetic specialist with a special interest in orthopaedics, trauma and regional anaesthesia. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, as well as retrieval medicine and rural general practice. He has also served in a number of hospital administrative and ANZCA roles.

He recently faced significant personal challenges and is currently undertaking a return-to-work program supported by his department.

He would like to share his experience with work-life imbalance and the factors that contributed to his struggles, his journey toward recovery, and the crucial support he received from his colleagues. He hopes to raise awareness of the pressures faced by anaesthetists and provide insight to those who are facing similar challenges, as well as the colleagues who support them.

Dr Olivia Ong (Vic)
Dr. Olivia Ong is a highly regarded pain and rehabilitation physician, recognized for her expertise in burnout and resilience among medical leaders. Following a life-altering accident in 2008 that left her paraplegic, Dr. Ong defied expectations, regaining her mobility and resuming her medical career. Her personal journey of overcoming adversity now fuels her mission to support doctors in leadership roles who are battling burnout. As an international award-winning physician entrepreneur, bestselling author, and TEDx speaker, Dr. Ong mentors medical leaders on how to regulate their nervous systems, foster resilience, and lead with compassion. Her work equips healthcare leaders to manage chronic stress, improve their wellbeing, and inspire their teams with strength and empathy.

Associate Professor Nicole Phillips (NSW)
Commence in November 2024 as the Chief Medical Officer at Sydney Adventist Hospital. Prior to this was the Director of Medical Services (DMS) at Sunshine Coast University Hospital (Feb 2024-Nov 2024), Head of Department of Anaesthesia Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (April 2022 – Feb 2024), DMS at Concord (Aug 2020 – April 2022) and 15 years (2005 – 2020) as a staff specialist at Westmead Hospital with clinical interests including obstetric anaesthesia and anaesthesia for patients with intellectual disability. Completed RACMA training and was awarded Fellowship in February 2024. Currently completing a Master of Health Administration through Monash University. Member of the ANZCA Gender Equity Working Group (GEWG), Chair, ANZCA ASM and Events Committee. ANZCA Director of Professional Affairs responsibility for the direction and delivery of ANZCA Annual Scientific meeting (ASM) and Emerging Leaders Conference. Completed 12 years on NSW regional committee with 3 years as Chair. Member of the ANZCA Clinical Trials Network Executive. ANZCA representative on the Medical Council of New South Wales (2020-2024). Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Passionate about the role of anaesthetists as advocates – particularly in the areas of gender equity and as health care leaders.

Ms Claire Bassingthwaighte (Qld)
Claire was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2003 and the High Court of Australia in 2006.
Before joining Avant in 2008, she worked in private law firms defending public and private hospitals in medical negligence claims and represented the Medical Board prosecuting practitioners.

As Manager of the Professional Conduct Team, Claire now leads a group of experienced solicitors who specialise in defending practitioners in a wide range of complex health law matters including; coronial investigations and inquests, commissions of inquiry, and complaints to regulators. She has represented practitioners in the Coroners Court of Queensland, the Human Rights Commission, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal as well as both the District and Supreme Courts. She also provides general advice as part of Avant’s Medico-legal Advisory service.

Claire is a member of the Queensland Law Society’s Health and Disability Law Committee well as the Occupational Discipline Law Committee. She is a volunteer Judicial Committee Member with community sporting organisations and a member of the Medico-Legal Society of Queensland and Women Lawyers Association of Queensland.

Facilitator:
Dr Vanessa Beavis (NZ)
Vanessa is a specialist anaesthetist at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand and is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anaesthesiology at Auckland University. She was President of ANZCA from 2020 to 2022 (the COVID years). Vanessa has contributed to a wide range of college activities including as a part 2 examiner, chair of the CPD committee, chair of the hospital training and accreditation committee, founding chair of the Leadership and Management special interest group and the founding chair of the Perioperative Medicine special interest group. She was the inaugural chair of the Perioperative Medicine Steering Committee, tasked with (amongst other things), the development of the ANZCA Chapter of Perioperative medicine.

Panellists:
Professor Dave Story (Vic)
Dave Story is Professor of Anaesthesia and Head of the Department of Critical Care at the University of Melbourne. Dave is President of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists (ANZCA). His main research interest is clinically and cost-effective approaches to reduce perioperative risk, complications, disability, and mortality. His clinical work covers most procedural specialties including liver transplantation.

Professor David Sturgess (Qld)
Prof David Sturgess was elected to ANZCA Council in 2024. He is currently Deputy Director (Professional Development) at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and enjoys the ‘two-way street’ of mentorship. David was the founding Director of Anaesthesia at STARS. Before training in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, he was a General Practitioner in Rockhampton. David loves spending time with family, and would play guitar and surf if he could fit it in.

Dr Adam Levin (Vic)
I’m an anaesthetist in Geelong, Victoria. I currently sit on the ANZCA Council as the New Fellow Councillor.

Dr Dilip Kapur (SA)
Dr Dilip Kapur is a specialist pain medicine physician working in South Australia. Dr Kapur trained in anaesthesia and pain medicine in the UK before moving to Australia in 2002 where he gained fellowships with ANZCA and with the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM). Dr Kapur has served in multiple official roles with FPM since 2013.  He is the current Dean of The Faculty.

Dr Kapur has wide clinical interests within pain medicine.  He has extensive experience of both interventional pain medicine as well as multidisciplinary treatment.  He has a specific interest in delivery of pain medicine services to rural and remote communities, including provision of services to Australian First Nations People.

Dr Kapur has extensive experience as a clinician-researcher with original published work in pain-related pharmacology and psychology.  He continues to teach medical students, pain medicine trainees and psychiatrists as part of his academic role as a Senior Lecturer with Flinders University.

Dr Leinani Aiono-Le Tagaloa (NZ)
I was born and raised in Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) and moved to New Zealand at age 18 to study medicine. After graduating, I initially pursued a career in surgery, making four attempts at the Surgical Part I exams. However, after some gentle (and persistent!) persuasion from a senior anaesthetist, I decided to apply for anaesthetic training instead. I qualified as a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FANZCA) in 2005 and then travelled to the United States for an obstetric anaesthesia fellowship at Stanford University. This was followed by three years as an Assistant Professor at UC Davis Medical Centre in Sacramento.

I loved the intensity of the work, the camaraderie within our department—led by an Australian FANZCA-qualified anaesthesiologist and a British anaesthesiologist married to a New Zealander—and the opportunities to teach and train. However, the pull of family was strong, and in early 2012, I packed up and returned to New Zealand, settling in a small town in the middle of the North Island.

In 2014, I officially began my career in Pain Medicine with a fellowship at The Auckland Regional Pain Service. I became a Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA (FFPMANZCA) in April 2016 and had the incredible opportunity to attend the Emerging Leaders Conference (ELC) in Malaysia in May 2018.
I currently live in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, where I divide my workweek between chronic pain management at The Auckland Regional Pain Service and anaesthesia at Auckland Hospital.

I am a passionate supporter of the Faculty. In 2019, I became an examiner, and I have served as the written lead for the SAQ final examination for three years. I was also Vice Chair of the Examinations Committee (resigned in July last year). In 2022, I joined the Faculty of Pain Medicine board and was elected Vice Dean in May 2024. I am currently the Chair of the Training and Assessments executive Committee (TAEC). I was involved in the founding of Pasifika Anaesthesia in Aotearoa (PAiA) and I am the founding president.

Previously, I served as a council member for the New Zealand Pain Society and Editor-in-Chief of Ngau Mamae, the society’s quarterly publication. I have also contributed to the New Zealand National Committee for ANZCA. Beyond my professional roles, I am a Samoan chief and actively involved in my family and tribe.

Mentoring and encouraging others to achieve their dreams—regardless of barriers—has always been a passion of mine. As a woman and a Pacific Islander, my journey has had its challenges, but I now see these aspects of my identity as strengths. I am excited to share my experiences and knowledge with others.

Dr Amrita Prasad (Qld)
Dr Amrita Prasad completed medical training in Australia and obtained her Fellowship in Rehabilitation Medicine in 2018 and her Fellowship in Pain Medicine in 2022. She has worked in many regional and metropolitan hospitals over the years, and currently works in Private Practice in Brisbane. Dr Prasad has undergone training in interventional procedures and is one of the first physicians to have successfully completed the Faculty’s Procedures Endorsement Program. She is also the New Fellow Representative on the FPM Board.