Program
This program places the whole physician at the centre of learning. Beyond clinical expertise, it explores the legal, personal and societal realities of modern medicine, equipping doctors to lead, adapt and build meaningful, values-driven careers in a complex and changing healthcare landscape.
Delegates can choose four registration options for this event:
Full conference experience: two-day in-person
Day pass registration: one-day in-person
Virtual pass registration: Keynote and plenary sessions (only)*. Full virtual conference program is available for download here
Opening moderated conversation: with The. Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern (session does not include registration for the full conference).
Program details are subject to change at any time.
Friday, 6 November 2026
Welcome Reception
Harbour View 1, Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart
6pm to 7pm
Join us for a complimentary networking reception featuring canapés, refreshments and stunning panoramic views of Hobart Harbour. The evening is hosted by the RACP Tasmanian Committee.
Day 1: Saturday, 7 November 2026
| Time | Session |
|---|
| 8:00am | Sponsor breakfast (optional) “Beyond acute infection: respiratory disease, multimorbidity and preventive care in the future specialist landscape”
Pfizer |
| 9:00am | Welcome - Welcome to Country and Kara Kia |
| 9:10am | Opening moderated conversation: Leadership through uncertainty: balancing humanity and duty*
The Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern and Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu |
| 10:00am | Having difficult conversations: top tips for the physician*
Dr Ranjana Srivastava and Dr Gauri Gogna |
| 10:45am | Break |
| 11:05am | Médecins Sans Frontières - pathways to practice*
MSF physician - Dr Justine Cain | Drug-taking behaviour in your patients
A/Prof Amy Peacock, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) |
| 12:05pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Neurodivergence and a public approach to supporting the disability*
Professor Ian Anderson and Associate Professor Caroline Dowling | Pumping, pregnancy and postpartum on the wards
Dr Simone Ardern-Holmes, Dr Gauri Gogna, Dr Sarah Arachchi | Policy hackathon: fix one rule that drives you mad
Dr Lloyd Nash, Associate Professor Nicole Hancock |
| 2:00pm | Designing a portfolio career: clinician, educator, researcher, leader*
Dr Ella Smalley, Dr Lloyd Nash, Dr Sarah Arachchi | Gaps, traps and paycheques: a trainee’s crash‑course in private work
Dr Owen Bradfield, MIPS | Research workshop
Professor James McMahon |
| 3:00pm | Break |
| 3:20pm | Conduits of care: advocacy from the bedside to the boardroom*
Dr Ruth Mitchell, paediatric and adult neurosurgeon
Followed by a fireside conversation with RACP Independent Interim Board Chair, Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe AM |
| 4:05pm | Closing remarks |
| 4:15pm | Day one concludes |
| 6:30pm | Social function |
| 9:00pm | Social function ends |
* Plenary sessions available as part of virtual registration
Day 1: Program description
Leadership through uncertainty: balancing humanity and duty
The Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern will join RACP College Dean, Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu, for a moderated conversation exploring leadership through uncertainty and the importance of acting with humanity and humility during challenging times.
Drawing on her experience leading Aotearoa New Zealand through periods of extraordinary challenge, Ms Ardern will share insights into navigating high-stakes decisions, leading under pressure and balancing responsibility with empathy.
Conduits of care: advocacy from the bedside to the boardroom
Drawing on her experiences across neurosurgery, medical education, global health and international advocacy, Dr Ruth Mitchell will challenge attendees to think about the kind of physician they want to be – and the impact they can have both within and beyond clinical practice.
You get to have it all: Designing a career of research and community impact
In this session, Dr Ella Smalley shares her experience navigating a career that combines research, advocacy, leadership, and community engagement.
Reflecting on the opportunities, challenges, and unexpected turns that have shaped her journey, Ella will discuss how early-career clinicians can build meaningful, sustainable careers that align with their values and interests.
This presentation will explore resilience, embracing non-linear career paths, and creating impact both within and beyond traditional professional roles.
Pumping, pregnancy and postpartum on the wards
This will be a highly practical session on navigating pregnancy and early postpartum at work: risk assessments, modified duties, breastfeeding/pumping logistics and fatigue management in hospital settings.
Policy hackathon: fix one rule that drives you mad
In cross‑disciplinary teams, trainees choose a specific policy (e.g. transfer criteria, outpatient eligibility) and redesign it using a ‘policy hack’ framework. Each team will present a one‑page brief and a 3‑minute pitch to a panel playing the role of health department or hospital executives.
Gaps, traps and paycheques: A trainee’s crash‑course in private work
Through real‑world scenarios, participants learn how to spot red‑flag clauses, avoid medico‑legal and compliance pitfalls, and hold clear, patient‑centred conversations about fees and gap schemes—leaving with a practical 1–2 page “before I sign” checklist and simple scripts they can use immediately.
Day 2: Sunday, 8 November 2026
| Time | Session |
|---|
| 7:00am | Slow flow yoga and stretch lab for shift workers (optional) |
| 8:00am | Sponsor breakfast (optional)
William Buck |
| 9:00am | Welcome - Welcome to Country and Kara Kia* |
| 9:10am | President address* |
| 9:20am | Keynote session: The power of no: One man, one idea, a national movement*
Dr Daniel Nour |
| 10:05am | Participants moving to concurrent sessions |
| 10:15am | Culture first, then care: re-imagining clinical encounters through Indigenous lenses - Part 1 Maori and Pacific*^
Dr Matt Wheeler, Dr Joshua Agnew | Medico-legal and complaint handling
Melanie Robson, Avant | What happened when I stopped worrying and started a family: Making sense of work-life balance in the modern world
Dr Ranjana Srivastava and Dr Matt Wheeler |
| 11:15am | Break |
| 11:35am | Culture first, then care: re-imagining clinical encounters through Indigenous lenses - Part 2 Indigenous Australians*^
Professor Jacquelyne Hughes | Leadership in medicine: does it even matter?
Dr Simone Ardern Holmes | The ins and outs of medical Billing
Sponsored by MedBill |
| 12:35pm | Lunch |
| 1:25pm | Rapid-Fire Clinical Updates - AMD*
Cardiology, Endocrinology, Neurology, Clinical Pharm, Infectious Diseases, General and Acute
Professor James McMahon, Associate Professor Andrew Black, Associate Professor Roland McCallum and Associate Professor David Sullivan | Rapid-Fire Clinical Updates – PCHD
Dr Heinrich Weber, Dr Joshua Agnew |
| 3:15pm | Break |
| 3:35pm | Panel: “The training contract: are we still setting up the physician workforce for success?” *
Dr Matt Wheeler, Dr Simone Ardern Holmes, Associate Professor Nicole Hancock, Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu |
| 4:10pm | Closing remarks* |
| 4:20pm | Day two concludes |
* Plenary sessions available as part of virtual registration
^CPD hours available for virtual and in-person sessions
Day 2: Program description
Yoga and stretch
Gentle, accessible session focused on undoing ‘registrar posture’ with take‑home 5‑minute sequences.
The power of no: One man, one idea, a national movement
How do you turn rejection into determination - and a simple idea into a national movement?
Dr Daniel Nour will share how witnessing health inequity in his community led him down an unexpected path as an agent of change.
Through the story of Street Side Medics, Daniel will explore how hearing “no” fuelled his determination to build a national movement delivering healthcare to people experiencing homelessness - and demonstrate the impact physicians can have beyond their clinical practice.
^Earning Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with RACP MyCPD
All in-person attendees participating in RACP CPD are eligible to earn CPD Category One hours for this conference.
Fellows participating in-person and virtually can earn the following CPD in the highlighted plenary session:
- Two hours of Cultural Safety CPD^
These are available for both in-person and virtual registrations.
Disclaimer
Please note the program may be subject to change at any time.
Keynote speakers and program presenters at this event do not indicate, imply, or represent any political affiliation, endorsement, or position of the College. The views and opinions expressed by speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the College. The College’s decision to host or invite a speaker should not be interpreted as support for any political party, movement, ideology, or political position. The College remains politically neutral and does not align itself with, endorse, or take sides in political matters.