Welcome

Dr Bridget Farrant, Adolescent Physician

Dr Bridget Farrant will be covering the hot topics in paediatric care and focus on improving care for adolescents and young adults.

Moving beyond transition: Youth Appropriate Health

Prof Simon Denny, Paediatrician and Adolescent and Young Adult Physician

Prof Simon Denny will provide a detailed overview of the biological, psychological, and social changes that occur during adolescent and young adult (AYA) years.

Many young people experience fragmented care during this period, particularly those with chronic illness, disability, mental health challenges, or complex psychosocial needs.

The concept of youth-appropriate healthcare (YAH) provides a broader framework. Rather than focusing only on the handover between services, YAH asks how health systems can be designed to meet the developmental needs of young people. This includes:

• developmentally informed care
• youth-friendly environments that encourage engagement
• integrated multidisciplinary approaches addressing medical, mental health, and psychosocial needs

Continuity of care across the adolescent–adult boundary and meaningful involvement of young people in service design are also central.

Transition for youth with chronic lung disease

Prof Cass Byrnes, Paediatric Respiratory Physician

This session will explore the similarities and differences in transition for youth with chronic lung disease, especially for those with cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis.

It will cover what has worked well and highlight variations in achieving a smooth transition from paediatrics to adult clinics with no gap in care.

What do Rangatahi Māori want from health services?

Dr Denise Bennett, Adolescent Physician

In this session, Dr Denise Bennett will provide an introduction to Te Ukaipo, a values-based framework for youth health, and reflect on how this could be useful for youth in transition from both paediatric and adult perspectives.

ADHD: Navigating diagnosis, prescribing and transition

Dr Colette Muir, Developmental Paediatrician

With increasing demand for ADHD services and recent changes to prescribing, the clinical approach to supporting rangatahi with ADHD is evolving.

This session will focus on practical updates to diagnosis, prescribing, and ongoing supports for clinicians supporting rangatahi with ADHD.

Professor Simon Denny

Professor Simon Denny, M.P.H., Ph.D., FRACP is an internationally recognised Adolescent and Young Adult Physician, researcher, and health system leader. He is the Director of the Mater Young Adult Health Centre and a Professor at the University of Queensland, where his work focuses on improving health outcomes for adolescents and young adults, particularly within adult hospital settings.

Professor Denny is a leading advocate for youth-centred models of care that extend beyond traditional paediatric–adult transitions, embedding developmentally appropriate, multidisciplinary services within adult health systems.

His clinical and research interests include chronic disease management, mental health, health risk behaviours, and healthcare accessibility for young people. He has authored many peer-reviewed publications and his highly cited work on the social determinants of adolescent health, published in The Lancet, has shaped international policy and practice. His work continues to influence youth health policy, clinical practice, and professional education globally.

Dr Bridget Farrant

Dr Bridget Farrant is an Adolescent Physician and Clinical Head at Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau Kidz First Centre for Youth Health.

She is also a Clinical Advisor for the Northern Region Starting Well team of Te Whatu Ora Planning, Funding and Outcomes and senior lecturer with the University of Auckland’s Department of Paediatrics.

Bridget’s clinical and research interests include young people with chronic health conditions, youth appropriate health service development, integration and quality improvement, as well as education and training in adolescent and young adult health.

Professor Catherine (Cass) Byrnes

Professor Cass Byrnes is a Professor of Paediatric Population Health in the Paediatric Department of the University of Auckland and a paediatric respiratory specialist at the Starship Children & Kidz First Hospitals.

Cass leads research in prevention of disease or disease progression notably in bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis.

She seeks to improve health equity especially for Māori and Pasifika children, which involves exploring health care delivery, including transition to adult services.

Dr Colette Muir

Dr Colette Muir (Ngāi Tahu) is a Developmental Paediatrician at Starship, Auckland.

She specialises in working with young people with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Dr Denise Bennett

Dr Denise Bennett is a Youth Health Physician and General Paediatrician working at the Centre for Youth Health, Middlemore Hospital.

Denise is of Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Porou, Kai Tahu decent and uses she/her/ia pronouns.