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This year’s Leadership 2040 Conference will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hobart on Friday 1 November 2024. The theme will be Resilience | Inclusion | Transformation, and we invite health professionals from across the private, public, education and community health sectors to attend.
Keynote Speaker & MC – Dr Lila Landowski
Dr Lila Landowski is a multi-award winning neuroscientist and senior lecturer that expertly arms people with an understanding of how their brain works, to help them make better choices in their lives. She empowers you with cost-free strategies for maximising brain function, minimising negative brain changes and improving resilience.
Lila is also a Director of the Australian Society for Medical Research, a Director of Epilepsy Tasmania, as well as a regular guest expert science communicator for the ABC. Lila’s research background spans across stroke, nanotechnology, fatigue, dementia, axon guidance and peripheral nerve regeneration
As a thought leader in STEM and STEM advocacy, her honorary titles include being a Science and Technology Australia "Superstar of STEM," a Patron of National Science week, a Public Education ambassador for the Department of Education and one of the Chief Scientist of Australia's "Science Superheroes".
Over the last 13 years, Lila has taught across the across the Bachelor of Medicine, Dementia Care, Medical Research, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Nursing, Paramedicine and Science; as well as the Masters of Medical Research and Dementia Care. Lila has been awarded the university’s highest honour – two Vice Chancellors’ citations - for her early career academic teaching and community engagement.
She’s received accolades including the Young Achiever of the Year, an Australian Institute of Policy and Science Young Tall Poppy award winner, a finalist for the Australian Eureka Prize, and a Tasmanian finalist for Young Australian of the Year. She was also named as one of Australia’s top 20 Scientists in the Herald Sun, and is the focus of a short documentary called “Catching Opportunity”.
Speaker – Alison Overeem
Alison Overeem is a proud palawa woman from South-East Tasmania who is driven by culture, family, empowerment and creating safe spaces to build hope and healing. Alison is passionate about raising awareness of Aboriginal culture and history and the rights of women in society. As a result, Alison was a past member of the Tasmanian Women’s Council. While working in aged care at the age of 16, Alison studied for a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and graduated in 1989.
Alison established the Aboriginal Children’s Centre at West Moonah in 1989. As Director of the Aboriginal Children’s Centre from 1989 to 2013, she helped design a state-of-the-art, award-winning, culturally inclusive children’s centre at Risdon Cove. Alison believes she was fortunate to be at the forefront of developing a multifunctional Aboriginal service, the first of its kind in Tasmania. It was, in fact, a precursor to the Child and Family Centres rolled out across Tasmania in recent years.
In 2013, Alison was appointed as the Leprena Manager, Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC
Tasmania). Alison has been instrumental in broadening Leprena’s engagement, networking and connections. Leprena’s mission is to be the lead provider of cultural and spiritual learning and immersion, uniting First and Second Peoples through Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, and the National UAICC story, across the nation. Leprena promotes a shared learning and unlearning between First and Second Peoples and provides projects and programs in a culturally and spiritually safe space by facilitating gatherings centred on cultural, emotional and social wellness. Leprena also provides training to church communities, not-for-profits, government and non-government organisations and educational groups.
Alison is also heavily involved with multiple advocacy, policy and strategic planning committees. She is a member of the UAICC National Executive, Uniting Care board of Australia, Uniting Church Assembly Standing Committee, Advocate for the Walking Together circle for the National UCA Assembly, co-chair of the UCA Vic Tas Walking Together committee and various others. Alison has made numerous contributions to publications and resources nationally around culturally inclusive practice models of service delivery for Aboriginal communities. She has also been involved in advocacy and policies impacting social justice movements and climate change. Alison has a Bachelor of Education and an Advanced Diploma in Management.
Speaker – Dale Webster
Dale was appointed to the role of Acting Secretary, Department of Health in May 2024 and prior to his appointment, he held the role of Deputy Secretary Community, Mental Health and Wellbeing since August 2020. Prior to his roles with the Department of Health, Dale held a series of Statutory Appointments including Director of Consumer Affairs, Residential Tenancy Commissioner and Registrar for the Working with Vulnerable People process. From 2017 to 2019 Dale chaired Consumer Affairs Australia and New Zealand, leading the implementation of the review of the Australian Consumer Law.
Dale has 37 years experience in public policy, including stints as the Registrar of the Mental Health Tribunal and Guardianship and Administration Board and for a number of years was the co-ordinating member of the Disability Services Ethics Committee. Dale had a major role in the development of the Mental Health Act 2013, the establishment of the Integrity Commission and from 2008 to 2010 undertook the review of the then Freedom of Information Act, the Personal Information Privacy Act and the Public Interest Disclosures Act.
Awarded the Public Service Medal in the Australian Day Honours 2023.
Dale has qualifications in social work, adult education, project management and public policy.
Speaker – Dr Joseph Crawford
Dr Joseph Crawford explores how people work and learn, and how the effects lives. He has expertise in psychometric evaluation, diverse quantitative methods, and review methods. He has published in top management journals like Leadership Quarterly, and top education journals like Computers and Education and ranks in the top 1 percent of most cited researchers globally on Google Scholar, and top 8 percent globally on Web of Science. Joey has been listed in the top 2 percent of researchers in the Stanford Top Scientists list for the past two years. Joey is Editor in Chief of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, Australia’s largest education journal, and President of the Open Access Publishing Association. More recently, his work has been considering how tools like ChatGPT are influencing the way people work, how people make and form connections in the workplace, and cultivating belonging.
Speaker – Katie Kelly
Katie holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration and has extensive experience in policy roles within the Australian sporting sector, including a decade at the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. For the past seven years, she has worked in public policy within the Tasmanian Public Sector, focusing on LGBTIQA+ initiatives at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Currently, Katie is on secondment to the Department of Health, where she is advancing reforms related to sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics, and sexual orientation following the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage and Gender Amendments) Act 2019. This Act introduced changes to how the Tasmanian Government collects and presents sex and gender information.
In addition to her professional work, Katie serves as the President of Meals on Wheels Tasmania, which has been vital in supporting the health and well-being of thousands of older Tasmanians across 15 service locations for over 70 years.
Speaker – Professor Dinesh Arya
MBBS, MD, DPM, MRCPsych, DM, FRANZCP, CHMS, DipHSM, MBS, FRACMA, FACHSE, AFNZIM, MBHL, GAICD, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Professor Dinesh Arya is Tasmania’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Psychiatrist and the Deputy Secretary – Clinical Quality, Regulation and Accreditation. He has held similar Chief roles in other jurisdictions in Australia. He has been a member of the NHMRC Council in two previous trienniums and rejoined the Council in 2024.
Professor Arya is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Management and a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. He has also completed a Masters in Business, a Masters in Bioethics and Health Law, an Executive Masters in Public Administration, Masters in Data Science, Strategy and Leadership and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Professor Arya retains a keen interest in health systems leadership, change, innovation and improvement, ethics, health law and health policy reform. His published opinion pieces and reviews in peer-reviewed journals include on quality improvement, clinical governance, leadership, innovation, facility design, health reform, shared service arrangements and compulsory treatment in mental health.
In the past, Professor Arya has held a variety of senior executive roles at the jurisdictional level and in the public health sector in New Zealand, Western Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory, ACT and in the private health sector in the Middle East, including as a Medical Chief Executive, Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Lead in Innovation and Reform and Chief of Clinical Operations.
