Board
Dr Edward Vergara – GPRA Chair
Dr Edward Vergara works at Westcare Medical Centre in Melton, Victoria.GP. He graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2005 and spent the early part of his career in surgical training in Victoria. But the diversity and challenges available in general practice appealed to him, so he took GP training at VMA, where he was awarded the 2011 Dr Khulod Maarouf Hassan Memorial Registrar of the Year Award. Ed is interested in incorporating an academic component to his clinical practice and has completed an academic post at the University of Melbourne in both researcher and lecturer roles. He has also taken a Masters in Philosophy as well as participating in an advisory capacity to the teaching and learning unit of the General Practice and Primary Care Academic Unit. He has also made major contributions to the development of the Registrar Medical Educator training posts at VMA, where he trains GP registrars. Ed brings a great deal of experience in corporate governance to his role as Board Director. He has completed several courses with the Australian Institute of Company Directors and he is also a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Subcommittee at VMA.
Dr Holly Deer – Vice Chair
Dr Holly Deer is the Vice Chair of the GPRA and she is as a senior GP registrar in the mid-north of South Australia. She has a Diploma in Palliative Medicine, and has completed an advanced rural skills post in palliative care. Holly is now working towards dual training for fellowships of the RACGP and ACRRM. Her professional passions are workforce issues, general practice training rural general practice and the future of the profession. She is committed to improving support for rural-based registrars and she trained as the rural registrar liaison officer with Adelaide to Outback GP training from 2010 to 2011.
Dr Anne Kleinitz
Dr Anne Kleinitz is the past chair of the GPRMEN. She was also the registrar liaison officer for both Northern Territory General Practice Education and VMA, and she is the Year 3 Coordinator in general practice for the Flinders University NT Medical Program in Darwin. Anne’s passions include medical education, and she is currently undertaking an academic post, which examines GP registrar attitudes towards teaching medical students. She is also passionate about rural practice and Indigenous health. Anne grew up in Victoria, and has worked extensively in rural Australia earning a John Flynn Scholarship to the Torres Strait. She also spent a year working in remote communities in Western Australia in a team that focused on preventing and managing rental disease. Anne sat the ACRRM and RACGP exams in 2011 and she was awarded the Monty Kent-Hughes Memorial Medal for achieving the highest marks in Australia.
Dr Clark Maul
Clark is the GPRA prevocational/medical student Director. He is currently an intern medical officer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Joondalup Health Campus in Perth, and joined the board in late 2011 as a final year medical student at University of Notre Dame, Fremantle. Before entering medical school, Clark was a solicitor in a large commercial law firm. He brings a unique perspective to the GPRA Board with considerable knowledge of corporate and commercial law. Clark’s was involved in the GPSN First Wave Scholarship program and the John Flynn Placement Program during his medical studies. He intends to specialise in general practice and he has been accepted into the WAGPET Rural Pathway.
Dr Mary Wyatt
Dr Mary Wyatt chairs the Noms and Reps Board Subcommittee. She is a resident at Fremantle Hospital and she has just completed her intern year at Royal Perth Hospital. She joined GPSN in 2007 and was the student ambassador for Wollongong University until 2008, national secretary of GPSN in 2009, and Going Places Ambassador at Royal Perth Hospital in 2011. Mary holds a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Education. She has also worked as a pharmaceutical representative, and as a mathematics teacher in New South Wales. She is interested in fostering interaction between students, prevocational doctors and GP registrars and once her GP training is complete, she hopes to move back to a small country town.
Dr Bennie Ng
Dr Bennie Ng has held various policy and executive roles both in Australia and abroad. He was the managing director of GPRA during a critical transformation period for the delivery of primary care education and training. He is the Deputy Director of Medical Services at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Bennie graduated from the University of Western Australia and is a Fellow of the RACGP. He several years of clinical practice in Perth, he developed a professional interest in health management and medical administration. He was an adviser to a former federal minister of Health and Ageing on issues and policies related to Medicare, primary care and aged care. He was also a senior manager for service planning and development at the Hong Kong Hospital Authority.
Dr Piotr (Peter) Swierkowski
Dr Piotr Swierkowski chairs the Finance and Risk Management Board Subcommittee. He is the Executive Director of Medical Services at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service in Queensland and is based at Nambour Hospital, where he provides professional leadership to over 500 senior and junior medical practitioners. The various facets of his role specifically include medical education and training. He has been a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators since 2006 and is also a recent Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. In 1997 Piotr graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry/Anatomy double major), followed with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery with Honours. He has a Master of Health Administration as well as the Executive Master of Business Administration (AGSM). Piotr is dedicated to continued professional development as a board director and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Piotr's interests lie in quality assurance and risk management, and in approaching both disciplines from a physical science perspective.