Board

Dr Edward Vergara - Chair

Ed Vergara is the GPRA Chair. He has recently completed his GP training at VMA where he was awarded the 2011 Dr Khulod Maarouf Hassan Memorial Registrar of the Year Award. He is currently working at Westcare Medical Centre in Melton, Victoria. Ed graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2005 but spent the early part of his career in surgical training in Victoria before discovering his attraction to the diversity and challenges found in general practice. 

He has a strong interest in incorporating an academic component to his clinical practice and so has completed two years of his training at an academic post at the University of Melbourne. During this time he had both researcher and lecturer roles. He has continued this by pursuing a research higher degree, 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. His interest in medical education not only covers medical students. He has made major contributions in the development of the Registrar Medical Educator training post at VMA. He also has an ongoing involvement at VMA through the teaching of GP registrars.

Ed has a strong interest in and history of advocacy, with a deep commitment to registrar issues through his involvement as a registrar liaison officer at VMA for three years during his training, and continuing contributions to a number of GPRA subcommittees. He brings experience in corporate governance through his ongoing role as board director and member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Subcommittee at VMA, as well as completion of courses through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Holly Deer - Vice Chair

Holly is the GPRA Vice Chair. She is currently working as a senior GP registrar in the mid-north of South Australia. She has completed her Advanced Rural Skills Post in palliative care and is working towards a fellowship of Advanced Rural General Practice, under RACGP training. Holly has completed a Diploma in Palliative Medicine. She is working towards dual training for fellowships of RACGP and ACRRM.

Holly is passionate about general practice training and the future of the profession, as well as workforce issues. She has a strong interest in rural general practice, and support for all registrars, particularly rural-based registrars. She has shown a commitment to registrar issues through her involvement with Adelaide to Outback GP training as the Rural Registrar Liaison Officer 2010-2011.

Dr Emily Farrell

Emily completed her GP training in 2010 with North Coast General Practice Training. During her registrarship she took up opportunities such as the Registrar Research and Development Officer (RRADO) with General Practice Education and Training (GPET) in 2009 and an academic post at Bond University in 2010. Her clinical interest is in women's health and she works at Family Planning QLD in Brisbane. Emily graduated BMBS from Flinders University in 2005 and has an undergraduate degree in Indigenous Health (BApHSci [IPHC]) from the University of QLD 2001. Outside of medicine she has a strong interest in the textile arts and culinary experiences. Emily fulfilled the role of interim chair of GPRA during the process of board restructuring in late 2011.

Dr Anne Kleinitz

Anne is based in Darwin. She works both in General Practice and as the Year 3 Co-ordinator for the Flinder's University NT Medical Program. She has been the registrar liaison officer (RLO) for both the Northern Territory General Practice Education (NTGPE) as well as previously with the Victorian Metropolitan Alliance (VMA).

Anne's interests within general practice include rural and indigenous health.  She grew up in country Victoria, did a John Flynn Scholarship to the Torres Straits and has worked extensively in rural and remote Australia, including Vic, Qld, NT and WA.  In WA she spent a year working in remote communities and part of a team trying to prevent and manage renal disease. In 2011 she sat both her ACRRM and RACGP exams. For her RACGP OSCE she was awarded the Monty Kent-Hughes memorial medal for the highest marks nationally.  She is passionate about medical education and encouraging GP registrars to get involved with teaching.  She is  Secretary of the GPRA Registrar Medical Educator subcommittee and is currently doing an Academic Post looking at GP registrar attitudes towards teaching medical students.

Clark Maul

Dr Clark Maul is the prevocational/medical student director.  Clark is serving as an Intern Medical Officer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Joondalup Health Campus in Perth for 2012; he joined the board in late 2011 as a final year medical student at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle. Before entering medical school, Clark was a barrister/solicitor in a large commercial law firm. He brings a unique perspective to the GPRA board with his considerable knowledge of corporate and commercial law.

Clark’s involvement in the GPSN First Wave Scholarship program and the John Flynn Placement Program during his medical studies fostered his interest in general practice. Following his hospital terms, Clark intends to train in general practice with a view to working in a rural general practice setting.

Dr Bennie Ng

Dr Bennie Ng is the Deputy Director of Medical Services at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia's only public hospital solely dedicated to cancer.  

Bennie graduated from the University of Western Australia and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. After several years of clinical practice in Perth, he developed a professional interest in health management and medical administration. He is currently a registrar in the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators training programme.

Bennie has held various policy and executive roles in Australia and abroad. He was the managing director of GPRA during what was a critical transformation period for the delivery of primary care education and training. 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 the Senior Manager for Service Planning and Development at the head office of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority for three years, with key responsibilities in formulating strategies for clinical services and hospital developments to meet the growing demand of patients and the community across the authority’s 41 public hospitals.

Dr Piotr (Peter) Swierkowski

Piotr is the Executive Director of Medical Services at the Sunshine Coast Health Service District and is based at Nambour Hospital, where he provides professional leadership to over 450 senior and junior medical practitioners. He is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and is about to complete his fellowship to 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 in 2000. Piotr is dedicated to continued professional development and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is an active member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Quality Assurance and Continuing Professional Development Program. Piotr's interests lie in quality assurance and risk management, approaching both disciplines from a physical science perspective.

Dr Allison Turnock

Allison is a GPT3 Registrar at Bellerive Quay Surgery, Tasmania. In 2006, she graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery with Honors from the University of Tasmania. In 2010, she attained a Diploma in Child Health through Westmead Children’s Hospital.

Allison has been a passionate advocate for GP registrars at a local and national level and has explored key issues facing her peers, including terms and conditions, GP term placements and requirements of training and the education program. She won GPET Registrar of the Year in 2010 for her work on a major review of GPTT’s registrar placement policy. Allison is also the Chair of the GPRA Registrar Medical Educators Subcommittee. She is aiming to complete her academic post in July 2012.

Dr Mary Wyatt

Mary is currently a resident at Fremantle Hospital having just completed her Intern year at Royal Perth Hospital and in her first year of GP training. Mary holds a BSc (Biomedical) and a Diploma of Education. She has previously worked as a pharmaceutical representative, and as a mathematics teacher working in country areas such as Tamworth and Wollongong.

Mary has been interested in general practice since she started her medical studies and hopes to move back to a small country town as a GP once her training is completed. She joined GPSN in its early days in 2007 and was the student ambassador for Wollongong University until 2008, then in 2009 became National Secretary of GPSN. Mary was also the Going Places Ambassador at Royal Perth Hospital in 2011. She is interested in fostering interaction of the GP pathway between students, prevocational doctors and GP registrars.