Kerrie is passionate about helping progress health care reform in primary health care. She has worked in general practice for the past 18 years, initially as a practice nurse and for the past 13 years as a nurse practitioner. She is co-owner of Cygnet Family Practice, a general practice serving the Huon Valley. Kerrie has become increasingly aware of people not being able to access health care on the day they need it. She successfully applied for a state funded grant in 2022 to develop and implement an innovative model of care providing an Urgent and After-Hours Service. This model uses the knowledge, skills and expertise of a nurse practitioner and community paramedic. This model is currently proving to be a solution to the crisis in accessing safe, quality and expert health care in rural Australia.

Ashley White is the Health Education & Research Centre (HERC) Education Manager. Ashley is a Registered Nurse who graduated from UTAS with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2007. ⁠She spent 12 years working in Oncology and during this time engaged in post graduate studies and obtained a Graduate Certificate in Nursing specialising in Oncology. As her interests moved toward Education with a passion for building a stronger future for the nursing profession, she studied a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and in 2018 commenced employment with HERC as a Nurse Educator. ⁠Ashley is currently developing an Advanced Diploma of Nursing Course for HERC which is a nationally accredited qualification providing Enrolled Nurses with advanced skills and knowledge in specific areas of nursing practice including client assessment, care and management across a wide range of health care settings.

Laura has more than 20 years’ experience as a nurse in Australia and the United Kingdom, involving extensive exposure to challenging healthcare environments, and significant management and leadership experience.

Laura has played a key role in leading the development of the Department of Health’s Virtual Care Program, including the establishment of the COVID@home program. The success of this program is evidenced by its expansion to include virtual care for other respiratory illnesses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laura performed the role of Incident Controller within the Department, which involved direct interactions with senior government leaders.

Laura holds a Master of Nursing (Oncology) and is a graduate of the Tasmanian Leaders Program.

Lucy has worked in healthcare since 2007 predominantly in the perioperative setting specialising in anaesthesia and has completed a Master of Clinical Nursing (Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing). Her special interest areas are paediatric anaesthesia and healthcare for patients with intellectual disabilities. Lucy was awarded the 2024 Andrew Brakey Award for her work on the Quiet Pathway, a general anaesthesia service for patients with intellectual disabilities.

In 2023 Lucy commenced studying a Master of Nurse Practitioner (Anaesthesia) hoping to be the first nurse practitioner working in this field in Tasmania. She is passionate about the progression of the nurse practitioner role in healthcare and dedicated to inspiring other advanced practice nurses to achieve and succeed. She is currently working in the inaugural Anaesthesia Nurse Practitioner Candidate role at the Royal Hobart Hospital and teaches postgraduate perioperative nursing at the University of Tasmania.

Lucy has published a paper with Dr Paula Foran on advanced practice roles for anaesthesia nurses in the Journal of Perioperative Nursing, winning the award for best paper in 2022, and has been featured in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal. In 2024 she presented at the inaugural PeriAnaesthesia Nursing online summit on developing advanced practice nursing roles for anaesthesia nurses and was recently a guest speaker at the Indonesian Anesthesia Nurses Association 50th Anniversary meeting to foster collaboration and education between Australia and Indonesia for anaesthesia nurses.

Alison has over 25 years of clinical experience and is a dedicated and versatile Nurse Practitioner and Paramedic. Her background includes roles in Emergency, Quality and Safety, Aged Care, and Primary Care settings, where she has demonstrated expertise in clinical care, leadership, and project management. Active in professional advocacy including current State Chair of the ACNP and membership to the Tasmanian Health Senate, Alison strives to influence policy and legislation around inclusion of non-medical models into future planning. Alison is committed to advancing healthcare practices and improving patient outcomes, especially in regional and remote areas.

Dawn has worked in various capacities within Nursing and Midwifery clinically and in management for over thirty years attaining a wealth of experience in the health sector. Completing a Nursing qualification in 1993, Dawn progressed to midwifery in 2010 after which she completed a Masters in Midwifery and prescribing at Griffith University Queensland.