Thursday, 27th November ANZSPM Update
Special Interest Group (SIG) Workshops
Select SIG Workshops will also be held on Thursday, 27th.
These will run separately from the Trainee and New Fellow Day.
1. Kidney Supportive Care (KSC) Workshop
Location: Australia Room 2
Kidney supportive care is the combination of nephrology and palliative medicine skills and expertise to meet the complex needs of patients living with advanced kidney disease. This workshop will explore various aspects of kidney supportive care, from management of refractory symptoms to service development, as well as examine the more unique challenges palliative medicine specialists may face when caring for patients with kidney disease, such as prognostication and dialysis withdrawal.
2. ANZSPM Neuro x Resp Special Interest Group Workshop – Warranted and Unwarranted Variations in Care: Capability Building for Providers
Location: Australia Room 3
Respiratory symptoms are common in palliative care. Individualised approach is warranted to account for different underlying pathologies, other concurrent symptoms and care needs. Unwarranted variation exists in the availability of best possible care, especially when interventions are dependent on medications, respiratory devices, and the expertise required to operate them. This workshop, led by ANZSPM Neuropalliative and Respiratory Special Interest Groups, gathers interdisciplinary and multi-professional experts to update the knowledge needed to enable individualised care, and to ask the hard questions on how we can realistically minimise unwarranted variations in care.
ANZSPM Trainee & New Fellow Day
Registration & arrival tea and coffee
Welcome & Acknowledgement of Country
Management of Malignant Pleural Effusions
Dr Suzy Guo, Consultant, Alfred Health
Dr Suzy Guo is a Respiratory and Sleep Physician with subspecialty expertise in Pleural Medicine. She completed a clinical fellowship in Interventional Pleural Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom. Dr Guo is the Pleural Lead at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, and consults privately at Epworth Eastern
Rural & Remote Palliative Care
Ofra Fried: Clinical Lead, Specialist Palliative Care Rural Telehealth (SPaRTa), Townsville Hub
Dr. Fried has worked in the Palliative Care sector for the last thirty years, initially in Alice Springs covering rural and remote regions of Central Australia, NT, and subsequently in Townsville, Queensland. For the last 5 years she has led the Townsville Hub of the innovative Statewide Rural and Remote Specialist Palliative Care Telehealth Service. Dr. Fried wrote her Master’s thesis on Cross-cultural Palliative Care in Central Australia. She is currently writing her PhD on the history of Palliative Medicine in Australia and New Zealand. In 2023 she was awarded the Palliative Care Queensland Lifetime Achievement Award.
Morning Tea
What happens now? -Coronial and medical processes following the report of a death to the Coroner
Dr. Jodie Leditschke: Manager of the mortuary and Coronial Admissions & Enquiries, The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Australia
Dr. Jodie Leditschke (PhD) is currently the manager of the mortuary and Coronial Admissions & Enquiries at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Australia. She has over 30 years’ experience in forensic mortuaries including the management of mortuaries following disasters here in Australia and internationally. Her role has alos included managing the Coronial Admissions Office for past 10 years. She completed her PHD in 1996 in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University titled Cervical Spine Injuries in Motor Vehicle Accidents. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University and founding Fellow, Faculty of Science, RCPA. She has worked as a consultant for ICRC conducting workshops on mortuary standards and setting up of temporary mortuaries following disasters and working with countries to further develop their mortuary capacity.
Talking with Teenagers - practical strategies for palliative clinicians
Dr Molly Williams: Paediatric Palliative Care Physician and Oncologist, Royal Children's Hospital
Dr Molly Williams is a dual trained paediatric solid tumour/neuro-oncologist and palliative care physician. She has worked in complimentary roles in the RCH Children's Cancer Centre and Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program since 2017. Her areas of expertise and interest are in the impact of emerging cancer therapies on the palliative care experience and the holistic supportive care of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Dr Williams is involved in statewide education, participating in community capacity building, podcasts and writing on ethical decision-making. In her spare time, she spoils her elderly rescue dog and dabbles in home-brewing, distilling, cheesemaking and pottery.
Lunch
Renal Trainee Day Session
Dr Cindy Bach, Nephrologist, Austin Health
Cindy is an early nephrologist and is dual trained in General and Acute Medicine. She is currently undertaking a glomerulonephritis fellowship at Austin Health. Cindy is interested in the management of glomerulonephritis conditions, dialysis and hypertension. Cindy is particularly interested in ensuring patients have opportunities to access kidney supportive care as a treatment pathway and currently works in the Kidney Supportive Care clinic at Austin health.
Pharmacological managements for respiratory symptoms - secretions, sputum and cough
Dr Fiona Runacres: Director, Palliative Care Services, Monash Health
Fiona is a palliative care specialist and Director of Palliative Care at Monash Health. She also holds a clinical appointment at Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, providing Neuropalliative care for patients attending the Statewide Progressive Neurological Diseases Service. Fiona is co-chair of the ANZSPM Neuropalliative Care Special Interest Group and has research interests in models of palliative care provision.
Dr Julie McDonald: Respiratory and Palliative Care Physician, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
Julie is dual trained in Respiratory Medicine and Palliative Care, enabling her to deliver seamless, continuous care for patients with advanced lung disease. Her clinical and research work focuses on improving symptom control—particularly breathlessness and cough—and on promoting the early integration of palliative care for individuals with advanced malignant and non-malignant conditions, including COPD, interstitial lung disease, and systemic sclerosis.
Afternoon Tea
LGBTQI+ inclusive palliative care - including findings from a systematic review on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) assessments by palliative care providers
Dr Ashwin Kaniah: Palliative Medicine Specialist (Brisbane North)
General Practitioner | FRACGP, Redcliffe Hospital
Dr Ashwin Kaniah is currently in the final three months of Palliative Medicine Advanced Training in New South Wales, building on a strong foundation in general practice. He has a particular interest in geriatric medicine and dementia care, and is a committed advocate for timely palliative medicine referral and early involvement in the care of people living with dementia.
Intimacy and Sexuality in Palliative Care
Rachael Brown: A/Senior Occupational Therapist & Occupational Therapy Education Lead, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
With advanced clinical expertise in oncology, progressive neurological conditions and specialist palliative care. Her work spans acute, outpatients and community settings, with a focus on functional assessment, complex symptom management and enabling patient-centred goals at end of life.
With post graduate qualifications in health science and research, Rachael leads clinical education, service development and research translation across the Allied Health workforce, with interests in co-design, consumer education and inclusive healthcare. Her recent publication on LGBTQIA+ capability in occupational therapy contributes to national discourse on equitable, evidence-informed practice.