Dr Hilton Koppe is a general practitioner in Lennox Head, a small village on the east coast of Australia. Hilton combines his clinical work with an active role in medical education, training new and experienced doctors within the region and around Australia. Since 2017, Hilton has been working with the team at University of Tasmania’s Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre and with Dementia Training Australia to develop and deliver innovative education programs to assist with the recognition, diagnosis and management of dementia in the general practice setting. Hilton also runs creative writing workshops for doctors and health professionals with the goal of deepening their compassion, overcoming professional isolation and reducing the risk of burn out. He is regularly invited to present this work at conferences and workshops around Australia and overseas. Hilton’s is a fledging writer himself, and his writing can be found in a diverse range of publications including Grieve, The Examined Life, Pulse, Chrysalis, The Universal Doctor and More Voices.

B.Med Sci., MBBS (Honours), FRACGP, DCH , Cert S and RH Dr Marita Long graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2007 with first class honours. She became a fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practice in 2013 and has a Diploma of Child Health and a Certificate in Sexual and Reproductive Health. She has been an active college member since that time. Over the past 8 years Marita has worked in a diverse range of general practice settings. She has also been a medical educator for General Practice Training Tasmania, Eastern Victorian General Practice Training, the University of Tasmania/Wicking Dementia Education and Research Centre and Dementia Training Australia (DTA). Marita is part of the GP Clinical Education group for DTA who have been developing innovative education workshops, both face to face and online, to increase GPs capacity and confidence to recognise, diagnose and manage people living with dementia. These workshops have been delivered around the country and an evaluation of them to date has been recently published in the BMJ open.

Dr Troye Wallett is a GP with a specific interest in helping older Australians. In 2014, he recognised the need for GPs in Aged Care Facilities and understood that barriers to entry prevented them from visiting their older patients. In response, he co-founded GenWise, an aged care specific general practice. Three years later GenWise won the 2017 Telstra Business of the Year award. It was recognised as a purpose-driven, ethics based company with a focus on customer service and patient outcomes. Troye’s mind is layered like a golden ratio rectangle which is vital to managing the varied aspects of business, patient care and family life. It is how he keeps his balance. Interacting regularly with octogenarians, other GPs and the GenWise team teaches him vital lessons and develops diverse skills. Combining medical knowledge, business experience and self experimentation, Troye is driven to make a positive difference in the way people think about themselves and the world around us. Because the lens through which we view the world dictates 90% of our reality.

Dimity Pond is a GP in clinical practice in Berowra. She is Professor of General Practice at the University of Newcastle and conducts research in the area of mental health and particularly dementia, focussing mainly on GP identification and management. She has recently been the clinical lead for a PHN project around Quality Improvement in Dementia Care. She has had over $30million in research funds, and has published over 190 papers in peer reviewed journals.

MB BS (Syd), MFM (clin), FRACGP
Sara has worked in the medico-legal area since 1998 and she is currently the Executive Manager, Professional Services with MDA National. In this role, she assists GPs and their staff in dealing with a variety of medico-legal issues which arise in general practice, including medical negligence claims, complaints, coronial inquiries and other investigations. Sara is the author of the Medico-legal Handbook for General Practice and the co-author of Cautionary Tales with John Murtagh. Sara’s background is in general practice, having worked as a GP in Sydney.