Speakers – Horizon Scanning 2025
Liz de Somer
Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Australia
Liz de Somer was appointed CEO of Medicines Australia in 2018 and has steered the association through four changes in Government and a dynamic policy landscape. Liz is one of Australia’s leading policy experts on the pharmaceutical industry. She is widely regarded for her contributions to national policy development spanning two decades and has led successive Strategic Agreement negotiations with Industry and the Commonwealth.
Liz began her career as an Intensive Care nurse before undertaking post-graduate studies in Medical Science, leading her to work across drug development, clinical trials, regulatory affairs and market access in the pharmaceutical industry. Her commitment to improving the lives of patients has remained a consistent focus throughout Liz’s career.
Penny Shakespeare
Deputy Secretary for Health Resourcing, Department of Health, Disability & Ageing
Penny Shakespeare brings a wealth of expertise and experience to a wide range of policy making across Australia’s health and aged care system.
As Deputy Secretary of the department’s Health Resourcing Group, she oversees a broad spectrum of health policy. This includes Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme policies and integrity, ensuring Australia has a planned, highly trained and well distributed health workforce advancing digital health solutions and harnessing the potential of genomics.
Penny joined the department in 2006. Since then, Penny has held a number of senior leadership positions, including First Assistant Secretary of the Technology Assessment and Access Division and Health Workforce Division. Penny has been a member of the Workplace Relations Ministers Advisory Council and the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and represents the Commonwealth on the board of the National Blood Authority.
Before joining Health, Penny was an industrial relations lawyer in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and worked in regulatory policy roles, including as head of the Australian Capital Territory’s Office of Industrial Relations.
Penny has a Bachelor of Laws, a Master’s degree in International Law and is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor.
Blair Comley (PSM)
Secretary, Department of Health, Disability & Ageing
Blair commenced as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care on 17 July 2023.
Blair has served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Blair has also served as Secretary of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, NSW’s most senior public servant.
Prior to these positions, Blair held senior leadership positions in Treasury including General Manager of the Indirect Tax Division, the Business Tax Division, and the Macroeconomic Policy Division and the Acting Chief Executive of the Australian Office of Financial Management with responsibility for managing the Commonwealth’s debt and derivative portfolio.
Blair has had extensive engagement with Commonwealth State relations, including reform of the Federation and Health funding in his role as Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the NSW Government.
Blair also has significant private sector experience as a strategy consultant advising governments, not for profits, and corporates on a wide range of matters including climate, energy, human services, health, organisational leadership and design, governance and economic policy.
In 2012 Blair was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in the development of public policy, particularly in the areas of carbon pricing and emissions trading, tax policy design and debt management.
Blair has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons), a Master of Economics and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Studies.
Professor Dawn Craig
Professor Dawn Craig is a leading authority in horizon scanning and evidence synthesis, and Director of the NIHR Innovation Observatory, the UK’s National Horizon Scanning Research Centre. She holds a BA (Hons) in Business Economics from Portsmouth University and an MSc in Health Economics from the University of York.
Professor Craig is a health economist with a rich background in Health Technology Assessment (HTA). Following her MSc, she spent over a decade at the University of York, contributing to a wide range of HTA research projects and refining her expertise in economic evaluation and systematic review/evidence synthesis methodologies. In 2014, she joined Newcastle University, where she built on this foundation to integrate the two disciplines more closely. She successful established a thriving Evidence Synthesis Research Group that continues to deliver impactful, methodologically diverse studies across various clinical areas and settings.
Professor Craig’s research interests are centred on HTA methodologies, particularly in evidence synthesis, (including systematic review and meta-analysis, network meta-analysis) and decision modelling/economic evaluation. Her work focuses on the application of a broad range of methods from both disciplines to deliver timely and relevant research, the role and value of evidence and intelligence insights in decision-making, the methods and significance of horizon scanning to support early evaluation and implementation, and the integration of AI and tools in supporting research processes. She also maintains broader research interests in regulatory processes, market access, innovation pathways, and efficient implementation and service delivery within health and care.
In 2017, Professor Craig was instrumental in securing funding for and establishing the NIHR Innovation Observatory. Initially serving as Deputy Director, she assumed the role of Director in 2019. Under her leadership, the Innovation Observatory has established a place at the forefront of methodological advancements, utilizing AI and innovative methods to provide strategic insights into the health and care innovation landscape for organizations such as NICE, the UK Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, NIHR, academia, and industry. Her efforts are dedicated to supporting national stakeholders in health and care, including policymakers, industry, patients, the public, and clinical care teams, to enhance health and care through strategic and timely innovation. Alongside her role as Director, she remains lead of the Faculty’s Evidence Synthesis Group, and co-lead of the Health Economics Group.
Professor Craig is passionate educator and mentor with a focus on capacity building and equity. She has supervised numerous master’s theses, doctoral theses, and fellowships. In addition to roles on national funding committees and strategic steering groups, she is currently the i-HTS (EuroScan) Vice-President. These additional roles allow her to contribute more widely to capacity building, support peers and advance her understanding in the application of methods to allow for the better use of evidence, intelligence and data.
Sue MacLeman
Sue MacLeman has more than 30 years’ experience as a pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology executive having held senior roles in health administration, corporate, medical, commercial and business development.
Sue has also served as CEO and Board member of several ASX, AIM and NASDAQ listed companies in the health technology sector. She is a Non-Executive Director on public, private and not for profit boards and is appointed to several academic, industry and government advisory boards and committees.
Her broad commercial and technical experience is underpinned by a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Queensland, a Master of Laws from Deakin University and a Master of Marketing from Melbourne Business School. She is also a member of the NSW Govt Innovation and Productivity Council, Fellow and Non-Executive Director of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) and Fellow/Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Dr Orin Chisholm
Orin Chisholm, BSc (Hons), GCULT, PhD, SFHEA, FRAPS, FMPP.
Orin is the program director for the postgraduate programs in Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Development at the University of Sydney. Orin developed and delivered the Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Specialisation course within the NSW Health Commercialisation training program for CICADA Innovations. She has academic appointments with UNSW and Arizona State University, USA. Orin is an experienced consultant in regulatory affairs. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK), was elected a Fellow of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society in 2021 and a Fellow, Medtech and Pharmaceutical Professionals, ARCS Australia in 2025. Her research focuses on regulatory science, workforce development, horizon scanning and pharmaceutical policy.
David Pearce
David was appointed as Director Takeda Pharmaceuticals Australia in October 2024. David is a pharmacist and health economist with a range of experiences in the pharmaceutical industry with successful careers at Takeda, GSK, Sanofi and Wyeth/Pfizer. Significant experience of market access, pricing and commercial/marketing across a broad range of therapy areas. David was previously involved in UK and other international industry groups for market access expertise and actively involved in UK HTA Review and Strategic Agreements that has led the UK to being amongst the top countries for access to medicines.
Nicky Conway
With over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic sectors, Nicholette leads clinical research, product development, health technology assessment, and commercialization across startups to major companies. Passionate about accelerating patient access to life-changing treatments, she emphasizes strategic collaboration across healthcare systems and consistently integrates patient and caregiver perspectives into every stage of the process. Currently, as Chair of Genetic Alliance Australia, she brings deep advocacy insight and a patient-centered approach to advancing health outcomes
Dr Jodi Johnson-Glading
Dr Glading is the Chief Medical Officer at the ACT Health and Community Services Directorate. She has over 10 years’ experience in health management and leadership, regulation, accreditation and government policy. Dr Glading provides strategic direction safety and quality, medical workforce, and new technology, high-cost/low volume therapies and clinical genomics. Dr Glading has previously held the role of Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the Tasmanian Department of Health. Immediately prior to joining the ACT, she was the Acting Program Director AURA, Infection Prevention and Control, and Emerging Issues at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), overseeing the delivery of the Aged Care Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines, the 2023 Antibiotic Usage and Resistance in Australia Report and the 2024 National Medicines Symposium, among other projects.
Dr Glading is the Chair of the ACT Health Clinical Systems Governance Committee, the ACT Interjurisdictional Committee representative at the ACSQHC and Co-chair of the national Health Technology and Genomic Collaborative. She is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and holds Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery; Bachelor of Medical Science; Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and a Masters in both Health Management and Clinical Psychology.
Nick Henderson
Nick is the First Assistant Secretary of Medicines Regulation Division (MRD) within the Therapeutic Good Administration. MRD carries out a range of diverse functions, including the evaluation of applications to approve new, and vary existing prescription, over-the counter, listed assessed and registered complementary medicines, biologicals, blood components and tissue products. Additionally, MRD is responsible monitoring post-market safety, quality and efficacy of medicines approved for use, supply, and import. MRD also plays a critical role in medicines access including access to unapproved therapeutic goods and mitigating the impact of medicine shortages on Australians.
In recent years Nick has been an active leader at both the Department of Health and Aged Care and Services Australia. Prior to his current role at the TGA, Nick was part of the Commonwealth’s COVID response team with responsibility for securing access to COVID vaccines through complex negotiations with vaccine suppliers, leading the rapid establishment of Australia’s Vaccine Operations Centre and undertaking the role of Operations Commander for Australia’s Vaccine Rollout.
Michelle Gregory
Michelle is the Country Head of Public Affairs at Novartis, Australia & New Zealand and the interim commercial lead for Novartis’ radioligand therapies business. Novartis is globally recognised as one of the leading pharmaceutical companies and has been at the forefront of commercialising innovative medicines, including cell and gene therapies and radiopharmaceuticals, across the globe. Michelle has an extensive background working in Government, including as a Senior Policy Advisor to a former NSW Premier, with lead responsibility for the health and education portfolios. She has qualifications in Law (Juris Doctor) from UNSW and International and Global Studies (BA) from the University of Sydney.
Sally Sara
Adjunct Professor
Sally Sara is Director of Nursing for the Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia (PCFA), leading a team of over 115 specialist prostate cancer nurses in every state and territory in Australia. A clinician researcher and PhD candidate with over 35 years of nursing experience, Sally knows firsthand the physical, psychological, financial and social challenges living with prostate cancer brings to men and their families. Sally is an elected Councillor, and the Australia and New Zealand Urological Nurses Society representative on the Coalition of National Nursing and Midwifery Organisations and represents the Australian College of Nursing in the Cancer Australia Intercollegiate Advisory Group. She is an Adjunct Professor in the University of Southern Queensland’s Centre for Health Research, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Technology Sydney.
Dr Deanna Mill
Deanna Mill is an advisor, registered pharmacist, and co-author of Evohealth’s Bench to Bedside report on radioligand therapy. She brings experience across market access, quality use of medicines, regulatory strategy, service redesign, and health policy, underpinned by a PhD in health professional behaviour from the University of Western Australia and clinical experience. Combining clinical, academic, and consulting expertise, Deanna works to deliver evidence-informed strategies that improve access to medicines and care, with a particular interest in advancing innovative cancer therapies for Australian patients.
Professor Rodney Hicks
Rod is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and at Monash University. He attended Haileybury College from 1971-1976, serving proudly as a Prefect and House Captain of Berthon. Professionally, he trained in medicine and surgery (MB BS with Honours) at Monash University and the University of Michigan before receiving a post-graduate Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Melbourne. After 30 years at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where he was the inaugural Director of Cancer Imaging, Rod recently founded a research and development company. Using his expertise in oncological positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and therapeutic nuclear medicine in which he is an internationally-recognised pioneer, he will seek to develop new diagnostic and treatment approaches for human diseases. As a clinical and laboratory researcher, he has published over 600 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is one of the world’s most highly cited nuclear medicine specialists leading to frequent invitations as a speaker at major international meetings. Rod is the Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Imaging and an International Associate Editor of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science in 2015andwas the recipient of the2019 International Cancer Imaging Society Gold Medal for contributions to oncological imaging and 2021 Peter E. Valk Memorial Award of the Society of Nuclear Medicine for lifetime achievements in clinical PET. In June 2023, he received the Saul Hertz Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine for his contribution to the field of therapeutic nuclear medicine. Rod was awarded an Order of Australia Membership (AM) in the General Division in the King’s Birthday Honours of 2023.
Dylan Jones
Dylan Jones is the Country Head of Value & Access at Novartis, Australia & New Zealand, based in Sydney. In this role, Dylan leads strategic efforts to ensure timely and equitable access to innovative medicines across Australia’s healthcare landscape.
Over the last 10 years Dylan has worked across several pharmaceutical companies at a country and global level including the UK. Prior to working in industry, he spent 10 years in the NHS, eight of which were spent working at NICE across public health, clinical guidelines, and quality standards.
Meredith Cummins
Meredith is a highly driven and dedicated health professional who thrives on delivering world class care to cancer patients and enhancing the skills of other health professionals to deliver this care.
She has been involved in Oncology for over 35 years in metropolitan, rural, international, public and private settings. In the past she has been a key player instrumental in the commissioning and establishment of four private cancer care facilities in New South Wales.
Meredith has a wealth of experience in comprehensive cancer care, accreditation and licensing processes, governance (Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Committees), quality management systems, fundraising and all aspects of practice management.
Meredith joined NeuroEndocrine Cancer Australia in 2018 in the role of national Project Officer / CRA / Telehealth Nurse. She has played principal roles in the writing of the NET GP / Nurse Education Modules, Living with NETs Patient Program and the NET Optimal Care Pathway. Meredith commenced as the Chief Executive Officer at NeuroEndocrine Cancer Australia in October 2022. She embraces the opportunity to continue developing and delivering world class cancer care working across projects nationally and internationally.
Sharon Weber
Sharon Weber is an accomplished leader in health economics and market access and currently Head of Market Access for Takeda’s Oceania Cluster based in Sydney. In this role Sharon leads a team of professionals, developing and executing reimbursement strategies for the company’s portfolio in both Australia and New Zealand.
Initially trained as a pharmacist Sharon brings over three decades of experience in the healthcare sector including over 15 years working in health economics for pharmaceutical companies in global and market level roles. In this time Sharon has built a distinguished career driving strategic access solutions and shaping health policy outcomes.
Before joining Takeda in 2020, Sharon held several positions over eight years at Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck, including a stint at their global headquarters in Copenhagen and German company Bayer. She was appointed Head of Market Access for Takeda Oceania in July 2023.
Sharon holds a Master of Health Economics from Deakin University, a Bachelor of Arts in German Language and Literature from the University of New England, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Sydney.
Dr Aaron Schokman
Dr Aaron Schokman is a lived experience Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, affiliated with the Central Clinical School, the Charles Perkins Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course. Diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1 in his late teens, a rare and debilitating neurological sleep disorder, Aaron’s personal journey has shaped his passion for research, co-design, and advocacy in sleep health and person-centred care.
His academic work focuses on public health, psychometrics, patient-reported outcome measures, and digital inclusion. He is committed to integrating lived experience into healthcare design and policy, aiming to improve outcomes and equity for people with chronic and under-recognised conditions.
Aaron is also a prominent advocate for narcolepsy awareness. He has written extensively about the misrepresentation of narcolepsy in popular media, highlighting how portrayals in media and popular culture often trivialise the condition and contribute to stigma and delayed diagnosis. Aaron’s advocacy calls for increased awareness of functional impairment associated with narcolepsy, improved access to treatments and more accurate and empathetic depictions to support public understanding and reduce the average 15-year delay in diagnosis that many patients face.
Outside academia, Aaron has held leadership roles in digital innovation and health advocacy, including Director of Digivamp Pty Ltd, a member of the Sleep Health Foundation’s lived experience advisory panel and Board Member of Narcolepsy Australia Support Group.
Louise Healy
Louise Healy is Education and Advocacy Manager at Rare Voices Australia focusing on systemic change to improve outcomes for people living with a rare disease. Louise has been involved in rare disease advocacy for over 15 years and has been the Vice President of the Metabolic Dietary Disorders Association since 2015. Louise is an experienced consumer representative having held roles on:
Queensland Genomics Consumer Advisory Board 2017 – 2021Genomics Australia Expert Advisory Group 2023/2024HTA Consumer Evidence and Engagement Unit Stakeholder Advisory Group currentPBAC Nutritional Products Working Group current
Louise has post graduate qualifications in psychology.
Quentin Bracquart
Quentin Bracquart is Principal at IQVIA, where he leads the Management Consulting team in Australia and heads the Payer, Provider and Government practice. Since joining IQVIA in 2011, Quentin has advised clients across the life sciences and public health sectors, drawing on a Master’s in Bioscience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge and a Master of Science with Highest Distinction from École Centrale de Lyon.
In addition to his consulting leadership, Quentin co-leads IQVIA’s partnership activities with patient advocacy groups, helping embed patient-centricity into the firm’s strategic and operational engagements.
IQVIA is a global leader in advanced analytics, commercial strategy, and clinical research services, operating in over 100 countries. The firm supports governments and life sciences organisations in navigating the evolving healthcare landscape shaped by emerging therapies and technologies.
Quentin has played a key role in IQVIA’s work on advanced therapies, including mRNA cancer vaccines. IQVIA is contributing to ongoing clinical trials for mRNA cancer vaccines and recently published the report mRNA Therapies in Oncology: Key Pipeline Developments and Clinical Trial Insights, which outlines the promise of mRNA technologies in oncology, including personalised vaccines.
Dr Kaye Robertson
Kaye Robertson is a medical officer in the Prescription Medicines Authorisation Branch of the TGA, with experience in the evaluation of prescription medicines for registration, and pharmacovigilance. She currently leads a team responsible for the clinical evaluation of biologicals and gene therapies, and prescription medicines for benign haematological conditions.
Professor Matt Brown
Matt Brown is a clinician-scientist who trained initially in medicine and rheumatology in Sydney, Australia before completing a Doctorate of Medicine based at University of Oxford, focusing on genetics of ankylosing spondylitis. In 2013 he was elected to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Sciences in recognition for his achievements in genetics research. In 2019 he was appointed to the position of Chief Scientific Officer of Genomics England. He continues to work in genetics of human diseases, with a particular focus on common and rare bone and joint diseases, and in cancer genomics and personalized medicine. He continues to practice rheumatology, with a particular focus on spondyloarthritis.
Christine Cockburn
Christine Cockburn is a bold and compassionate leader in Australia’s cancer care sector, known for her strategic vision, advocacy acumen, and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of people affected by rare and less common cancers.
As Chief Executive Officer of Rare Cancers Australia (RCA), she is at the forefront of national efforts to transform the cancer care landscape, leading with empathy and strategy—ensuring no one faces cancer alone and that every individual has the chance to live well beyond their diagnosis.
Christine brings a unique blend of expertise in sociology, public health, and systems thinking to her leadership, backed by degrees from the University of New England and Monash University. Since joining RCA in 2018, she has shaped the organisation’s growth through senior roles in patient support and operations, championing person-centred care, equity, and innovation at every step.
She has been the driving force behind several national initiatives, including a groundbreaking telehealth navigation service and the Rare Cancer Support Guide. Now as CEO, she is steering RCA through a critical era of expansion in services, partnerships, and policy reform.
Christine’s influence extends nationally and globally, serving on numerous advisory groups focused on genomics, health equity, and system reform. She is also supervising a PhD exploring patient-centred information for those with rare cancers.
Grounded in evidence and driven by the need for change, Christine is reshaping how rare cancer care is delivered—and how it’s understood.
Jo Watson
Adjunct Associate Professor Jo Watson is the Deputy Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and also Chair of the HTA Consumer Consultative Committee.
She is the Deputy Chair of the MBS Review Advisory Committee (MRAC), and an Honorary Life Member of the Consumers Health Forum.
She has been a community representative and patient advocate in the Australian HIV response since the early nineties, including as the Executive Director of the National Association of People living with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) from 1998 to 2014.
She has contributed to health policy reform and analysis in the areas of Public Health, the National Medicines Policy, and PBS programs over the past several decades, including contributions to peer reviewed publications and national and international research projects.
Clare Stuart
Clare is Advocacy and Engagement Manager at Mito Foundation and a board member of Genetic Alliance Australia. She leads Mito Foundation’s work to influence others to improve the lives of Australians impacted by mitochondrial disease. Her experience as a sister of someone with a rare disease made her passionate about improving equity in our health and other systems. Clare has a Masters degree in public health and has been a co-investigator on several research projects relating to improving health care for people with rare diseases. ‘Growing up’ in the rare disease sector has given Clare a unique perspective on the strengths of Australia’s rare disease communities to see what’s coming and be a key partner in horizon scanning.
