Wanaka Presenters
Dr Evan Cameron, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand – Emergency Physician
Evan is an Emergency Physician from Christchurch with an interest in functional disorders, the history of medicine, and how to solve the problem of supply and demand in Emergency Departments. Outside of medicine, expedition skiing is a priority, the latest plan is to go to Pakistan to ski the approaches to the Trango Towers.
Dr Mark Miller, Newcastle, NSW, Australia – Emergency Physician
Mark is an Emergency Physician working at John Hunter and Lake Macquarie Private hospitals in Newcastle. His interests include trauma, point of care ultrasound, toxinology and community interventions to improve cardiac arrest outcomes.
Dr Hayden Richards, Newtown, VIC, Australia – Emergency Physician
Hayden is an emergency physician and deputy director of emergency services at Barwon Health in Geelong, Australia. He has a special interest in communication skills and the role of emotional intelligence in the work that we do. He has been teaching skills in communication for over a decade and has completed a Master of Philosophy focusing on the impact of incivility in healthcare, particularly in the context of difficult emergency department referrals. Hayden also runs the Comms Lab YouTube channel and is a founding director of Critical Conversations.
Dr Mike Anscombe, Merewether, NSW, Australia – Emergency Physician
Mike has been the Director of Paediatric Emergency at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle for the past 10 years. He has recently completed a Masters of Sports Medicine and has an interest in paediatric motorcycle injuries. Mike snowboards and surfs, runs and rides motorbikes. He has 2 kids in their 20s living in Sydney and a wife who is a paediatric dietitian. All ski or snowboard and rarely miss a conference in the snow.
Dr Amy Stokoe, Stockton, NSW, Australia – Emergency Physician
Amy is an emergency specialist and retrievalist who works in Newcastle, NSW at the John Hunter Hospital and an adult and paediatric tertiary referral center and trauma hospital and with the Hunter Retrieval Service. She particularly enjoys managing trauma and helping other doctors step up to their potential. When she is not seeing the patients at the hospital or bringing the patients to the hospital she is likely taxiing her children around to their various activities or practising jujutsu.
Dr Donovan Dwyer, Randwick, NSW, Australia – Emergency Physician
Donovan Dwyer trained and worked as a rural GP in South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, gains Diplomas in Child Health and Primary Emergency Care before gaining an interest in Emergency medicine.
He migrated to Australia and completed his FACEM in 2000. A long-standing interest in paediatrics culminated in a Staff Specialist position at Sydney Children's Hospital in 2007, where he received his PEM recognition.
Currently an adult and paediatric emergency physician working as Staff Specialist at St. George Hospital and Staff Specialist, Co- DEMT and Director of Trauma at Sydney Children's Hospital.
He has a passion for education, clinical medicine and sensible test ordering practice, and becomes grumpier at the steady decline in these pillars of medicine, and his inability to effect change.
Dr Michael Noonan, Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Anaesthesiologist
Dr Michael (Mike) Noonan is currently employed as a consultant in the trauma service at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and is a PhD candidate with the Department of Surgery at the Monash University School of Translational Medicine. Mike is a fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, holds an Associate Fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, has completed a Fellowship in Trauma Surgery and Critical Care at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and holds a Master's of Medical Education.
Mike's Ikigai (reasons for being...in his work life at least!) include Trauma Care, Clinical Leadership, Trauma Research and Education. Outside his work pursuits, Mike is a proud father and volunteer surf lifesaver and can be found enjoying multiple activities that are likely to lead to him becoming a trauma unit inpatient.
Dr Katherine Smith, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia – General Practitioner
Katherine is a Bariatric Medical Practitioner for Riverina Bariatrics. The Co medical lead For the Metabolic Clinic thru the Murrumbidgee Local Health District. She also is the VMO for Inpatient management of eating disorders. She is a GP Practice Principle at Hammond Health and Chair of the Wagga Wagga GP Afterhours committee. She rounds this out working as a CMO in the local Emergency department and holds a teaching position at Notre Dame University.
Dr Michael Reinke, QLD, Australia - Rural Generalist & Obstetrics
Dr Michael (Mick) Reinke is a Senior Medical Officer and Rural Generalist with advanced skills in obstetrics who has been based at Bowen Hospital since 2013.
Mick was the President of the Rural Doctors Association of QLD for the 2021 – 2022 year and a director of the Rural Doctors Foundation in 2022 - 2023. He has a number of community volunteer roles including: Board member - Murroona Gardens Aged Care Facility since 2017, Event Director Bowen parkrun since 2017 and an instructor with South Pacific Taekwondo.
Mick had a 27-year career in the Royal Australian Air Force as an engineer prior to studying medicine. He has worked as a senior medical officer at Bowen Hospital since 2013 and performs procedural obstetrics at Proserpine Hospital. Mick is also a Senior Lecturer with James Cook University coordinating education for medical students on placement in Bowen. He is an external clinical teacher for General Practice Registrars and has a fractional appointment as a medical educator with the Mackay Hospital and Health Service.
Dr Chris Florence, Blenheim, MBH, New Zealand – Emergency Physician
I’m from the USA and trained in the land of enchantment at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I soon found myself practising emergency medicine for the next 12 years at a large tertiary hospital in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson Medical Centre was fun and Tuscon is a wonderful place, but my wife and I decided to go adventuring with our young family for a couple of years and moved to Blenheim, New Zealand for two years; 12 years ago. I enjoy the rural practice at Wairau Hospital, a 70-bed hospital in Blenheim at the top of the South Island. I have had multiple hats in the emergency department and am currently the co-director. I enjoy the work-life balance in NZ and enjoy the outdoors.
Dr Rory Kennelly, New Plymouth, TKI, New Zealand - Rural Hospital Physician
Dr Rory Kennelly graduated from the University of Auckland in 2010. He became a Rural Hospital Medicine Fellow in 2020. Rory is currently working in Hawera Hospital in South Taranaki across the emergency department, hospital and rest home. He is a keen surfer and skier. Three previous ski trips were ruined by a tibial plateau fracture playing frisbee, COVID, and most recently, an achilles tendon rupture playing netball. He is expecting his first child in October.
Mr James Abbott, Squamish, BC, Canada - Ski Patrol & Mountain Rescue
After moving to the mountains of Canada 'for a season', James decided to turn this into a life spent roaming and exploring the BC mountains with Whistler Blackcomb as his main base. James began ski patrolling in 2013. Through his 10 years of patrolling, James has been involved in several major first aid calls, mountain rescues and helps mitigate the avalanche hazard on storm days.