Assoc. Prof George Laking

Director of Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupu

Centre for Cancer Research

University of Auckland

Sustaining the Planet:

A/Prof George Laking is a medical oncologist who is deeply concerned about the impact of climate change and weather catastrophes on the delivery of healthcare, especially to at-risk communities. His research into the health impacts following Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle’s path of destruction across the southwest Pacific and northern New Zealand in early 2023 provides insights to how primary care can better prepare for and respond to such disasters.

George is a Director of Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupu, the Centre for Cancer Research at the University of Auckland. He is a board member of Hei Āhuru Mōwai Maori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa, and OraTaiao the New Zealand Climate and Health Council. He is a past President, Aotearoa and New Zealand, of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, where for several years he also chaired the Māori Health Committee. He is a past Chair of Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa, the Māori Medical Practitioners' Association.

Te Weu me Te Wai: Health and wellbeing impacts of adverse weather conditions
From 13 February 2023, Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle traversed the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island, with disastrous consequences for the land and its inhabitants. George will talk about 'Te Weu me Te Wai', a mixed methods research project to understand the Cyclone's impacts on community health. 

Dr Jillann Farmer

CEO, A Better Culture

Sustaining the Practitioner:

Dr Jillann Farmer is the CEO of “A Better Culture”, a commonwealth-funded project that aims to create a national framework ensuring safe, healthy workplace conditions and nurturing a thriving healthcare workforce.

Jillann is a frontline clinician in primary care and emergency medicine in rural Australia as well as former medical director for the United Nations in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with senior leadership roles in patient safety and clinician performance for Queensland Health. This gives her a unique perspective on the challenges of training, sustaining and retaining the primary care health workforce.

"If healthcare was a mine, we'd be shut down'

This presentation will look at practitioner health as an occupational health and system issue, contrasting with the more conventional approach of applying repeated individual level interventions. The absence of an occupational health perspective has led to recurrent failures to address root causes and drivers of healthcare worker morbidity.