Pre-Conference Workshops - Tuesday 9 September 2025
Join us for a series of in-depth workshops held the day before the 2025 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference kicks off. Designed for health professionals, researchers, educators and those with lived experience, these interactive sessions offer practical tools, fresh insights, and space for meaningful cross-sector connection.
Workshops will take place on Tuesday 9 September at either Rydges South Bank (Workshops 1-4) or the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (Workshop 5).
Pre-conference workshops are available at an additional cost and may be purchased either individually or alongside your conference registration. Please note that Workshop 1 is higher in cost due to the inclusion of a book and other workshop materials.
Ticket prices:
Pre-Conference Workshop 1 - $181.50
Pre-Conference Workshop 2 to 5 - $137.50
Register now! Places are limited
REGISTER NOW*The above registration form is for those attending only the Pre-Conference Workshops. If you plan to attend the full conference, please register via the main form on the registration page.
Rydges South Bank
Join internationally recognised educator Dr Seow for an interactive train-the-trainer session that equips you to deliver The Waiting Room Revolution—a transformative, human-centred workshop series for patients, families, and communities facing serious illness.
You’ll experience the full “workshop in a box” firsthand, explore the 7 Keys to better communication and care, and walk away with everything you need to run your own sessions—completely free.
- Firsthand experience of the full workshop
- Access to the free “workshop in a box” toolkit
- Strategies to teach the 7 Keys
- Confidence to lead in your own setting
Be part of a movement to put the human back at the centre of care.
This workshop also includes a copy of "Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest: 7 Keys for Navigating a Life-Changing Diagnosis" by Dr Sammy Winemaker and Dr Hsien Seow.
Hsien Seow, McMaster University, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care
Rydges South Bank
People with disability, their families, and support staff often face inequities in accessing end-of-life care, planning, and bereavement support. This national workshop invites participants to explore how we can bridge the gap between disability and palliative care through collaboration, education, and shared innovation.
- Practical examples and resources for cross-sector collaboration
- Insights into service delivery and innovations across regions
- Space to identify shared challenges and build a national network
- A chance to connect with others committed to dignity in care
Be part of the movement to improve end-of-life outcomes for people with disability.
Frances Sanders CEO, Nightlife Disability Services
Frances has held senior management and executive positions across the mental health, disability, and human services sector for more than 25 years.
She brings strong skills in service design, change management and project management and strategy. She is known for her professional and academic knowledge in co-design and member-led services, enabling consumer and carer input into decision making and governance.
She is currently the CEO of Nightlife Disability Services and a Director at Forensicare (Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health).
Heather McMinn, Disability and Palliative Care Advocate
Heather is currently working as the Team Leader for Volunteer Services Program, Eastern Palliative Care; Victoria having taken this position up in May 2025. This followed several years as the Senior Disability Sector Consultant, National Disability Services where one of her focus areas was exploring collaborative opportunities for people with a disability, disability providers and the palliative care sector could reduce the barriers to equity of access to life limiting illness information planning and support choices and control.
Heather’s background includes expertise in grief and loss counselling, a master’s in public health and leadership within health, disability, and government roles. Heather’s passion for inclusive and equitable health and service access for all people with life limiting illness including people with disability has been informed by her lived experience as a carer for a sibling with an intellectual disability and from raising a son with cystic fibrosis until his death as a young adult.
In addition, experienced presenters from the Victorian Disability Advisory Group and Disability and Palliative Agencies from the local Brisbane area have provided agreement to present.
Alison Herring, Mobile Attendant Care Service Brisbane Alison Herring, Mobile Attendant Care Service Brisbane
Alison Herring is the General Manager of Mobile Attendant Care Services (MACS), which offers a mobile night drop in and on call service for people in Brisbane. She has a wealth of experience in the disability sector, specialising in spinal cord injury and other physical disabilities, including degenerative neurological conditions. As the head of an innovative service, she loves new challenges and works hard to deliver results. MACS works in partnership with other services and specialist agencies to ensure people have the dignity to live in the home of their choice, as their health needs change.
Rydges South Bank
What does best practice look like at the end of life—across cultures, systems, and settings? Join us for this international workshop and discover how the 10/40 Model is transforming care for the dying in over 60 countries.
Led by members of the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person, this workshop offers deep insights into the 10 key principles and 40 clinical outcomes that underpin quality care in the final days of life. Hear experiences from Australia, New Zealand, and India, explore cultural adaptations, and learn how research—including the EU’s Horizon 2020 iLIVE Project—is informing global standards.
Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, policy maker or advocate, this is your chance to explore a model that’s reshaping care with compassion and evidence at its core.
Who Should Attend?
Health and social care professionals, researchers, volunteers, and program leaders in palliative and end-of-life care across all jurisdictions.
What You’ll Gain:
- A clear understanding of the 10/40 Model and its core outcomes
- Insights from international implementation sites and cultural contexts
- Exposure to the latest research supporting best practices
- Inspiration for adapting the model locally and globally
- A chance to collaborate across borders
Dr Susie Wilkinson, Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool, UK
Dr Susie Wilkinson (RN) holds an MSc and PhD in Cancer and Palliative Care from the University of Manchester. Susie worked clinically in Palliative Care for many years. She founded and directed the first Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College Medical School London, where she led research until her retirement. An internationally recognized expert, Susie has researched, published, and lectured on various aspects of palliative care, including the 10/40 model for providing optimal care to the dying, communication skills and complementary therapies, Susie was also a founder and lead of the NHS national Advanced Communication Skills Training programme, “Connected,” which trained senior healthcare professionals in cancer and palliative care. Currently, Susie serves as the Executive Director of the Centre for Communication Skills and as the International Liaison Lead for the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person. She is also an Honorary Fellow at the Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool.
Professor John Ellershaw Professor of Palliative Medicine Head of the Palliative Care Unit University of Liverpool
John Ellershaw is Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University of Liverpool, where he has led the development of palliative care research and education since 200 As Head of the University’s Palliative Care Unit, he supervises a multi-professional team engaged in the delivery of research on four core themes: Best Care for the Dying Person; Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacology; Education Research & Development, and Supportive & Palliative Care. He also plays a major role in undergraduate and postgraduate education in relation to both palliative care and communication skills. Professor Ellershaw has held several national leadership roles in palliative and end of life care with the UK Department of Health and is the founding Chair of the International Collaborative for Best Care for the Dying Person, a group of leading thinkers, practitioners, and researchers from 64 counties united by the common goal of improving care for dying people and their families across the globe.
Dr Agnes van der Heide, professor at the Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Dr. Agnes van der Heide has 30 years of experience in research on end-of-life care and end-of-life decision making. She has led and co-led numerous local, regional and international research projects focusing on epidemiological, clinical, ethical and legal issues. Topics studied include clinical and organisational aspects of palliative care, advance care planning, care in the dying phase, palliative sedation, and medical assistance in dying. Agnes is a member of the team coordinating implementation of tools to support use of the 10/40 Model in the Netherlands. She was principal investigator for the recently completed, Horizon 2020 funded iLIVE project, in which 13 countries collaborated to study the experience of dying in the 21st century.
Associate Professor Mark Boughey, Director of Palliative Care, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
Mark Boughey has 35 years’ experience in palliative care provision with leadership positions within State, National, and International programs and a member of International Collaborative since 2013. In his role as Deputy Director of the Melbourne based Centre for Palliative Care, he has overseen the development of the Victorian 10/40 model congruent Care Plan for the Dying Person, which was adopted in the State Government’s Department of Health service agreements priorities from 2018, with further variations to accommodate Covid related deaths and patients within Victorian correctional facilities.
Rydges South Bank
Discover the power of storytelling in healthcare. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to craft clear, compelling and authentic written narratives that elevate patient, family, and clinician experiences—from case notes to reflective practice and advocacy.
Drawing on techniques from ethnography, narrative medicine and creative non-fiction, you’ll explore how writing can be a powerful tool to process complex experiences, communicate meaning, and drive change. Through guided exercises in reflection, writing and revision, you’ll begin shaping a meaningful piece of work grounded in your own clinical practice.
Whether you’re new to reflective writing or looking to sharpen your narrative skills, this workshop offers a supportive space to grow your voice—and connect with others doing the same.
Who Should Attend?
Clinicians and healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, and anyone looking to communicate more meaningfully through writing.
What You’ll Gain:
- Tools for writing with empathy, clarity, and purpose
- Techniques to reflect and revise with confidence
- A draft narrative you can build on for personal, educational or policy use
- Strategies to combat burnout through creative expression
- A new network of like-minded writers in healthcare
Natalie Bradford, Professor Childhood Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes, Queensland University of Technology and Cancer Council Queensland
Professor Natalie Bradford is a clinician researcher in paediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer and palliative care at the Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre at QUT. She is also Director of the newly funded NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Paediatric Palliative Care. Her program of health services research develops, implements and evaluates healthcare solutions, harnessing technology. Her work spans the continuum of children’s supportive care across hospitals, homes and communities and aims to enhance the experience of healthcare through improved communication and sharing of information.
Myra Bluebond-Langner, Professor of Palliative Care for Children and Young People, Emeritus UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care London, England; Board of Governors’ Professor of Anthropology Emerita, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ USA
Professor Myra Bluebond-Langer is a distinguished anthropologist and academic whose work has profoundly influenced the fields of paediatric palliative care. She is currently Emeritus Professor of Palliative Care for Children and Young People at University College London (UCL) Institute of Child Health, and most recently True Colours Chair and academic lead for the Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care—a collaborative initiative between UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. She is particularly renowned for her ethnographic research with children and their families, exploring how they understand, experience, and cope with illness and care. She has authored seminal works, including The Private Worlds of Dying Children and In the Shadow of Illness, which have significantly contributed to the field of paediatric palliative care.
Stuart Ekberg, Associate Professor, Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying, Flinders University, South Australia
Associate Professor Stuart Ekberg is a researcher specialising in health communication, with a focus on paediatric palliative care. He is an Associate Professor at Flinders University in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying. His research primarily employs Conversation Analysis (CA) to examine social interactions in healthcare settings, including palliative care for children and adults, mental health care, and healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He has developed eLearning modules to support effective communication with families of children with life-limiting conditions and has contributed to the development of prompt lists to enhance consultations between families and healthcare professionals.
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Effective respiratory symptom management in palliative care—especially for non-cancer conditions—can be complex and often controversial. This workshop, led by the ANZSPM Respiratory Palliative Care Special Interest Group (SIG), brings together interdisciplinary experts to explore practical and ethical approaches that support shared decision-making and improve patient outcomes.
Through case-based discussion and expert insights, we’ll explore collaborative, patient-centred approaches to managing cough, breathlessness, and the withdrawal of non-invasive ventilation. The workshop will also address the challenges of implementing non-pharmacological strategies in the home and the nuances of informed consent and palliative sedation.
Who Should Attend?
Health professionals involved in the care of people with chronic respiratory illness—including palliative care clinicians, respiratory specialists, nurses, and allied health practitioners.
What You’ll Gain:
- Up-to-date knowledge on managing respiratory symptoms in non-cancer conditions
- Practical strategies for pharmacological and non-pharmacological care
- Insight into ethical complexities around palliative sedation and ventilation withdrawal
- Opportunities to learn from multi-professional and interdisciplinary experts
Dr Chien-Che Lin
Dr. Chien-Che Lin is a Palliative Medicine Specialist Consultant at several hospitals and community palliative care services in Victoria. He also works as a General Practitioner on Saturdays. Committing to support people with progressive, incurable diseases to live as well as possible, he has continuously dedicated clinical and administrative commitments to improve care in community settings. He currently chairs the Australia and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM) Respiratory Special Interest Group (SIG), the Safer Care Victoria Palliative Care Community of Practice supported by Department of Health Victoria, and is a member of several other advisory and working groups including the ANZSPM GP Special Interest Group and the national Palliative Care ECHO working group. He is actively involved in teaching and supervision of medical students and medical specialist trainees, aiming to inspire a practice culture of both academic excellence and human compassion across all settings.
2025 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference (25OPCC)
Proudly brought to you by Palliative Care Australia.
Appointed Conference Organisers: Iceberg Events | PO Box 1179, Milton QLD | Phone 07 3876 4988
© Iceberg Events Conference & Event Management
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land which the 25OPCC Conference will be held. We pay our respects to the Elders, past and present, for they hold the memories, traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the state of Queensland and Australia.