Susan Pearce AM, B App Sci (Nursing), Dip Law, Grad Dip Legal Practice Secretary NSW Health

Susan Pearce AM is Secretary, NSW Health, appointed in March 2022. In this role, Susan is responsible for the management of the NSW health system – with over 120,000 FTE and a budget of over $30billion – to ensure the provision of world-class, patient-centred care to the people of NSW.

Prior to her recent appointment, Susan was Deputy Secretary, Patient Experience and System Performance Division, a position she has held from November 2015. In that role, Susan had responsibility for the oversight of front-end service delivery and system performance and management across NSW Health, and improving patient experience.

Susan was also the Controller of the State Health Emergency Operations Centre (SHEOC), responsible for directing and overseeing NSW Health’s operational response to the pandemic. From February 2021, Susan led the NSW Health vaccine rollout program, establishing over 40 NSW Health vaccination clinics and more than 100 mobile, outreach and pop-up locations across the state to contribute to the high vaccination rate that have been achieved amongst the people of NSW.

Susan began her career as a registered nurse more than 30 years ago in Broken Hill and has continually worked to serve the communities of NSW, including working in number of Local Health Districts and subsequently as the NSW Chief Nurse. Susan has qualifications in Law and was admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW as a solicitor in September 2019.

Susan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in April 2023.

Professor Brendan McCormack D.Phil (Oxon.), BSc (Hons.), FRCN, FEANS, FRCSI, PGCEA, RMN, RGN, FAAN, MAE

Visiting Professor of Nursing, Maribor University, Slovenia; Visiting Professor, Ulster University; Adjunct Professor, Zealand University Hospital/University of Southern Denmark.

Brendan McCormack is Head of School and Dean at The Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery (including Sydney Nursing School), the Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney.

Brendan’s research focuses on person-centred healthcare with a particular focus on the development of person-centred cultures, practices and processes. He has specialized as a clinical nurse in gerontology and dementia care. Brendan is a Fellow of The European Academy of Nursing Science, the Royal College of Nursing UK, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and the American Academy of Nursing. He has been awarded the Sigma ‘International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame’. He is also a member of The Academia Europaea, a prestigious European scientific academy. He has >700 publications reflecting these research areas including 310 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and 14 books. His h index is 51.

He has been featured in the Wiley Publishers ‘Inspiring Minds’ short films series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13c5C-tbcT4 in recognition of his extensive contributions to person-centred healthcare. In 2023 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The University of Maribor, Slovenia for his services to nursing and healthcare, and in September 2024 was selected to join the Lancet Commission in People-centred Healthcare for SDGs hosted by Harvard University.

Stan Grant is a renowned journalist, author, moral philosopher, thinker, film maker and communicator. He has had a ground breaking four decade career as one of Australia’s most awarded journalists. A Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi and Dharrawal man, Stan has blazed a trail for First Nations journalists. In a career of firsts he was the first Indigenous Political Correspondent, the first Indigenous Foreign Correspondent, he was the first Indigenous person to present a prime time commercial television news and current affairs program.

For a decade he was a senior correspondent for American news giant CNN based in Asia and the Middle East. He has reported from more than seventy countries and has lived in London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, and Beijing. He has seen history turn covering the greatest stories of our age including the end of apartheid in South Africa, the death of Princess Diana, the troubles in Northern Ireland, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflict and unrest Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Timor Leste, Gaza and the West Bank. He has interviewed world leaders and every Australian Prime Minister of the forty years. Stan reported up close the rise of China as a global power travelling to every corner of the country. He is one of the few journalists to have gained entry to the secretive repressive dictatorship of North Korea.

His list of awards include three time winner of Australia’s highest journalism honour the Walkley Award, four time winner of the prestigious Asia TV awards, an Australian TV Logie Award, twice winner of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts award (Australia’s academy awards), twice winner of the US Peabody Award, a recipient of the Columbia University DuPont award (the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize), a GQ Magazine Man of the Year award, Hawaii International Film Festival Indigenous Trailblazer award. He was writer and producer of the acclaimed feature documentary “The Australian Dream” which told the story of the racial vilification of renowned Indigenous footballer Adam Goodes. The film was screened around the world and at last count has claimed more than twenty international film awards. He is a best selling author of seven critically hailed and award winning books covering world affairs, philosophy, theology, political science, Indigenous history. Stan is currently working on his first novel and a new non fiction book looking at adapting the theories of quantum physics to international affairs and political identity. © ICMI Speakers and Entertainers Adelaide ▪ Auckland ▪ Brisbane ▪ Gold Coast ▪ Hobart ▪ Melbourne ▪ Newcastle ▪ Perth ▪ Sunshine Coast ▪ Sydney

He holds a Doctor of Letters from the University of New South Wales and will soon complete his Doctor of Theology with Charles Sturt University. He continues to write for national and international news publications. In 2023 he was cast in a Hollywood feature film “Ricky Stannicky” Directed by Academy Award winning director, Pete Farrelly, appearing alongside stars William H Lacey, John Cena and Zac Efron. Stan has been a professor of Indigenous Belonging at Charles Sturt University and has recently taken up a new role as Monash University Professor of Journalism and Director of Asia Pacific arm of the Denmark based Constructive Institute dedicated to working with media organisations, citizens and advocacy groups, faith based organisations, thought leaders and political figures to improve the quality of public discourse.

Stan is fascinated by global affairs, politics, philosophy, theology and science particularly the baffling engrossing world of quantum physics. He is committed to questions of justice. He has been a passionate and courageous advocate for the rights of First Nations people at times incurring vicious racist attack and threats of violence against himself and his family. Stan demands we do better. Rather than seek to divide he seeks to bring peace and unite. He believes we should love and embrace even those who may hate us yet never lose sight of our moral duty to always stand with those afflicted. He believes the language of politics fails us and increases hostility and Stan is dedicated to finding new words and new ways for us to meet each other beyond our differences.

He is a husband to one of Australia’s leading journalists Tracey Holmes who has been a leading voice for the coverage of sports and society. He is father to four children. He lives in Sydney and spends significant time in Melbourne and his beloved Wiradjuri country of central and south west New South Wales.