Board welcomes new chair and board director at AGM

General practitioner, clinical trials researcher and doctors’ health advocate, Dr Jennifer Schafer is taking the reins as chair of Brisbane North PHN’s Board of Directors following the decision of longstanding chair Dr Anita Green to step down.

The announcement was made following the recent PHN’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), along with the re-election of board director Mr Mark Henley and appointment of a new board director, Dr Jared Dart.

Mr Stan Macionis, who first joined the board in 2013, was farewelled by the board at the AGM having served the maximum term on the board.

Brisbane North PHN CEO Ms Libby Dunstan thanked all board directors for their service this past year. “It has been a tremendous year of achievements across the organisation as evidenced in our Year in Review,” said Ms Dunstan.

The 2021-22 year has seen the milestone reached of delivering 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations in the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region as well as commissioning a range of programs and services, including the opening of three Safe Spaces in the region.

“With the outstanding credentials of our board directors and the strong leadership of Dr Schafer as chair, the PHN is well positioned to deliver the best possible health and community care system in our region,” said Ms Dunstan.

Dr Schafer’s medical career spans more than 35 years in primary care as a general practitioner, as well as roles in medical education (UQ Faculty of Medicine), clinical research (Wesley Medical Research), and medical reporting for broadcast media. She continues to serve as Patron for the University of Queensland Medical Society.

Dr Schafer has a special interest in leadership and management, arising from post-graduate study at UQ and QUT Business Schools. She has served on the Board of Arthritis Queensland since 2016 and is the Medical Director of Doctors’ Health in Queensland.

“With current challenges impacting on our healthcare systems, the role of PHNs is more important than ever. Brisbane North PHN has developed strong, trusted connections with primary care providers in our region. They work collaboratively to improve access and health outcomes for the people in our community,” said Dr Schafer.

Ms Dunstan welcomed the new chair, Mr Henley and Dr Dart, and noted the valued contributions of Mr Macionis and Dr Green over a long period of time. Dr Green will continue to sit on the board as a director.

“We are immensely grateful for the expertise of Mr Macionis on the board over many years and the valued leadership of Dr Green as chair,” said Ms Dunstan.

“Dr Green has served on the board for 11 years and served as chair for the last 6 years. In that time, Dr Green has provided expert leadership to calmly and diligently steer the board through many challenges and opportunities, including most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. We are delighted Dr Green will remain on the board for a final year and look forward to her continued contribution as a board director.”

Dr Dart is a specialist GP and owner of a multidisciplinary primary care practice (based in the Brisbane North PHN region). Dr Dart brings considerable cross sectorial experience and qualifications including a Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Government) and a PhD in eHealth and Medicine and has worked in the primary/secondary care interface for most of his career. In recent years he has led telehealth platform, Welio Pty Ltd and GP advocacy group AGPA.

"I am looking forward to taking up my position as a board director of Brisbane North PHN,” said Dr Dart. “The PHN has an important role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of primary care. I look forward to playing my part in guiding the organisation to fulfil its mandate and build on the excellent work undertaken to date.”

To view Brisbane North PHN's Year in Review, visit https://brisbanenorthphn.org.a...