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The Academic program is currently being finalised. We anticipate that the conference will be sold out before the final conference program is available. 

Each of our professional development programs is designed to address topics of interest and relevance to our delegates and their practices.

Our Academic Advisory Committees, comprised of practitioners from a range of fields of practice, endeavour to source the best possible speakers to provide a series of presentations, workshops, case studies and panel discussions for each conference.

Unconventional Conventions’ director for the past 20 years is a practising doctor who takes great pride in offering a comprehensive, stimulating and appropriate academic program. Unconventional Conventions aims to ensure that the combination of lectures, workshops, hospital visits, training activities and clinic in the community make up more than 50% of daily activities during the main conference tour.

Many of our travel destinations provide an opportunity for local professional contribution and cultural exchange through workshops and structured visits to local clinics.

Our conference programs are prepared over a 12 month period and full details are available 3 months prior to the conference. Unconventional Conventions is an accredited education provider for RACGP. Application for ACRRM points is made for each conference. Dental programs are certifiable with the Dental Board of Australia.  Specialists may apply for CPD points at their own discretion.

 

Lecture topics:

  • Respiratory and Sleep Medicine
  • Paediatrics
  • PTSD
  • Conventional Advice stream

 


 

Speakers

 

Dr John Cooper – PTSD

1.    PTSD – An Update

2.    Treating PTSD:  evidence-based treatments and clinical realities

3.    The GP’s role in post-disaster responses

4.    Youth mental health:  The impact of developmental trauma

Dr Cooper is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has worked in various clinical settings, both hospital-based and in the community, specialising in veteran and military mental health and he has provided assessment and treatment to a wide section of civilian patients with posttraumatic mental health problems.

His work with Phoenix Australia at the University of Melbourne involves providing advice and support to the Commonwealth Government (Departments of Veterans’ Affairs and Defence), and other key stakeholders including the general community; involvement in service planning, quality assurance and the accreditation of treatment programs; development of models of treatment and best practice in the area of posttraumatic mental health; provision of clinical consultancy and training in mental health to NGOs and other state-funded instrumentalities; lecturing and training in various settings.

Having also worked for many years in a Melbourne-based private practice and in the Psychological Trauma Recovery Service at Austin Health, five years ago he moved his clinical work to the Bendigo region where he leads a Youth Mental Health team

 

Dr Liz Hallam – Paediatrics

Dr Liz is the founder and Medical Director of Melbourne-based Flourish Paediatrics.

Educated in Tasmania, she carried out her formative specialist paediatric training with some of the best paediatricians in the country at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

She obtained her primary medical degree, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, from the University of Tasmania. In her final year, she was awarded University prizes for achieving top student in both Paediatrics and Child Health, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She then went on to complete her specialist training and was admitted to the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in General Paediatrics. She recently completed a Masters of Business Administration at Melbourne Business School.

In Hobart, she was visiting paediatrician to the Royal Hobart Hospital, Calvary Hospital and Hobart Private Hospital. She was formerly Head of the Children’s Continence Clinic and, most recently, Director of Women’s and Children’s Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital. She has served on numerous committees for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and was joint-coordinator of Advanced Training for the Special Advisory Committee in General Paediatrics which is responsible for training accreditation.

Her paediatric skills include: Specialised Paediatric Medicine covering acute and complex medical conditions; Newborn Care; second opinion diagnosis/solving tough cases and developmental problems such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD.

 


Dr Michelle Caldecott 
– Respiratory and Sleep Physician1.     All these new puffer – which one when, what is the evidence for what works best for who2.    Chronic/persistent cough- in particular – is there really a thing of cough-variant asthma, also neurologically mediated cough3.    Sleep disorders – not just sleep apnoea4.    Screening for lung cancer – how, when, who and will it make any difference to outcomesDr Michelle Caldecott graduated from University of Adelaide in 1993 and then went on to receive her fellowship in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine in 2001. Michelle has over 15 years’ experience in treating respiratory disorders in both public and private sectors. She currently holds senior staff specialist positions at Austin Health (Heidelberg) and with the Victorian Respiratory Support Service (VRSS).


Unconventional Conventions is an Accredited Education Provider Each of our continuing professional development programs is individually designed to address topics of current interest and is relevant to our professionals and their practices. The Academic Advisory Committee, comprising of medical professionals from across Australia will work with recognised and respected specialists to prepare a selection of presentations, workshops, case studies and panels discussions which will be specially prepared for our conferences.

Unconventional Convention’ director for the past 25 years is a practicing doctor who takes pride in offering a comprehensive, stimulating and relevant academic program. We aim to ensure that the combination of lectures, workshops, and training activities make up more than 50% of daily activities during the main conference tour.

Many of our travel destinations provide an opportunity for local professional contribution and cultural exchange through workshops and structured visits to local clinics.

Our conference programs are prepared over a 12-month period and full details are available 3 months prior to the conference. Unconventional Conventions is an accredited education provider for RACGP. Application for ACRRM points is made for each conference. Dental programs are certifiable with Dental Board of Australia. Specialists may apply for CPD points at their own discretion.

Unconventional Volunteering: Introduces Australian doctors to the world of medical volunteering in developing countries.
www.unconventionalvolunteering.com

 


 

Academic Advisory Committee
Dr Diana Hart OAM

GP in Brookvale, NSW, with interests in travel medicine (ISTM international certificate – CTH 2008), sports medicine (M Sp Med (UNSW) 2001), shared antenatal care (currently on the Northern Area Committee), and Skin cancer (Healthcert skin cancer medicine and surgery certificates).

Dr Jayne Ingham

GP in North Lakes, Queensland, involved in education, teaching of GP registrars and medical students from the University of Queensland . She is Chair of GP partners which is a GP network in Metro North Brisbane. She arranges education sessions for GPs with local specialists and on relevant topics and writes the GP partners monthly bulletin.

A/Prof Ralph Audehm

GP in Carlton, Victoria, and is an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne. He has had a long-standing interest in the management of chronic conditions in General Practice especially diabetes and heart disease. He teaches medical students, GP registrars and General Practitioners.

Dr Alan Giles

Senior Staff Specialist, Emergency Department, Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga, NSW. He is the Area Medical Educator in Emergency Medicine and Hospital Skills Program Director for South Western Sydney and Sydney Local Health District.

Dr Margot Cunich

GP in Bondi Junction, NSW, and co-director of Unconventional Conventions. She is the Chair of the Academic Advisory Committee and designs and administers all the conference programs. She teaches medical students and registrars.

Dr Gary Kilov (1:42)
Dr Asha Nair (1:31)
Dr Ralph Audehm (1:11)