The Roster Te Rārangi: Edition 22

Not your usual career path
Cathy Stinear taught aerobatics and studied chiropractic, before starting on a career that led her to become an authority on recovery after stroke. Professor Stinear has been appointed to chair the Neurological Foundation’s council. At the University of Auckland, she is director of both the Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory and the Brain Research Clinic, and deputy head of the Department of Medicine. Professor Stinear is also a clinical neuroscientist at Auckland City Hospital. She chaired the foundation’s scientific advisory committee for four years.

Mission's changemaker
Helen Robinson has overseen the Housing First programme and the opening of two transitional housing programmes at the Auckland City Mission, where she has worked for 10 years. Now the general manager of social services, Ms Robinson will take up the mantle of Auckland city missioner after Chris Farrelly leaves next month. A former social worker, she has held mainly community development roles working alongside marginalised people. She helped found, and is co-chair of, the Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective.

Leading figure in pharmacy
Arthur Bauld (Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa) has switched up a seat at the Pharmacy Council, from deputy chair to chair. An addictions pharmacist with the Auckland Opioid Treatment Service, he has more than 30 years of pharmacy-practice experience. Mr Bauld is a former co-president of Ngā Kaitiaki o te Puna Rongoā (Māori Pharmacists Association). He first joined the Pharmacy Council in 2015.

Able to serve the south
Trained lawyer Sarah Dowie has been appointed chief executive of Able Southern Family Support. The charity supports whānau who care for someone with a mental illness or addiction, and serves Otago, Southland, Central Otago and Waitaki districts. Ms Dowie, who owns a consultancy business in government relations and market research, was Invercargill MP between 2014 and 2020. She has practised commercial, family and environmental law.

Nurse turns navigator
A newly created role in the South Island’s Central Lakes area, mental wellbeing navigator, has gone to nurse Lisa Gear. Ms Gear has had a career in mental health, paediatric and neonatal nursing, and recently worked for Able Southern Family Support (see above). The Central-Lakes Wellbeing Recovery Group established Ms Gear’s two-year role. Its members include Southern DHB, WellSouth Primary Health Network, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Central Lakes Family Services and Tahuna-Whakatipu Māori Community.

Educating our communities
Pooja Subramanian is to become chief executive at RainbowYOUTH. Ms Subramanian is the organisation’s communications and engagement manager. She was born in India, raised in Oman, and worked in the family violence sector prior to joining the Auckland-based charity. Ms Subramanian says she is particularly interested in ways to improve the health and wellbeing of queer, gender diverse, takatāpui and intersex young people in Aotearoa by educating the communities that support them.

Getting ship-shape at Helius
Mary Alice Simon joined Helius Therapeutics last month as chief operating officer, after many years’ experience in operations management and quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry. Ms Simon recently headed healthcare operations at manufacturer API Consumer Brands and formerly was director of data management and process improvement at Penobscot Community Health Care in Maine, US. She qualified in microbiology and biochemistry, and has an MBA. Helius has a new plant in East Auckland and is starting manufacture and clinical trials of medicinal cannabis products.

A cold, hard look at COVID-19
Sir Peter Gluckman has been appointed to a panel that will report to the International Science Council, the independent, global voice for science, on COVID-19 scenarios facing the world and choices for governments, agencies and citizens. Sir Peter, the council’s president-elect, initiated the project. He is head of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland. The other New Zealander on the panel of international experts is University of Otago epidemiologist Sir David Skegg.

Ara Poutama aiming high
Juanita Ryan has been leading the work toward equity of healthcare and outcomes for Māori within the Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa. Ms Ryan was late last year appointed deputy chief executive, health services at the department, after a 12-month secondment to the role. She is responsible for delivery of health, mental health, addictions and disability services for people serving sentences and orders with the department. Ms Ryan became a prison psychologist 12 years ago and has since been principal psychologist, director programmes and interventions, and chief psychologist.

Reassurance for the public
Paramedics are accountable to the public via the new Te Kaunihera Manapou Paramedic Council, chaired by medical student and paramedic Carlton Irving. Some general practices are investigating the idea of employing paramedics, New Zealand Doctor|Rata Aotearoa reports. Social work in practices may also get a boost because, from this week, registration of all social workers is mandatory. Being a regulated profession with a code of conduct gives the public reassurance, the Social Workers Registration Board says in a media release. The board is chaired by social worker Shannon Pakura.

The year everything happens
I’m finding it difficult to see how the sector can forge on with the work of care – including COVID-19 testing, catch-up measles vaccinations and mass-vaccinating against COVID-19 – plus deal with upcoming Government announcements of major health reform. Amongst all this, new people will be needed in key primary care roles. John Ross is leaving Comprehensive Care, a primary health organisation based at Albany on Auckland’s North Shore, after being chief executive for 10 years. And Phillip Balmer, chief executive of Mahitahi Hauoa, a new(ish) primary health entity covering all of Northland, has recently resigned. Meanwhile, as always, thanks to all who helped with this edition. Share, like, follow and subscribe! It’s free.

– Virginia McMillan, editor
phone 021 914 699 or email vmcmillan@nzdoctor.co.nz