3 June 2025 | Sydney Masonic Centre
Community Health Navigator Forum 2025
About
Building bridges – Navigating pathways – Improving health outcomes
The UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems (ICFHS) is hosting the Community Health Navigator Forum 2025.
Tuesday 3 June 2025
9am – 5pm (registrations open from 8am)
The Community Health Navigator Forum 2025 is being convened by Emeritus Prof. Mark Harris AO and Adjunct Associate Professor Elizabeth Harris AM, both recognised nationally and internationally for their pioneering work in this field.
The Community Health Navigator Forum 2025 will:
- Share and showcase current research and best practice models of delivery.
- Identify ongoing research and practice priorities.
- Establish a framework for researchers and practitioners to build better models of collaboration and capacity to promote Community Health Navigators nationally; and
- Identify infrastructure needs to sustain Community Health Navigators as an emerging health sector workforce in Australia over the long term.
Join us as we share insights and emerging trends in research and practice that informs the work and sustainability of Community Health Navigators across Australia.
The Community Health Navigator Forum 2025 will bring together policymakers, consumers, health professionals, researchers and academics.
Be a part of this opportunity to learn, connect, and shape the future of Community Health Navigators in Australia.
Welcome
to the Community Health Navigator Forum 2025
Building bridges – Navigating pathways – Improving health outcomes.
In Australia we enjoy some of the best health and health care in the world with life expectancy ranked seventh globally. Much of this ranking is attributable to quality preventive strategies and accessibility to public health services. While we acknowledge achievement, we must also acknowledge that there are entrenched inequities in health care access, and thereby health outcomes, for many people and communities across Australia. The complex and fragmented nature of our healthcare system and barriers compounded by poor health literacy, language and cultural differences, are contributing factors.
Health navigation is a vitally important pathway to address inequities in healthcare access and health outcomes. The work and benefits of Community Health Navigators (CHNs) have been evidenced internationally as making a significant contribution to reducing these inequities and improving health outcomes. To date CHN implementation at scale in the Australian health care system is negligible, confined to, often under resourced, examples in local areas or targeting specific population groups.
Our Community Health Navigator Forum in 2022 was successful in bringing together a range of local and international speakers to discuss this emerging and vitally important field of practice. The 2025 Forum puts forward the challenges of widespread implementation of the roles of CHNs in Australia. Nationally there has been small scale localised success but there is much to do to make CHNs an integral part of our State and National health system.
It is vital to connect research and practice. We must identify what is needed to sustain and scale up these local initiatives. We must proactively identify the training and workforce development needs and the concomitant funding and (hard and soft) infrastructure that is required.
On behalf of the UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems and our Forum 2025 sponsors, the Sydney Local Health District and the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network, we welcome your attendance and participation at the Community Health Navigator Forum 2025.
We value and appreciate your commitment and work to uplift equity in health care for all Australians. We look forward to engaging with you at the Forum and to the networking and sharing the communication and opportunities that will flow from it.
We hope to see you soon.
Mark and Liz Harris
Program
Please note: Program details are tentative and subject to change.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 8.00 - 9.00 am | Registrations open (tea and coffee on arrival) |
| 9.00 - 9.15 am | Welcome and housekeeping by Hosting facilitator Assoc. Prof. Ben Harris-Roxas Acknowledgement of Country Aunty Donna Ingram |
| 9.15 - 9.35 am | Opening remarks Susan Pearce AM, NSW Health Secretary |
| 9.35 - 9.55 am | Response and overview of CHN research and development Prof. Patricia Davidson, Vice Chancellors Fellow & Co-Director of the UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems |
| 10.00 - 10.30 am | Morning Tea, networking and poster displays |
| 10.30 - 11.00 am | Keynote presentation Dr. Michael Wright, President of RACGP |
| 11.00 - 11.15 am | From the floor 2-minute invited statements from participants and key informants (attendees, online and pre-recorded video). |
| 11.15 - 12.30 pm | In conversation: Hosted by Paula Kruger, CEO, Media Diversity Australia CHNs in practice – the research and work that brings us here today – modelling best practice.
Dr. Sabuj Kanti Mistry, Lecturer at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Prof. Fiona Doolan Noble, Director of the University Department of Rural Health, Curtin University WA Lou-Anne Blunden, Executive Director Clinical Services Integration and Population Health, SLHD Dr. Anthony Brown, CEO, Health Consumers NSW |
| 12.30 - 1.15 pm | Lunch, networking and poster displays / meet the researchers |
| 1.15 - 1.45 pm | From the floor 2-minute invited statements from participants and key informants (attendees, online and pre-recorded video). |
| 1.50 - 2.50 pm | Panel discussion: Hosted by Paula Kruger, CEO, Media Diversity Australia Strategies and infrastructure needs for sustaining and growing the CHN sector Rene Pennock, Chair of Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network Emeritus Professor Mark Harris AO MBBS FRACGP MD, CHN Forum Co-convenor Dr. Mia Harrison, Research Fellow, UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health |
| 2.50 - 3.20 pm | Afternoon tea, networking and poster displays |
| 3.20 - 4.20 pm | Breakout groups x 4 (in-person and online same room)
|
| 4.20 - 4.50 pm | Breakout group reporting and next steps (recommendations) |
| 4.50 - 5.00 pm | Closing remarks Forum co-convenors Emeritus Prof. Mark Harris AO and Adjunct Assoc. Prof. Liz Harris AM |
| 5.00 pm | Close of day |
- Time
- 8.00 - 9.00 am
- Session
- Registrations open (tea and coffee on arrival)
- Time
- 9.00 - 9.15 am
- Session
- Welcome and housekeeping by Hosting facilitator
Assoc. Prof. Ben Harris-Roxas
Acknowledgement of Country
Aunty Donna Ingram
- Time
- 9.15 - 9.35 am
- Session
- Opening remarks
Susan Pearce AM, NSW Health Secretary
- Time
- 9.35 - 9.55 am
- Session
Response and overview of CHN research and development
Prof. Patricia Davidson, Vice Chancellors Fellow & Co-Director of the UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems
- Time
- 10.00 - 10.30 am
- Session
- Morning Tea, networking and poster displays
- Time
- 10.30 - 11.00 am
- Session
- Keynote presentation
Dr. Michael Wright, President of RACGP
- Time
- 11.00 - 11.15 am
- Session
- From the floor
2-minute invited statements from participants and key informants (attendees, online and pre-recorded video).
- Time
- 11.15 - 12.30 pm
- Session
In conversation: Hosted by Paula Kruger, CEO, Media Diversity Australia
CHNs in practice – the research and work that brings us here today – modelling best practice.
Dr. Sabuj Kanti Mistry, Lecturer at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
Sharon Parker, Project Manager, International Centre for Future Health SystemsProf. Fiona Doolan Noble, Director of the University Department of Rural Health, Curtin University WA
Lou-Anne Blunden, Executive Director Clinical Services Integration and Population Health, SLHD
Dr. Anthony Brown, CEO, Health Consumers NSW
- Time
- 12.30 - 1.15 pm
- Session
- Lunch, networking and poster displays / meet the researchers
- Time
- 1.15 - 1.45 pm
- Session
- From the floor
2-minute invited statements from participants and key informants (attendees, online and pre-recorded video).
- Time
- 1.50 - 2.50 pm
- Session
Panel discussion: Hosted by Paula Kruger, CEO, Media Diversity Australia
Strategies and infrastructure needs for sustaining and growing the CHN sector
Tish Bruce PSM, Executive Director, Health and Social Policy, NSW Ministry of HealthRene Pennock, Chair of Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network
Emeritus Professor Mark Harris AO MBBS FRACGP MD, CHN Forum Co-convenor
Dr. Mia Harrison, Research Fellow, UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health
- Time
- 2.50 - 3.20 pm
- Session
- Afternoon tea, networking and poster displays
- Time
- 3.20 - 4.20 pm
- Session
Breakout groups x 4 (in-person and online same room)
- Research: What we know and need to apply. What we still need to know to upscale and sustain CHNs.
Facilitators: Assoc. Prof. Fiona Haigh and Dr. Sarah Wright
- Collaboration between researchers, practitioners and communities to improve access and equity; codesign in developing models of care?
Facilitators: Kath Thorburn and Shane Brown OAM
- Infrastructure: Community Health Navigators sustainability: recruitment, training, accreditation, funding and challenges in establishing a new workforce.
Facilitators: Assoc. Prof. Rebecca Jessup and Tamara Lee
- Staying connected as a community of practice: ways of exchanging ideas, advocacy, communication as a larger group.
Facilitators: Dr. Cathy O'Callahan and Dr Brendan Goodger
- Research: What we know and need to apply. What we still need to know to upscale and sustain CHNs.
- Time
- 4.20 - 4.50 pm
- Session
- Breakout group reporting and next steps (recommendations)
- Time
- 4.50 - 5.00 pm
- Session
- Closing remarks
Forum co-convenors Emeritus Prof. Mark Harris AO and Adjunct Assoc. Prof. Liz Harris AM
- Time
- 5.00 pm
- Session
- Close of day
Meet the presenters
Susan Pearce AM
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 142,000 FTE and a budget of over $30 billion - 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.
Patricia M. Davidson
RN PhD
Co-Director of the International Centre for Future Health Systems
Professor Patricia M. Davidson has served as Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Wollongong and dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore in the United States. Her work focuses on person-centred care delivery and the improvement of the lives of people living with chronic and complex conditions. She is particularly focussed on how social determinants of health moderate health outcomes and is nationally and internationally recognised as a leader in nursing, health and medical science. In 2021, she was the recipient of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) Distinguished Leader Award. This honour celebrates her exceptional contributions to the advancement of global health.
Dr Michael Wright
Associate Professor Michael Wright a general practitioner (GP), health economist and health services researcher based at the International Centre for Future Health Systems at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Michael’s research interests include evaluating the value of primary care within the broader health systems, the impact of primary care funding and policy on health outcomes. Michael is currently national President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
Registration has now closed
Full in person registration:
$60 AUD
(includes booking fee and GST)
Full in person registration includes access to all available in person sessions, coffee and tea on arrival, morning and afternoon teas, lunch and a copy of the Forum Report.
Full online registration:
$20 AUD
(includes booking fee and GST)
Full online registration includes access to all available online sessions and a copy of the Forum Report.
Concession registration:
$ AUD Donation
(includes booking fee and GST)
We invite a donation for interested people on fixed and limited incomes – this is an honour system.
Concession registration either in person or online entitles you to all the benefits listed above.
Pay it Forward:
$ AUD Donation
(includes booking fee and GST)
If you are able, we invite you to pay it forward by sponsoring an attendee on limited or fixed income.
An automated receipt will be issued in the name as per your registration details.
Sponsors
Venue
Sydney Masonic Centre
66 Goulburn Street Sydney NSW 2000, opens in a new window
We encourage you to visit the Sydney Masonic Centre website, opens in a new window – please scroll down to find information about the venue, getting there, parking and local accommodation.
Contact
Questions or further information?
Thank you for your interest and we look forward to greeting you on 3 June 2025.
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us at ICFHS@unsw.edu.au