Dr Ruby Marslen, Co-chair

Dr Ruby Marslen is a PGY2 at Bendigo Health. Completing placements across metropolitan Melbourne, Gippsland, Bendigo and Broome (WA) has fostered Ruby’s strong passion for rural, regional and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health. Ruby is the current president of the Bendigo HMO Society, and is invested in advocating for the training, development and wellbeing of junior doctors in regional Victoria. In her spare time, Ruby is an avid runner and hiker and enjoys spending time with friends in the Loddon Mallee region’s local food and wine scene!

Dr Matilda Maynard, Co-chair

Dr Matilda Maynard is currently a Resident undertaking her PGY3 year at Bendigo Health. She grew up in rural NSW and her commitment to regional communities has carried through her medical degree, completing clinical placements in both Bendigo and South Gippsland. Matilda had the privilege of presenting in the 2021 DRIVERS conference - she is now excited to be a part of the 2022 committee that will showcase rural, regional and remote medicine. Matilda enjoys spending her time practising reformer pilates, working in the garden and exploring local dining options.

Dr Ra Nasser, Social and Gala Dinner Officer

Dr Ra Nasser is currently a PGY2 at Bendigo Health. He grew up in rural Victoria and completed clinical placements in Warrnambool and Cairns through his John Flynn scholarship. He has been involved with published and ongoing research projects at Bendigo Health. Ra has a strong interest in surgery and is passionate about increasing equity in training, education & research for medical professionals, thereby also improving patient healthcare.

Dr Danielle Taylor, Keynote, VIP and Special Guests Officer

Dr Danielle Taylor is a general surgery registrar at Bendigo Health. She grew up in metropolitan Melbourne but after spending her medical schooling and internship in regional Victoria has now set her sights on becoming a regionally based general surgeon.

Danielle is passionate about having rural and regional training options for trainees across all specialties as well as fostering interest in research.

Dr Grace Harmer, Promotions and Outreach Officer

Dr Grace Harmer is PGY2 working as a GP HMO in Echuca through the Rural Generalist program. She grew up in a small town on the Murray River and, despite moving to Melbourne to attend university, remained deeply connected to rural Victoria through family and competitive swimming. Having seen and experienced the consequences of a lack of access to both general and specialist practitioners, Grace is passionate about providing high-quality, holistic healthcare to rural and regional patients. She is part-way through a Masters-level course focusing on oncology and palliative care and hopes to pursue advanced training in palliative care in the future. Grace continues to swim at state-level competitions when she can. She also likes to garden and spend time with her pet greyhound.

Dr Diane Lim, Logistics and Information Technology Officer

Dr Diane Lim is an unaccredited Radiation Oncology registrar based in Bendigo with a passion for teaching and research. Having had great experiences during placements at Launceston and Traralgon as a medical student, Diane grew to love regional Australia, working various stints in Ballarat, Bendigo, Burnie, Mildura, Launceston and Traralgon. She hopes to undertake training in Radiation Oncology and to be a part of the team of healthcare professionals that expands radiotherapy services available outside of metropolitan cities. In her spare time, Diane loves swimming and bushwalking, as long as she can keep the sandflies away!

Dr Nathan Dalton, Pre-conference Workshops and Resources Officer

Dr Nathan Dalton is an Intern at Bendigo Health and an adjunct research fellow with Monash University. Having participated in multiple research projects in regional settings, he has a keen interest in celebrating the unique scholarly work conducted in non-metropolitan settings. He completed a Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) investigating the long-term survival of medical emergency team call patients in a Victorian regional hospital. Outside of medicine, Nathan thoroughly enjoys both listening to and playing music, and has recently started learning to play the pipe organ.

Dr Edward Benson, Strategic Planning and Evaluation Officer

Dr Edward Benson is a current intern at Bendigo Health. He is a graduate of the Melbourne University Extended Rural Cohort and has completed his medical placement in Shepparton, Wangaratta, Echuca and Mansfield. He is passionate about critical care and pursuing a career in anaesthetics in a rural or regional hospital. He is excited to be a part of the DRIVERS steering committee 2022 to help promote academic and research excellence in rural areas.

Dr Leanne Boyd, Co-chair 

Dr Leanne Boyd is an O&G Registrar currently working at Bendigo Health. Originally from the UK, she has worked in healthcare for 15 years. She started out as a nurse in cardiothoracic theatres before retraining at St George’s, University of London, and gaining her first job in South West London. She moved to Melbourne in 2019. While working at Monash Health she reaffirmed her passion for women’s health and committed to a permanent move down under. She spent 18 months working in Mildura as a Registrar and fell in love with regional Victoria. Leanne has applied for the Regional training programme and hopes Bendigo will become her permanent home.

Dr Joshua McAdams, Co-chair

Dr Joshua McAdams is currently undertaking his PGY3 year at Bendigo Health. He lived and studied in Gippsland for multiple years during his training before moving to Bendigo for his internship and he hasn't left since. He has seen first-hand how difficult career advancement and research opportunities can be for medical students and junior doctors in non-metropolitan areas. Josh was a member of the committee for the inaugural DRIVERS conference and enjoyed it so much he's back for round two!

Dr Sushari Muthumuni

Dr Sushari Muthumuni is an Anaesthetic Registrar at the Mildura Base Hospital. She enjoys teaching and has a strong research background. Sushari is passionate about empowering and strengthening rural medicine. She also believes strongly in promoting the benefits of rural health work to other health professionals and students, knowing that increased understanding of regional, rural and remote experiences will support an increased vibrancy in the field and better patient outcomes. Sushari enjoys a wide-range of non-work pursuits, including learning about local flora and fauna, being out in nature generally, as well as playing badminton, cricket, and creating floral arrangements!

Associate Professor Janelle Brennan

Associate Professor Janelle Brennan is a Urologist who has lived and worked in the Bendigo region for the last ten years. She is currently the Head of Urology at Bendigo Health, Principal Investigator on two local clinical trials and holds a number of professional appointments, including USANZ representative on the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Rural Health Equity Advisory and Reference Group. As Director of the North West Victorian Regional Training Hub, Janelle leads a team focused on improving training opportunities for junior doctors in the Loddon Mallee region. When not working, Janelle tries to play golf, enjoy good food and wine, tinker with Lego and watch her beloved Richmond Tigers with her dog, Dusty.