Dr Michela Sorensen

Sydney-based GP Dr Michela Sorensen has extensive experience working in rural and isolated locations. With family roots in the Mallee, she is passionate about building empowered and thriving communities and believes that, whether you live in a high rise in inner Sydney or a cattle station along the Nullarbor, having access to reliable health information is the key to empowerment.

Keynote topic
The future of rural health: where is the sector going?

Professor Belinda O’Sullivan

Director of Research at Monash Rural Health, Professor Belinda O’Sullivan, has forged a distinguished career as one of Australia's leading rural health systems researchers. Her work on rural workforce capacity, service quality and healthcare access has shaped policy and practice across national and international landscapes.

Leading the implementation of the Monash Rural Health Research Strategy 2024–2027, Professor O’Sullivan and her team are fostering high-impact research that delivers tangible improvements in rural health outcomes.

Keynote topic
Research for junior doctors

Associate Professor Janelle Brennan

Associate Professor Janelle Brennan is a urological surgeon and the Director of the North West Victorian Regional Training Hub at Monash Rural Health. Her research focuses on female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, benign prostatic disease, and health service delivery.

A/Prof Brennan has been the Principal Investigator on a number of clinical trials in Bendigo and her work has been published in the World Journal of Urology, BJU International and the Medical Journal of Australia.

Keynote topic
Research in the real world