Clinical Directors and Medical Advisors

Media Enquiries

To request comment from the Commission's spokespeople, please contact the Media team at media@safetyandquality.gov.au.

Associate Professor Liz Marles

 Associate Professor Liz Marles is a Clinical Director for the Commission and general practitioner who provides strategic leadership and expert advice on primary and community health care. 

She led the review of the updated Heavy Menstrual Bleeding Clinical Care Standard (2024) and the development of the Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard (2022) and Stillbirth Clinical Care Standard (2022).

A/Professor Marles is a respected practicing family physician. As Director of the Hornsby-Brooklyn General Practice Unit, just north of Sydney NSW, she has led clinical service delivery to vulnerable groups through the establishment of collaborative clinics, including the award winning Aboriginal Health Clinic - Bungee Bidgel.

A/Professor Marles has developed specific expertise in chronic disease management, mental health and Aboriginal health, and has a strong focus on holistic and preventative care. 

A/Professor Marles' passion for general practice has led to her involvement in multiple government committees and Boards. She is currently a Director and past Chair of Therapeutic Guidelines, a Director of the Sydney North Health Network and is a past President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

Dr Heather Buchan

 Dr Heather Buchan is a Senior Medical Advisor for the Commission and public health physician who has worked in health policy and medical management roles in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Dr Buchan has a longstanding interest in ways to increase the effectiveness and appropriateness of health care, including methods to improve communication between patients and clinicians, and in the implementation of change in healthcare settings.

At the Commission, Dr Buchan undertakes work across a number of programs, primarily with the Healthcare Variation team and related to embedding safety and quality in health practitioner education. She is also Conjoint Associate Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle.

Professor John Turnidge AO

 Professor John Turnidge is Senior Medical Advisor for the Commission and an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist. He has led national surveillance for antimicrobial resistance and usage in human health since 2014, and is also Chair of the Commission’s Antimicrobial Resistance Stewardship Advisory Committee.

Professor Turnidge trained at the Flinders Medical Centre Adelaide and undertook research in the US on antimicrobial pharmacodynamics. He spent eight years at Monash Medical Centre Melbourne before joining the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Adelaide as head of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, and later as chief of the Laboratory Medicine division. He was a Clinical Director at SA Pathology for three years.

Professor Turnidge's research career has led to over 340 publications and a range of editorial boards and leadership positions. He has chaired the Australian Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance, the Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance and the NHMRC’s Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance. He co-founded the Australian Society for Antimicrobials in 1999 and was President of the Australian Society of Microbiology from 2010 to 2012.

From 2017 he was Scientific Secretary for the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, and in April 2023 assumed the role of Document and Technical Support.

Professor Peter Collignon AM

 Professor Peter Collignon is a Senior Medical Advisor for the Commission and infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist. He is also Chair of the Commission’s Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Advisory Committee.

Professor Collignon is a physician at Canberra Hospital, a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) Medical School and a Senior Staff Specialist at ACT Pathology.

Active in many public health advocacy issues, Professor Collignon has a particular interest in antibiotic resistance, infection prevention and control, and hospital acquired infections. His PhD was on the topic of antibiotic resistance and One Health.

The inaugural patron of the Australian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC), Professor Collignon is a member of many national and international committees. He has been an advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) on the issue of antibiotic resistance and the use of antibiotics in food and animals since 2000.

In 2010, Professor Collignon was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to Medicine in Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Infection Control.

Dr Lee Fong

 Dr Lee Fong is a Medical Advisor for the Commission and general practitioner based in the Hunter region, working in clinical governance, service development, guideline development and advocacy roles.

He has current roles in private general practice, Hunter New England Local Health District, Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network, Hunter Primary Care, the Hunter GP Association, the GP Deputising Association, Therapeutic Guidelines, and a volunteer GP clinic for the homeless.

Dr Fong has a particular interest in developing and facilitating connections, collaboration and innovation across healthcare organisations, with the goal of realising system changes that will improve healthcare equity.

Dr Phoebe Holdenson Kimura

 Dr Phoebe Holdenson Kimura is a Medical Advisor for the Commission and general practitioner based in Sydney, working in policy and medical and health professional education.

She works clinically at the Hornsby-Brooklyn General Practice Unit and has a passion for building equitable, quality primary care, particularly for disadvantaged population groups.

Dr Holdenson Kimura is a lecturer at the University of Sydney with an interest in professionalism and interprofessional learning. With a strong interest in mental health, she delivers health professional education for the e-Mental Health in Practice program with Black Dog Institute. Dr Holdenson Kimura also sits on the GP Advisory Group for the Agency for Clinical Innovation, NSW Health.

Dr Andrew Hugman

 Dr Andrew Hugman is Clinical Director, Digital Health for the Commission, an emergency physician and NSW Ambulance State Retrieval Consultant based in Sydney. He is also the Managing Director and Digital Officer at Manly Haematology. With over 13 years of experience in digital health, Dr Hugman specialises in online governance in healthcare, including medical records, digital diagnostic imaging and online clinical tools.

At the Commission, Dr Hugman was previously clinical lead for the My Health Record in Emergency Departments research project (2017–2021) and has been a clinical advisor to the eHealth & Medication Safety Program. He was also the Clinical Lead for NSW Health’s Electronic Management System pilot rollout across the hospitals of South Eastern Sydney.

Dr Hugman is passionate about digital health delivering high-quality patient care, increased efficiency and widespread improvements.