Professor Christine Kilpatrick to lead ACSQHC as Chair

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) has appointed Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO as the new Board Chair for a five-year term.

Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler MP confirmed Professor Kilpatrick’s appointment as Commission Chair, effective 1 April 2024.

Kilpatrick has served as a non-executive member of the Commission’s Board since July 2023. She has a distinguished career, including healthcare management experience spanning 20 years as a senior executive including 15 years as a chief executive, most recently at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Prior to these executive appointments, Kilpatrick was a neurologist specialising in epilepsy, working in both public and private practice.

The Commission’s CEO, Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan, said, “The Commission is delighted to welcome Professor Kilpatrick as Chair, as we turn our focus to priorities such as clinical governance, reducing low value care and improving sustainability within the healthcare system,” Duggan said.

“Professor Kilpatrick brings to the Commission a deep understanding of health care from her breadth of experience, and we look forward to benefiting from her guidance and insights as we work together over the next five years.”

Kilpatrick is also a board member of Healthdirect Australia and the Florey. She has previously served on the board of HealthShare Victoria, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance and as Chair of the Doherty Institute and the Victorian Quality Council (VQC). She is an Enterprise Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne.

Kilpatrick was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2019 and was recipient of the Distinguished Fellow’s Award, Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators in 2017.

Duggan paid tribute to outgoing Chair Professor Villis Marshall AC, who was first appointed to the role of Board Chair in 2013.

“Professor Villis Marshall has made a significant contribution during a remarkable period of change in the healthcare sector. Under his leadership, the Commission worked with Professor Marshall to deliver system-wide improvements in safety and quality standards, medication safety, healthcare variation and infection control, among other achievements.

“Professor Marshall leaves an incredible legacy at the Commission, as he hands the baton to incoming Chair Professor Kilpatrick to continue to drive meaningful and transformative improvements to the safety and quality of health care.”

Minister Butler also confirmed the appointment of several Commission Board Members, effective 1 April 2024, including:

• Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite — a health services and systems researcher with a strong international reputation and with deep knowledge of innovation and system reform culture.
• Dr Alicia Veasey — a Torres Strait Islander obstetrician and gynaecologist with significant experience in First Nations advocacy in health care.
• Ms Leanne Wells — a respected health advocate and former longstanding CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, who brings consumer advocacy and extensive governance experience.
• Dr Helena Williams (reappointment) — a longstanding Board Member since 2012 with expertise in general practice as a practising GP, which is critical to the Commission’s focus on Primary Care.

Image credit: iStock.com/simon izquierdo