People partner biographies
John Towns
John became a CEC Consumer Representative in 2011 after five years in a similar role at Children's Hospital Westmead. Before retiring, John spent 20 years as GM/CEO of mainly industrial companies and 10 years running his own consulting business. Given that the modern company leader's main roles include keeping employees safe and improving quality, becoming involved in the health industry was not totally unfamiliar territory.
John has a science degree and Master of Business Administration, both from UNSW and is an active member of several CEC committees and advisory groups.
Barbara Newman
Barbara has extensive experience in the health sector with a PhD in Health Sciences Research, following the completion of numerous master's level qualifications in Public Health, Occupational Health & Safety and Medical Education, not to mention her original training as a nurse.
Barbara is passionate about ensuring that NSW Healthcare meets the needs of as many people as possible, especially those who feel marginalised and/or unable to access adequate care in rural areas.
Barbara listens closely to the NSW Country Women's Association to put the rural perspective forward at the committees, advisory groups and meetings that she attends as part of her role as a CEC people partner.
Nicole Brooke
Nicole is a devoted mother to two teenagers, sister and daughter based in Sydney. Nicole has been a carer and a patient across the public and private sectors. Nicole, at the heart of her profession and her passion, is an advocate for the frail and vulnerable in the community. She is a Registered Nurse, and has undertaken further postgraduate training in aged care, leadership, education, commercialisation and a PhD in case management within aged care.
Nicole's speciality is in governance and clinical governance, especially to consider capability, system development and utilising data to inform practices. Nicole is currently a CEO of a peak body in quality management across aged care, disability and community care, as well as CEO of Community Audits Australia. Concurrently, she holds an adjunct Associate Professor role with University of Canberra.
Brian Osborne
Brian Osborne is a retired biochemist doctorate with 37 years professional experience and a long record of volunteering in education, law enforcement, senior's affairs, as well as health. He has held senior industry and academic appointments in plant and food science in the UK and Australia, including as Adjunct Professor, Technical Manager for laboratory accreditation and Chair of the Australian Wheat Variety Classification Panel.
Brian had 11 years' service as a Consumer Advisor with Northern Sydney LHD and during that time was Chair of the Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Consumer Participation Committee. He has an extensive history of partnering with the CEC, including the RCA Review Committee, REACH and End of Life Toolkits and Anticoagulant Medicines Working Party. Brian was also Deputy Consumer Chair of the MoH Elevating the Human Experience Working Group: Measurement, Feedback and Response and is currently a member of the ACI Emergency Care Institute Community of Practice, the ANU Institute for Communication in Health Consumer Reference Group and the NSW Ambulance Medical Retrieval System Governance Committee.
Mary Borg
Mary has been a valued member of the CEC People Partners panel for several years, bringing over forty years of experience as a schoolteacher and Deputy School Principal and lived experience of supporting her father as he journeyed the dementia minefield for many years.
As a result of her experience caring for a family member with dementia, Mary became involved with the CEC as a consumer advisor on the "Top 5" Steering Committee. TOP 5 is a simple process that encourages health professionals to engage with carers to gain valuable non-clinical information to help personalise care.
Mary is also a devoted mother and grandmother of six who is passionate about gardening, travelling, painting and cooking.
Jane Rothman
Originally from the USA, Jane migrated to Australia in 1966, where she raised her children and established a career in commercial market research, advertising, marketing and senior management in a government trading enterprise. Jane was a director in a multinational market research company, specialising in innovative qualitative research into deeply entrenched social attitudes and behaviours, including the research that led to the introduction of Random Breath Testing and compulsory wearing of seat belts.
All this came to a halt when Jane contracted Gilliam Barre Syndrome in 2006, becoming paralysed from the neck down within three days, requiring intensive care treatment for over a month and rehabilitation for a further seven months.
Jane believes that rehab 'gave her life back' and felt she wanted to 'give back' to the health system, hence becoming an active consumer representative with strong focus on the patient as a person, not just a diagnosis. Jane has since been involved in infection control committees, both at Manly/Mona Vale and here at the CEC, is a consumer representative for Northern Beaches Health. Since the Covid pandemic her participation has become limited to on-line activities.
What still matters to Jane is that every person is seen as an individual who is at the centre of their health care experience and being a partner for safety and quality enables her valued input into health strategy and planning.
Prue Miller
Prue has led a double life for many years. A producer and journalist with all the Australian television networks, it was not until her personal experience in acute care with her first son that she became closely involved in the patient experience as a consumer, and then later as a documentary maker and author.
While continuing with her corporate career working for such clients as BHP and Australian Financial Review, she expanded to print journalism while studying nursing. Although journalism (in print and TV) has remained her primary career, her experience as a consumer now encapsulates her own familial experiences, as well as those she has shared with patients on the wards across Sydney.
Prue has been partnering with the CEC across various areas including falls prevention and has recently contributed her expertise to the development of toolkits, fact sheets and webinars with a focus on patients, carers and families for the investigation and management of serious incidents occurring in NSW Health. Prue has also been a valued contributor to the development of the NSW Health Safety & Quality Curriculum, Pathways and Programs, designed to build the safety and quality capacity of NSW Health staff.
Adam Johnston
Adam Johnston is a solicitor, with extensive and varied experience on many committees and complaint handling roles.
He currently serves as a community member on advisory and governance committees of the Northern Sydney Local Health District, works as a Consumer Advisor to the Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Directorate and is a member of the Northern Sydney LHD Board. He is also a member of Health Consumers NSW, the NSW Health Clinical Ethics Advisory Panel and the State-wide Disability Community of Practise on COVID-19. He is currently a PhD (Law) Student at Macquarie University.
Adam has been a member of the ACI/CEC Consumer Council and has an extensive history of partnering with CEC. Adam wishes to enhance and support research and development, to see more basic research translated into better health, health care and cures to chronic disease.
Brigitte Sigl
Brigitte Sigl is an energetic and engaging member of the People Partners panel. A mum to 3 amazing children, Brigitte brings a wealth of healthcare experience from her years of living with MS.
Among her many health consumer activities, Brigitte is the Chair of the Consumer Advisory Committee of NSW Regional Health Partners, MS Australia Lived Experience Expert Panel, Consumer Consultant for Flinders University and contributed to the Centre for Women’s Health Research, Hunter Medical Health Institute. Brigitte has been an integral consumer representative in the development of the NSW Elevating the Human Experience, leading to her current membership with the CEC Partner Panel.
Brigitte is inspired to bring people together and achieve compassionate, person centred care through collaboration and partnership, with consumers, carers, medical staff, academics, and other involved staff, as humans. Brigitte is an advocate for coming together without any hats on and working together to instil trust and psychological safety, to enable others to speak openly.
Zoe Fernance
Some fifteen years ago, a series of family health issues led to Zoe leaving her career in corporate sector management and customer support, to become an advocate and carer for her family, in both paediatric and adult health services. This experience continues to inform Zoe’s health literacy and role as a health consumer representative.
Zoe has a strong appreciation and deep understanding of the difficulties patients, carers, and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds experience. Cultural nuances can impact health decisions, compliance with treatment and overall health outcomes.
Along with a breadth of health consumer engagement experience with Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Sydney Local Health District, Zoe is a member of Health Consumers NSW, having completed their Consumer Representative Training Course. Zoe is also engaged across several health pillars, including the MoH Elevating the Human Experience Steering Committee as part of the NSW Health Future Health Strategy, and is currently a member of the CEC People Partner Panel. Previously, Zoe was a member of the ACI/CEC Consumer Council and has also been engaged in a variety of CEC committees.
John Stubbs
John is a committed and passionate advocate for people affected by cancer and chronic disease. He holds degrees in Accounting and Arts and is a regular speaker at medical conferences in Australia and internationally about health policy, advocacy, clinical trials, clinician training, research, and the benefits of consumer involvement.
He was awarded an Honorary Associate of the University of Sydney - School of Medicine in 2009 for work in the promotion of Research and Clinical Trials in Australia and a Recognition Award from the Federal Department of Health in 2011 for – “long standing commitment to advancing the quality of radiation oncology services in this country”.
In January 2023 John was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to community health, particularly to people with cancer.
In May 2023 John was awarded Life Membership of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Clinical Trials Group for his service and contribution to the organisation.
James Butler
James Butler is a long-time cancer survivor and is a consumer representative and advocate for cancer patients and related issues. He has been a board member of Cancer Council NSW (CCNSW) for the past nine years and served on several board committees. He is a long-time advocate and has negotiated many issues regarding services for cancer patients with decision makers in the health services.
James is a consumer representative on several committees in the Western Sydney Local Health District and is also a consumer representative in cancer research where he is chair of CCNSW consumers in research review panel. He is also chair of the Daffodil Centre consumer panel.
James has been an active fundraiser for cancer causes and was awarded a Global Heroes of Hope Award by the American Cancer Society. He was also awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2021 for services to people affected by cancer.