Keynote Speakers

Suzanne currently lives in The Adelaide Hills in South Australia and works as the Centre Manager for headspace* Murray Bridge and Victor Harbor.

Since graduating in 1989 as an Occupational Therapist she has worked in Public and Non-Government Mental Health Services in Australia and the UK.

During Suzanne’s career as an OT and Family Therapist she has worked as both a practitioner and manager that prioritises function and relationships as core components for success in her work.

Suzanne was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to visit services around the world utilising Single Session Therapy to enable greater accessibility and timeliness of services to young people. Suzanne’s work has been innovative and seen Single Session Family Consultation and Single Session Thinking transforming care in headspace centres.

Suzanne is published in:
• Hoyt, M.F., Young, J., & Rycroft, P. (Eds.). (2021) Single Session Thinking and Practice in Global, Cultural, and Familial Contexts: Expanding Applications. New York: Routledge.(Chapter 12)
• Poon, AWC., Harvey,C., Fuzzard, S., O’Hanlon, B. (2017) Implementing a family-inclusive practice model in youth mental health services in Australia. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 1-8
The report can be found at: https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/suzanne-fuzzard-sa-2022/
*headspace is a National Youth Mental Health program funded since 2006 in Australia.

Clinton Schultz, a Gamilaraay man and recognised as a 'cultural innovator,' was honored with a PhD from Griffith University in 2019 for his thesis on the holistic well-being of the Aboriginal health and community workforce, receiving high academic accolades including the Chancellors medal. Dr Schultz has written and presented extensively on the concept of social and emotional wellbeing from an Aboriginal perspective. As a relentless entrepreneur and advocate for positive community impact, he consults on cultural responsiveness and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through his various roles.

A practicing psychologist and the Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships at the Blackdog Institute, Clinton previously taught as an Assistant Professor at Bond University and founded Marumali Consultations to bridge the gap in culturally responsive mental health services. His entrepreneurial spirit also led to the creation of Sobah, a non-alcoholic craft beer brand, showcasing his versatility and commitment to social ventures alongside family life.

Clinton has contributed significantly to professional bodies, including the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association and the Indigenous Allied Health Association, reflecting his deep commitment to First Nation’s well-being, cultural heritage, and environmental health. His achievements include receiving Griffith University's Most Outstanding First Nations Alumnus Award and the IAHA Health Professional of the Year. A spirited competitor, Clinton enjoys motorbiking, surfing, rock climbing, and has participated in Australian Ninja Warrior and UNAA Ninja Championships, demonstrating his dynamic and multifaceted life.

Gerry Naughtin has worked in management and governance roles in human services for many years, in the mental health, disability and aged care sectors. He was a member of the Expert Advisory Panel to the Victorian Royal Commission on Mental Health and until recently, chaired the National Mental Health Sector Reference Group for the National Disability Insurance Agency. Gerry is a qualified social worker and has a Doctorate of Philosophy from Melbourne University. He previously held an Associate Professor position at LaTrobe University.

Gerry has a strong commitment to the development of lived experience in mental health and disability services. He co-authored a chapter in the book Peer Work in Australia with his friend and colleague Janet Meagher. He holds a professional qualification in social work and completed his doctorate in social work in 2008.

Professor Genevieve Pepin is a passionate mental health occupational therapist, educator, and researcher. She joined Deakin University after having worked across diverse mental health services and taught at Laval University, Sherbrooke University, and McGill University in Canada. She is an established MOHO scholar. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of mental illness on engagement in meaningful occupations and advancing occupational therapy practice, education, and research in mental health. She is particularly interested in understanding the impact of eating disorders on function and the daily occupations of those with an eating disorder and their family, and the development of innovative interventions promoting best health outcomes.

Genevieve is a strong advocate for occupational therapy in mental health and for the unique role occupational therapists can play in the recovery of people with an eating disorder. Genevieve is the research lead of the Lived Experience and Co-Production stream of the Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Centre. She is also the Chair of the Research Committee of Eating Disorders Families Australia. She has exciting national and international partnerships, was granted over $15 million in research funding, has several publications, and presents her work around the world. Genevieve is a strong believer in multidisciplinary approaches, best practice, and emerging knowledge that support occupation-based and client-centred interventions in the mental health sector.

Rachel is a passionate mental health occupational therapist with experience as a clinician, researcher, project manager and practice change lead. She has held various positions in the mental health sector in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Her vast clinical experience in the mental health sector has included clinical specialist and leadership roles and much of her work has been on the translation and dissemination of evidence-based or evidence-informed approaches into clinical practice. She has specialist expertise in eating disorders. Throughout her clinical career, she has become highly skilled in the provision of evidence based occupational therapy practice. Furthermore, she has demonstrated leadership skills and is proficient in project implementation having led numerous quality improvement and evaluation projects in mental health, some at a national level.

Rachel is a systems thinker and has a particular interest in how the structure of health services impacts a person’s ability to receive the right treatment at the right time. Her research focuses on service system design, the mental health workforce and enhancing access to treatment.

Caleb, a major stroke survivor at 24, has become a prominent voice dedicated to empowering stroke and brain injury survivors. As Chief Vision Officer of Genyus Network, he dynamically raises awareness, builds capacity and drives change in the disability sector. Caleb has shared his inspiring story on esteemed platforms, including ABC, SBS Insight and House of Wellness for Network 7, plus authored a publication in Brain Impairment for Cambridge University Press, showcasing his commitment to advancing knowledge in the field.

He has served as Master of Ceremonies for numerous national conferences, including for National Disability Services and Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA), and was recently appointed as a Board Director for OTA. Following his success presenting at the 2023 UK Stroke Forum, Caleb was honoured as a MainStage speaker at Johnson & Johnson's 2024 HealtheVoices conference in the USA, strengthening his influence as a global online health advocate.

Rochelle Pattison is one of the principals of Chimaera Capital Limited; a licenced financial services provider with specialties in investment management, custody and corporate advisory.

Raised on a farm outside Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, in the 1970s Rochelle was a typical young boy. Whilst they did not have the knowledge or vocabulary to understand their sense of not being right, they adapted to fit in; electing to suppress their identity.

Over time, the stresses of that suppression and their gender dysphoria began to significantly interfere with their life resulting in increasing mental health challenges including anxiety and depression.

In December 2017 she transitioned and now lives full time as a woman.

Rochelle speaks about her life, gender dysphoria and her experience living as a woman of transgender experience.

In 2020 she was chosen as one of Australia’s outstanding 50 LGBTI+ Leaders by Deloitte’s, Google and Energy Australia.

She lives in Melbourne with her wife and two sons. She plays hockey in Hockey Victoria women’s competition, is Chair of Transgender Victoria and is a director of the Pride Cup board.

Paul Byrne-Moroney is an intersex male. Paul always knew he was different from other boys, including his brothers. He spent 20 years hiding his body and protecting his secret, until, at the age of 28 Paul found the courage to seek answers. Eventually, Paul learned his sex chromosomes are XXY. He also learned this impacted his physical development and also caused cognitive developmental delays, learning challenges, and neurodiversity. Nowadays Paul is an intersex advocate, Intersex Peer Support Australia Representative, and presenter of the only intersex radio show in Australia, The I in Us, on JOY94.9.