Foundations to future: Advancing paramedicine

Shell Piercy, the Northern Territory’s Chief Paramedic Officer, only the second Chief Paramedic Officer position in Australasia, Shell is the second female to hold such a role. With a distinguished career spanning paramedicine and nursing, Shell’s leadership is shaped by decades of hands-on clinical experience in pre-hospital, emergency, military, wilderness, remote, and urgent care settings across Australia, New Zealand and Internationally. Her expertise includes rural and remote healthcare, trauma, and resuscitation, developing nation ambulance and rescue, disaster medicine, complemented by significant roles as an executive, educator, clinical leader, research assistant and consultant.

Shell’s academic achievements include a Bachelor of Nursing from Massey University, a Bachelor of Health Science in Paramedicine from Auckland University of Technology, and postgraduate study in research, emergency nursing, paramedicine, and business. Her commitment to advancing the profession is evident in her strategic vision for integrating paramedics into multidisciplinary healthcare teams and expanding their scope beyond traditional ambulance services, particularly in remote communities.

Personally, Shell is the sole parent to two adult sons each following their passions in the world. Her passions include travel, outdoors pursuits and adventures to distant lands, often at the intersection of remote work, adventure and spending time with the kids. Family holidays often taking on volunteer work in developing nations.

Shell is driven by a passion to make meaningful change and improve patient outcomes, drawing on her dual backgrounds in nursing and paramedicine. She is recognized for her collaborative approach, dedication to professional development, and advocacy for qualitative, patient-centred care.

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia. Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate, and researcher.

Halfway through medical school, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident that caused a cervical spinal cord injury.

As a result of his injury and experiences, Dinesh has been an advocate for inclusion. He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia.

Dinesh works in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital. He has completed an Advanced Clerkship in Radiology at the Harvard University and is a senior lecturer at the Griffith University and adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland. He is a research fellow at the Jamieson Trauma Institute. Dinesh is a researcher in spinal cord injury. He is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team. Dinesh is a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission. He is an ambassador to the Human Rights Commission’s Includeability program. He was a 2021 International Day of People with Disability ambassador.

Dinesh was the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019. He was the third Australian to be awarded a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award. He was the 2021 Griffith University Young Alumnus of the Year.

He is the author of Stronger, how losing everything set me free, published in 2022.

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is the 2021 Queensland Australian of the Year.

In 2023, Dinesh joined the advisory board of healthylife where he uses his experience and skills to provide expert health information and advocate for the health of Australians, and became a John Monash Scholar.

Sherlyn Hii is an early-career paramedic, registered nurse and research candidate based in Melbourne, Australia. She made a late start in health care after spending more than a decade in motion picture film production. She works clinically as an ALS paramedic for a jurisdictional ambulance service and as a registered nurse in a busy tertiary centre. More recently, Sherlyn has started working in clinical policy development where she enjoys the opportunity to help drive meaningful change. Her long-term goal is to improve global health equitably with research. Her current Master of Research project investigates the epidemiology of ambulance responses to out-of-hospital birth in Papua New Guinea.

Michelle (she/her) is a proud Yorta Yorta woman who is passionate about creating a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander staff & patients. Michelle started as an Aboriginal Cadet at Ambulance Victoria (AV) and went on to become an Advance Life Support (ALS) Paramedic. Michelle became the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program Lead at AV in the Diversity and Inclusion Team. She is committed to making the prehospital setting culturally safe for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander patients.

Cameron is a dedicated healthcare professional with a diverse background in emergency ambulance services and aviation. He has held key leadership roles, including Group Operations Manager, National Māori Health and Equity Manager (acting), and currently serves as Volunteer Support Manager for Hato Hone St John alongside Chief Pilot - Training & Operations Manager at Skydive Tauranga. Cameron leads cultural advisory efforts across HHStJ, working closely with iwi and Māori communities to advance health equity. His commitment to culturally responsive care and relationship-building makes him a trusted advisor and respected voice in the sector, frequently speaking at national ambulance and health forums.

Having started her paramedicine career with Ambulance Victoria in late 2012, Cat Mackay worked in both rural Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne as an ALS paramedic. She then spent a number of years as a MICA paramedic in the western suburbs before transitioning to Air Ambulance as a MICA Flight Paramedic in late 2023. Through this time Cat has earned herself a Bachelor of Paramedicine, a Master of Emergency Health and a Graduate Certificate of Aeromedical Retrieval. Within Ambulance Victoria she has worked in roles such as Clinical Instructor, Paramedic Educator and MICA Programs Facilitator and Assessor. Cat has a passion for mentoring and collaboration, with a strong belief in the value and importance of sharing knowledge and experience between colleagues, services and professions around Australia and the world.

Paul is a distinguished leader in paramedicine, currently serving as the Principal Advisor for Pre-Hospital Care within the Northern Territory Government, operating under the Office of the Chief Paramedic. With a career spanning continents and contexts—from remote outposts and war zones to high-stakes rescue swimming operations—Paul brings a wealth of international experience in community extended care and intensive care paramedicine. His commitment to advancing healthcare in challenging environments is underscored by his Fellowship with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, awarded through the Faculty of Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare. This prestigious recognition reflects his deep expertise and contributions to healthcare delivery in austere and resource-limited settings. Paul is a passionate educator and mentor, dedicated to fostering the next generation of paramedics and elevating the standards of the profession. His work is driven by a steadfast belief in the power of education, mentorship, and continuous professional development to transform pre-hospital care and improve patient outcomes.

Jake Donovan is a MICA Paramedic with 13 years of frontline experience. He is currently undertaking a PhD investigating the clinical utility of ultrasound in paramedicine. Jake holds a Certificate of Allied Health Performed Ultrasound with credentials in eFAST and vascular access, as well as a microcredential in lung ultrasound from Monash University. He has delivered hands-on POCUS training to prehospital clinicians, integrating clinical practice, education, and research to support the safe and effective use of ultrasound in emergency care.

Nigel Barr is a Registered Paramedic and an Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). He is the Discipline Lead for Paramedicine and Urgent Care. His research interests include health service delivery models, urgent care, paramedicine, interprofessional education, and infection control, with publications in high-impact journals.

Paul is the Editor in Chief of Paramedicine, the international research journal, and a researcher who has published widely. He initiated the Peer Review Mentoring Program (PRMP) for the journal and College, and is committed to enhancing quality and rigour in all aspects of research in paramedicine.

Rachael is a Lecturer in Paramedicine and the Academic Program Advisor for Paramedicine at Western Sydney University. She holds a Bachelor of Medical Science from the University of Sydney, as well as a Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedicine) and a Master of Research from WSU. In 2024, she commenced her PhD, focusing on integrating technology-enhanced methods, including artificial intelligence, into simulation education. As a registered paramedic, she has worked with ambulance services nationally and internationally.

Dr Tim Makrides is an Associate Professor of Paramedicine at CQUniversity. With a background in executive leadership and system reform across paramedic systems in both Australia and Canada, he brings a unique perspective shaped by two decades of experience at the intersection of practice, policy, and research. His current work centres on the evolving role of paramedicine in modern healthcare, with a particular focus on system design, performance and modernisation. He’s also a proud dad to three energetic boys, which adds a healthy dose of chaos to life.

Dr Wayne Loudon is a paramedic, researcher, and academic based in Queensland, Australia, with a specialist focus on prehospital acute stroke care and digital health innovation. He has held diverse clinical, operational, and academic leadership roles. Wayne’s doctoral research informed clinical practice change within the Queensland Ambulance Service, and he continues to champion evidence-based, patient-centred care. In his current role as Executive Manager, Community Response Programs, Wayne is focused on enhancing community engagement, building innovative care pathways, and strengthening the interface between health systems and the public.

Dr Mardi Steere is the EGM of Medical and Retrieval Services for Royal Flying Doctor Service SA/NT. She is passionate about delivering healthcare for remote & underserved populations, and lived in Kenya from 2011-2018 where she worked as clinical director of a 350-bed hospital and co-developed sub-Saharan Africa’s first Fellowship program in Paediatric Emergency & Critical Care.

In her current role she leads multidisciplinary retrieval and emergency care across SA and NT with a focus on best practice and innovation. This has included development of a national Prehospital Electronic Health Record and Australia's first Virtual Emergency Centre. She is an Associate Professor at Charles Darwin University, as faculty for the Master of Aeromedical Retrieval, holds an MBA and is a graduate of the AICD. She also serves on the board of AMREF Flying Doctors.

A/Prof Ben Meadley is an experienced clinician-researcher whose work bridges clinical practice, human performance, physiology, and operational readiness in critical occupations. With nearly 30 years of frontline experience, including as an Intensive Care Flight Paramedic and Director of Paramedicine at Ambulance Victoria, he leads applied research into how stressors like heat, fatigue, and shift work affect performance in high-stakes environments. Ben has co-authored almost 50 journal articles, co-edited a the leading critical care paramedicine textbook, and developed validated assessment standards used internationally. He holds adjunct appointments at Monash University and remains active in clinical care, education, and international collaboration in paramedicine.

James Oswald is a Clinical Practice Guideline Specialist and a registered paramedic with a strong focus on evidence-based care, quality improvement, and communicating change. He has a Master’s of Public Health with a focus on health policy and clinical research. He plays a key role in developing and implementing clinical guidelines to support paramedic practice across Victoria. James co-hosts Clinical Conversations, a podcast exploring complex clinical issues in prehospital care, and has contributed to research on clinical guideline development and patient safety.

Dr Louise Reynolds is the Victorian Chief Paramedic Officer, Safer Care Victoria, Associate Professor in Paramedicine at ACU and Adjunct Professor, La Trobe University. She began her paramedicine career as a student paramedic with SA Ambulance Service before transitioning into research and academic roles. Louise was Australia’s first female paramedic to hold a doctoral degree, and she has extensive educational experience in vocational, undergraduate, and postgraduate programs across Australia, the UK, and South-East Asia. Louise’s research focuses on paramedicine workplace safety and has been co-editor of Understanding the Australian Health Care System five times and is co-author of the paramedicine chapter. Louise is actively involved in professional bodies such as the Australasian Council of Paramedicine Deans and the Australasian College of Paramedicine.

Bill has worked as a paramedic academic and researcher at several Australian universities while also holding clinical appointments with Ambulance Victoria and the Queensland Ambulance Service. He is currently an elected Director to the board of the ACP and is a Life Member of the college, and Chair of the Paramedicine Accreditation Committee. In 2023 Bill received the award of Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to paramedicine education and research.

Matt has been a paramedic with Ambulance Victoria since 2009 and an intensive care (MICA) paramedic for the past decade. He is a Teaching Associate and PhD candidate with Monah University’s Department of Paramedicine, and a former board member and secretary of the Safe Airway Society. His PhD focuses on prehospital advanced airway management in Victoria, exploring trends, success rate, complications, and patient outcomes over time.

Ben is an Intensive Care Paramedic with a strong interest in organ donation following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. His recent work has explored international models of uncontrolled donation after circulatory death (uDCD) and the potential role of paramedics in this space. Ben is passionate about improving end-of-life care and hopes to inspire greater awareness, discussion, and research into prehospital organ donation pathways in Australia.

Dr Eburn is a commentator on the law as it applies to the emergency services and emergency management in Australia. His blog, Australian Emergency Law (https://australianemergencylaw.com/) provides current and detailed analysis of the law. In recognition of his expertise in the area and for his contribution to law and paramedicine Dr Eburn was awarded an honorary fellowship with the College in 2020.

Dave has been a paramedic for some years and has undertaken many different roles in a continual effort to develop experience and professional wisdom, whether he is achieving it or not. He has worked for three ambulance services in on-road, aeromedical and wilderness roles. He is an educator for paramedicine, wilderness medicine and speciality training, including for the Australian Antarctic Program.

Don Gillies spent 45 years as a professional first responder, starting his career as a police cadet in 1977 before becoming a paramedic in 1982. He helped develop Ambulance Victoria's manual handling program and was also a driving standards facilitator. He received the Ambulance Service Medal in 2016 for his work in mental health and Ambulance Community Officer training. After walking the Kokoda trail in 2022, Don encountered the No Roads Foundation, a charity delivering healthcare to remote Papua New Guinean communities. He has since done three patrols with the foundation. He spends his spare time scuba diving and playing bass guitar.

Michelle is a Teacher Practitioner in RCSI School of Medicine and a Lecturer in Paramedicine in University College Cork; a registered Advanced Paramedic, Tutor and Examiner with the Prehospital Emergency Care Council (Paramedic regulator) in Ireland. She is an approved CISM Instructor, with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and holds a Masters in Psychological Trauma from University of Nottingham. She is currently undertaking a PhD with Monash University in Australia, exploring additional social support pathways for emergency services personnel.