The Board

Subtitle
Members, organisations and directors

NTGPE was established to provide and facilitate effective general practice and primary health care education and training in the NT.

NTGPE is a public company limited by guarantee and consists of the following six member organisations:
  • Aboriginal Medical Services Alliances Northern Territory Aboriginal Corporation
  • Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
  • Charles Darwin University
  • Health Network Primary Ltd operating as Northern Territory PHN
  • The Flinders University of South Australia
  • The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

The NTGPE board comprises an appointee from each of the member organisations and board-appointed, skills-based directors. The board holds five meetings per year, two of which are face to face. The Annual General Meeting is held in April or May of each year.

NTGPE board
NTGPE board: (L-R) Dr PD Wijesurendra, Dot Morrison, Stephen Pincus, Dr Jo Wright, Dr Emma Kennedy, Nicki Herriot, Professor Dominic Upton, Erin Lew Fatt
The board's function is:
  • To act in a responsible way with respect to the fiduciary position of the Company and its ability to meet debts and obligations as they fall due.
  • To implement a strategic plan for the Company and report progress of that implementation against planned targets.
  • To adopt an annual budget for the Company and monitor the results at regular intervals.
  • To appoint the Chief Executive Officer and conduct performance reviews.
  • To ensure the documented procedures for the formal processes of the election of office bearers and conduct AGMs are followed.
  • To employ/engage personnel to carry out these duties, assist them by providing direction and the tools to do the job.
  • To ensure that an independent auditor is appointed and that an appropriate level and range of insurance cover exists.
  • To ensure that delegations are prescribed in an instrument of delegation and set to a level appropriate for the organisation.
  • To review its own effectiveness as a board, and if necessary, to take appropriate steps to influence documented policy to reflect the changing needs of the company.
  • To act all times in the interest of the Company.
NTGPE constitution

The NTGPE constitution is a key governance document. The Board must ensure that it and NTGPE complies at all times with the provisions of the Constitution.

view NTGPE constitution

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Dr Emma Kennedy

Chairperson
Dr Emma Kennedy is a practicing general practitioner and has made a major contribution to medical education in the Northern Territory.
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0889467079
Darwin, NT
boardchair@ntgpe.org

Dr Emma Kennedy is a practicing general practitioner and has made a major contribution to medical education in the Northern Territory. Emma has lectured for the Northern Territory Clinical School, Flinders University and Sydney University. Emma has held medical educator positions with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Northern Territory General Practice Education.

Appointed: 08/08/2006

Qualifications: BMBS, MFM, FRACGP, Dip RACOG, GAICD

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Dr Christine Lesnikowski

Board Director – RACGP member representative
A General Practitioner, Fellow Royal Australian College of General Practice, previous Medical Educator with NTGPE for 10 years, and recipient of the 2012 Australian Government General Practice Education and Training Limited, Medical Educator of the year award.
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8946 6746
Alice Springs
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Resides in Alice Springs. A General Practitioner, Fellow Royal Australian College of General Practice, previous Medical Educator with NTGPE for 10 years, and recipient of the 2012 Australian Government General Practice Education and Training Limited, Medical Educator of the year award. 

Currently in private GP and the HealthPathways Clinical Lead for Northern Territory Primary Health Network, with a strong interest in education and primary health care for all across both rural and remote settings.

Lived, worked and trained in Central Australia and the Top End including Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin in a variety of settings from public hospitals, private GP clinics and Central Australian remote community health care involving clinic visits and medical retrievals. Board member for Royal Flying Doctor Service Central Operation commenced July 2018. 

Qualifications: FRACGP, BMBS, BSc Hons

Appointed: 19 August 2020

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Dr Jo Wright

Board Director – Skills based
Dr Jo Wright began in Remote Health with the Northern Territory Department of Health in 1990, and has extensive experience in primary health care service delivery
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0889467079
Darwin, NT
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Dr Jo Wright began in Remote Health with the Northern Territory Department of Health in 1990, and has extensive experience in primary health care service delivery, management, reform, evaluation and teaching. He has been a contributing editor to several editions of the CARPA Standard Treatment Manual. Jo is now the Director of Activity Based Funding, being responsible for the implementation of the hospital funding side of the national health reforms in the Northern Territory.

Appointed: 25/05/2010

Qualifications: MBBS, Dip RACOG, FAFPHM, GAICD

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Dr Priyantha (PD) Wijesurendra

Board Director – ACRRM member representative
Dr PD Wijesurendra has been working as a rural generalist at Tennant Creek Hospital since 2014 and has been serving as Acting Director of Medical Services since mid-2015.
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0889467079
Darwin, NT
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Dr PD Wijesurendra has been working as a rural generalist at Tennant Creek Hospital since 2014 and has been serving as Acting Director of Medical Services since mid-2015. He has a strong interest in critical care medicine and is passionate about medical education.

Appointed: 25/08/2016

Qualifications:  BSc (Med) MBBS FACRRM

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Mr John Rawnsley

Board Director – NT PHN member representative
John Rawnsley is the manager of the Law and Justice section at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) and has a legal background.
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Darwin

John Rawnsley is the manager of the Law and Justice section at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) and has a legal background. He is a Director of the NT PHN and current Deputy Chair. John grew up in the Northern Territory spending time in his youth and as an adult in both Darwin and Central Australia. He is from the Larrakia and Anmetjerre groups. He has extensive board experience including a current Director of the Larrakia Development Corporation and Winkiku Rrumbangi NT Indigenous Lawyers Aboriginal Corporation, and formerly a member of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and former Alderman of Alice Springs and Deputy Mayor.

Appointed: 1 July 2020

Qualifications: LLB, BAIS, GDLP, MAICD

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Ms Dorothy (Dot) Morrison

Board Director – Skills based
Dorothy Morrison is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education.
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0889467079
Darwin, NT
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Dorothy Morrison is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. Her role oversights the operations of higher education and research, vocational education and training, alliance management with other agencies, projects and services as well as the performance, monitoring and reporting functions of the Institute.

Ms Morrison was the Chief Executive Officer for the Heart Foundation Northern Territory from 2008 – 2015 and has held other senior executive roles involving oversight of Indigenous education across the Northern Territory. She has significant experience across the health and education sectors in policy analysis and development; strategic, operational and business planning; and professional practice. Ms Morrison's work in the health and education sectors included the development of policies and plans in health promotion, public health, Indigenous health and Indigenous education.

Appointed: 21/05/2013

Qualifications: BA, DipContEd, MEd, GAICD

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Ms Erin Lew Fatt

Board Director – AMSANT member representative
Erin has been working in the Aboriginal health sector for over 17 years. Erin is the Program Manager at AMSANT, managing workforce policy, chronic disease
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0889467079
Darwin, NT
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Erin is an Aboriginal woman from Darwin and has been working in the Aboriginal health sector for over 19 years. Erin is the Program Manager at AMSANT, managing workforce policy, chronic disease workforce support, leadership and Digital Health for AMSANT and its members. Before taking on the Program Manager role, Erin worked in the Workforce Policy officer position at AMSANT working nationally and regionally on workforce policy and projects and supporting AMSANT members on relevant workforce issues.

Other previous roles prior to AMSANT included working at Danila Dilba Health Service and the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, mainly in executive support, education & training and governance roles. Erin holds tertiary qualifications in Business & Project Management and is currently studying a Bachelor of Health Science through Charles Darwin University.

Appointed 28/04/2015

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Professor Dominic Upton

Board Director – CDU member representative
Professor Upton is the Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at CDU.
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0889467079
Darwin, NT
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Professor Dominic Upton is the Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Charles Darwin University. Prior to moving to the NT, Dominic was the Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health at the University of Canberra having served as Associate Dean (Education) and Deputy Dean for a number of years. A Health Psychologist by background, Professor Upton has had an extensive career in clinical practice, teaching and research. Prior to moving to the University of Canberra, he was Director of Research in the Institute of Health at the University of Worcester in the UK and Head of Psychology at both Worcester and Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Professor Upton has led a number of significant research projects funded by national and international bodies and held a number of significant national positions for psychology and learning and teaching. A strong and passionate advocate for innovative and inspiring teaching excellence, he was elected Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2005, awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2007 and was elected as Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2018. He has authored 19 books and over 200 academic articles in academic journals and book chapters.

His research interests span a number of significant areas in health psychology: from the impact of psychological factors in pain, long-term conditions and wound healing, to the promotion of physical health in both adults and children, to the promotion of evidence based practice in clinicians. His current research focus is on the psychosocial factors in wound care and wound healing.

Appointed: 05/02/2019

Qualifications: BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, C Psychol, CSci, MAPS, FBPsS, PFHEA

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Professor Jonathan Craig

Board Director – Flinders University member representative
Professor Craig is Vice-President and Executive Dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University.
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08 8946 6746
Darwin, NT
belle.allison@ntgpe.org

Professor Craig is Vice-President and Executive Dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. He is a practising paediatric nephrologist and clinical epidemiologist, and especially committed to improving the health of people with chronic kidney disease, the health of children, and the health and well-being of Indigenous people. He has had continuous NHMRC Program Grant funding for 20+ years, and currently is CIA on a Program Grant (BEAT-CKD), Project Grant, and CRE.

His awards include International Distinguished Medal of the National (US) Kidney Foundation (2010), TJ Neale Award for Outstanding Contribution to Nephrological Science, and Honorary Membership of the Italian Society of Nephrology (2004). He is the Coordinating Editor of the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Group.

He is a past Chair of the Steering Group of Cochrane, is a past member of the Expert Advisory Group for the Structural Review of NHMRC’s Grant Program, and non-executive board member of Kidney Health Australia. He is a member of the NHMRC Advisory Group on the Synthesis and Translation of Research Evidence, a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, a member of the Medicare Services Advisory Committee, a member of the Life Savings Drug Program, a member of the International Advisory Panel for Singapore’s Agency for Care Effectiveness, and past member of the WHO expert review panel for global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property.

Appointed: 09/04/2019

Qualifications: MBChB, DCH, MMed(Clin Epi), FRACP, PhD

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Stephen Pincus

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Company Secretary
Stephen is the Chief Executive and Company Secretary of NTGPE Ltd. Stephen is very interested in education and health and, in particular, improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people.
Read more
0889467079
Darwin, NT
stephen.pincus@ntgpe.org

Stephen was appointed Chief Executive and Company Secretary of NTGPE Ltd in 2016. Prior to that, Stephen worked in higher education policy and at universities including for seven years at Queensland University of Technology as a senior executive with responsibility for finance, budget, campus services, planning and facilities. Stephen is very interested in education and health and, in particular, improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people. This is second time Stephen has worked in the NT; previously working in Nhulunbuy in the early 1980s before commencing university studies. Stephen has tertiary qualifications in science and economics and is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  Stephen has been a Director on several boards including an innovation company, a private school, an aged care service and a private hospital.

Executive management

  • NTGPE strategic plan
  • Risk management
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategic health plan
  • Reconciliation Action Plan

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