Editorial Committee

Lyn Byers (Chair)

MRHP, BSci (Hons 1st Class), Grad Dip Mental Health, Grad Dip Mid, Grad Cert Inf Control, Cert IV Train & Assess, GAICD, FCRANA+

Remote Area Nurse/Midwife, Nurse Practitioner
Clinical Nurse Consultant
Nganampa Health Council

Lyn Byers is a Nurse Practitioner Midwife and Mental Health Nurse specialising in Remote Area Nursing. She has worked clinically in remote Central Australia for the last twenty years. Lyn is a fellow and board member of CRANAplus, secretary for Central Australia Rural Practitioners Association (CARPA) and a member of the Central Australia Human Research Ethics Committee. Lyn is passionate about delivering high quality primary health care in remote areas, and promoting the valuable work performed by remote area clinicians often in difficult circumstances. 

Caitlin Steiner

Registered Nurse and Midwife
Midwifery Unit Manager
Mansfield Hospital

Caitlin is an experienced Remote Area Nurse (RAN) and Midwife having commenced her remote career at Wadeye in 2000, before moving to Central Australia where she spent a number of years working in various communities west of Alice Springs. 

Caitlin has developed and coordinated several maternity education courses including MEC, MIDUS and the ATSI MEC.  

Caitlin currently works in a small rural hospital in Mansfield, Victoria as the Midwifery Unit Manager and holds the position of PROMPT (Practical Obstetric Multidisciplinary Training) Coordinator at Mansfield District Hospital. She continues to keep her RAN skills and knowledge current by regularly undertaking contract work in remote health. Caitlin is a board member of CRANAplus.

Dr Christine Connors

OAM MBBS MPH FAFPHM

General Practitioner
Executive Director Population & Primary Health Care
Top End Regional Health Service, NT Health

Christine Connors is a General Practitioner and Public Health Physician who has been working in the Northern Territory for over 30 years, providing clinical and public health services to remote Aboriginal communities. She is currently the Executive Director Population & Primary Health Care for Top End Regional Health Service, NT Health.

Christine has had a major focus on improving models of care and quality improvement, with a particular focus on chronic conditions. She is a member of a number of national committees focusing on preventative health and improving outcomes for Aboriginal people and is involved in a number of research projects with Menzies School of Health Research and the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health. Christine has been a member of the Remote PHC Manuals Editorial Committee from the 4th edition.

Dr Colin Marchant

MBBS, FRACGP

Acting General Manager Health Services Division 
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

Dr Colin Marchant is currently the Acting General Manager Health Services Division at Central Australian Aboriginal Congress in Alice Springs. 

Since completing his medical degree at Adelaide University in 2001, Colin has worked in Alice Springs since 2002, initially at Alice Springs Hospital and then completed his FRACGP based in Alice Springs through NTGPE.

Colin has worked as a GP and various management roles at Central Australian Aboriginal Congress since 2005.

Professor David Atkinson

MBBS, MPH

General Practitioner and Academic
Clinical Lead of Rural Medicine
Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service and Rural Clinical School, University of WA 

Bio: Professor David Atkinson is a GP and academic in the Kimberley who has worked for Aboriginal Community Controlled health services and the University of WA for most of his career.  He has been involved in developing clinical guidelines in the Kimberley since 2003, has developed medical education programs, been involved in a range of research in the Kimberley and has been a member of the editorial committee since 2015.

Fran Vaughan

Pharmacist
Pharmacy Project Officer
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (NACCHO)  

Fran Vaughan has been involved with the remote primary health care manuals for four editions and led the initial development of the Medicines Book for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners. 

Fran is a pharmacist with a background in hospital and community pharmacy and as lecturer in Remote Pharmacy at Flinders University preparing health professionals, including pharmacists, nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Practitioners and Workers for remote and rural practice. 

She also has experience in providing professional pharmacy services, including Home Medicines Reviews and onsite clinical pharmacy practice roles, to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the Northern Territory and Queensland. 

Fran currently works as a project officer for NACCHO, providing support for policy and programs related to medicines and pharmacy, including the IPAC project, Integrating Pharmacists into Aboriginal Health Services. 

Dr Kerrie Gell  

BSc (Hons), MBBS (Hons), MA, PhD

General Practitioner
Consultant Medical Officer
Nganampa Health Council

Kerrie Gell is a remote area medical officer with an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health service. She has a long association with the Women’s Business Manual and has interests in women’s health, public health and implementation of primary health care protocols.

Dr Nicholas Williams

MB.BS., FACRRM, DipRACOG, MSc (Primary Health Care), FCRANAplus

Nick Williams has considerable public health experience and has worked in Indigenous health for over 30 years in Africa, northern Canada, Central Australia and rural/remote South Australia.

He was the Senior District Medical Officer in Alice Springs for seven years and has been a member of the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals Editorial committee for several editions.

Nick is a director on the CRANAplus Board and is committed to the further empowerment of Remote Area Nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners in remote settings. He is currently working with the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia as a GP Supervisor, Aboriginal Health. This role involves supporting the GP workforce in rural and remote Community Controlled Aboriginal Health Services in SA and supervising GP Registrars. Nick regularly uses the RPHCM suite of manuals in his practice, particularly when working in the remote communities of Yalata and Coober Pedy.

Dr Susan Clarke

Susan Clarke is an experienced GP who currently works at Lajamanu with Katherine West Health Board.

After gaining her specialist GP qualification, Susan worked in Queensland for a few years before broadening her horizons working in India and then a number of remote locations in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Susan has been actively involved in the training of GPs and has recently gained both a Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). 

Zoe Evans

Zoe Evans started her career as a critical care nurse.  For the last five years she has worked as a Remote Area Nurse (RAN) and gained experience as a manager and director for an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO), providing advice and guidance to health professionals. Zoe has experience working closely with a board of directors and allied health professionals to develop policies, procedures, and quality improvement activities.

Zoe has been fortunate to work with exceptional health practitioners who have generously shared their skills and knowledge, helping to foster her own confidence in practice. She has completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Remote Health Practice and a number of remote health short courses. As a user of the manuals

Zoe is keen to contribute to their update to improve the provision of safe, quality care for vulnerable remote communities. 

Danielle Jess

Danielle Jess is a Clinical Nurse Consultant and Editor for the Primary Clinical Care Manual (PCCM), Rural and Remote Clinical Support Unit, Queensland Health.

She has over 20years experience working as a Remote and Isolated Practice Area Nurse (RIPRN), Midwife, and Child Health Nurse, including working at Cape York and with the RFDS. 

Danielle is passionate about enabling clinicians with the tools necessary in providing the best acute primary care possible given the challenges of living in rural, remote and isolated areas.