UPSKILLING AND EMPOWERING HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO SUPPORT PRECONCEPTION TO PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL HEALTH CARE Health and Wellbeing Queensland launches new podcast series with experts across allied health and primary care
With
Dr Robyn Littlewood, Chief Executive
Health and Wellbeing Queensland
Fiona Nave, Principal Lead & Advanced Practising Dietician
Health and Wellbeing Queensland
Dr Terri-Lynne South, GP, Accredited Practicing Dietitian
& Guest on Episode 1 Preconception healthcare
Dr Shelley Wilkinson, Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian
& Guest on Episode 1 Preconception healthcare
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Brisbane | May 2025
A new podcast series, developed by Health and Wellbeing Queensland, is designed to upskill and empower health professionals in their support of parents from preconception through to the pre-school years.
Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days follows the success of Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s first podcast series Clinician’s Guide to Healthy Kids, launched in 2023. Both focus on supporting health professionals to have effective conversations on positive health behaviours.
The podcast series is one of the ways Health and Wellbeing Queensland is supporting health professionals in delivering comprehensive, world-class healthcare.
‘The first 2000 days of life are critical for long-term development and prevention of chronic disease across the lifespan,’ said Dr Robyn Littlewood, Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s Chief Executive.
‘When children are supported with early, evidenced-based prevention initiatives during this critical and formative years, combined with health-promoting environments and ongoing care across the lifespan, this helps lay the foundation for life-long health and wellbeing, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
‘Health and Wellbeing Queensland has a key role in highlighting the importance of prevention during this critical time, raising awareness, and providing education and resources to support our Health Professional workforce.’
Delivered over nine episodes, Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days is hosted by Queensland GP Dr Sam Manger.
Each episode, Dr Manger interviews two subject matter experts, with Accredited Practicing Dietitian Dr Shelley Wilkinson and GP Dr Terri-Lynne South, lending their expertise to episode one.
In addition to preconception care, the nine episodes also explore antenatal care, postnatal care for mothers and infants, and toddler growth and development.
The Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days episodes can be listened on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, or your favourite podcast app.
Source: Adapted from Health and Wellbeing Queensland media release
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Belonging in a medical device company
Edith de Boer is the HR Director for Zimmer Biomet in Australia and New Zealand. Her career originally was in telecommunications and consulting in Europe. After leaving The Netherlands, Edith worked into the Australian medical research industry, before moving into a human resources role at Zimmer Biomet. Edith spoke to Australian Health Journal about her role and the organisation.
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Diary of a Paramedic in a primary health care clinic
Alecka Miles is a lecturer at Edith Cowan University and works as a paramedic in a multidisciplinary team at Dianella Family Medical Centre in Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.
Community paramedic roles have a history in Australia, dating back to 2007 in New South Wales and followed by similar initiatives in South Australia and New Zealand. Alecka’s position emerged after she sought to evaluate how paramedics could integrate into general practice, ultimately leading to a job offer post-COVID lockdown in 2020. Her skills, particularly in cannulation, proved valuable as healthcare shifted towards primary care.
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Lens on patient care & allied health workforce across settings
The CEO of Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA), Bronwyn Morris-Donovan spoke with Australian Health Journal about the following:
The structure and priorities for AHPA
The setting and disciplines in Allied Health
Allied Health representation in the Strengthening Medicare Task Force
Importance of a data strategy and interoperability in delivery of allied health services
Key allied health priorities hopefully addressed in Federal Budget.In the lead up to the Australian Federal Budget in May 2023, Australian Health Journal reached out to peak health industry bodies to hear about their priorities, either noted in pre-budget submissions lodged with Federal Government in January 2023 or in recent forums such as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.
