moh-chiefadvisors

About the Ministry of Health
Chief Advisors

The Ministry has health professional and advisory roles that provide clinical and technical advice to the Minister and the Ministry of Health. Some roles also have clinical decision making responsibilities and/or statutory functions. These Chief Advisors are leaders in their fields, and represent the Ministry of Health in the health and disability sector. They bring to their roles a vast range of expertise and experience in health management and service delivery, and continue to consult with others working in the sector.

The first Chief Advisor position was set up in 1993, but the Ministry has recently created a number of new Chief Advisor positions as part of an ongoing strategy to improve the development of health policy advice.

The Ministry of Health's purpose is 'Healthy New Zealanders'. Our aim is to improve the health status and independence of New Zealanders by providing high quality policy advice, and providing the Ministers of Health with excellent support services.

The roles of the Chief Advisors will help to ensure that the views and advice from health professionals and others in the sector are reflected in the Ministry's work and policy development. The Chief Advisors welcome good working relationships with all those in the sector.

How to contact the Chief Advisors

Api Talemaitoga, Chief Advisor, Pacific Health

Photo of Dr Api Talemaitoga.

Dr Api Talemaitoga, Chief Advisor Pacific Health, joined the Ministry in July 2008 and has a wealth of experience both in New Zealand and across the Pacific. His role is to help make health services and the system more responsive to the health needs of Pacific populations living in New Zealand.

Api is also practicing once a week as a General Practitioner for the Normans Road Surgery in Christchurch. He has contributed to the National Health Committee's advice on the management of Long Term Conditions, worked in the Pacific both as personal physician to Fijian leaders and, more recently across the Melanesian and Polynesian region facilitating access to specialist services in New Zealand and other countries. Api also served on the Board of the Canterbury District Health Board in 2000-1.

Ashley Bloomfield, Chief Advisor, Public Health

Photo of Ashley Bloomfield.

Ashley Bloomfield is National Director of Tobacco Control and Chief Advisor Public Health. He chairs the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs and is a member of the National Breastfeeding Advisory Group and National Screening Advisory Group. He worked at the National Screening Unit between 2002 and 2004 and the previous five years with the National Health Committee.

He qualified in medicine from the University of Auckland in 1990 and worked in hospital medicine and general practice before commencing training in public health medicine in 1995. He has worked in injury research, health protection, public health advisory and management roles. He was executive director of the New Zealand Guidelines Group (NZGG) from July 1999 to June 2000.

His interests span tobacco control and drug policy, screening, health care quality, health inequalities, evidence-based health care, and the role of health sector and non-health sector policy in improving public health.

Brendan Kelly, Chief Advisor, Health Information Strategy & Policy

Photo of Brendan Kelly.

Brendan Kelly has extensive information policy and government experience arising from his 11 years at the State Services Commission. He has extensive skills in the area of strategic development and was a founding member of the e-government programme establishment team. Most recently Brendan has been working as the Programme Architect for the e-government unit providing strategic direction and leadership, driving innovative use of policy and technology, and developing policy frameworks and methodology.

Brendan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economic History and a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree in Information Systems and Business Management, both from Victoria University of Wellington.

David Chaplow, Chief Advisor, Mental Health

Photo of David Chaplow.

Dr David Chaplow joined the Ministry of Health as Director of Mental Health and Chief Advisor in March 2001.

He began psychiatry training in Australia in 1979 and graduated in 1983 as a Fellow of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). He then trained and practised in forensic and general adult psychiatry, both in the public and private arena, before returning to Auckland in 1989 to take up the post of Director, Regional Forensic Psychiatry.

In September 1992 David was appointed as Director, Mental Health Services, Auckland (in addition to other appointments) and oversaw the introduction of the MH(CAT) Act 1992. In 1993, (after the introduction of the Health and Disability Act) he was appointed as DAMHS.

In 1997 David was appointed as Clinical Reader at Auckland University. He was also elected to the Chair of the Forensic section, RANZCP.

He and his wife Rebecca (Ngai Te Rangi) have four adult children. David's interests are in forensic and transcultural psychiatry and also in service development.

David St George, Chief Advisor, Integrative Care

Dr David St George's role is to provide professional leadership, direction and advice on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and on the integration of CAM with conventional healthcare, particularly in the area of primary care and chronic care conditions.

David has a degree in medicine from Auckland Medical School, and a degree in epidemiology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

After completing medical specialty training in public health medicine, he worked for a decade in the Royal Free Hospital in London as a consultant clinical epidemiologist specialising in hospital quality assurance. He later took up the position of Director of Research and Clinical Effectiveness at Southampton University Hospital.

While working in the NHS in the United Kingdom, David became increasingly involved in the CAM sector there. He helped set up the Prince of Wales’ Foundation for Integrated Health and was their first Director of Research. He also helped a number of CAM organisations in the UK develop their research strategies.

As a visiting academic, David helped Middlesex University set up an undergraduate degree in traditional Chinese medicine. He was research committee chairman of the Scottish School of Herbal medicine for a decade, and has been a visiting professor on complementary medicine at the University of Central Lancashire since 2004. He was also a member of the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board.

David joined the Ministry in June 2006 as Senior Advisor for Quality. Previously, he was Group Manager for Quality at Auckland District Health Board.

Gillian Grew, Chief Advisor, Services

Photo of Gillian Grew.

For the last 17 years, Gillian Grew has undertaken senior policy, managerial and advisory roles within the Ministry. Gillian has also undertaken personal and public health roles and is currently managing the secretariats for a number of Ministerial advisory committees

Gillian began her nursing career at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. Her varied nursing experience in the health sector included management and leadership of nursing education at a tertiary institute. She formerly held the role of Chief Advisor Nursing which included a seat on the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Her strong interest in quality improvement in the health sector led to her management and establishment of the Health Innovation Awards. Gillian was also responsible for leading and managing the development of the standards based safety regime and the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001. This interest continues as she leads reviews of the Health and Disability Service Standards and the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001.

Gillian is particularly interested in consumer participation in policy development.

Gillian has degrees in Nursing, Psychology and Education Administration.

Jim Primrose, Chief Advisor, General Practice

Photo of Jim Primrose.

Dr Jim Primrose is the Chief Advisor Primary Health Care within the New Zealand Ministry of Health. This is a key leadership role that’s focussed on the implementation of the Government's Primary Health Care Strategy, which represents the largest change for New Zealand primary health care in over 50 years. Since moving from general practice in 1993 Jim has held a variety of senior management roles in the public and private health sectors and has been at the forefront of New Zealand primary health care development for more than 15 years.

Jim combines on-the-ground experience as a GP with extensive networks, a commitment to enhanced primary care and a vision of the way general practice can best contribute to improving some of our most damning health statistics.

John Childs, National Clinical Director Cancer Control

The National Clinical Director Cancer Control, Dr John Childs, is responsible for providing leadership, advice, information and guidance to the Director-General of Health, the Ministry of Health and the Minister of Health on issues relating to cancer control. The Principal Advisor is an ex-officio member of the Cancer Control Council.

John has more than 25 years’ experience working in clinical oncology where has has practiced both in Medical and Radiation Oncology. Since 1991 he has been a specialist Radiation Oncologist at Auckland Hospital. He has held appointments as Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology and Clinical Leader of Medical Services at Auckland City Hospital.

John has been chair of the National Cancer Treatment Working Party since 2002 and was a member of the Cancer Control Steering Committee (2001 – 2003). He was a board member of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists from 1994 until 2003 and has been an examiner in radiation oncology for the past 6 years.

Lester Mundell, Chief Advisor, Disability Support Services

Photo of Lester Mundell.

Lester Mundell joined the Ministry in 1997, with a background spanning 22 years in social work, community services funding and social services policy.

Lester has managed social services policy issues, including disability support services provided by the Department of Social Welfare and has developed extensive networks with government agencies, non-government providers and consumer groups. He has a proven track record in the area of policy management, and a wealth of experience in both policy and disability related issues.

As Chief Advisor, Disability Services, Lester has responsibility, in conjunction with the Ministry's Executive Team, for sector leadership by communicating the Government's direction set out in the New Zealand Disability Strategy for the development of the disability support services funded by Health. This includes working together with disabled people and their families and whānau to enable disabled people to achieve the outcomes important for them, ensuring that access to services is fair and equitable, and working collaboratively with other sectors to provide a better range and mix of services which are well coordinated.

He is also responsible for liaising with the sector to identify barriers and obstacles to progress, and linking these back so that the Ministry's policy advice, funding and monitoring activities are fully informed by a comprehensive and robust understanding of the "on-the-ground " realities, and action is undertaken to mitigate or overcome the barriers or obstacles where the Ministry is positioned to do this.

Mark Jacobs, Director of Public Health

Photo of Mark Jacobs.

Dr Mark Jacobs joined the Ministry of Health as Director of Public Health. Mark is a specialist public health physician, with broad experience as a public health practitioner and manager in Australia and the Pacific.

Before joining the Ministry, Mark managed the Public Health Programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, providing advice on public health issues to Pacific island governments and overseeing implementation of regional programmes addressing a range of public health issues.

Before that he was Director of Public Health in Tasmania, leading public health efforts in that state including legislative reform, response to communicable disease outbreaks and environmental health issues, health impact assessment and NCD and injury prevention, as well as advising government.

Earlier he worked in rural and remote areas of New South Wales, primarily focussed on communicable diseases and environmental health.

Mark's particular interests include healthy public policy, encouraging multi-sectoral action to improve public health, environmental health and sexual health.

Mark Jones, Chief Nurse

View Mark's profile in the Nursing in New Zealand section.

Pat Tuohy, Chief Advisor, Child and Youth Health

Photo of Pat Tuohy.

Dr Pat Tuohy took up the position of Chief Advisor, Child Health, in December 1997. Later in 1998 Pat's position changed to include youth health. His responsibilities include co-ordination and leadership of child and youth health with respect to the Ministry of Health, District Health Boards and health service providers.

Pat is a specialist paediatrician with a particular interest in community child health. After studying medicine at the Otago Medical School, and qualifying in 1979, Pat undertook postgraduate training in Paediatrics in Wellington, Melbourne and Nottingham. For three years he worked as a General Paediatrician in New Plymouth and joined the Plunket Society in 1991 as its Regional Paediatrician based in Wellington. Pat was later appointed to the position of Director of Child Health Policy in the National office in Dunedin and in 1995 he was appointed to the role of National Paediatrician.

Pat's particular interests are in the areas of child health policy and developmental and behavioural paediatrics.

Robin Whyman, Chief Advisor, Oral Health

Photo of Robin Whyman.

Dr Robin Whyman comes to the Ministry after spending one and-a-half years at Hutt Valley District Health Board where he was the Service Manager for Dental Services. Prior to this, he held positions with Dental Health Services Victoria in Melbourne and the New Zealand Dental Association where he was Executive Director.

As part of the Ministry’s Clinical Services Directorate, Robin is responsible for fostering a collaborative approach across the oral health sector, which is focused on improving the oral health status of New Zealanders.

Initially Robin will provide leadership in advancing the critical work currently under way on child and adolescent oral health services.

He will also continue part-time clinical practice at Hutt Valley District Health Board.

Sandy Dawson, Chief Clinical Advisor

Image of Sandy Dawson, Chief Clinical Advisor.

Sandy Dawson is a public health physician who joined the Health Funding Authority in 1999 as Chief Clinical Advisor, and then continued in the Ministry of Health. He works in the Sector Capability and Innovation Directorate providing a range of advice about long term conditions and wider clinical issues. His major interests are in quality improvement, and this has included a special focus on reducing the incidence and impact of diabetes.

He graduated in medicine from Cambridge University, including a year studying social and political science. He spent two years in Otago in junior medical officer and primary care roles before joing the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1981. In 1989 he moved to Air New Zealand continuing his interests in "human factors", safety, and occupational medicine. He was then the Corporate Medical Advisor for ACC, before joing the HFA.

Wi Keelan, Chief Advisor, Maori Health

Photo of Wi Keelan.

Wi Keelan took up the position of Chief Advisor Maori Health in May 2002. His clinical background is in psychiatric nursing. Over the past decade he has been employed as a health service manager in a number of roles and localities. Wi also had an earlier stint in the Ministry as Senior Advisor (Maori) Disability Support Services. He also played a lead role in Maori quality development with Quality Health New Zealand.

Since joining the Ministry, Wi has participated in the implementation and strategic development of three important areas. These are the implementation of the: Primary Healthcare Strategy, particularly with respect to supporting effective participation by Iwi/ Maori in the developing primary health organisations; He Korowai Oranga, Maori Health Strategy, with emphasis on supporting Rongoa traditional Maori healing practitioners and Maori Health Workforce Development; and Developing effective and productive relationships with other indigenous populations.

Wi brings to the position a wide knowledge and experience of the health and disability sector. His most important commitment is to improving outcomes for Maori across the health and disability sector.

How to contact the Chief Advisors

e-mail: firstname_surname@moh.govt.nz

Ministry of Health
133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington

Ph (04) 496 2000
Fax (04) 496 2340

Page last updated: 4 November 2008