Finding a vaccine that protects the whole community is just the first hurdle in a long list of complex logistical, ethical and practical challenges to overcome to safely and effectively immunise Australia against COVID-19.
The successful rollout of a nationwide program will require a multidisciplinary, equitable and community-engaged approach and Australia’s health practitioners will be front and centre to this response.
This special Q&A event, held in December 2020, included expert panelists discussing the unprecedented task ahead and the challenges to delivery that need to be addressed in the face of uncertainty of information, significant workforce training needs and rising vaccine hesitancy.
The Q&A session was Chaired by Professor Nancy Baxter, Head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, with special guest panelists:
- Professor Jodie McVernon: Professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
- Ms Sonja Elia: Immunisation Nurse Practitioner
- Dr Rosalind McDougall: Senior Lecturer in Health Ethics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
- Dr Magdalena Simonis: Practising GP, RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, DGP Hon Senior Lecturer, GP Opinion leader, AFMW President
- Professor Allen Cheng: Director of the Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology Unit, Alfred Health; Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
