Invited Speakers
Read about our Invited Speakers below:
All Virtual Presentations
John Kleinsman
Bioethicist & Director
Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics
TOPIC: Considerations in ethical decision making in palliative care
John has worked at The Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics since 2001 and was appointed Kaitohu / Director in May 2010. He brings a varied background of community experience to his work in bioethics as a result of previous employment in the disability support and drug and alcohol rehabilitation sectors. He completed his doctoral studies in 2012. His research focused on the potential contributions of contemporary ‘thinkers of the gift’ to a renewed theology of procreation and the implications of this for Catholic teaching on the transmission of human life in an age of assisted reproductive technologies. John also lectures in Christian Morality.
Sian Simmons
Nurse Practitioner
TOPIC: Heart Failure Management in Palliative care
Sian is a NP in Aged Care with a background in oncology and palliative care nursing who has a special interest in chronic disease and management in palliative care.
Nikki Grae
Senior Manager
Health Quality & Safety Commission
TOPIC: DEWS: Deterioration and Early Warning System
Nikki Grae is a Senior Manager at the Health Quality & Safety Commission. She has an interest in infection prevention and quality improvement. Prior to working at the Commission, she managed and led the infection prevention and patient safety programmes for a health system in the U.S. Nikki has also worked as a Research Scientist in cancer biology and microbiology. She has a Master of Science degree in Microbiology.
Dr Amy Henry
Auckland University of Technology
TOPIC: Pōwhiri Model (draft topic)
Dr Amy Henry is a Lecturer and Research Fellow in the School of Nursing at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where her work centers on equity-focused health research. She earned her PhD at the University of Otago, awarded exceptional thesis developing a theory and model of palliative care for Cook Islands Māori in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her primary research examines Pacific peoples’ access to palliative and end-of-life care, with a broader interest in how social determinants of health shape service utilization and outcomes. She also investigates the integration of traditional healthcare practices, rituals, and ceremonies in clinical settings.
A registered nurse with experience in district nursing, palliative care, and surgical care. She currently serves as co-chair of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand’s Equity in Palliative Care Working Group and is an appointed member on the Pacific Expert Advisory Group for the Ministry of Health, New Zealand.
At AUT, Amy teaches community and primary healthcare in the undergraduate nursing program.