CMO and Legal Forum

21 October 2025

For the first time, in 2025, the Legal and Chief Medical Officer forums will be held jointly to bring to life the intersection between medicine and the law. The one-day program will explore topics including Diversity in Medicine, Developments in AI in Medical Law, Innovation in the Management of Claims, Ethical Issues in Human Genomics and Reproduction, Chronic Health Conditions, End of Life and an update of recent Case Law. The program will provide a cross section of medical and legal topics of interest to international and local medical and legal practitioners.

The registration fee is $500, which includes access to the joint CMO and Legal Forum, all Legal Forum sessions, a name tag, lunch and afternoon refreshments on Tuesday, and entry to the Welcome Reception. Delegates attending the full conference can register at a discounted rate of $250.

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is a senior resident doctor at Gold Coast University Hospital. Despite facing numerous barriers, he became the first quadriplegic medical graduate and medical intern in Queensland. He was recently admitted as a lawyer.

As co-founder of Doctors With Disabilities Australia, Dinesh has worked with the Australian Medical Association to create first-of-kind national policies for inclusivity in medical education and employment.

The Honorable Justice David Boddice, The Supreme Court of Queensland

Justice Boddice is a graduate of The University of Queensland — Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (1983).

In 1984 Justice Boddice was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland and appointed Senior Counsel in 2001.

His Honour previously served as a member of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (2006–2009), chair of the Queensland Nursing Tribunal (2007–2009), director (1993–2010) and chairperson (2006–2010) of Barristers’ Chambers Limited.

Professor Clair Sullivan, UQ Digital Health Centre

Professor Clair Sullivan is an internationally-recognised leading practising and academic clinical informatician who helps drive digital health transformation in Queensland and globally.

Clair is the Director of the new Queensland Digital Health Centre within the Centre for Health Research at The University of Queensland.

A specialist endocrinologist, Clair graduated with Honours in Medicine from The University of Queensland and earned a Research Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Leeds.

Professor Marie Bismark, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne

Panel Chair

Dr Marie Bismark is a public health physician and health lawyer. Her research focuses on the role of clinical governance, regulation, and patient complaints in improving the quality and safety of healthcare.

Chris Malla, Kennedys London

Discussion: NHS pre-litigation Pilot

Christopher is the global head of Healthcare. In England, he leads a Band 1 team of clinical negligence lawyers that operate as a national service across five UK offices: Birmingham, Cambridge, London, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Claire Petts, Clyde and Co

Discussion: Claims Trends

Claire advises on a wide range of healthcare matters, including providing representation at inquests, representing clinicians before their regulatory body, medical device/product liability work and general advisory work. She has successfully defended many matters at trial, including several multimillion-pound claims.

Speaker – To be confirmed

Discussion: Costs of care/models of care

Domenic Crolla, Partner Gowling WLG, Canada

Domenic Crolla is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Ottawa office. His practice emphasizes professional and product liability, health law, and information technology matters. He counsels clients in a litigious and non-litigious setting. Additionally, he has an active interest in the application of information technology to professional practice, particularly in relation to the practice of law and medicine.

Domenic is an advocate before all levels of courts and administrative tribunals. He has appeared in a number of complex matters in both a trial and appellate capacity.

Associate Professor Karinne Ludlow, Monash University

Karinne ’s research takes a multidisciplinary approach and focuses on the integration of science, commercialisation challenges and law, particularly regarding biotechnology, genetic technologies and nanotechnology in all their applications, including health, agriculture and industry.

A key feature of Karinne’s research is its incorporation of law reform recommendations that have been acted on by relevant bodies.

Professor Roger Magnusson, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney

Roger Magnusson is Professor of Health Law and Governance at the University of Sydney Law School, Australia. His research interests are in health law, policy and bioethics; public health law and governance; and health development. In 2002 he published Angels of Death: Exploring the Euthanasia Underground (Melbourne University Press; Yale University Press) which reported on the practice of “underground” physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia among health professionals working in HIV/AIDS health care in Australia and in San Francisco.

Professor Ben White, Faculty of Business & Law, Queensland University of Technology

Ben White is Professor of End-of-Life Law and Regulation and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow (Professorial level, 2020-2024) in the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at the Faculty of Business & Law, Queensland University of Technology. His area of research is end-of-life decision-making with a particular focus on voluntary assisted dying.

Ben graduated with first class Honours and a University Medal in Law from the Queensland University of Technology.

Neill Murdoch KC, Barrister at Law, Victoria

Neill specialises in Professional Indemnity Litigation (especially Medical Negligence), Insurance and Commercial Litigation, Common Law Personal Injuries and Torts other than Personal Injuries and Coronial Inquests.

Articled and employed as a Solicitor with Phillips Fox from 1988 to 1992. Employed as a Solicitor with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert in London from 1992 to 1995.