Adj. Prof. David Plunkett
Chief Executive
RN GradDipBusMgt MBA GAICD
Adj Professor Plunkett has many years of executive and senior management experience in both the public and private health sectors. He commenced his health career as a Registered Nurse. Adj Professor Plunkett joined Eastern Health in 2002 and held various roles, including Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer and Executive Director Acute Health, all leading to his current role of Eastern Health Chief Executive, held since September 2016. Adj Professor Plunkett holds a Master of Business Administration and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a member of the Eastern Metropolitan Partnership, appointed by the Minister for Suburban Development, and is a Fellow and current President of the Australian College of Nursing.
Paul Adcock
Executive Director - Digital Health
DipAppSc BN GradCertCritCare MBA
Mr Adcock commenced at Eastern Health in September 2019 in the Program Director eHealth and Chief Clinical Information Officer role. Since commencing at Eastern Health, he has also been seconded to the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre as the Workforce Team Lead during the acute phase of the Emergency Management Australia-led response to the COVID-19 epidemic in Residential Aged Care Facilities. Previously, Mr Adcock was the Director of Technology and Transformation at Alfred Health and has held senior roles in acute health, including clinical, operations and Information Technology.
Adj. Prof. Philippa Blencowe
Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer
MACN, AAICD
Adjunct Professor Philippa Blencowe has been at Eastern Health for 20 years and has held many clinical nursing and administrative roles in health care with a clinical background in critical care. She has a passion for ensuring high quality care delivery, staff and patient experience. A/Prof Blencowe is responsible for professional practice of the nursing and midwifery workforce, Residential Aged Care Services and supporting clinical operations to deliver safe and quality care across Eastern Health.
Adj. Clin. A/Prof Paul Buntine
Acting Executive Director - Eastern Health Institute
MBBS (Hons), DipMgt, MClinRes, FACEM
Adjunct Associate Professor Paul Buntine joined Easter Health in 2001 and has worked as an Emergency Medicine specialist at Box Hill Hospital since 2007. He has a long history of driving local level quality improvement and has led the Eastern Health Emergency Medicine research program since 2019, with particular interests in clinical decision making and evidence based practice. He provides oversight of education and research activities across Eastern Health, connecting these activities to clinical practice to improve patient care.
Geoff Cutter
Executive Director - Finance and Procurement, Chief Finance Officer and Chief Procurement Officer
BEc MBA FCPA GAICD
Mr Cutter commenced at Eastern Health in May 2019. He is responsible for financial services and management accounting services, as well as procurement services. Previously, Mr Cutter was Chief Financial Officer in the health, emergency services, water, local government and ICT sectors. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia, graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a Bachelor of Economics and Master of Business Administration from Monash University.
Associate Professor Alison Dwyer
Executive Director - Clinical Governance, Chief Medical Officer
MBBS MBA MHSM FRACMA FCHSM GAICD
Assoc Professor Dwyer commenced at Eastern Health in February 2019. Her previous roles have included Chief Medical Officer at Northern Health, Medical Director Quality, Safety and Risk Management at Austin Health and Director Medical Services at Royal Melbourne Hospital. She is a current Board Director of Peninsula Health and Chair of its Quality, Safety & Clinical Governance Committee. Assoc Professor Dwyer is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) and has a strong involvement in the training of medical administration registrars as a current Supervisor, Preceptor, Examination Censor and Chair of the Medical Administration Workforce Planning Committee. She is also a current ACHS Surveyor and her research interests have focused on junior medical staff wellbeing, engaging medical staff in quality and the role of the Medical Administrator in Health Services.
Toni Gutschlag
Executive Director - Mental Health and Clinical Support
EMPA BSW
Toni is an experienced health executive including in the areas of operational management, delivery, and strategic leadership in mental health and addiction. She joined Eastern Health from New Zealand where she had 28 years of health system experience. Her most recent role was Southern Executive Director Mental Health, Addictions, and Intellectual Disability for Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand. Toni is responsible for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Statewide Services, Medical Imaging, Pathology and Pharmacy.
Rohan Lovell
Executive Director - Infrastructure and Support Services
BArch
Mr Lovell commenced at Eastern Health in February 2023. He is responsible for Major Capital Improvements, Engineering Infrastructure, Support Services and Security, the Business Services Centre, and Fleet, Property and Retail Services. With over 20 years of strategic Infrastructure, Building and Corporate Support Services experience, Mr Lovell was previously the Director of Property and Asset Services at Fire Rescue Victoria and Director of Infrastructure and Support Services at Barwon Health. He provides a strategic and collaborative approach to the ongoing organisational transformation and sustainable growth for Eastern Health. He holds a degree in Architecture with additional tertiary qualifications in Risk and Project Management.
Rachel Meehan
Executive Director - Strategy and Improvement
MHealth Psych, GAICD
Ms Meehan commenced at Eastern Health in December 2019 as the Executive Officer. Her previous role was Director of Strategy and Integrated Programs at Austin Health and she has more than 20 years of experience in health strategy and improvement. She holds a Master of Psychology and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Ms Meehan is responsible for providing a strategic and collaborative approach to the ongoing transformation and sustainable growth of Eastern Health.
Ged Millard
Chief Allied Health Officer
B.App.Sci (Physio), MClin Ed
Ged Millard has over 30 years’ experience in the health sector, predominantly in public health. She has worked overseas in Canada and New Zealand in acute settings to community based service. Ms Millard also has operational management experience across Allied Health specific teams and broader clinical service teams, including her role as Associate Program Director Specialty Medicine Ambulatory Care at Eastern Health. Her breadth of experience also extends to work in quality systems, improvement and clinical governance roles.
Ms Millard’s education roles are inclusive of clinical and university based instruction, along with course development.
Shannon Wight
Executive Director - Clinical Operations
RN GradDipCritCare(ICU) MBA, MAICD
Ms Wight commenced at Eastern Health in February 2019. The Executive Director Clinical Operations accountability is to ensure patients are transferred into the right clinical stream in the right location at the right time to receive their care. Ms Wight has responsibility for acute medicine (emergency and general medicine), aged medicine (subacute, transition care, residential aged care and chronic disease), specialty medicine and ambulatory care, pathology, pharmacy, patient access and allied health.
Adam Williams
Executive Director - People and Culture
BCom
Mr Williams has a 20-year career as a HR executive in Australia and abroad with significant experience in workplace relations, transformation initiatives and strategic workforce planning. Mr Williams joined from CSL where he has been for over 10 years in senior HR roles covering Australia, Asia Pac and Global Operations. Previously Mr Williams spent time in Visy, Jetstar and Mondelez. Mr Williams is responsible for People and Culture, Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing, and Communications.