There are ten candidates who have nominated as ANZTS Director for the 2026-2029 term. There are three vacant positions, noting that any result will be required to be managed within the current constitution and by-laws rules for balanced board composition. The election will take place at the 2026 Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 6 October at 5:00pm AEST online via Microsoft Teams. Register here to join the meeting
The candidates are listed below. Full biographies and reasons to join the Board can be found further down or by clicking the name of the nominee:
Rebecca Schroll
Biography
Dr. Rebecca Schroll is a Trauma, Acute Care and General Surgeon at Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand in Auckland, New Zealand. She is certified by the American Board of Surgery in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and holds Specialist Registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand. She is an honorary Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland.
Dr. Schroll received her B.S. in Biology from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, USA and her M.D. from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. She completed General Surgery Residency at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Trauma/Critical Care Fellowship at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. She enjoys and has extensive experience teaching/directing trauma educational courses, including DSTC, ATLS, EMST, DSTS, ACS ASSET, and Stop the Bleed
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
I am passionate about trauma surgery and care of trauma patients. I have leadership experience at regional and national levels, particularly in the USA, including participating in and organising conferences and trauma education through various societies. I love the collaborative nature of trauma care and of ANZTS. I have been establishing my practice here in NZ for a few years now and would relish an opportunity to do my part to advance trauma care through participating more fully as part of ANZTS. I haven’t been able to attend regularly the past couple of years due to severe staffing shortages here but I expect that to change going forward.
Kathryn Quick
Biography
I am a physiotherapist and am currently employed as the Clinical Lead for Trauma Rehabilitation at the Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand. Over the past 20 years I have worked across the trauma pathway in New Zealand and the UK, spanning acute, inpatient rehabilitation, and community settings. I am a member of the Health New Zealand National Trauma Clinical Network and co-chair of its Rehabilitation and Transitions of Care Rōpū Rangatira, I’m also currently a part-time PhD candidate at Monash University focusing. Through my various roles, I provide national leadership to strengthen the integration of rehabilitation within our trauma services, enhance access to timely allied health and lead quality improvement initiatives that support better recovery outcomes for people who experience major trauma.
I have served one term on the ANZTS Board of Directors and over the past two years, have held the role of Board Secretary/Administrator, supporting the executive and contributing to the Society’s governance and strategic direction.
Beyond ANZTS, I have regularly contributed to national and international initiatives focused on trauma systems, rehabilitation and quality improvement. These have included membership of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) Trauma working group, peer reviewer for the World Health Organization’s Package of Rehabilitation Interventions for Traumatic Brain Injury, and allied health member for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Trauma Verification Committee.
I am passionate about ensuring rehabilitation is recognised as an integral component of high-performing trauma systems and about fostering collaboration across disciplines and organisations to improve equitable outcomes for patients and whānau.
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
I believe I bring a valuable perspective to the ANZTS Board through my background in rehabilitation, allied health and trauma service quality improvement. While trauma care has traditionally been led by acute care disciplines, optimal outcomes depend on contributions from the entire multidisciplinary team. I am passionate about ensuring that rehabilitation, allied health, and patient recovery are recognised as integral components of trauma care from the point of injury through to community reintegration.
Through my national and international leadership roles, I have developed strong experience in governance, stakeholder engagement, co-design and translating strategy into practical improvements. I have established networks across clinicians, researchers, health service leaders and consumers, allowing me to bring a broad systems perspective to Board discussions.
Having served on the ANZTS Board for the past term, including in the role of Board Secretary/Administrator, I understand the Society’s priorities, challenges, and opportunities. I am keen to continue contributing to the Society’s growth while helping ensure all disciplines and sectors involved in trauma care have a voice. My goal is to support ANZTS in leading improvements across the entire trauma continuum, from prevention and acute care through to recovery and long-term outcomes
Grant Christey
Biography
Grant Christey is a trauma and general surgeon at Waikato Hospital and Trauma Director for the Te Manawa Taki Trauma System in New Zealand. He is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and leads the Te Manawa Taki Trauma Research Centre. Grant has held leadership roles across trauma quality improvement, registry development, research and education in Australia and New Zealand, including with ANZTS, ANZTR and ANZTQIP, and co-chairs New Zealand’s National Trauma Quality Improvement Rōpū Rangatira. He has been closely involved in the development of ANZTS conferences, including organising committee leadership for Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington and Sydney. His interests include trauma systems, quality improvement, clinical outcomes, data-driven care and strengthening collaboration across the multidisciplinary trauma community.
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
I would welcome the opportunity to continue contributing to the ANZTS Board, bringing a combination of clinical trauma experience, system leadership, research, quality improvement and organisational governance.
My involvement in trauma extends from frontline clinical care as a trauma and general surgeon through to regional, national and binational trauma system development. I lead the Te Manawa Taki Trauma System in New Zealand, co-chair the NZ National Trauma Quality Improvement Rōpū Rangatira, and have held Board and leadership roles across ANZTS, ANZTR and ANZTQIP. These roles have given me a broad understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing trauma care across Australia and New Zealand.
I have also been closely involved in ANZTS conference development, including organising committee leadership for Melbourne 2023, Brisbane 2024, Wellington 2025 and Sydney 2026. This has provided practical experience in growing the Society’s profile, membership, partnerships and financial sustainability.
I believe ANZTS is strongest when it represents the full multidisciplinary trauma community and maintains a genuinely binational perspective. As a Board member, I would continue to support strong governance, sustainable growth, collaboration across craft groups and jurisdictions, and an increasing focus on trauma quality improvement, education and research. My aim is to help ANZTS remain an inclusive, credible and influential voice for better trauma care across Australia and New Zealand.
Elizabeth Wake
Biography
Elizabeth Wake is an early-career researcher based at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) Trauma Service. In her role as CNC Trauma Research Coordinator, she oversees the implementation and development of a coordinated program of research for the Gold Coast University Hospital Trauma Service providing her with a comprehensive understanding of all research undertaken across the trauma population. She has extensive project management experience, including leading the multi-centre clinical trials of FEISTY I (adult trauma patients; NCT02745041), FEISTY Junior (paediatric patients; NCT03508141), and more recently the MRFF-funded ACTION study, which aims to implement and evaluate Trauma Patient Navigators across 8 major trauma centres in Australia. EW also leads the GCUH longitudinal follow-up program for major trauma patients, which forms one pillar of the hospital’s post-discharge model of care. This program, implemented in 2019, achieves >80% successful follow-up rates.
EW was recently awarded her PhD in February 2026 – A mixed-method evaluation for the follow-up care provided to patients who have experienced serious traumatic injuries. EW has over 30 peer reviewed publications and been awarded over $6m in competitive research funding. EW received the Emerging Leader Award from the Australian and New Zealand Trauma Society (ANZTS 2025).
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
I would like to become a board member of the ANZTS and believe I have the requisite experience and communication skills that is expected in this position.
I am an experienced registered nurse having practiced in the UK from October 2001 to April 2007 and in Australia (NMW0001468539) since May 2007. My clinical background is Intensive and High Dependency Care (2001-2014) and Trauma (2014 to present day) which encompasses caring for seriously injured and vulnerable patients and their families.
Whilst having extensive research experience which spans all areas of trauma care, from pre-hospital through to discharge, my passion and recently awarded PhD lies in care provided to seriously injured patients and their family members, after hospital discharge. My work with the GCUH Trauma Service team has provided opportunities to expand our follow-up services which include a Nurse Practitioner clinic, a Nurse Navigator Clinic, a longitudinal follow-up program for seriously injured, modelled from the world leading VSTORM registry, and the Trauma Survivor Network. Evidence generated from my PhD has informed the provision and delivery of these services which are unique in ANZ, and were cited as ‘exemplary’, ‘excellent’ in the last RACS trauma verification of GCUH in 2023. On a national level work from my PhD was submitted to RACS to inform their recent revision of bi-national trauma care evidence-based guidelines.
My vision is to have a trauma service that remains involved in the ongoing recovery of patients far beyond discharge. Evidence-generated through my PhD identified that trauma services are an essential component in providing continuity of care, forming and sustaining multi-disciplinary collaborations, underpin effective communication and ongoing coordination of care. However, further work is required to ensure the care trauma services provide is evidence-based, measurable, and can be benchmarked to enable high quality, safe and effective care to be provided to all patients, and their family members, throughout ANZ.
Sarah Pearce
Biography
Sarah Pearce is a trauma nurse with more than 10 years of experience in trauma care, coordination, and service delivery. She holds a dual role as Project Manager with the Jamieson Trauma Institute and Clinical Nurse Consultant with the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Trauma Service. Sarah leads a range of trauma-focused education, quality improvement, and system development initiatives, working collaboratively to enhance trauma care and patient outcomes across Queensland. She is also the Queensland Regional Coordinator for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP) course
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
I have been an ANZTS member for many years and have served on both the Conference Organising and Scientific Committees in recent years. Contributing to the development of engaging, evidence-based conference programs has been a rewarding opportunity to support the Society while further developing my leadership, collaboration, and strategic planning skills.
Through my roles with the Jamieson Trauma Institute and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Trauma Service, I bring experience in trauma care, education, project management, stakeholder engagement, and trauma system improvement. I have led the development of educational initiatives, coordinated multidisciplinary collaborations, and worked with partner organisations to address gaps in trauma care and improve patient outcomes.
ANZTS has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting and connecting trauma professionals across Australia and New Zealand. It is this commitment, combined with my passion for advancing trauma care and fostering professional development, that has inspired me to nominate for a position on the Board. I would welcome the opportunity to contribute my clinical, educational, and organisational experience to help guide the future direction and ongoing success of the Society
Lola Sikora
Biography
Lola Sikora is the Trauma Program Manager at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH). Lola has worked within the RPH State Major Trauma Unit for 16 years and has undertaken a variety of senior nursing roles within the Trauma Service. In her role as Trauma Program Manager, Lola provides leadership and support for the operational, educational, research, fiscal, and strategic management of the Western Australian (WA) State Trauma Service. Lola is responsible for the management of the service’s Injury Prevention initiatives including the P.A.R.T.Y. Program and Stop the Bleed. Lola is also responsible for the management of the WA State Trauma Registry and Trauma Service research activity, which includes monitoring trends and initiating and implementing best practice that supports the delivery of high-quality clinical care and management of trauma patients. Lola led the transition of the WA Trauma Training and Education Unit from NMHS to EMHS in 2025 for which she received widespread positive feedback. Lola holds a Graduate Diploma of Forensic Nursing and a Master of Public Health and is passionate about teaching, also having positions as a Clinical Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, and as a Sessional Tutor for the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
In Lola’s three-year tenure as Trauma Program Manager, Lola has managed to lead a restructure of the Trauma Service to better align with RACS Verification requirements.
This included increasing staffing FTE, updating governance structures, implementation of more efficient workflow processes and the successful securing of a three-fold increase in external funding sources across all portfolios: clinical care, registry and data management, education and injury prevention. In her time as Trauma Program Manager, Lola has become known for leading with authenticity, kindness, and respect – qualities that inspire trust, confidence, and admiration from her team which resulted in her being awarded the EMHS Nurse of the Year 2025.
Dieter Weber
Biography
Dieter Weber is Head of the Department of General Surgery and Director of Trauma at Royal Perth Hospital, where he practices in both trauma and general surgery. A graduate of the University of Western Australia, he completed his General Surgery Fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons before undertaking further subspecialty training in trauma surgery in Newcastle.
He holds academic appointments as Clinical Professor at the University of Western Australia, Adjunct Professor at Curtin University, and Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle, where he is Course Coordinator for the Master of Traumatology. He is actively involved in trauma and emergency surgery education and research and has contributed to the development and delivery of numerous surgical training programs.
Professor Weber is Vice President of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Surgery of Trauma and Chair of the Post-Fellowship Education and Training Program in Trauma Surgery in Australia and New Zealand. He also serves on the boards of the Australian and New Zealand Trauma Registry and the World Society of Emergency Surgery. His broader roles include involvement in the RACS Trauma Verification Program, EMST/ATLS and DSTC, together with regional initiatives in trauma education, registry development, injury prevention and research across Western Australia..
Reasons to be on the ANZTS Board
I believe I would bring to the ANZTS Board a combination of clinical leadership, trauma-system experience, education, research and national engagement in trauma care.
As Director of Trauma at Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia’s major adult trauma centre, and Head of the Department of General Surgery, I have substantial experience in the clinical, operational and governance challenges involved in delivering major trauma care. My role also involves broader engagement across Western Australia in trauma education, registry development, injury prevention, regional trauma systems and quality improvement.
Bi-nationally, I am Vice President of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Chair of the Post-Fellowship Education and Training Program in Trauma Surgery, as well as a Board Director of the Australian and New Zealand Trauma Registry. I am also actively involved in the RACS Trauma Verification Program and in trauma education through EMST/ATLS, DSTC and university postgraduate training.
I am also currently leading the planning and development of the 2027 ANZTS Conference in Perth. This has given me an additional opportunity to contribute directly to the Society, strengthen multidisciplinary engagement, and help shape a meeting that reflects the breadth of contemporary trauma care across Australia and New Zealand.
These roles have given me experience working across disciplines, institutions and jurisdictions, and have reinforced the importance of strong collaboration between clinicians, trauma services, registries, researchers and professional organisations. I would bring this perspective to the ANZTS Board, together with a strong commitment to multidisciplinary trauma care, education, research, data-driven quality improvement and the continued development of trauma systems across Australia and New Zealand.
I would particularly hope to contribute to strengthening ANZTS as a genuinely multidisciplinary and nationally connected organisation, supporting collaboration between trauma clinicians and services, developing the next generation of trauma leaders, and ensuring that education, research and trauma-system improvement remain closely linked to better patient outcomes.