Choosing Wisely Australia welcomes new Advisory Group chair

NPS MedicineWise—the convenor of Choosing Wisely Australia®—has appointed Dr David Rosengren, Executive Director and Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), as the new chair of the Choosing Wisely Australia Advisory Group.

Dr Rosengren is an Executive Committee Member and immediate past chair of the Queensland Clinical Senate and previously chaired the Queensland Faculty of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

He brings 20 years’ clinical and administrative leadership to the role and has a strong interest in the sustainability of the healthcare system, which includes promoting a national dialogue around addressing value-based care and tackling unnecessary practices.

An Advisory Group member since February 2017, Dr Rosengren takes over from Dr Matthew Anstey, Intensivist at Perth’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, who has been instrumental in helping guide the direction of the initiative over the last three-and-a-half years, as a member and in his two years as chair.

NPS MedicineWise Client Relations Manager Dr Robyn Lindner said: “We are excited to welcome Dr Rosengren as chair. With more than 20 years’ experience in the health sector in public and private hospitals, his expertise and insights ensure he brings a valuable perspective on the health service sector and opportunities for change.

“He’s been a passionate advocate of Choosing Wisely since its launch in Australia and has been a key force behind the implementation of the initiative at RBWH, including embedding Choosing Wisely into the performance framework of the hospital,” Dr Lindner said.

“We also sincerely thank outgoing chair Dr Anstey for his commitment to Choosing Wisely, both as part of our Advisory Group and in his advocacy of the initiative in Western Australia.”

Dr Rosengren said: “The delivery of the best possible healthcare outcomes for patients is the primary driver for all healthcare professionals. To do this, we need to know what’s important for the patient and to engage them in shared decision making.

“Choosing Wisely provides strategies that help patients and providers to get the balance right,” he said. “We all benefit from that.”