Dr Martin Chadwick

Martin is the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer within the Ministry of Health, working in partnership with the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Maternity Officer and Chief Nursing Officer in providing transdisciplinary clinical leadership and advice. The role works at a systems level as well as providing support to clinicians, programmes and projects across the Ministry. Martin was the 2019-20 New Zealand Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice. He has completed his doctoral degree in 2019 examining health workforce change. He is passionate about the untapped potential that allied health professions can bring in improving the quality of care provided to our populations, and in turn better meeting equitable population health needs. More recently he worked with his team to publish the first iteration of the Hauora Haumi|Allied Health report which captures the potential and associated challenges for an initial grouping of 14 professions with the intention to build on this over time.

Prof Sonia Kumar

Prof Kumar is the Founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St Mary’s in London, leading their new School of Medicine, which will welcome its first cohort in September 2026. Prof Kumar has over two decades experience as a GP and educationalist, specialising in community-based health and education for the benefit of society, which will be core to the new School.

Sonia studied Medicine at King’s College London, where she also gained a Bachelor of Science and Master’s degree (distinction) and also holds a Fellowship with the Royal College of General Practitioners. Prior to this role she was the Associate Dean in Community Engagement at the University of Leeds, where she led the university’s civic mission in the city and local region. She established CENTRE (community engagement network in research education and civic engagement) working with colleagues across the university and key stakeholders to maximise the university’s social impact, enabling students to gain key graduate attributes and citizenship skills needed for our future workforce and broader global change.

Dr Stella Ng

Dr Stella Ng is the Director and Scientist of the University of Toronto's Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) at University Health Network. Originally a paediatric audiologist, Stella’s research trajectory was shaped by complex practice experiences in school-based healthcare. For nearly two decades, her research has advanced education as a powerful mechanism for transforming health and social care. Her early research identified how critically reflective practitioners enact truly collaborative, compassionate, and equitable care, and her recent research has demonstrated the outcomes of specific teaching approaches designed to foster critically reflective practice. This innovative research program connects education to changed practices and improved care experiences. As a Wilson Centre scientist, Stella collaboratively leads the Praxis Lab, an interdisciplinary community of scholars funded by competitive grants and fueled by common purpose. An award-winning educator, she holds faculty appointments in Speech-Language Pathology and Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, and has co-founded several widely influential professional development programs, including Teaching for Transformation and Collaborative Advocacy & Partnered Education (CAPE).