Pictured above: Monika Wheeler (CEO Healthy North Coast), Carmen Huckel Schneider (Associate Professor & Deputy Director of The Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, University of Sydney), Bronwyn Thirkell (National Coordinator, Integrated Care & Health System Reform Centre for Healthcare Knowledge & Innovation), Hans Erik Henriksen (Vice President of QUMEA and former CEO of Healthcare DENMARK), Peter Larter (Managing Director, Larter Consulting), Mario Gupta (Senior Consultant, Larter Consulting), Luke Elias (Director Primary Health Programs and Partnerships, Healthy North Coast) and Aimee McNeill (Director Integrated Community Wellbeing, Healthy North Coast)
Joint media release with the International Foundation for Integrated Care:
Healthy North Coast Primary Health Network and the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) are proud to announce the hosting arrangements for IFIC Australia, marking a significant step forward in strengthening person-centred, integrated care across Australia.
With the recent Budget showing ever-increasing costs of health care expenditure, it is more important than ever that international learnings are utilised – not as blueprints to copy, but as case studies that can build knowledge and capacity in Australia for meaningful reform.
IFIC is a not-for-profit foundation, originally founded in the Netherlands, dedicated to improving the lives of people and communities by advancing the science, knowledge, and adoption of integrated care around the world. IFIC is regarded as the leading international voice in integrated care.
‘Integrated care’ involves the provision of seamless, effective, and efficient care that reflects the whole of a person’s health needs and involves improved connectivity between health care providers in primary care, community, and hospital settings.[1]
This new partnership – which includes other patrons and supporters like University of Sydney, Central Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network, Southern Cross University, Social Futures and Continuity Care – brings the strength of IFIC’s global network and expertise as a platform for shared learning, evidence, practice and collaboration, together with local leadership through Healthy North Coast’s Centre for Healthcare Knowledge & Innovation (CHKI).
By hosting IFIC Australia, Healthy North Coast and other contributing patron organisations will assist IFIC to deliver a comprehensive program of learning, innovation and knowledge exchange tailored to the needs of Australia’s health and care system. Offerings will reflect the real-world needs of clinicians, service providers and health system leaders and will include:
- webinars and interactive learning programs tailored for Australian audiences
- mentorship and leadership development opportunities for Australian health system leaders
- access to policy resources and global thought leadership
- connection with international peers through established and emerging global communities of practice.
First look at the partnership
The first chance for local health, policy and community sector leaders to benefit from the partnership will be at the Pathways to Reform – A Cross Country Exchange for Health Leaders event on Tuesday 26 May to Friday 29 May at the Mantra on Salt Beach Resort in Kingscliff. Here, international health experts like Nick Goodwin, Hans Erik Henriksen and Soonman Kwon will present on topics such as embedding value in primary care (inspired by Denmark), designing for pressure and crisis-ready systems (inspired by South Korea) and building equity and Indigenous governance (inspired by Aotearoa New Zealand).
Pathways to Reform will convene healthcare leaders from across the country for a rare opportunity to step outside day-to-day pressures and consider the challenges and opportunities that need to shape system reform. The Exchange represents the beginning of a longer-term journey to foster a trusted network of like-minded change makers committed to learning, collaboration and practical action across Australia’s health and care systems.
Bronwyn Thirkell, Carmen Huckel Schneider, Monika Wheeler & Nick Goodwin (Visiting Professor, Centre for Research in Health System Performance, National University of Singapore & Senior Associate, International Foundation for Integrated Care)
Moving forward, the partnership will also enable organisations across Australia to contribute as patrons and supporters, helping to shape national reform priorities while benefiting from shared learning and collective impact. The collaboration positions Australia as part of a broader international movement focused on integrated, person-centred and community-connected care.
IFIC Australia will be funded largely on a cost recovery basis through event participation fees, in-kind resources and contributions from participating patrons.
Quotes:
Monika Wheeler, CEO Healthy North Coast said:
“We were thrilled to be approached by IFIC to be their exclusive Australian partner. This is about more than knowledge sharing, it’s about building capability, strengthening connections and supporting the primary health care community to deliver better, more coordinated care for the people we serve. By working with IFIC, we are bringing world-leading knowledge and capability directly to our region and the broader Australian sector.”
Dr Niamh Lennox-Chhugani, Chief Executive, International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) said:
“Integrated care does not advance through policy ambition or goodwill alone. It grows when leaders have the time, space and international connections to test ideas, learn from others and apply that learning in their own systems.
“Through IFIC Australia and the Pathways to Reform exchange, we want to support leaders to build the confidence, relationships and practical capability needed to improve care for people, communities and services. This is central to IFIC’s mission: connecting knowledge, evidence and experience so that integrated care can move from aspiration into everyday practice.”
A/Prof Carmen Huckel Schneider, Deputy Director Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data at the University of Sydney, said:
“We are proud to partner as the academic lead at Pathways to Reform, furthering our mission to undertake applied, policy-relevant research that strengthens integrated care and health system improvement in Australia. Through this collaboration, we are not only advancing evidence into practice, but also supporting the development of future health system leaders.
“Participants have a unique opportunity to extend their learning beyond the event by undertaking a University of Sydney microcredential in integrated care, enabling them to embed new knowledge, skills and networks into real-world impact at local, regional and national levels.”
Featured keynote speakers at Pathways to Reform – A Cross Country Exchange for Health Leaders:
- Nick Goodwin is a globally recognised leader in integrated care and health reform, with more than 30 years’ experience shaping health policy, research and service delivery across more than 25 countries. He co-founded and led the International Foundation for Integrated Care, growing it into a network of more than 30,000 members worldwide, edited the World Health Organization’s Global Framework on People-Centred and Integrated Health Services, and received the Avedis Donabedian International Award for contributions to healthcare excellence.
- Soonman Kwon is a leading global expert in health economics and health system financing, serving as Professor and former Dean of the Seoul National University School of Public Health and founding director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health System and Financing. He has advised major international organisations including the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, while holding visiting academic positions at institutions including Harvard School of Public Health and the London School of Economics.
- Hans Erik Henriksen is Vice President of QUMEA and former CEO of Healthcare DENMARK. He draws on two decades of digital health leadership, AI-enabled care and Denmark’s value-based reforms – offering practical lessons for advancing integrated, data-driven health care in Australia.
[1] NSW Health, What is integrated care, NSW Health, 2023, accessed 14 May 2026.
