4 September 2024 Brisbane, Queensland Free public event
Hosted by Health + Wellbeing Queensland
Queensland's leading chronic disease prevention organisation

About the Event

On 4 September 2024, MedSurg Weight Loss took part in a free breakfast session hosted by Health + Wellbeing Queensland — a leading health-promotion organisation focused on the prevention of chronic disease and improved population wellbeing across Queensland.

The event explored how medications are shaping the treatment and prevention of obesity, with insights drawn from academic, clinical, government, and consumer perspectives. With novel weight loss medications increasingly available in Australia, it is vital that healthcare professionals, public health advocates, and individuals understand not just what is on the market, but how these medications integrate with prevention frameworks, health equity, and long-term wellbeing.

Expert Panel

The session brought together a high-profile panel of experts across disciplines:

Professor Clare Collins AO Moderator
NHMRC Leadership Research Fellow · College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle
Dr Catherine McDougall
Chief Medical Officer · Queensland Health
Associate Professor Susie de Jersey
Centre for Health Services Research · The University of Queensland
Professor Lisa Nissen
Professorial Research Fellow · Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland
Danny Bruggemann
Consumer Representative

Each speaker contributed from their area of expertise — from health policy and clinical frameworks to economic and consumer viewpoints — providing an evidence-based, multifaceted understanding of current and future directions in obesity care.

Why This Matters

With the growing availability of effective weight loss medications in Australia, the conversation around obesity is shifting — from individual willpower to systemic, medical, and preventive frameworks. Events like this are essential for fostering informed, evidence-based discussion across sectors that rarely share a platform together: clinical medicine, government health policy, academic research, health economics, and consumer advocacy.

Medication is only one piece of the picture. Effective weight management also includes supportive dietary advice, exercise physiology, psychological care, and surgical options where appropriate. Explore our services below.

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