Working Group
Meet the people helping bring RRR EM27 to life
Behind every great conference is a dedicated group of people who generously give their time, expertise and ideas to help shape the program and RRR EM27 is no exception.
Our Working Group brings together passionate emergency medicine professionals from across rural and regional Australia, helping to ensure the conference reflects the realities, challenges and opportunities of working in rural and regional emergency care.
From shaping the program and suggesting speakers to sharing ideas, challenging thinking and keeping us focused on what matters, our Working Group has played an important role in bringing RRR EM27 – Under Southern Skies: Lighting the Way in Rural Emergency Care to life.
We are incredibly grateful for the time, energy and expertise each member has contributed. Their knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment help make RRR EM27 a conference by the rural and regional emergency medicine community, for the rural and regional emergency medicine community.
Dr Karly Field
Associate Professor Karly Field MBBS, FACEM is Director of Macksville District Hospital Emergency Department, Head of Clinical School for the Northern Rivers Rural Clinical School at Charles Sturt University, and Emergency Medicine Education and Training Program Lead for the Coffs Clinical Network. A Rural Emergency Physician who grew up on the NSW Mid North Coast, she is passionate about rural emergency medicine, education, and mentorship. Through her leadership in clinical care and medical education, Dr Field is dedicated to developing the next generation of rural clinicians, strengthening regional health services, and advancing excellence in patient-centred emergency care. She is a strong advocate for sustainable, high-quality healthcare in rural communities.
Dr Juan Carlos Asencio-lane
Juan is the current chair of the RRRAC and part of the committee that brought the inaugural RRR conference to Darwin and now this one to Hobart.
Juan is passionate about rural and regional emergency medicine having been brought up in a small farming town in Ireland. He spent the mjority of his formative years in medicine working in small rural communities across Aotearoa before settling in Hobart, Tasmania. He has continued this passion by working in the NW of Tassie, being the interim Director of Geraldton Emergency Department in WA. He continues this passion of rural emergency medicine outside of ACEM by being the Director of RESTART, a program dedicated to the training of ACRRM, RACGP and Associate trainees in Hobart.
Outside of the ED, Juan has taken on Sport Medicine roles and continues to support those in training.
Juan is a proud Mexican Irish, living in Hobart with his wife and 4 children. He loves to explore what Tassie has to offer and get on his bike when he can.
Dr Lucy-Anne Tolcher
Lucy-Anne is a regional FACEM working in Queensland with a passion for health equity, team development, team dynamics and education through simulation. She has been a member of the RRRAC for the last four years during which time her passion for RRR Emergency Medicine has been fostered leading to her involvement in the RRR EM Conference organising committee.
Lucy-Anne hopes to continue to broaden emergency medicine in rural centres through her work in the RRRAC and BSP pilots, and continue to advocate for patient focused equity lead care in RRR areas with advocacy, education and team development being the pillars for advancement.
Outside of medicine, she lives on a 40 acre property with a passion for gardening and sustainable living, working with her husband to look after a growing number of sheep, chickens and their loving fur child Lilja.