Marie Bismark – Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne

Marie Bismark panellist photoDr. Marie Bismark is a public health physician and health lawyer, who leads the Law and Public Health Group at the University of Melbourne.  Her research focuses on the role of patient voice in improving the quality and safety of healthcare.  In 2014, Marie was awarded the Fellows Career Development Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to study the impact of new laws requiring mandatory notification of concerns about the health, performance or conduct of health practitioners in Australia.

Marie has previously worked as a doctor in a number of New Zealand hospitals, served as a legal adviser to the New Zealand Health and Disability Commissioner, and been a solicitor with a leading New Zealand law firm.  In 2004-2005, she completed a Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy at Harvard University, with Professors David Studdert and Troy Brennan, researching alternatives to medical malpractice litigation.

In addition to her academic role, Marie serves as a non-executive director on the boards of a number of health sector companies, including GMHBA Health Insurance, Summerset retirement villages, and the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre.  She has published widely on no-fault compensation, patient safety and healthcare complaints resolution.  Marie and her husband Matthew have three teenage children.