Visiting Medical Officers’ dinner

East Grampians Health Service welcomed medical officers and their partners to the annual Visiting Medical Officers Dinner.

The dinner was held in Pyrenees House and attended by VMOs and their partners as well as Executive and senior staff from EGHS.

EGHS’s catering team provided a fine dining experience for guests, which was enjoyed and praised by all who attended.

Guest speaker at the dinner was Professor Jane Gunn AO, Interim Provost, University of Melbourne.

The Provost is the standing deputy to the Vice-Chancellor and the Chief Academic Officer of the University, with responsibility for all of the University’s academic activities, including oversight of the nine Faculties. The Office of the Provost provides strategic leadership in all areas of academic policy, students and education, people and community, and indigenous strategy and partnerships.

Jane is a distinguished academic, inaugural Chair of Primary Care Research and the first female Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Services. She was appointed interim Provost in July 2025.

Born and raised in regional Victoria, Jane realises the importance of a healthcare system founded on principles of access and equity with strong primary care at its centre.

Jane is a general practitioner and led the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne for 10 years. She has been a visiting Professor to Scottish School of Primary Care, University of Glasgow, Hong Kong University, Chinese University Hong Kong and Oxford University.

Her 15-year National Health and Medical Resource Council (NHMRC) funded cohort study – the Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care (diamond) study – aimed to develop models of care to transform primary mental health care.

This study has twice been included in the NHMRC ‘Ten of the Best’ collection, and an intervention tool developed from it forms a component of the Australian government’s Head to Health initiative, which provides free online mental health information, and support. She has been awarded more than $74 million in research funding and published more than 260 scholarly works.

A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences since 2016 and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Jane’s Directorships have covered primary care, hospital and medical research. She has served two terms on the NHMRC Research Committee and is a current member of the NHMRC Council.

As Dean of the largest Faculty in the University, Jane provides leadership and strategic vision while fostering a collaborative environment for approximately 6000 staff and 11,000 students.