
Better together: advancing medicines intelligence through partnershipsÌý
Symposium Co-Chairs: Prof Sallie Pearson and Dr Erin Kelty
29-30 October 2025
Tyree Room, John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW Sydney
Since its inception in 2020, MI-CRE has evolved from a disparate group of pharmacoepidemiology researchers dotted across a handful of Australian universities, to a high-performing, impactful network of researchers, consumers, policy-makers and educators across the country and abroad. As we celebrate the achievements of the first 5 years of MI-CRE and look to the future, we acknowledge the power of partnerships in achieving our goals.
This year's theme "Better together: advancing medicines intelligence through partnerships" will highlight the incredible achievements made possible through strong, authentic partnerships and collaborations. We have a stellar line-up of local and international guest speakers, ready to share their 'special sauce' for successful partnerships, including:
- Professor Caroline 91³ÉÈ˰涶Òôr AO, Deputy Director – Gender Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Co-Head, Global Women's and Newborn Health; Co-Head, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening, Burnet Institute; and Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
- Professor Peter Rijnbeek, Professor of Medical Informatics, Chair of the Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Centre; and Executive Director of the Data Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network (DARWIN-EU).
- Professor Robert Platt, Professor of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University; and Executive Co-Lead Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES).
As always, we will have multiple themed abstract sessions showcasing partnership and impact stories as well as traditional pharmacoepidemiological research and panel discussions with our external partners and stakeholders. We will host a lunchtime poster session, and there will be plenty of opportunities to network with friends and colleagues from across the MI-CRE nodes and our external stakeholders.
This is a free event for members of MI-CRE, consumers, our policy and translational partners, as well as anyone with an interest in the power of partnerships to mobilise real-world evidence generation and advance medicines intelligence.
Please see the draft program below which will be updated closer to the date. Ìý
Invited speakers

Professor Caroline 91³ÉÈ˰涶Òôr AO
Professor Caroline 91³ÉÈ˰涶Òôr AO is a midwife who is a globally recognised expert in maternal and newborn health, with an extensive career spanning clinical midwifery, research, and health policy. As the co-head of the Global Women’s and Newborn Health group at the Burnet Institute, leads research and development aimed to improve outcomes for women and babies in Australia and internationally. She has served as a key technical advisor to the World Health Organization and contributed significantly to the development of global maternal and perinatal health guidelines. A passionate advocate for equitable, evidence-based care, Caroline’s work bridges research excellence and real-world impact in low- and middle-income settings.

Professor Peter Rijnbeek
Professor Peter Rijnbeek is a health data scientist with 25 years' experience in computer science, data quality and management, statistics, and the development of real-world data solutions. As Chair of the Department of Medical Informatics at Erasmus University Medical Centre and Executive Director of the Data Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network (DARWIN-EU), he leads work to generate timely, high-quality evidence on the use, safety and effectiveness of medicines across the European Union. A leader in health data interoperability, he coordinates the European Health Data and Evidence Network (EHDEN), and the European OHDSI Chapter and plays a key role in promoting the use of common data standards to enable consistent, large-scale analysis of electronic health records

Professor Robert William Platt
Professor Robert Platt is a biostatistician and pharmacoepidemiologist with an extensive track record of advancing real-world data methods to support public health and clinical research. As Professor of Paediatrics and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill University, and Executive Co-Lead of the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES), he contributes to national efforts to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medicines. Robert holds the Canada Research Chair in Pharmacoepidemiology and Statistical Methods, with research focused on causal inference using administrative claims and electronic health record data. A long-standing contributor to international methodological initiatives, he plays a central role in the OHDSI community, strengthening the quality and consistency of multi-database studies that inform healthcare policy and regulatory decisions.
- Program Day 1
- Program Day 2
Wednesday 29thÌý°¿³¦³Ù´Ç²ú±ð°ù
9:00-9:15 |
Arrive and register |
9:15-9:25 |
Opening and welcome: Symposium Co-Chairs |
9:25-10:10 |
Keynote speaker: Prof Caroline 91³ÉÈ˰涶Òôr AO |
10:10-10:45 |
Abstract session 1 |
10:45-11:15 |
Morning tea |
11:15-12:00 |
Abstract Session 2 |
12:00-12:45 |
Abstract Session 3 |
12:45-1:45 |
Lunch and poster session |
1:45-2:45 |
Keynote Speaker: Prof Peter Rijnbeek |
2:45-3:15 |
Afternoon tea |
3:15-4:30 |
Panel discussion on partnerships |
4:30-5:00 |
Abstract awards and closing remarks |
Thursday 30thÌý°¿³¦³Ù´Ç²ú±ð°ù
9:00-9:15 |
Arrive and registerÌý |
9:15-10:45 |
60-day dispensing program presentations and discussion |
10:45-11:15 |
Morning tea |
11:15-1:00 |
Portfolio meetings |
1:00-2:15 |
Lunch and ‘Minute with a Mentor’ |
2:15-3:00 |
Whole MI-CRE meeting |
3:00-3:45 |
Team activity |
3:45-4:00 |
Closing remarks and wrap-up |