Early Career Osteopath Advisory Group

The association has an overarching goal to enhance and promote osteopathy. Over the next five years, the osteopathy profession in Australia is likely to increase by close to 100%. As the profession increases in size, diversity and changes in demographics, we know that we need to consider the particular needs of graduates and early career osteopaths. The Board of Osteopathy Australia has recognised that such voices do not currently sit on our Board.

Members

Brett Wiener (Chair)

Brett is an osteopathic Director of the Osteopathy Australia Board.

Brooke Campbell

Brooke graduated from Victoria University in June this year, and is a strong believer in ‘you reap what you sow.’ Brooke’s interest areas include women’s health, paediatric and geriatric care. Part of Brooke’s final year of study has included an internship in regional Victoria where she was able to treat a large number of patients in only eight weeks. This opened Brooke’s eyes to the importance and value of providing learning and employment opportunities to osteopathy students. She has been a SOMA representative through her studies, including taking on the role of secretary for the past two years. This has enabled Brooke to build friendships with students across multiple year levels and across multiple universities in order to voice students’ concerns and create change.

Cameron Reid

Cameron is a new graduate osteopath, having recently completed a Masters of Osteopathy degree at Victoria University. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Accountancy. He hopes to help pave a more readily accessible way for student osteopaths to find and secure professional internships and positions, in turn minimising the burden on both employers and employees. Having previously sat on the RMIT Business Board, he believes he has the right attributes required to help create and suggest positive changes for the profession and for younger osteopaths within this industry.

Melanie Saykan

Melanie is a fourth-year osteopathy student at Victoria University. She has worked in the Federal Government sector for over 10 years, and notes that contributing to the community has always been a major driver for her. After completing her postgraduate studies in accounting, she discovered and pursued her passion for health sciences. She hopes that being a member of the Advisory Group will give her the opportunity to seamlessly apply her communication skills from collaborating with multiple stakeholders in a tax advisory role to the promotion of osteopathy.

Teano Nguyen-Verdenet

Teano was an international student at Southern Cross University and relocated to the south-west of Western Australia to start his own practice. After a year in practice, Teano realised the challenge of building a practice in rural areas. People suffering from chronic pain and the general public’s lack of knowledge about osteopathy as a profession can be seen either as a barrier or an opportunity. However, he believes osteopathy has a unique holistic approach to healthcare that can serve people in rural areas. He says he joined the Advisory Group to help Osteopathy Australia members and the next generation of osteopaths to move to rural and regional areas and be equipped with the tools they need to support this population, promote the profession and see the opportunity that regional areas have to offer.

Lachlan Westwood

Lachlan studied osteopathy at RMIT. He is currently located in Swan Hill, treating patients in rural and remote Victoria for the past 16 months. Over this time, he has had the opportunity to travel far and wide treating locals from Boort all the way up to Robinvale, getting to see a large portion of north-western Victoria and all its beauty in the process. He was raised on the principle of ‘giving back to the people who contribute to making you the person you are today,’ so he hopes that his role on the Advisory Group will help to bridge the gap in allied healthcare in rural and remote areas and promote osteopathy while establishing pathways for future osteopaths to work in a new and exciting environment in the country.

Sarah Cipollone

Sarah graduated from Victoria University in 2017 and spent some time living abroad and working in Melbourne and the Central Coast before settling on the Northern Rivers of NSW. With a love for holistic care and empowering people on their journey to wellness, Sarah has found her passion in the mystery of chronic pain. She believes that her generation of healthcare providers has a unique and powerful platform to change the conventional wisdom of pain and wellness. She is excited to join the Advisory Group and represent the voices of her community who share her concerns and hopes for the future of osteopathy.

Adam Sekler

Adam graduated from RMIT in 2019 and has been practising in Melbourne since early 2020. He found the transition from university to practice challenging as he struggled to find quality resources to support him through this transition period. This experience opened his eyes to the realisation that there is so much potential for programs and resources to be put in place to help guide graduating osteopaths through this period and help get them settled into practice. He believes that improving this experience for graduating osteopaths will not only improve job satisfaction levels, but also promote longevity within the profession. He has a background in digital marketing and a passion for creating great experiences for all consumers. As such, he is hoping he can share his personal experiences and knowledge to help make a meaningful difference.

Courtney Maxwell

Courtney studied osteopathy at Victoria University and is in her third year of practice. She works in inner and outer-eastern Melbourne. She is one of the many people who moved to Melbourne to study osteopathy and has never left, which is part of what inspired her to join the Advisory Group. Courtney hopes to represent the views of other early career osteopaths in employment positions and hopes that working in both metropolitan and urban fringe environments brings an additional point of view. She is an Ambassador for Migraine Australia and runs two online support groups for people with persistent headaches and migraine disorder, an advocacy role that complements osteopathy nicely.