BN Health Forum: Iraqi refugee to orthopaedic pioneer

Presented by John DePeters and Robert Samut

At midnight on November 15 the deadline for opting out of the government’s My Health Record will have passed. It is expected that over 20 million Australians will have a My Health Record, presenting what is often referred to as a “honeypot” for hackers and other cyber security risks.

In this session, BN’s Rob Samut will team up with Chubb’s cyber security expert John DePeters to examine what constitutes a My Health Record, how privacy concerns are being dealt with, the cyber security risks involved and the mechanics of an effective cyber incident response.

Presented by Dr Munjed Al Muderis

At the age of 27, as a young doctor in Iraq, Dr Munjed Al Muderis faced a dilemma that most of us can barely imagine. Not long after his usual morning ward rounds, soldiers marched into the hospital where he worked with an order from Saddam Hussein that the surgeons amputate the ears of three busloads of army deserters. Dr Al Muderis knew that he could not comply – doctors are trained to heal, not maim or kill. When the head of surgery objected, citing the Hippocratic Oath, it became clear from the repercussions that there was no option but to escape. Forced to flee Iraq immediately, Dr Al Muderis endured a life threatening journey by boat to Australia followed by 10 months of detention at Curtin Immigration Detention Centre.

Upon his release Dr Al Muderis embarked upon a mission to become an orthopaedic surgeon. Dr Al Muderis is now one of the world’s leaders in a revolutionary technology known as osseointegration, and has helped more than 500 amputees around the world to improve mobility, reduce pain and enhance their quality of life.

John DePeters is Chubb’s Cyber and Technology Practice Manager for Australia & New Zealand. Based in Sydney, John is responsible for Chubb’s underwriting strategy, portfolio management and the overall expansion of the practice in the region. Prior to his current role, John held various Cyber, Technology and Casualty underwriting management positions with Chubb in San Francisco, New York, and most recently Singapore, where he held the role of Regional Cyber Underwriter for Asia Pacific.

Robert Samut heads the firm’s national Health Law practice. He works with large hospital groups, insurers and large corporates in the defence of medico-legal and other claims, regulatory and disciplinary proceedings, and in providing general and risk management advice.

Amy specialises in coronial inquiries, commercial litigation and health law within Barry Nilsson’s Insurance & Health practice in Adelaide. Prior to joining BN in 2017, Amy spent ten years as Senior Counsel Assisting the State Coroner at the Coroner’s Court of South Australia. During Amy’s tenure at the Coroner’s Court she acted as Counsel Assisting in approximately 210 inquests, including deaths in custody, medical deaths, suicides, homicides, industrial accidents, motor vehicle accident deaths, accidental deaths, drowning, shark attacks and misadventure. Prior to this, Amy practised for five years in criminal defence work.