Meet the GP Refresh Advisory Committee
Editor Murtagh’s GP Book 9th Ed.
Chair of the Scientific Committee GP Refresh
Dr Justin Coleman is a GP at Inala Indigenous Health in Brisbane and a Senior Medical Educator. He started writing medical articles 30 years ago and is now one of Australia’s pre-eminent medical educators.
He has published around 1500 medical articles, ranging from newspaper columns to academic research in the BMJ. He co-edits Murtagh’s General Practice, and was editor of the Diabetes Management Journal and long-term President of the Australasian Medical Writers Association.
Dr Coleman has been a senior lecturer at four Universities. Every year, he creates and runs more than 100 educational workshops, webinars and podcasts for GPs. His bottom line is that everything he produces must be evidence-based, independent of all marketing influences, and must be both interesting and useful for the GP audience.
General Medical Practitioner
Advisory & Scientific Committee Member GP Refresh
Dr Ian Kamerman is an experienced General Practitioner based in Tamworth, New South Wales, with over 35 years of experience in rural medicine. He is a practice principal at Northwest Health and is committed to providing comprehensive, patient-centred healthcare to individuals and families across the region.
Dr Kamerman has a strong interest in supporting the sustainability of rural healthcare and is actively involved in the education and mentoring of medical students and junior doctors. Alongside his clinical work, he has contributed to a number ofleadership and advisory roles within the medical community, advocating for improved access to quality healthcare services in rural and regional Australia.
Ex. RACGP President
Advisory & Scientific Committee Member GP Refresh
Dr Nicole Higgins is the former President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and a highly respected leader in Australian general practice. With a career spanning over two decades, she represents the depth and diversity of the profession — combining her roles as a practising GP, business owner, medical educator, mentor, and advocate for sustainable primary care.
Based in Mackay, Queensland, Dr Higgins runs her own general practice while actively contributing to health system improvement and workforce development. She is passionate about strengthening general practice through education, leadership, and innovation. Having previously worked with Tropical Medical Training and the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS), she has guided and mentored countless GP trainees, supporting the next generation of rural and regional doctors.
Dr Higgins also served as Chair of GP Supervisors Australia (GPSA) and has held directorships since the early days of the Divisions of General Practice through to the Primary Health Networks (PHNs). Her work has been recognised for entrepreneurship, innovation, and her dedication to improving healthcare delivery in both urban and remote settings.
A strong advocate for workforce sustainability and GP wellbeing, Dr Higgins has been at the forefront of initiatives that address practitioner burnout, rural workforce shortages, and the challenges of modern primary care. She frequently collaborates with industry bodies, training organisations, and government agencies to shape policies that support equitable healthcare access across Australia.
Beyond her professional commitments, Dr Higgins is known for her pragmatic leadership style and her ability to connect policy with real-world clinical experience. As a working parent, she brings authenticity and balance to her advocacy, highlighting the human side of medicine and the need for systemic support for healthcare professionals.
Through her clinical practice, teaching, and leadership, Dr Nicole Higgins continues to champion the vital role of GPs in Australia’s healthcare system — advocating for high-quality patient care, professional support, and the advancement of general practice as the cornerstone of community health.
Ex. RACGP Vice-President
Advisory & Scientific Committee Member GP Refresh
Dr Bruce Willett has over three decades of experience in general practice, combining personalised patient care with transformative leadership across the Australian healthcare sector. He has been a general practitioner since 1989 and was a successful practice owner, having established his first practice in Thorneside with his wife Gertrude in 1992 and later building Victoria Point Surgery in Brisbane’s south into a thriving business.
Bruce’s leadership extends far beyond clinical practice through his distinguished service with The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). He served as RACGP Vice President from July 2020 until November 2023 and was Queensland Faculty Chair from October 2016 until November 2023. His advocacy work has been instrumental in shaping general practice policy, including leading successful negotiations for payroll tax exemptions in Queensland and guiding the transition of GP training programmes back to the RACGP.
As Chair of General Practice Supervisors Australia (GPSA), Bruce demonstrated his commitment to medical education and supporting the next generation of GPs. He has been an RACGP examiner since 1994 and continues as a GP supervisor, training registrars. His educational leadership include establishing the GPs@Parliament programme in Queensland, which has been replicated across Australia.
Bruce played a pivotal role in the RACGP’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with Queensland Health to develop policies and guidelines during the early stages of the crisis. His advocacy efforts have focused on addressing the underfunding of Medicare, maintaining fee-for-service as the mainstay of healthcare funding, and the role of general practice as the most cost-effective part of the healthcare system.
Recently, Bruce received the Rose-Hunt Award, the RACGP’s highest accolade, recognising his significant contributions to general practice advocacy and education. The award acknowledged his role in galvanising opposition to proposed payroll tax changes affecting general practice and his leadership through the transition of training back to the colleges and during challenging periods for the profession.
Hobbies include writing bios in the third person, beetle fighting, competitive duck herding, and making up hobbies to make himself sound more interesting than he really is.
Dr Prakash Appanna is a Gold Coast GP with over 30 years of experience as a GP and who completed his medical training in South Africa before obtaining Fellowships from both the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
Dr Appanna also holds advanced training in Sports Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Skin Cancer Surgery. Dr Appanna has been dedicated to education having been a Registrar Teacher and Medical Student Teacher in both New Zealand and Australia.
In addition he has been a Fellowship Assessor for the RNZCGP and an Examiner for the RACGP. He has served on both the Auckland Faculty Board and the Queensland Faculty Board of the RNZCGP and RACGP respectively.
He has helped set up the very successful General Practice Owners Conference for the RACGP and the Facebook group to support General Practice Owners. Dr Appanna has established very successful General Practice Clinics in both New Zealand and Australia.