Christopher Corkery has lived in Hamilton Kirikiriroa for many years but still calls himself a Southlander. He has a very supportive wife and two children and a tired old dog that earns his keep by keeping the cats off the property. He’s about halfway through his science degree which he started 10 years ago but he feels like he may have to retire before he completes it.

Chris became a Registered CpRN in 1987 following a less than enthusiastic career as an electrician. Working with people was his aim and not fixing machines and crawling in roof spaces.

By accident rather than good planning he drifted towards medicine. His initial years were in general medicine, but then extended periods in oncology and haematology followed. Work experience included a year in Saudia Arabia on a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit followed by five years in Germany (Frankfurt and Cologne) in an Oncology and Haematology Unit at the University of Cologne.

Chris returned to New Zealand and commenced work again in haematology for approximately 3 years and then became interested in a new role established by the NZ Blood Service: the Transfusion Nurse Specialist role. He has been involved in this role almost from inception and has enjoyed developing it.

His job description can be concentrated down to a few themes: education, policy development, auditing/research and most importantly…Haemovigilance.

Haemovigilance for Chris is the critical programme that ensures safe blood gets to the NZ patient. Without it we would not have a modern efficient blood service. Chris’s presentation should convince you how important Haemovigilance is to a modern health system and where you can fit in.

Peggy has been a Paediatric Anaesthetist at Starship children’s Hospital since 2009, currently Deputy Service Clinical Director of Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia.

Her special interest areas are Anaesthesia for scoliosis and liver transplant. She developed a passion for vascular access in children since 2016 and spent her sabbatical time visiting international vascular access team in 2019. She’s the medical lead in our vascular access service at Starship, working closely with the vascular access nurse specialist. Peggy is looking forward to collaborating with other multidisciplinary teams within Starship and hopefully extending this work nationally.

Jackie Clappteron is lucky enough to hold a dual qualification as a Nurse Practitioner and a Critical Care Paramedic.

Her nursing care began in 1992 beginning in Orthopaedics and then the emergency department. She has been a Nurse Practitioner for nearly ten years. In 2000, Jackie commenced her Ambulance career.

She works in a front-line ECHO unit for St John and utilises both skill sets in Gisborne – Tairawhiti.

Jackie was the first recipient of the NZ Primary Health Care Awards – Nurse Practitioner of the year in 2020 and then in 2023 she received the Council of Ambulance Authorities – Women in Ambulance award.

Evan Alexandrou is a Clinical Associate Professor with the School of Nursing at the University of Wollongong as well as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in the Intensive Care Unit at Liverpool Hospital where he coordinates the Central Venous Access Service which is internationally renowned for its clinical expertise in vascular access procedures and research. Evan was one of the first nurses in Australia to place central venous catheters and one of the first clinicians (medical or nursing) in the world to insert chronic catheters (tunnelled dialysis catheters and implanted ports) at the bedside using non radiological confirmation.

Evan is involved in clinical education at an undergraduate and postgraduate level for Nursing and Medical training programs and is a conjoint senior lecturer with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South Wales. Evan is also an adjunct Associate Professor with the alliance for vascular access teaching and research (AVATAR) group at Griffith University. Evan has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications that include the highest ranked medical and nursing journals and in 2021, was ranked in the top 2% of nursing scientists’ worldwide. He is a foundation member of the Australian Vascular Access Society, an international faculty member and scientific committee member for the World Congress on Vascular Access.

Tasneem is a Vascular Access Nurse Specialist at Starship Children’s Health. Her interest in paediatric vascular access stems from her years working at the Starship Blood and Cancer Centre. 

She completed her Master of Nursing in 2021 and has been working towards establishing a Vascular Access Service and standardisation of care in Child Health. Her passions within vascular access include Clabsi prevention, longevity of catheters and ensuring the right catheter is selected for the right child.