Our Commission

Professor Michael Ward
MBBS, FRACP, FRCP (Edin)

Commissioner 

Michael is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland. His previous positions include Director of Medicine at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Head of the Central Clinical Division of the University of Queensland School of Medicine and Senior Director of the Queensland Health Clinical Practice Improvement Centre.

In his former role as co-sponsor of the Queensland Collaboratives for Healthcare Improvement, Michael was instrumental in the development of a network of more than 400 healthcare professionals in 25 Queensland hospitals working together to improve quality of care.

More recently, Michael contributed to the design and development of the statewide clinical networks in Queensland. In 2008, Michael was awarded a Queensland Public Service Medal for services to medicine.

John Amery 

BHA, RN, Dip Admin

Assistant Commissioner, Nursing

John has more than 40 years’ experience as a healthcare practitioner and administrator.

He is currently Chief Executive Officer of Mater Health Services North Queensland in Townsville and a Director of the Australian Private Hospitals Association and Private Hospitals Association of Queensland.

With exposure to the private and public sectors, John, a registered nurse, worked in general, psychiatric and obstetric positions before moving into administration.

Professor Michele Clark

PhD, B OccThy (Hons), BA, Grad Cert Health Econ

Assistant Commissioner, Allied Health

After a successful career in occupational therapy and community health, Michele is now a Professor in Health Policy in the School of Public Health at Queensland University of Technology.

Michele was previously Foundation Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Head of the Occupational Therapy Unit at James Cook University.

In 1998 and 1999 she worked on the International Year of Older Persons for the United Nations in New York and in 2000, she was appointed the Inaugural Director of the Australian Centre for Prehospital Research.

Professor Ken Donald

MBBS, PhD, FRCPA, FRCPath, FRACS (Hon), FRACMA

Assistant Commissioner, Medical

Originally trained as a pathologist, Ken has held appointments as an Academic Pathologist, Director of Pathology at Royal Brisbane Hospital and in recent years, Professor of Anatomical Pathology at the University of Newcastle and Director of Pathology at the Hunter Area Pathology Services.

Ken was Deputy Director-General of Health in Queensland for a decade in the 1980s. In the 1990s he was Professor and Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Queensland and more recently Head of the School of Medicine.

He is now Chair of the Repatriation Medical Authority and Acting Director of Medical Services at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

Susan Johnston

JD, BA, Barrister at Law

Assistant Commissioner, Safety

Susan has extensive experience in dealing with safety issues from outside the health sector, having led and participated in significant reviews of health and safety in the mining and energy industries.

She has provided advice to both private industry and government on how to improve implementation and monitoring of safety systems and programs.

Susan has postgraduate qualifications in law and extensive experience in governance. She is a former Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council and was previously Global Head of Safety for Anglo Coal.

Rodney Metcalfe

LLB, Solicitor

Assistant Commissioner, Public Service

Rodney comes from a successful career in local government, after 20 years with Brisbane City Council.

Prior to his appointment as the Deputy Queensland Ombudsman in 1995, Rodney was Executive Director of the Queensland Olympic 2000 Task Force.

His role as the Deputy Ombudsman to 2006 included developing and implementing strategic organisational change and conducting high level investigations.

Dr Margaret Steinberg

PhD (Child Health and Education), MPhty (Research), BPhty (Hons), Dip Phty

Assistant Commissioner, Consumer

Margaret was formerly Community Commissioner on the Crime and Misconduct Commission and the Criminal Justice Commission.

Her training is in population/public health and her work history has combined academic roles (at professorial level, e.g. as establishment director of a research unit on ageing at the University of Queensland Medical School); and public (health) policy and services.

She is Governor of the Queensland Community Foundation and a director of other boards. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her work in social justice, particularly in public health and community organisations.