Dr Georgia Rigas is a Sydney-based Specialist General Practitioner with over 20 years’ clinical expertise in obesity and cardiometabolic health. She is the Medical Lead of the Obesity & Bariatric Metabolic Surgery Unit at St George Private Hospital (Australia’s first internationally recognized Bariatric Centre of Excellence) and an Adjunct Associate Lecturer at UNSW Medicine. The founder and inaugural Chair of the RACGP Obesity Management Network, Dr Rigas is a past advisor to the PBAC and Ministry of Health on obesity-metabolic health policy. She heavily contributed to shaping national clinical practice as a co-author of key resources, including the RACGP Red Book Metabolic Health chapter, the Australian Obesity Management Algorithm, and the Australian Public Bariatric Surgery Framework. 

Dr Alex Craven is a specialist upper gastrointestinal (UGI) surgeon with expertise in advanced laparoscopy, complex foregut surgery, and the development of novel surgical technologies. His clinical and research work focuses on minimally invasive approaches to oesophageal and gastric disease, the development of implantable devices, and improving functional outcomes following UGI interventions. Dr Craven trained at Austin Health and Northern Health through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons before completing post-fellowship training in upper GI surgery. He is actively involved in pioneering translational research, including early clinical use of a new implantable nerve stimulation device for inflammatory conditions, having recently performed the world’s second implantation and is preparing for additional first-in-human procedures. He holds senior leadership roles with ANZMOSS, the IFSO Asia Pacific Chapter, and international surgical committees, and is co-convenor of the Austin Health Obesity Conference. Dr Craven is deeply involved in teaching, surgical training, and service development, and collaborates widely across surgical, research, and industry partners to advance next-generation minimally invasive therapies.

A/Prof Niloufar (Nellie) Torkamani (MD, PhD, FRACP) is an endocrinologist, director of weight management services- Austin Health, speaker, and passionate advocate for metabolic and women’s health. Based in Melbourne, Australia, she is dedicated to transforming how we diagnose and treat obesity, PCOS, perimenopause, menopause, and hair loss. Through clinical care, education, research, and advocacy, she challenges outdated medical thinking and works to close the gap between evidence and everyday practice. She is committed to empowering people to take control of their health with clarity, compassion, and science-based care. Her mission is simple: people deserve to be heard, believed, and offered evidence-based treatment that helps them thrive.

Marie is a transplant hepatologist at the Victorian Liver Transplant Unit, Austin Health, where she has worked for over 10 years and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne. She is the director of Hepatology Clinical Trials and the clinical lead of the Liver Mass Service. Her research interests include sarcopenia and malnutrition in cirrhosis, portal hypertension, HCC, steatosis liver disease and maximising health outcomes post liver transplant.

Professor Merlin Thomas is a clinician-scientist and program leader in the Department of Diabetes at Monash University. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Medicine Science and Founder of RAGE Biotech. His research program is focused on understanding the mechanisms of diabetic complications and developing new opportunities for their prevention and treatment.