Dr Fiona Moir
Director, Connect Communications; Senior Lecturer, Communication Skills and Mental Health, The University of Auckland, NZ
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Fiona trained in the UK and went on to work as a GP in New Zealand, with a special interest in mental health. She is a Director of Connect Communications, a medical education company which designs and facilitates self-care, supervision and communication skills programmes for health professionals and their organisations. Recently Connect have undertaken several projects with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand, such as developing a mental health framework for New Zealand Veterinary teams. They have also worked regularly with the Medical Council of New Zealand and the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Society.
For over a decade. Fiona also has a part-time role as a Senior Lecturer at The University of Auckland. Within this job, she has developed SAFE-DRS, a Health and Wellbeing curriculum for medical students, and has created comprehensive pastoral care policies and care pathways for the medical school, as well as leading some wider student wellbeing work across the University. Fiona also researches and publishes in the area of practitioner wellbeing with a focus on burnout prevention, safe and professional working environments and educational interventions. She worked for many years as the Director of Student Affairs at the Auckland Medical School, a role which encompassed supporting individual students with complex needs, involvement with fitness-to-practice issues, student advocacy and return-to-work programmes. |
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In 2008, she was one of the co-authors of the CALM website, a resource for stress management and happiness, which was released to the public as a University of Auckland resource, and has over quarter of a million users in over 200 countries. Her research interests are early interventions for stress, anxiety and depression; self-care; the health of health professionals; healthy workplaces, mindfulness; communication skills and supervision for health professionals. She is part of the International Conference on Mindfulness Asia Pacific group. Her PhD is in the area of peer-led interventions to improve mental health. In 2018, she won the University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor’s excellence award for Health, Safety and Wellbeing. In 2021, she was invited to present her anti-bullying initiative, HOTSPOTS, at the BMA/CMA/AMA International Conference on Physician Health in London, and in 2022, she won a NZ Workplace Health and Safety Award for her initiative tackling bullying, harassment and discrimination in the clinical workplace She presents regularly at academic conferences and as a keynote speaker in New Zealand and Australia.
Revitalising a Workforce Under Pressure
Within the constraints of a demanding workplace, there are still strategies that organisations, teams and individuals can use to optimise wellbeing and enhance energy and efficiency at work. We all know that burnout affects attrition and workplace interactions, and that there are benefits to motivate yourself, your colleagues and staff to prioritise their own health. It is important to be able to identify the risk factors and signs of burnout, be aware of its causes and consequences, and understand the evidence regarding what can be done to turn it around. We will consider what ‘wellness leadership’ might look like and reflect on the drivers, practicalities and mind-set for prioritising wellness. The session will also include communication skills to manage conflict and tricky interactions with colleagues, employees and patients, as good communication and boundary setting are integral to wellbeing.
