Five new appointments have been made to the Pharmaceuticals Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) including cardiologist Professor Clara Chow and rheumatologist and epidemiologist Professor Catherine Hill.

Professor Chow is director of the cardiovascular division at The George Institute and program director of community based cardiac services at the Westmead Hospital.

Professor Hill, a senior consultant rheumatologist at the Queen Elizabeth and Royal Adelaide Hospitals, also leads the rheumatology research group at the Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research. She is a current member of the Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee of the PBAC.

Other new appointees to PBAC are health economist Professor Kirsten Howard, oncologist Dr Meena Okera and consumer nominee Ms Bel Harper.

Clinical pharmacologist Professor Christopher Etherton-Beer, pharmacist Dr David Newby, GP Dr Rashmi Sharma and consumer nominee Ms Jo Watson were re-appointed. 

Further appointments are still to be announced which will bring membership of the committee to 21 – enhancing its capacity to deal with a growing number of increasingly complex submissions.