The Australian Sepsis Grand Round is a national virtual education series bringing together clinicians from across Australia and around the world to share current practice, research, and system improvement initiatives in sepsis care.

This session focuses on Sepsis in Specific Populations, highlighting key challenges and opportunities in improving recognition, management, and recovery across diverse patient groups.

Event Details

Australian Sepsis Grand Round: Sepsis in Specii
Date: Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM AEST
Format: Virtual Event

Program

Welcome
6:30 PM – 6:35 PM Welcome and introduction – Prof Steve McGloughlin

Sepsis Updates
6:35 PM – 6:45 PM          Global and National Sepsis Update – Dr Brett Abbenbroek

6:45 PM – 6:55 PM Consumer Perspective: Post Sepsis Recovery – Elizabeth Stanley

Sepsis in Specific Populations

6:55 PM – 7:00 PM          Introduction to Sepsis in Specific Populations – Prof Steve McGloughlin

7:00 PM – 7:15 PM          Post Sepsis Recovery: Rehabilitation and the Physiotherapy Perspective - Professor Carol Hodgson

7:15 PM – 7:25 PM          Maternal Sepsis: Early Identification and Escalation - Ms Isabella Kelly

7:25 PM – 7:35 PM          Indigenous Sepsis: Culturally Safe Models of Care

7:35 PM – 7:45 PM          Sepsis in the Elderly: Recognition and Recovery Pathways

Panel and Close

7:45 PM – 8:00 PMPanel Discussion and Close - All presenters, facilitated by Judit Orosz

Professor Carol Hodgson 

PhD FACP FAHMS - Co-Director, Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre

Head, Division of Clinical Trials, SPHPM, Monash University

Professor Carol Hodgson is Executive Director of Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre, Head of the Division of Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Co-Director of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University. She has held NHMRC or Heart Foundation funding throughout her career, currently with an L2 Investigator Grant (2025-2029), and she sits on the NHMRC Research Committee (2025-2027).

She is a clinical trialist with expertise in rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, invasive life support and coordination of care, with a special interest in long-term outcomes of critically ill patients. For over a decade she has worked closely with consumers and the community to deliver research that is prioritised by people with lived experience of critical illness with methods that are informed by them. She has worked with consumers on Delphi prioritisation projects, core outcome sets, observational studies, randomised trials and inter/national guidelines.

She is an honorary Specialist Physiotherapist in Intensive Care at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and of the Australian College of Physiotherapists.

Brett Abbenbroek

Program Manager, Sepsis Australia and Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance, Global Sepsis Alliance Board Member

Dr Brett Abbenbroek is Program Manager of Sepsis Australia and the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance, leading national and regional initiatives to improve sepsis recognition, management, and patient outcomes. His work focuses on advancing education, research, and quality improvement across health systems.

He has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the Australian Sepsis Clinical Care Standard, supporting a coordinated, systems based approach to sepsis care. He works closely with clinicians and health services to strengthen early detection and evidence based management of sepsis.

Through his leadership across Australia and the Asia Pacific region, Brett continues to drive collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of sepsis and improve outcomes for patients and survivors.

Isabella Kelly

Acting Manager, Maternity and Newborn Improvement Team, Improvement Branch, Safer Care Victoria

Isabella Kelly is the Acting Manager of the Maternity and Newborn Improvement Team, Improvement Branch within Safer Care Victoria. With extensive experience in maternity care, system improvement and policy, Ms. Kelly brings a strong focus on safety, quality and equity in maternity and newborn services. At Safer Care Victoria, she works closely with health services, clinicians and partners to support system‑level reform, strengthen culturally safe practice, and improve outcomes for women, babies and families.

Judit Orosz

Intensive Care Specialist and Deputy Director (Operations) Intensive Care, The Alfred

Dr Judit Orosz is an Intensive Care Specialist and the Deputy Director (Operations) at The Alfred ICU. She originally trained in Hungary and Ireland in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine before completing Intensive Care training, ultrasound and echocardiography training in Australia.

She has completed the Safety, Quality, Informatics and Leadership training program at Harvard University. Her other interests and responsibilities include care of deteriorating patients and supervision of the Medical Emergency Team.

Steve McGloughlin

Director, Intensive Care, The Alfred & Technical Officer Clinical Management, World Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization

Professor Steve McGloughlin is an intensive care physician and infectious diseases physician at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. He is the director of the Alfred ICU, a 62-bed quaternary ICU specialising in trauma, advanced cardiac support, ECMO and burns. in 2023 he is also working for the World Health Organisation in the health emergencies and pandemic preparedness program. 

He was the chair of the ANZICS COVID-19 guideline committee and is the current Clinical Director of the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration including the COVID 19 National Clinical Evidence Taskforce. He has been the lead author of the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines Sepsis chapter for the past 8 years and is also an author on the most recent version of the Surviving Sepsis Guideline.  He has completed a Masters of Public Health and a Masters of International Health Leadership. In 2022 he became a member of the College of Intensive Care Board and he has an amazing wife and three awesome kids, who are much better than him at everything.

About us

The Australian Sepsis Grand Round (ASGR) is an online event series that provides a forum for healthcare professionals to explore and debate aspects of best-practice sepsis care.  The series promotes collaborative efforts and showcases Australia's world-class treatment, expertise and resources. 

Formerly known as the Victorian Sepsis Grand Round (VSGR), Alfred Health and Sepsis Australia proudly present this initiative, which unites clinicians from across Australia and around the globe in the pursuit of excellence in sepsis management.

The ASGR provides a platform for clinicians involved in sepsis care to explore, debate, and showcase Australia's world-class treatment, expertise, and resources. Through collaboration with our partners, we curate a diverse program centred on pioneering research and medical practice that drives innovation in sepsis care.

Since its inception in 2021, the ASGR has been a beacon of knowledge exchange and professional development.

Collaborative Partners

Alfred Health

The Australian Sepsis Grand Round was, initiated by The Alfred Intensive Care Academic Centre and the Alfred Emergency Academic Centre.

The Alfred Intensive Care Academic Centre is the focal point of The Alfred ICU education and research programs, which aim to improve clinical outcomes by promoting active, integrated, and patient-focused knowledge generation, dissemination, and translation in intensive care medicine. The Alfred Intensive Care Unit is one of Australia’s largest units, leading innovation in critical care treatment, education, and research, and caring for all Victorians with life-threatening conditions.

Alfred Emergency Academic Centre operates one of Australasia’s busiest trauma centres, a major metropolitan emergency department and a community-based emergency department treating adult and paediatric patients. Our inter-disciplinary team works together to provide timely, quality care. Based on this ethos, we have developed a broad range of education and knowledge exchange activities that are open to all healthcare professionals and delivered in collaboration with Monash University.

Sepsis Australia

Sepsis Australia is a program of The George Institute for Global Health. It is a collaboration of individuals and organisations working to improve outcomes for patients with sepsis, as well as their friends and family. Our mission is to reduce the burden of disease (death and disability) due to sepsis by increasing awareness and recognition, improving clinical care and support, providing education for healthcare workers and undertaking research that directly translates into healthcare policy.

Safer Care Victoria

Safer Care Victoria helps Victorian health services:

• prevent and learn from patient harm

• identify and deliver service improvements

• engage with consumers.

The Safer Care Victoria website offers information and resources on clinical and professional leadership, safety, improvement, engagement, and other topics.

For more information on their work with the “Think Sepsis, Act Fast” collaborative, please review the following:

• Sepsis (for EDs and UCCs) | Safer Care Victoria

• Sepsis (whole-of-hospital) | Safer Care Victoria

Advancing Sepsis Care Through Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration

The Australian Sepsis Grand Round (ASGR) is a free online event series dedicated to advancing best-practice sepsis care and fostering collaboration among healthcare professionals. Since its inception as the Victorian Sepsis Grand Round in 2021, ASGR has become a hub for knowledge exchange and professional development, uniting clinicians from Australia and around the world.

Presented by Alfred Health, Sepsis Australia and Safer Care Victoria, ASGR provides a platform for exploring, debating, and showcasing Australia's world-class sepsis treatment and expertise. Through national collaborations, we curate diverse programs that focus on pioneering research and medical practices, driving innovation in sepsis care.

Join us at an Australian Sepsis Grand Round to help reduce the burden of sepsis, enhance patient care, and shape healthcare policy. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge and contribute to the evolution of sepsis care.

For more information about sepsis, visit the Sepsis Australia website: australiansepsisnetwork.net.au. Stay updated on social media by following @sepsisAU, @EmergEdu or @LinkedIn_ICU and explore additional CME/CPD opportunities through Alfred Health in emergency care or intensive care.