Women in Medicine Breakfast 2026

Dr Samantha Pillay OAM MBBS FRACS FUSANZ GAICD was the first woman to complete surgical training in Adult Urology in South Australia and the first Australian urologist to exclusively sub-specialise in Female Urology, Neuro-Urology, Functional and Reconstructive Surgery. In 2002, she founded Continence Matters, which has since grown into an award-winning Centre of Excellence.

Born with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, Samantha needed multiple surgical procedures in early childhood and progressed from a wheelchair to callipers and crutches before walking unaided at the age of six. She has never allowed physical limitations to hold her back. She has chaired national advisory groups, currently sits on the RACS Advisory Group on AI in Surgery, and has dedicated her career to treating incontinence, reducing stigma and educating health professionals. Her contributions have been recognised through the 2025 Medal of the Order of Australia, the University of Adelaide Distinguished Alumni Award, a 2022 South Australian Finalist for Australian of the Year, the 2024 Women in Innovation Social Impact Award, the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards SA Winner and National Finalist for Accelerating Women and a 2026 Australian Financial Review AI Awards Finalist.

Samantha founded AIFilm4Good, the world's first AI film studio for social impact, producing internationally award-winning films across festivals in Paris, London, Berlin, New York and beyond. She is the author of thirteen books, including The No Recipe Cookbook and the Inspirational Careers for Kids picture book series, designed to inspire girls, featuring the No. 1 Amazon bestseller When I'm a Surgeon. Above all, Samantha's greatest passion is being a mum.

Dr Emily Kirkpatrick is an Associate Professor at Adelaide University and a respected Australian healthcare leader. She serves as a non-executive director across several public and private health and education organisations, and as Managing Director of EKology Group, advises on digital health and risk management at the intersection of clinical governance.

Emily holds clinical fellowships in primary care, public health, clinical governance and medical administration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she took on a pivotal statewide leadership role in South Australia as Deputy Chief Public Health Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, driving significant health reform during one of the sector's most demanding periods.

She is currently a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, where she leads research and implementation of hospital AI scribe technology at the CEIH.

Outside of her professional life, Emily is a mother to two busy children aged 10 and 12. She finds stillness on the hiking trail as her preferred form of meditation.

Dr Chloe Furst was recently named the 2026 People’s Choice winner at The Advertiser Sunday Mail SkyCity Woman of the Year awards. Chloe is a dual trained geriatrician and palliative care physician working across both specialties within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network. 

In her role as Medical director for the Acute and Urgent care program at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Hampstead Centre, she oversees medical care and strategy across Geriatrics, General medicine, Emergency, Trauma and Toxicology . She was the Co-Head of unit for the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) Department of Geriatric and Rehabilitation Medicine and is the current state division president of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine. She has a special interest in capacity, cognitive impairment, multimorbidity and end of life care and the ethics around these complex issues. She is also a Voluntary Assisted Dying practitioner and played a key role in its implementation in SA and remains a state VAD clinical advisor. 

She has a strong commitment to the care of the older adult and ensuring that our hospital systems are safe for patients and doctors alike and that patients get treatment aligned to their goals of care in the right environment. Chloe leads with compassion and expertise.
Along with a busy work schedule Chloe is kept busy raising 2 children aged 9 and 12 and ensures she prioritises her own health and wellbeing with daily 5.30am gym classes.