Dr Ben Bravery - Hire Keynote and Guest Speaker

Dr Ben Bravery

Cancer patient turned doctor

Originally a zoologist and science communicator, Dr Ben Bravery worked for the Australian and Chinese governments before being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age twenty-eight.

After undergoing eighteen months of cancer treatment, Ben decided on a career change.

He became a doctor in 2018 and is now undertaking training in psychiatry.

Ben volunteers, advocates, writes and speaks about colorectal cancer, cancer in young adults, medicine and medical education, and is committed to advocating for change in Australia's healthcare system.

His memoir, The Patient Doctor, was published in July 2022.

Dr Ben Bravery Book as a speaker/entertainer for your next event

Key Points for Dr Ben Bravery

Dr Ben Bravery overcame stage three bowel cancer at the age of twenty-eight to re-train as a doctor.
As a patient turned doctor, Ben now writes about patient advocacy and the cancer experience for outlets including the ABC, The Guardian, The Australian, Huffington Post, Medical Observer, Medical Journal of Australia and BMJ Medical Humanities.
Dr Ben Bravery’s memoir, The Patient Doctor, appeared on best seller lists and was the Sydney Morning Herald/The Age non-fiction pick of the week.
Ben has appeared in print, radio and television across Australia and New Zealand talking about cancer, medical training and how to make healthcare kinder and more compassionate.

Topics for Dr Ben Bravery

Turning towards fear
In this talk Ben shares what it was like getting diagnosed with cancer at 28 years old and having life grind to a halt. After a year of cancer treatment, and many complications, Ben reflected on how illness had changed him. The audience will hear about the value of taking time out, identifying purpose and be inspired to think big. Ben decided to go back into hospital, but not as a patient – he retrained as a doctor and tackled his illness, and the health system, head on.
Making a change
In this talk, Ben will share his journey from cancer patient to doctor. The jump from healthy person to cancer patient was out of his control, but the step from cancer patient to doctor was all his. At each step in his process, from cancer patient to medical student to doctor, Ben has identified problems and worked to solve them. Why do patients feel like slabs of meat sometimes? Why do doctors interrupt patients? Why is healthcare plagued by He doesn’t have all the answers, but he has experience in thinking laterally about the status quo and provoking change.
Trust
What happens when you lose faith in your body? In this talk Ben shares how a cancer diagnosis at 28 years old taught him the fragility of life. Facing his mortality, he embarked on cancer treatment and found a system that provided great technical care, but left him feeling lonely and afraid. After receiving the all clear, Ben re-trained as a doctor and lost trust all over again – this time it was medical education and a hostile healthcare system that let him down. The audience will leave with hope though as Ben shares how he is working to restore our trust in the patient-doctor relationship.

Testimonials for Dr Ben Bravery

Dr Ben Bravery delivered a powerful and thought-provoking keynote at our conference. His story is one of perseverance, hope, and a drive to create better care. He demonstrated how he has used partnerships to improve research and patient care, and the very real need to put care back into healthcare.
Caring Futures Institute
Flinders University