ACMD Link: Introducing the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery

If you could make one change to accelerate health innovation in Australia, what would it be?

Australia stands at the threshold of a new era in health innovation, one defined by connected, data-driven and patient-centred care. At the heart of this transformation is the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, together forming a living laboratory where clinicians, engineers, researchers and industry converge to accelerate translation from bench to bedside.

Join innovators, clinicians, researchers, investors and policymakers on Thursday 20 November for a networking breakfast and dynamic conversation with ACMD partner organisations on accelerating healthtech translation in Australia. Hosted by ACMD and powered by ANDHealth, this event will explore how cross-sector collaboration can turn breakthrough research into real-world impact.

Discover how the new ACMD facility serves as a national ecosystem for translational discovery; a living laboratory where biomedical engineering, digital health and clinical care converge. Together, we’ll tackle the key challenges of bringing innovation to life, from regulation and validation to commercialisation and adoption, and discuss how Melbourne can position itself as the health innovation capital of the Asia-Pacific.

Please note, registrations are now closed.

THE DETAILS

Date: Thursday 20 November 2025

Time (AEDT): 7:30am - 9:30am

Venue: The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD), Auditorium, Level 1, 27 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, VIC 3065

Speakers:

Jeff Malone, Chief Executive Officer, ACMD

Tory Williams, Head of Strategy and Planning, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Panellists:

Professor Andrea O’Connor, Shanahan Chair in Frontier Medical Solutions, University of Melbourne

Professor James Fallon, Chief Technical Officer, Bionics Institute | Head of Department, Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne

Professor Robert Kapsa, Professor, Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering, RMIT University

Professor Natalie Sims, Deputy Director and Head, Bone Cell Biology and Disease Unit, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research | Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne & Australian Catholic University

Dr Caroline Herd, Head of Commercialisation, Health and MedTech, Swinburne University

Dr Govinda Poudel, Senior Lecturer, Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University

Associate Professor Megan Robertson, Group Chief Research Officer, St Vincent's Health Australia | Director of Research, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

Session format: Networking breakfast, presentations, panel and Q&A  

Registration: Free to attend, but registration is essential

REGISTRATIONS CLOSE 11:55pm TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER

Who should attend:

• Biomedical, medtech and digital health companies

• Healthtech translation and commercialisation experts

• CXOs, KOLs, professionals, scientists, researchers and engineers

• Hospital and healthcare providers, industry support services and consultants

MEET OUR SPEAKERS AND PANELLISTS

Jeff Malone, CEO, Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD)

Jeff is an experienced leader in global engineering, manufacturing and MedTech innovation. Over a 30-year career, he has established research and manufacturing centres across five countries and led Australia’s largest medical device contract manufacturer. His executive roles include COO at Grey Innovation and D+I, advancing multidisciplinary MedTech collaborations, and CEO of BioMelbourne Network, Victoria’s health technology peak body.

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is a certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Lean Champion.

Tory Williams, Head of Strategy and Planning, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Tory Williams is a strategic executive with deep expertise in healthcare operations, clinical leadership, and enterprise planning. With clinical experience spanning the private radiology sector and operational leadership roles at St Vincent’s, she has driven transformative initiatives that align long-term vision with operational excellence — delivering measurable outcomes in patient care, workforce development, and financial performance.

Her background across clinical practice and strategy gives her a unique lens on healthcare governance, integrating ESG priorities, health equity, and sustainability into core business planning. Tory is passionate about building inclusive teams, fostering leadership capability, and driving systemic change in healthcare delivery.

Professor Andrea O’Connor, Shanahan Chair in Frontier Medical Solutions, University of Melbourne

Professor Andrea O’Connor, PhD, FIChemE is the Shanahan Chair in Frontier Medical Solutions and a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne and the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery.

She is a co-Director of the Victorian Medtech Skills and Device Hub and leads the Tissue Engineering Group in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on design, synthesis and fabrication of biomaterials, porous materials and antimicrobial nanomaterials.

Prof. O’Connor collaborates with clinicians, scientists, hospitals, medical research institutes and medical device companies to address clinical problems.

Professor James Fallon, Chief Technical Officer, Bionics Institute | Head of Department, Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne

Professor Fallon has two decades of internationally recognized experience with in vivo electrical stimulation and recording, supported by grants totalling over $27 million and commercial research totalling over $6 million.

His research has led to the development of devices/technologies in several clinical trials including for cochlear implants, bionic eyes, deep brain stimulation and inflammatory bowel disease.

Professor Fallon is actively engaged in mentoring and supervision of both students and staff, with a particular emphasis on enabling early- to mid-career researchers to rapidly translate research findings; align with industry standards of device development under the Institute’s ISO 9001 certification; and facilitate progression to first-in-human clinical trials.

Professor Robert Kapsa, Professor, Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering, RMIT University

Professor Robert Kapsa is the standing inaugural Professor, Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne. He received his PhD in 1996 on mitochondrial polymorphisms in human disease from the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine. He has published over 131 peer-reviewed research papers including three book chapters and one book focused on nerve and muscle biology and medicine. Pr Kapsa’s experience ranges from tissue regeneration, molecular biology, gene therapy, biochemistry and he has been the lead investigator on a number of national and international (USA and Europe) projects dealing with use of polymers for tissue engineering, particularly for nerve and muscle, and gene editing-based autologous regenerative medicine solutions for hereditary nerve and muscle dysfunction (particularly DMD and more recently, FSHD).

Prof Kapsa’s team pioneered first generation gene editing technologies as part of a worldwide consortium and were among the first to carry out in vivo gene editing of the dystrophin mutation in muscle of the mdx mouse model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. From these gene editing activities for over two decades, he has pursued the development and optimization of autologous cell replacement therapies for hereditary muscle dysfunction.He holds an adjunct honorary appointment as Head of Research at the Department of Neuroscience, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.

Professor Natalie Sims, Deputy Director and Head, Bone Cell Biology and Disease Unit, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research | Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne & Australian Catholic University

Professor Natalie Sims is Deputy Director and Head of the Bone Cell Biology and Disease Unit at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, and a Professorial Fellow at both the University of Melbourne and the Australian Catholic University.

Her research focuses on the cellular interactions that control bone development, maintenance and strength, with particular emphasis on IL-6 cytokines and estrogen receptor isoforms. She completed her PhD at the University of Adelaide before postdoctoral appointments at the Garvan Institute and Yale School of Medicine.

An internationally recognised leader in skeletal biology, Professor Sims has received multiple awards from the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research and the International Bone and Mineral Society, and is a Fellow of the ASBMR. She serves as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and is a past President of the Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society.

Dr Caroline Herd, Head of Commercialisation, Health and MedTech, Swinburne University

Caroline Herd is an accomplished professional in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, currently serving as the Head of Commercialisation for Health and MedTech at Swinburne University of Technology since April 2023.

Previously, Caroline has held significant leadership roles, including Director and Principal at Quorum Solutions Pty Ltd, a consulting group specializing in drug development strategies, and Co-Founder and CEO of QID Pharma Pty Ltd, focused on the strategic development of novel biopharmaceutical products.

With extensive experience in various capacities, including Head of Development at Prana Biotechnology Limited and Vice-President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs at Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited, Caroline has also contributed to AstraZeneca R&D and Astra Pharmaceuticals in medical communications and writing.

Caroline's academic foundation includes a BSc(Hons) and PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Adelaide, complemented by earlier research roles at institutions such as King’s College, London, and Sandoz Pharmaceuticals GmbH.

Dr Govinda Poudel, Senior Lecturer, Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University

Dr Govinda Poudel is an engineer and interdisciplinary academic whose research spans neural engineering, computational neuroimaging, and data science. His work integrates MRI and EEG with advanced modelling and AI to develop biomarkers for brain health, particularly in ageing, neurological disorders, and brain injury.

He has collaborated with leading teams across Monash University, the University of Sydney, and the New Zealand Brain Research Institute, producing more than 85 peer-reviewed publications and securing national and international research fellowships. A senior member of IEEE, Dr Poudel is passionate about advancing medical imaging through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Associate Professor Megan Robertson, Group Chief Research Officer, St Vincent's Health Australia | Director of Research, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

Dr Megan Robertson is the Group Chief Research Officer of St Vincent's Health Australia and Director of Research at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne. She sits on multiple boards, including Digital Health CRC, Opyl AI, and Queens College (University of Melbourne).

Dr Robertson has led initiatives at the St Vincent's Research Directorate including the establishment of St Vincent's Research Valet Service, development of the Victorian Clinical Trial Gateway portal, Clinical Trials Business Development Model.

Important note for attendees:

Please be advised that photographs and videos may be taken by ACMD and ANDHealth staff. By attending this event, you agree to being filmed or photographed, and acknowledge that these may be used for marketing or promotional purposes.

This ACMD Link Event is powered by ANDHealth