Monash Women's and Children's Health Summit 2026

Lineup - More speakers to be announced

• More details about Professor Sharon Pickering

  Professor Sharon Pickering

  A globally recognised leader in driving future-focused educational and research reform, Professor Sharon Pickering brings unmatched energy, vision, and purpose to her role as the tenth Vice-Chancellor and President of Monash University, appointed on 29 January 2024. From the moment she first joined Monash in 2003 as a Lecturer in Criminology, Professor Pickering has been a force of transformation, shaping minds, driving innovation, and creating a lasting impact on the University and beyond. Professor Pickering’s pioneering research has earned her prestigious awards, including the Australian Human Rights Commission Award, the Leon Radzinowicz Prize, the CM Alder Prize, the International Education Association of Australia Best Practice Award and the Australian Financial Review International Education Award. With 15 books and more than 80 scholarly publications to her name, Professor Pickering has led major research initiatives across Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. A champion of international education and of Australia’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, her leadership has brought to life transformative initiatives such as Monash’s Global Immersion Guarantee, redefining international study and engagement. Professor Pickering’s influence extends beyond academia. She serves on the Victorian Premier’s Business Council, is an inaugural board member of the Australian Government’s ASEAN-Australia Centre and is a board member of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZOG).

• More details about Professor Eugine Yafele

  Professor Eugine Yafele

  Prof Eugine Yafele, Chief Executive Officer, Monash Health, Australia Prior to moving to Melbourne in 2024 to lead Monash Health, Eugine was CEO at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in England. He has held senior roles across the English National Health System and has consistently been recognised for his leadership and passion for whole systems approach to health, health equity and outcomes. He was appointed Visiting Professor for the College of Health, Science and Society at University of the West of England and was a board member of the NHS Race and Health Observatory. Eugine is also Adjunct Clinical Professor in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University.

• More details about Professor the Honourable Jill Hennessy

  Professor the Honourable Jill Hennessy

  Professor the Honourable Jill Hennessy is a Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Fellow at Monash University and Chair of the Monash Women's Health Alliance. She served as Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services and Attorney-General and championed transformative health reforms that focused on addressing unmet needs through healthcare that recognises the realities of people's lives. Jill is an experienced board chair and director across private and for-purpose sectors. Her health-related board roles include Chair of GAIASO Theranostics, an international biotech company developing precision cancer treatments for women, Chair of Western Health, and Non-Executive Director at the Hudson Institute for Medical Research and Scope (Aust) Ltd. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and Masters of Public and International Law, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Director

• More details about Hon. Harriet Shing MP, Victorian Minister for Health

  Hon. Harriet Shing MP, Victorian Minister for Health

  Harriet Shing has served as a Labor Member for Eastern Victoria since 2014. She is honoured to represent this diverse and beautiful region in the Victorian Legislative Council. In April 2026, Harriet was appointed Minister for the Health, Ambulance Services and Water. Previously, Harriet has served as Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Housing and Building, Development Victoria and Precincts, Equality, Regional Development and Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy. She was also the Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries, Digital Government, Equality, Water, Emergency Services, and Mental Health. Before her election to the Victorian Upper House, Harriet worked as a lawyer. An accomplished negotiator and advocate, she has extensive experience in industrial relations, employment and discrimination law, and dispute resolution at State and Federal levels. Harriet has worked as a senior policy adviser, lawyer, and industrial relations specialist in the Victorian private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. She has also served as a trustee director on the board of industry superannuation fund Vision Super. As Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet is committed to identifying and enhancing opportunities across the entire region that ensure our local communities thrive. Having lived in Morwell with her lazy ex-racing greyhound and whippet, Harriet now resides at the other end of the electorate, close to where she grew up. This has given Harriet a unique insight into the many different communities and areas that make up the Eastern Victoria Region.

• More details about Professor Cara Tannenbaum

  Professor Cara Tannenbaum

  Doctor Cara Tannenbaum is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montreal and a renowned global leader in sex and gender-informed medicine. As the former Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Gender and Health, she was at the forefront of embedding sex- and gender-based analysis into Canada’s health research landscape, challenging the proposition that medical research and practice are inherently gender-neutral. Dr. Tannenbaum launched Canada’s National Women’s Health Strategy in 2022. She has since advised the European Commission, the UK Welcome Trust, the Australian Government, and the Gates Foundation on similar strategies for incorporating sex and gender in research and patient care. Dr. Tannenbaum has published in Nature, JAMA, the Lancet, BMJ, and PNAS. She has delivered over 500 media interviews, invited talks and recorded podcasts. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the May Cohen Gender Equity Award from the Association of Faculties of Medicine Canada, and the Canadian Trailblazer Award for Exceptional Contributions to Science Policy. She was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2021 and is currently serving as a Distinguished Fellow of The George’s Australian Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine.

• More details about Professor Danielle Mazza AM

  Professor Danielle Mazza AM

  Professor Danielle Mazza AM FAHMS is an internationally recognised clinician researcher whose work has transformed women’s health care in primary care settings. She is Head of the Department of General Practice at Monash University and a practising GP, dedicated to improving access, quality and equity in women’s sexual and reproductive health. A trusted advisor to government, she has led the development and implementation of nationally adopted clinical guidelines, translating evidence into policy and practice at scale. Professor Mazza’s research has reshaped how contraception, medical abortion, preconception care and endometriosis are delivered through primary care. Her work has directly informed major health system reforms in Australia, including the expansion of GP led medical abortion, federal funding for long acting reversible contraception training, and the introduction of permanent Medicare funded telehealth services and workforce capacity building in women’s sexual and reproductive health—significantly improving access to care. She leads the NHMRC funded SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care, bringing together multidisciplinary collaborations across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. Her expertise has informed World Health Organization guidance and Asia Pacific policy initiatives, and her sole authored textbook, Women’s Health in General Practice, has been officially translated into Chinese. Professor Mazza is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to women’s health. Her work continues to strengthen primary care as the cornerstone of equitable, evidence based women’s health care globally.

• More details about Sally Hasler

  Sally Hasler

  Sally is CEO of Women's Health Victoria. She brings more than 15 years’ leadership experience in gender equality and health organisations as an executive, non-executive director and volunteer. Most recently, Sally was a Director in the Office for Women in the Victorian Government. She has also held leadership roles with the Commonwealth Government, The Fred Hollows Foundation, and The Women’s Foundation Hong Kong. Sally has implemented major government programs and strategies, facilitated multi-sector partnerships with diverse stakeholders, and led philanthropic and business development strategies. Sally brings expertise in gender and health policy, strategy, inclusion and intersectionality, stakeholder partnerships and business development. In her role as CEO, Sally is a member of the Victorian Government Women’s Health Advisory Council, the Victorian Cancer Advisory Committee and the Mental Health Ministerial Advisory Committee. She has been an active volunteer with St John Ambulance since a young age and is currently a non-executive director of Lifeline Direct.

• More details about Professor Carol Hodgson

  Professor Carol Hodgson

  Professor Carol Hodgson leads Monash Partners Health Translation Network, which aims to ensure research is implemented and translated into healthcare to improve patient outcomes. She is a clinical trialist with expertise in long-term functional outcomes after critical illness. She is Co-Director of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, and Head of the Division of Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Monash University. She also sits on the NHMRC Research Committee which fosters research across the spectrum of health and medical research, including the awarding of grants and providing research support. Nationally, Carol holds the top-ranked NHMRC Leadership Investigator Grant (2025-2029) for clinical sciences to support her research improving ICU survivorship. She has worked in ICU at Alfred Health for over 25 years as a Specialist Physiotherapist.

• More details about Professor Cassandra Szoeke

  Professor Cassandra Szoeke

  Professor Cassandra Szoeke is a Full Academic Professor, Medical Doctor, Consultant Neurologist, Board Member, Speaker and Author. She is a globally recognised expert in sex-specific health. She has hundreds of peer-reviewed publications of female-specific differences in mental & cognitive health, vascular risk & development of Chronic Disease. She is a multi-award-winning clinical researcher who pioneered the inclusion of sex-differences in consideration of diseases which affect both men and women. She has several hundred published articles in academic journals and several book chapters in medical textbooks and uses academic research excellence to drive systemic change. She has worked in the Commonwealth Science Industry and Research Organisation, Public Hospital system, and as non-executive board director for the Department of Health, including holding roles as Chair of Quality & Safety and Chair of Education, Training and Research Committees. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Digital Health and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has worked in the public and private health system in clinical, leadership and governance roles as board director appointed by the state health minister. She has contributed to the development of national health policies, has sat on the Council of the Australian Medical Association, was appointed to Medical Panels by the Department of Health (Victoria) and has held Chief Medical Officer roles for the Australian Healthy Ageing Organisation and the National Council of Women.As Principal Investigator of the Women’s Healthy Ageing Project, the longest study of women’s health in Australia, she authored the book Secrets of Women’s Healthy Ageing, which was highly commended in the Educational Publishing Awards Australia and was the Best-selling title in 100 years of Melbourne University Publishing in the genre of Medicine. In addition to her medical qualifications and fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians, she has a BSc with Honours in Genetics and a PhD in Epidemiology. Her postdoctoral studies at Stanford University CA were in the department of public health and policy and her sabbatical at Oxford University focused on sex-specific medicine.

• More details about Estelle Griepink

  Estelle Griepink

  Estelle Griepink is a TV news reporter at 7 News Melbourne and a mum to two under three. When she’s not chasing criminals outside court or reporting live into the 6pm news, she creates content about motherhood online. Estelle has built a highly engaged online community of women and mothers by sharing openly about her experiences with infertility, IVF, the fourth trimester and early parenthood.

• More details about Professor Christina Mitchell AO

  Professor Christina Mitchell AO

  Professor Christina Mitchell AO is a physician-scientist and internationally recognised research leader whose work has made major contributions to the fields of intracellular signalling and haematology. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular pathways that regulate cell proliferation and embryonic development, with important implications for human disease. She has published more than 170 papers in leading molecular and cell biology journals and continues to lead an active research program supported by the NHMRC, ARC, MRFF and National Breast Cancer Foundation. Professor Mitchell is Executive Dean of Monash University’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, appointed in 2011, when she became the first female Dean of Medicine at a Group of Eight university in Australia. Under her leadership, the Faculty significantly strengthened its global reputation across medicine, nursing and health sciences, with many disciplines now ranked among the world’s top 30. She played a central role in establishing major research initiatives and infrastructure including the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Victorian Heart Hospital, Monash Health Translation Precinct and National Centre for Healthy Ageing. In 2019, Professor Mitchell was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine, medical research, education and academic leadership. In 2025, she was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

• More details about Professor Helena Teede AM

  Professor Helena Teede AM

  Professor Helena Teede MBBS FRACP FAAHMS FRANZCOG FRCOG PhD AM is a clinician academic and reproductive endocrinologist at Monash University and Monash Health. She holds an NHMRC Investigator Fellowship in women’s health. She is Director Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation and leads the Centre for Research Excellence for Women’s Health in Reproductive Life. She has over 800 publications, is a High Cite researcher with $124M in career grant funding. She is President of the International Society of Endocrinology. Her research program focuses on women’s reproductive and metabolic health, where she leads international guidelines. She also has research and training programs in women in leadership and in large scale health system change.

• More details about Professor Beverley Vollenhoven AM

  Professor Beverley Vollenhoven AM

  Professor Beverley Vollenhoven AM, is the Carl Wood Professor and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University and the Director of Gynaecology and Research at Monash Health. She is a senior clinician, a certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist at Monash IVF. In 2019, she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. In 2021, she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

• More details about Professor Jason Abbott

  Professor Jason Abbott

  Dr Jason Abbott is Professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of New South Wales.He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, has supervised more than 40 students through higher research degrees and garnered more than $80million in research funding. He is the interim Director and Clinical Director of the Ainsworth Endometriosis Research Institute at UNSW, is the chair of the National Endometriosis Clinical and Scientific Trials (NECST) Network, Australia is a Director of the GRACE research group UNSW, is a member of the Endometriosis advisory group to the Australian government and Chaired the Inaugural Australian Clinical Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Endometriosis.

• More details about Professor Caroline Gargett

  Professor Caroline Gargett

  Professor Caroline Gargett leads the Women’s Health Theme and heads the Endometrial Stem Cell Biology Laboratory at Hudson Institute of Medical Research and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University. Her and her team discovered, characterised and identified specific markers for two types of endometrial stem/progenitor cells in human, mouse and sheep, enabling purification, quantification and establishing their unique niches in the endometrium. She currently investigates their role in endometriosis aetiology using single cell technologies. She pioneered bioengineering approaches for treating and preventing pelvic organ prolapse using human endometrial mesenchymal stem cells and novel scaffolds, birthing a new research group for this project, headed by her former postdoctoral EMCR. She held continuous NHMRC funding (2004-2024), including 3 Fellowships, one an Investigator. International recognition of her research includes US$1M Magee Prize (co-recipient) to identify human Vaginal Stem Cells (2021), Society for Reproductive Investigation President’s Achievement Award (2013) and Endometriosis Foundation of America Honoree (2011). Directorships include the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia (since 2015) and Stem Cells Limited (2019-2024). She is a Scientific Advisory Board member of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, Fondation Pour la Recherche sur Endometriose and Julia Argyrou Endometriosis Centre Epworth.

• More details about Associate Professor Caroline Gurvich

  Associate Professor Caroline Gurvich

  Caroline Gurvich is an Associate Professor at Monash University and a Clinical Neuropsychologist. She is Deputy Director of HER Centre Australia, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University where she leads a research group exploring the neuropsychology of women's mental health. She is also a Clinical Neuropsychologist, Co-Director of The Neuropsychology Practice and Chair of the Victorian College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (Australian Psychological Society). Caroline’s research explores how cognition and mental health can be affected at times of hormonal change, such as the menopause transition.

• More details about Professor Francine Marques

  Professor Francine Marques

  Professor Francine Marques is a Fellow of the NHMRC (Emerging Leader 2) and the Viertel Charitable Foundation. She earned her PhD in genomics from the University of Sydney in 2012, followed by postdoctoral training supported by prestigious fellowships from the NHMRC and the Heart Foundation. Since 2018, she has led the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University, Australia, now based at the Victorian Heart Institute, where she also serves as Deputy Director (Discovery). Her research focuses on improving cardiovascular health by building exceptional researchers and exploring innovative, translational strategies to lower blood pressure through the gut microbiome. Professor Marques has secured $15 million in competitive funding and published over 150 peer-reviewed papers. Her work has been recognised with 39 awards, including the 2019 AHA Hypertension Council Goldblatt Award, the 2021 Australian Academy of Science Gottschalk Medal, the 2024 Australian Society for Medical Research Peter Doherty Leading Light Award, the 2025 Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Jian Zhou Medal, and the 2026 International Society for Heart Research Outstanding Investigator Award.

• More details about Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM

  Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM

  Professor Jayashri KULKARNI AM was appointed Professor of Psychiatry at the Alfred and Monash University in 2002.She founded and continues to direct 2 large psychiatric research groups, the Multidisciplinary Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc), and HER Centre Australia. MAPrc is a clinical psychiatry research centre that conducts clinical trials in mental illnesses. In 2022, Professor Kulkarni founded and directs HER Centre Australia – a Monash University Centre dedicated to women’s mental health. Honours and Awards: Jayashri has won many prestigious awards for her research work in Women’s Mental Health. Recent awards include: 2019 and 2025 she obtained two prestigious Level 3 Leadership NHMRC Investigator grants. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to Medicine in the field of Psychiatry in 2019. In 2024, Professor Kulkarni AM was the first psychiatrist to simultaneously win the two top awards from the RANZCP: the Senior Research Award and the Ian Simpson Award for clinical innovation. National and International Profile: Prof Kulkarni is nationally and internationally recognised for her pioneering work in psychoneuroendocrinology, trauma and women’s mental health.

• More details about Associate Professor Anju Joham

  Associate Professor Anju Joham

  A/Prof Anju Joham is a Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia where she is the lead of the PCOS research group. She is an endocrinologist at Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia, where she has established a statewide multidisciplinary PCOS Service based at Monash Health. A/Prof Joham was the Deputy Lead of the 2023 international Evidence-Based Guideline for the assessment and management of PCOS. She completed her PhD focusing on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, obesity and insulin resistance. In her postdoctoral studies, A/Prof Joham works with cohort studies with the aim of studying the natural history of PCOS over the reproductive lifespan from adolescence, young adulthood to menopause.

• More details about Professor Susan Davis AO

  Professor Susan Davis AO

  Professor Susan R Davis AO, MBBS FRACP PhD FAHMS is an Endocrinologist and clinician-researcher. researcher. She is Head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program and holds a NHMRC Level 3 Investigator Grant. Prof Davis is a Consultant Endocrinologist and Head of the Women’s Endocrine Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne and an Executive Council Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She is a past President of the International and Australasian Menopause Societies and an one of the 5 original co-founders of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health. With over 495 peer-reviewed publications, her work underpins many best practice recommendations and has influenced health care delivery globally. She advocates for best clinical care via co-authorship of international Best Practice Guidelines (>20) and led the development of the nationally and internationally endorsed Practitioner Toolkit for Managing Menopause. Dr Davis has received numerous national and international prestigious research awards, including the Australian Heart Foundation Ross Hohnen Award (2022), the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Award (2023) and the Medal of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (2022) for outstanding contribution and leadership in endocrinology and women’s health, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.

• More details about Professor Tari Turner

  Professor Tari Turner

  Professor Tari Turner is Director of the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration, leading development of living guidelines, and a Professor (Research) at Cochrane Australia, in the School of Publica Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. Prof Turner leads research developing and evaluating innovative methods for evidence synthesis, including living systematic reviews and living guidelines & novel methods for assessment of pre-clinical evidence in vaccine development; and translating synthesised evidence into improved healthcare practice and policy. Her team leads the LEAPP guidelines, national living guidelines for pregnancy and postnatal care. Tari’s passion is supporting evidence-based decision-making to ensure the best possible outcomes, particularly for women and children in low resource settings. She enjoys designing, finding, synthesising and communicating research, and she loves seeing research actually make a difference. Tari is an Editor of the Cochrane Library and Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods, and was previously Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group to the WHO Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. She is also a member of the European CDC Methodological Advisory Group, and Chair of the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Ethics Committee.

• More details about Dr Sara Di Simone

  Dr Sara Di Simone

  Sara Di Simone is an Early Career Postdoctoral Researcher at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research following completion of her PhD in 2025. Across her research portfolio, Sara’s work integrates neonatal immunology, early‑life microbiome establishment, and translational strategies to develop evidence-drive microbiome-based therapies for infants. Her work contributes to major collaborative initiatives across the Hudson Institute, as well as internationally through her involvement as a chief investigator in the Wellcome Leap Foundations of a Resilient Microbiome project. Together, her work aims to accelerate the development of safe and effective microbial therapeutics that improve outcomes for vulnerable infants worldwide.

• More details about Dr Erin Mills

  Dr Erin Mills

  Erin is a Paediatric Emergency Physician and the Clinical Advisor for Quality and Safety at Monash Health. She is also the clinical lead for the Safer Care for Kids Program at Safer Care Victoria. She is interested in safety culture, human factors, and designing systems to better incorporate the voice of the patient and family into clinical decision making.

• More details about Professor Nicole Rinehart

  Professor Nicole Rinehart

  Nicole Rinehart is a Professor and Director of Neurodevelopment in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University and Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Melbourne Children's Clinic. She has led multiple major NHMRC projects and served as a Non-Executive Director of AMAZE for 10 years. Nicole is the founder of AllPlay™️a translational research platform reaching millions of children and families globally through partnerships with the AFL, Queensland Ballet, Beijing Dance Academy, and Departments of Education across Australia. Underpinned by a Triple Logic Model, AllPlay bridges clinical evidence and community delivery at scale. A sought-after expert advisor to government and recipient of multiple national awards, Nicole is pioneering a new model for how research can drive real-world outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

• More details about Associate Professor Michelle McDonald

  Associate Professor Michelle McDonald

  Associate Professor Michelle McDonald’s research careers spans over 20 years, attaining her PhD in 2008. She is currently Group Leader of the Bone Microenvironment Group at The University of Sydney, Australia. Through the development of a novel intravital imaging technique her research has allowed fate tracking tumour cells within living bone, as well as visualisation of bone cells in real time. This has revealed previously unappreciated bone cell dynamics, advancing our fundamental understanding of osteoclast biology, and uncovering mechanisms behind unexpected clinical responses to osteoporosis therapies, with a particular focus on denosumab withdrawal rebound bone loss. Current research from the McDonald lab focuses developing optimised approaches for sequential osteoporosis therapy regimens, the prevention of tumour-induced bone destruction and the suppression of metastatic spread through regulating the bone micro-environment. Current leadership appointments President of the ISBM and President of the ANZBMS

• More details about Dr Emily Camm

  Dr Emily Camm

  Emily is a fetal physiologist based at The Ritchie Centre (Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Hudson Institute of Medical Research) and serves as the Post-Graduate Coordinator and Head of Wellbeing for the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Monash University. After completing her PhD at Monash, she pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Geneva and the University of Cambridge before returning to Australia in 2020. Emily's research investigates how pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and adverse environmental exposures, disrupt placental structure and function, with downstream consequences for fetal brain development and long-term child neurodevelopmental outcomes. By uncovering the biological mechanisms that drive these conditions, she aims to inform new strategies that improve immediate outcomes for mothers and babies and promote lifelong health across generations. A passionate advocate for equity, education, and diversity in STEMM, Emily has been recognised as a STEM Ambassador for Science & Technology Australia, an Australian Health Research Alliance awardee, and an Alumni Mentor for the Betty Amsden AO Leadership Program, and through competitive selection into the Veski Inspiring Women in STEM program and the Homeward Bound global leadership initiative.

• More details about Mr John De Rango

  Mr John De Rango

  John De Rango Director, Monash Health Foundation. John De Rango joined as the Director of the Monash Health Foundation in May 2025. With more than 25 years of senior management experience across corporate, not-for-profit and philanthropic sectors, John’s early career commenced in membership management with a number of AFL Clubs, before joining Save the Children Australia where he led the marketing and fundraising team. John was instrumental in helping position Save the Children Australia as one of the leading international development organisations in the country; and in turn, assisted the International Save the Children Alliance in setting-up or supporting philanthropic and development programs across Asia and Europe. He then co-founded Redstone Marketing, a specialist consultancy working with major NGOs and Charities including Greenpeace International, Cancer Council Victoria, Save the Children International, Amnesty International Australia, Peter Mac Cancer Foundation, and Plan International Australia… just to name a few. After Redstone, John was the Director of The Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation, before heading up the Fundraising & Marketing team at Stroke Foundation prior to his arrival at Monash Health. John is a former Board Member & Chair of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association – which represents over 50 leading charitable organisations across Australia.

• More details about Professor Michelle Giles

  Professor Michelle Giles

  Professor Giles is an infectious diseases physician with clinical appointments at Alfred Health, Monash Health and the Royal Women's Hospital. She is recognised nationally and internationally for her expertise in infections in pregnancy and maternal immunisation. She has served on ATAGI, the national expert advisory committee to the Commonwealth government on vaccine policy and is an expert advisor to the World Health Organisation on maternal immunisation. She has an academic appointment at Monash University in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology where she leads a research program focusing on infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and immunisation.

• More details about Louise McKinlay

  Louise McKinlay

  Louise McKinlay leads Safer Care Victoria and serves as Victoria’s Chief Quality and Safety Officer, driving statewide strategies to improve patient safety and quality of care. With extensive experience in health system leadership, governance, and improvement science, Louise champions collaborative approaches that embed safety into organisational culture and strategy. Louise has overseen the development of Safer Together, Victoria’s flagship patient safety improvement program, and is recognised nationally for advancing whole-system quality and resilience thinking.

• More details about Associate Professor Felix Oberender

  Associate Professor Felix Oberender

  Felix is the Head of Paediatric Intensive Care at Monash Children’s Hospital and an adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics of Monash University. He trained in Paediatrics in Germany and the UK prior to specialising in paediatric intensive care and moving to Melbourne. He worked at The Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Medical Centre before leading the opening of Australia’s newest Paediatric ICU at Monash Children’s Hospital in 2018. Felix is a fellow of the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand and a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the United Kingdom. He is engaged in committees and networks at state, national and international level. He will be presenting on behalf of Prof Simon Craig, the lead researcher at Monash Health in a large paediatric trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine last month.

• More details about Doctor Sarah Lensen

  Doctor Sarah Lensen

  Dr Sarah Lensen is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health at the University of Melbourne. She is Co-Lead of the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group, lead researcher behind the Evidence-based IVF website, and she also manages the (In)fertility Research Panel, supporting meaningful involvement of people with lived experience of infertility and IVF in research. Her research focuses on the robust evaluation of intervention in women’s health and developing evidence-based resources to support informed decision-making.

• More details about Associate Professor Priya Sumithran

  Associate Professor Priya Sumithran

  Associate Professor Priya Sumithran is an endocrinologist and researcher. She is clinical lead of Obesity Medicine at the Alfred and leads the Obesity and Metabolic Medicine group at the School of Translational Medicine, Monash University. Her clinical work focuses on the care of people with obesity, and her research interests are in the neuroendocrine regulation of appetite and eating behaviours, and the clinical application of medications and surgery for obesity and associated diseases. She has received several awards for research, has published her work in leading international journals and previously served on the council of the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society.

• More details about Professor Ryan Hodges

  Professor Ryan Hodges

  Ryan Hodges is Program Director for the Women’s & Newborn Program and Director of Maternity Services at Monash Health, Victoria’s largest health care and maternity provider. Ryan practices as a maternal fetal medicine subspecialist and is a member of the Monash Health Executive and Senior Leadership Group overseeing hospital quality and safety and patient experience. Ryan is a Professor in Obstetrics & Gynaecology with Monash University and Clinical Associate with the Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute for medical research.

• More details about Professor Katrina Williams

  Professor Katrina Williams

  Professor Katrina Williams is a paediatrician and public health physician who has worked and trained in Darwin, Sydney, London and Melbourne. Katrina is currently the Head of Department, Paediatrics at Monash University and the Research Director and a Developmental Paediatrician at Monash Children's Hospital, Australia. Her research includes clinical and population epidemiology including evidence synthesis, prevalence estimate and prognosis, diagnosis and intervention studies and focuses on children with neurodevelopmental differences and complex needs. Her vision is to deliver best care for children and their families by embedding research and training in health care for children and youth

• More details about Mr Jimmy Buck

  Mr Jimmy Buck

  Jimmy Buck Bio Jimmy Buck commenced as Vice-President (Advancement) at Monash University in January 2026. Prior to Monash, Jimmy spent seven years as Deakin University’s Chief Advancement Officer, leading a team of fundraising and alumni engagement practitioners at one of Australia’s youngest and most progressive universities. A lifelong fundraiser, Jimmy started his career in advancement as a university student, co-chairing Boston University’s class gift campaign, which raised US$100,000 from graduating students in 2009. During his nine years at the University of Sydney, Jimmy worked across all areas of advancement, leading advancement services, alumni relations, and development teams in both higher education and medical philanthropy. He played a leadership role in Sydney’s INSPIRED campaign, the first philanthropic campaign in Australian higher education to raise AU$1 billion. Jimmy is a Laureate of the Council for Advancement & Support of Education and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Education Advancement and Marketing. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Graduate Certificate of Data Analytics from Deakin University, a Master of International Studies from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University.

• More details about Associate Professor Joanne Enticott

  Associate Professor Joanne Enticott

  Associate Professor Joanne Enticott is a nationally and internationally recognised translational biostatistician specialising in big data analytics and Learning Health Systems. She heads the Big Data and Learning Health Systems research stream at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI), a partnership with Monash Health, embedding data-driven research within Australia’s largest maternity network. Her work focuses on women’s health and mental wellbeing, advancing equitable, implementation-focused healthcare. Ranked in the top 0.5% of researchers globally ​for the previous five years (ScholarGPS, 2025), she has authored over 200​ publications, secured more than $39M in research funding, and leads major MRFF and NHMRC-supported programs. She also supervises PhD candidates and led a Digital Data Driven Healthcare industry partnership, building future capacity in AI-enabled, gender-responsive health systems.

• More details about Associate Professor Edward Giles

  Associate Professor Edward Giles

  Associate Professor Ed Giles MBBS FRACP PhD is a consultant paediatric gastroenterologist at Monash Children's Hospital and the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, where he leads the paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) service. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University. Ed trained at the University of Melbourne and in London, where he completed his PhD in 2015. He has held senior leadership roles including past President of the Australasian Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. He won the prestigious Barry Marshall Award for best mid-career gastroenterology researcher at the World Gastroenterology Organisation conference in 2025. His research focuses on host–microbiome interactions in IBD and the development of novel biotherapeutics, supported by grants totalling over A$14 million. He has published in Science, Science Translational Medicine, and Nature Reviews Microbiology, and serves as Principal Investigator on multiple clinical trials.

• More details about Mrs Sarah Conron

  Mrs Sarah Conron

  Mrs Sarah Conron BBUS, MBA is Chief Executive Officer of the Norman Beischer Medical Research Foundation (NBMRF), Australia’s number one funder of OBYGYN early to mid-career researchers dedicated to advancing women’s, pregnancy, neonatal and reproductive health research. With more than two decades of experience spanning strategic philanthropy, innovation, technology commercialisation and not-for-profit leadership, Sarah is like all women asking questions; - Why hasn’t the way we monitor pregnancy barely changed in a century? - If any other part of the human body was bleeding this heavily, wouldn’t we call an ambulance? Sarah is very proud of the Foundation’s role in accelerating research that improves outcomes for women and babies and under her leadership, a key is ensuring the Foundation continues as critical CATALYTIC funder of early to mid-career clinician-scientists. These researchers are the future custodians of Australia’s significant global standing in the OBGYN research. Strong leadership and mentoring have been key enablers for many research careers here in Melbourne and must be preserved. A focus is strengthening collaboration between researchers, clinicians, philanthropy and med tech industry to translate breakthrough discoveries into real-world impact. Inspired by her own Mother’s journey to motherhood, Sarah brings both professional expertise and personal passion to advancing the future of women’s health in Australia and beyond.

• More details about Ms Cathy Scalzo

  Ms Cathy Scalzo

  Cathy is the Chair of Australians Investing in Women, a not-for-profit organisation that strengthens society by catalysing greater capital across philanthropy and investment for women and girls. Cathy is CEO of the Scalzo Family Office and Trustee of the Grace and Emilio Foundation, long term supporters of the AllPlay Dance Program developed by Professor Nicole Rinehart. Cathy is Deputy Chair of the Mornington Peninsula Foundation and serves on the board of the Social Impact Hub. Cathy was previously General Counsel of Scalzo Foods, one of Australia’s largest privately owned food businesses and has worked as a senior associate at Allens specialising in workplace, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws and at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

• More details about Dr Shoshana Sztal-Mazer

  Dr Shoshana Sztal-Mazer

  Shoshana Sztal-Mazer is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Alfred Health where has a senior role in the Women’s Endocrinology Clinic. She is the Clinical Lead for the Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Service and the Endocrine in Pregnancy Clinic. Clinically, her work involves a broad range of inpatient and outpatient general endocrinology. She oversees clinical guidelines for the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Alfred Health and has had an active role in guideline writing at a national level for many years. Teaching commitments include tuition and supervision of junior doctors through all stages of training and examining for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She is affiliated with the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, with research interests in bone health, women’s reproductive health, sustainability and diabetes. Shoshana sits on a number of Australian Endocrinology and Diabetes Society committees, including the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee for Healthy Bones Australia.

• More details about Professor Euan Wallace AM

  Professor Euan Wallace AM

  Professor Euan Wallace AM is an academic obstetrician and gynaecologist by training. He completed his medical and research training in Edinburgh, Scotland before joining Monash University and Monash Health in 1996. Prof Wallace has more than 30 years experience in clinical practice and medical research, and 15 years experience in clinical leadership and governance. His research interests are in fetal development, maternal health, stem cell biology and patient safety. For 11 years, Prof Wallace was the Director of Victoria’s largest women’s health service at Monash Health until 2017, when he was appointed the inaugural CEO of Safer Care Victoria, Victoria’s lead agency for quality and safety improvement in healthcare. In July 2020, Prof Wallace was seconded to the Department of Health and Human Services as Deputy Secretary and was jointly responsible for COVID-19 case management, contract tracing and outbreak management. It was this role, which led to his current appointment as Secretary of the Department of Health, commencing in November 2020.

• More details about Professor Jane Fisher AO

  Professor Jane Fisher AO

  Jane Fisher, Professor of Global Health, is Director of Global and Women’s Health and Co-Director Planetary Health Division, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. She is an academic Clinical and Health Psychologist with longstanding interests in the social determinants of health, and healthcare participation. Her research has focused on gender-based risks to mental health and psychological functioning from adolescence to mid-life, in particular related to fertility, conception, pregnancy, the perinatal period and chronic non-communicable diseases; and on parenting capabilities and early childhood development in low- and high-income settings.

• More details about Dr Esther Davis

  Dr Esther Davis

  Esther Davis is a cardiologist, clinician researcher and echocardiographer at the Victorian Heart Hospital and Victorian Heart Institute. She acts as lead for Women’s Heart Health at the Victorian Heart Hospital and is responsible for the development of the Women’s Heart Health Program. She also acts as co-lead for the Victorian Heart Institute Women’s Heart Health Grand Challenge. In these roles she provides specialised care for women through the Victorian Heart Hospitals Women’s Heart Health Clinic and works to further research the unique aspects of cardiovascular disease in women. Her work with the VHI aims to further reduce the discrepancies in the diagnosis, management and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women and to increase the participation of women in clinical trials.

• More details about A/Prof Jacqueline Boyle

  A/Prof Jacqueline Boyle

  A/ Professor Jacqueline Boyle the Head of the Health Systems and Equity Directorate at Eastern Health Clinical School, a senior clinician at Monash Health and has adjunct appointments at Monash University Malaysia and the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin. Jacqueline's research is in women's public health and health systems research to improve women's health across the lifecourse, prioritising equity in understanding determinants of health to improve health literacy, health access and health outcomes with a focus on migrant and refugee populations. A/Prof Boyle's key areas of interest include optimising reproductive and preconception health, reproductive metabolic health (PMOS, menopause and gestational diabetes) and chronic disease (perinatal mental health and cardiovascular disease).She established and chairs the National and Western Pacific Preconception Health Networks.