Dr Melissa Bochner trained in breast and thyroid surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Edinburgh Breast Unit and has a Masters of Surgery from the University of Sydney. Her current positions are Head of Unit and Staff Specialist Surgeon, CALHN Breast and Endocrine Unit, and Visiting Surgeon, Womens and Children Hospital, and St Andrews Private Hospital, Adelaide. She is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide. She has interests in oncoplastic surgery, teaching and research. Dr Bochner is the current Chair of the Breast Quality Audit subcommittee of BreastSurgANZ.

Dr. Naomi Rutten is an esteemed General Practitioner and Psychotherapist with a focus on developmental and complex trauma, as well as behavior disorders. With a rich background in various therapeutic approaches, she is dedicated to enhancing the provision of high-quality psychological care. Dr. Rutten is particularly renowned for her innovative work with Ducks In A Row Trainings, an initiative aimed at improving access to mental health services for those in need. As a vital member of the Australian Society of Psychological Medicine, she plays a critical role in shaping education and training for fellow general practitioners.

Prof Zoltán Sarnyai is a medically-trained PhD neuroscientist with an active research program in the neurobiological mechanisms of stress and psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction, schizophrenia and depression. After a postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School he held an independent research position at the Rockefeller University, supported by two prestigious fellowships. Zoltán was involved in setting up a behavioural neuroscience focussed biotech company and later directed its research effort to develop new animal models for psychiatric disorders. Prior to establishing the Psychiatric Neuroscience Laboratory at JCU in 2012 he was a University Lecturer in Pharmacology and Fellow of Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. Zoltán has skills and experience in preclinical and clinical stress research as well as in behavioural neuroscience and animal modelling of complex human neuropsychiatric disorders. Zoltán is Head of the Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroscience within the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine and the Convenor of the Community of NeuroScientists at JCU (CNS@JCU), a network of academics, doctors and other health professionals interested in broadly defined neuroscience and brain research. Zoltán’s particular focus is on determining how psychosocial environment shapes the brain through hormones, immune and metabolic factors during the course of the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. He applies basic neuroscience approaches to study disadvantaged and minority populations, including Indigenous Australians, as they are disproportionally affected by mental illness. Zoltán also has a strong interest in the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry and has a number of research projects on dietary factors and mental health.

I am a Reader in Metabolic medicine and a consultant physician with specialism in Diabetes and Endocrinology. I treat patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. I have particular research interest in older adults with diabetes, Diabetic Kidney Disease ,epidemiology of type 2 diabetes and new therapies for type 2 diabetes. have been a Chief and Principal Investigator in a number of clinical trials. I have published over 80 peer reviewed articles in major medical journals. I have held many leadership roles in the NHS and also serve on the editorial board of three journals.

In 2010 I completed my degree in Human Biology at the University of Huddersfield and began my PhD at Aston focusing on medicines research. Here, formulation of oral liquid antihypertensives formed the initial stages of my project; here an understanding of drug action on a molecular level in a physiological setting was essential. In vitro and In vivo characterisation of developed formulations utilising cell and rodent based models paved the way for subsequent genomic investigations into intestinal transporter expression profiling using microarray technology and bioinformatics. Following my PhD I worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at Aston on a project focused on in vitro assessment of taste and was carried out in collaboration with market leading pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca, GSK, Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squib as well as UCL. During this time I also elevated my teaching profile and arrived at Aston University as a Lecturer in Pharmacy in 2015. Since my lectureship appointment I have been heavily involved with teaching on the MPharm degree programme and I am pursuing my own line of research in formulation design and development. I have recently been awarded funding internally for a PhD studentship investigating the application of 3D printing technology in tablet production which commenced in January 2018. More recent research tracks have seen innovation in the application of nanoparticle formulations to better target administration in hospital settings.

Duane Mellor is an award winning registered dietitian and science communicator (BDA Media Spokesperson of the Year 2021), who is the Aston Medical School lead for Nutrition and Evidence Based Medicine. Having a background in clinical dietetics supporting people living with diabetes he moved into medical education when joining Aston University. He is also the Associate Dean for Education (Quality Enhancement) in the College of Health and Life Sciences. where he works to support innovative teaching practice alongside engaging students as fellow professionals on the first steps of their careers. After initially working in the areas of clinical trials, Duane’s current research interests focus on improving nutrition and health by working with communities to celebrate their heritage through food and help tackle barriers resulting from societal inequalities. Alongside this Duane has a keen interest in science communication and developing scientifically accurate messages to help individuals make informed decisions about their own food choices and health. After initially working in the areas of clinical trials, Duane’s current research interests focus on improving nutrition and health by working with communities to celebrate their heritage through food and help tackle barriers resulting from societal inequalities. Alongside this Duane has a keen interest in science communication and developing scientifically accurate messages to help individuals make informed decisions about their own food choices and health. Duane is a regular contributor to the Science Media Centre and is a British Dietetic Association spokesperson having contributed to online, print, radio and television stories about food and nutrition. He is a member of the British Dietetic Association Healthier You magazine editorial board which aims to promote healthy food stories to the public as well as being an Associate Editor of the academic Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. He is a member of a number of scientific committees including British Nutrition Foundation.

A/Prof Whyte trained in medicine at King’s College Hospital, qualifying in 1998. During his postgraduate medical training he undertook a PhD at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital (University of London) examining the metabolic effects of insulin in critical illness. He then completed his specialist training (CCT) in Diabetes & Endocrinology and General Medicine in 2010. Martin combines his NHS Consultant work with that of Associate Professor of Metabolic Medicine at The University of Surrey.

A/Prof Collins has been a qualified nutritionist for over 25 years, completing his undergraduate degree in 1996 before going on to complete an MSc in Nutrition & Metabolism, and a PhD focusing on energy expenditure and body composition. His ongoing interests lie in obesity, exercise nutrition, body composition, and energy metabolism all as can be applied to weight loss/maintenance and metabolic health. Current research includes exercise intensity and energy balance, intermittent fasting, meal timing and composition. Specifically the use of carbohydrate manipulation for metabolic health.

Just to give you a bit of background, I’ve been in general practice for 20 years but have now transitioned to a role where I work as a Mental Health GP at a psychiatrist clinic in Sydney: https://mindsightclinic.com.au/mental-health-gps It’s a new model of care – I do mental health assessments and refer to psychiatrists at my clinic or manage as necessary. As a result I do plenty of Adult ADHD initial assessments. The psychiatrists see them once and prescribe psychostimulants if necessary and then the patients return to me for titration, support, skills coaching and therapy as required. I am undertaking a Masters of Psychotherapy in addition to my FPS training and so I use a lot of psychological strategies to support my ADHD patients with good results.

Professor Nicole Rinehart is a consulting clinical psychologist, Director of the Monash Krongold Clinic, Faculty of Education, Monash University, and international leader in neurodevelopmental conditions. Nicole has been at the forefront of research efforts to improve educational, mental and physical health outcomes for children and adolescents. Nicole founded the AFR award winning AllPlayTM platform est. 2014 taking a strengths-based approach to disability and turning this into tools and strategies that everyone can access to ‘make the world fit for all kids’ www.allplay.org. Nicole currently served on the Board of Directors at AMAZE from 2014-2023 and is an expert advisor to the Victorian Department of Education and Training. She has contributed to the NHMRC Clinical Practice Statement for ADHD and the revision of the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines for Developmental Disabilities. Her research is inspired by the families and children with neurodevelopmental conditions who she has worked with over the last 2 decades at the Melbourne Children’s Clinic.

Amelia is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Reproductive Health at Western Sydney University and completing her PhD in pelvic pain at the University of South Australia. Amelia’s research focuses on investigating the role of pain education and conservative management strategies for pelvic pain.