A/Prof Liz Sturgiss is a specialist general practitioner, NHMRC Investigator and primary care researcher. Liz is an Associate Professor (Research) in the School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, and Visiting Fellow at The Australian National University. Liz has experience in implementation research in primary care with expertise in the complex area of obesity management. Liz leads an emerging research program on the management of complex and stigmatised health issues in primary care focusing on translating guidelines into real-world practice. Her research is based on theoretical principles from behaviour change and implementation science. She is a practising GP caring for people with substance dependence and complex multi-morbidity. Prior to her specialist training in general practice, Liz was a Sexual Health registrar in Canberra and also achieved her fellowship in Forensic Medicine in 2015. As a clinician-researcher, she has extensive networks with clinical primary care colleagues and in her representative roles with primary care organisations.

Dr Scoullar is an international health specialist, General Paediatrician, and Senior Research Fellow at the Burnet Institute. Dr Scoullar’s research is focused on issues of health equity and improving pregnancy and child health outcomes. She leads the paediatric component of a long COVID specialist clinic, providing evidence-based care to children and adolescents with Long COVID.

Dr Gabriela Khoury is an emerging research leader in clinical and translational immunology with expertise in T-cell biology, infectious diseases and immunodeficiency. She has worked across the different stages of the translational pipeline and has a first-hand understanding of what is required to move fundamental research into the clinic. Prior to pursuing her PhD studies on how and where HIV persists during antiretroviral therapy (ART), Dr Khoury worked in the pharmaceutical industry. There she conducted pre-clinical studies on novel compounds which target unique stages of HIV replication. The lead compound from this work has now completed Phase 2/2a clinical trials in people living with HIV and/or HCV. In 2020 Dr Khoury joined the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute where she led COVID-19 clinical studies assessing immunity post-infection and vaccine responses in different cohorts. Dr Khoury has established a collaborative network with clinicians from Monash and Alfred Health. In 2023 Dr Khoury joined the Burnet Institute as the Antiviral Immunity Theme lead. Her team focuses on studying antiviral responses against infections and vaccination to viruses like SARS-CoV-2, Influenza and Mpox. Dr Khoury contributes to the broader fields of immunology and infection both nationally and internationally through different professional and community outreach activities, including as a council member at the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology (ASI), various committee memberships (at ASI, VIIN, IUIS), as an Associate Editor (CTI), in peer review and in the IAS Abstract Mentor Program. Dr Khoury is passionate about promoting immunology to the public through science outreach and engagement programs in her past roles as the ASI Day of Immunology coordinator and social media manager. In 2019, she led the successful prize-winning campaign for the ‘Best International Day of Immunology Campaign’ awarded by the International Union of Immunological Societies. As a first generation Australian Dr Gabriela Khoury is passionate about increasing diversity in STEM fields and creating opportunities for school students to learn science and undergraduates to gain experience in the lab.

Associate Professor Lata Vadlamudi is a Senior Staff Specialist in Neurology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Epileptologist within the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Metro North Clinician Research Fellow, and Brain, Neurology and Mental health Theme Leader at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research.
She obtained her medical degree from the University of Queensland and completed physician training in the field of Neurology. Further specialized training in epilepsy was undertaken in Melbourne, Sydney and the Mayo Clinic, USA. Her PhD was obtained from the University of Melbourne.
Clinical interests include management of women with epilepsy, particularly during pregnancy with a dedicated women and epilepsy clinic. Other interests include integrating genomics into clinical care with current research projects including developing a Queensland neuro-genomics service to underpin the era of precision-based medicine; and an MRFF-funded project personalising epilepsy regimes with stem cells and artificial intelligence models for superior treatment outcomes.

Breast sonographer and mammographer at Breast Imaging Victoria

Dr Rebecca Szabo is a specialist obstetrician/gynaecologist, medical educator and simulation expert. She is an honorary senior lecturer at The University of Melbourne in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health and the Department of Critical Care. She is the lead of the Gandel Simulation Service a translational simulation service based at the Women’s in partnership with The University of Melbourne and has a Masters of Clinical Education focused on simulation and is a PhD Candidate exploring implementation of simulation in hospitals focused on health systems integration, quality improvement and patient safety. She is the Chair of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Simulation Training Advisory Group. Rebecca has been an instructor for the AMaRE / Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) program for over 10 years and was the Chair of the Board 2021-2023. She has experience working and teaching across Australia, Thailand and Mongolia and is passionate about healthcare access, safety and equity. In 2020 Rebecca was a member of the infection prevention mechanisms subgroup of the the Victorian statewide Healthcare Worker Infection Prevention and Wellbeing Taskforce for education and simulation expertise. Her work and research has focused on maternity care and safety, simulation and training, science communication and education.

Jessica is an ICU nurse with with over 14 years experience in oncology, intensive care and surgical settings. She is an experienced educator and has taught a variety of topics, including research design, critical care skills. Jessica has held appointments in the university and healthcare sector, including leading strategy and clinical outcomes research at a large tertiary hospital. Formal qualifications – Jessica holds a number of postgraduate degrees. Masters in Nursing (Advanced Practice), Graduate Certificate in Critical Care, PhD in Medicine, Graduate Certificate Science Communication. Jessica’s areas of research include exploring human interactions with artificial representations of reality, specifically the impact on engagement related to authenticity. Her interest areas include how learning activities shape patient outcomes, with a particular focus on stereotyping versus individual design.

Dr Faux is the Director at the Rehabilitation Unit at St Vincent’s Public Hospital, who specialises in pain management and general rehabilitation. He has appointments at: St Vincents Campus Prince of Wales Private Griffith Base Hospital, NSW Currently a Senior lecturer in Clinical Medicine at the University of New South Wales, his research interests are in the management of spasticity, trauma management and stroke rehabilitation. Doctors refer patients to him with the following conditions: Arthritis Strokes Back and neck pain Joint replacements Fractures Difficulties with walking Self-care Incontinence MBBS BA FRACGP FAFRM (RACP) FFPMANZCA GAICD

Professor Baxter is the Deputy Executive Dean (Research Centres), Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She continues to maintain her appointment as Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She is a scientist with the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital and a Senior Scientist in the Cancer Theme Group with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Professor Baxter obtained her MD and PhD in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Toronto. She completed her general surgery residency training at the University of Toronto followed by a fellowship in colorectal surgery at the Mayo Clinic . Most recently, she completed a MBA from the University of Melbourne in 2022. Her primary research focus as a clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher is the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening, long-term outcomes of cancer survivors and quality of surgical care. She also applies the use of linked health administrative data and cancer registry data to evaluate long-term consequences of cancer care for adults.

Professor Anne Kavanagh is Chair of Disability and Health at the University of Melbourne. She is Principal Investigator on the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health. Anne is a public health researcher who researches the social determinants of health inequalities. She has a specific interest in the social determinants of health and wellbeing of people with disabilities.

Dr Singh has been appointed National Chair for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Social Prescribing Specific Interest Group. Last Wednesday, she assumed this remarkable role and will consult with over 500 doctors nationwide. Her dedication and leadership are truly admirable. In addition to her role with RACGP, Dr Kuljit Singh is the lead doctor at the Southport Lower Acuity Facility, providing vital support for overflow patients from the Gold Coast Hospital. She is also actively involved in the Social Prescribing Pilot Project at SeaWorld, furthering her impact on healthcare innovation. (BMedSC, MBBS (Hon), FRACGP)

Dr Richard Symes is a Consultant Ophthalmologist and consults at Sydney Eye Hospital, Gordon Eye Surgery and Lane Cove Eye Surgery in Sydney. Dr Symes has a strong interest in cataract surgery, particularly complex cataract surgery in patients with retinal disease, uveitis or glaucoma. For the last 5 years, Dr Symes has been actively involved in clinical trials for retinal Diseases. He has published a number of articles in the scientific press on cataract surgery visual outcomes.