A/Prof Kal Asrress is a Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist at St George and St George Private Hospitals, as well as Bankstown Hospital where he is the Director of the Cardiac Catheter Laboratory, Interventional Cardiologist at Liverpool Hospital, and Clinical Associate Professor at Macquarie University.

Associate Professor Alexander Larcombe began work at the Telethon Institute in 2005 and is now a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Respiratory Environmental Health team at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, a partnership between Telethon Kids Institute, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and Perth Children’s Hospital. He is also an Associate Professor in the School of Population Health, Curtin University. During his time at the Institute, Associate Professor Larcombe has led many research projects, primarily investigating the physiological and developmental consequences of exposure to a range of environmental insults including: – allergen exposure (particularly ovalbumin and house dust mite as models of allergic airways disease) – respiratory viral infection (including rhinovirus and influenza) – pollutants (including electronic cigarette aerosols, tobacco smoke, diesel/biodiesel exhaust and arsenic) – climate change (including the impacts of increased atmospheric CO2). Associate Professor Larcombe’s research has shown how exposure to such insults in early-life (including in utero) can have significant impacts on lung growth and lung function, and lead to life-long respiratory disease. The goals of his research are to establish and employ relevant models of respiratory dysfunction which can be easily manipulated to identify mechanisms of disease. Once likely mechanisms are fully identified, Associate Professor Larcombe employs interventional studies with the ultimate goal of reducing the impact of early-life respiratory system insults on lung function which, in the long term, will improve the health of children and families.

I am passionate about surgical excellence and quality of life after surgery. My purpose is to listen to your needs and provide the best surgical care.
Mary Ann Johnson is recognised as an oesophageal and gastric surgeon for benign and cancerous conditions in Melbourne.
While she has a broad experience in many aspects of general surgery her sub specialty interests are:
* Achalasia
* Oesophageal and Gastric Cancer
* Gallstones
* Groin Hernia
* Reflux
* Gastric Ulcers
* Abdominal wall Hernia
* Hiatus Hernia
* Diaphragmatic Hernia
Qualifications
* Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (Hons) 2005 James Cook University
* Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 2013
* Fellow of ANZGOSA 2016

Martin completed undergraduate and basic physician training in the UK before emigrating to Melbourne in 2006. He completed Respiratory and Sleep Medicine training through Monash Medical Centre and St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne.

His PhD, awarded through Monash University, investigated clinical phenotyping of COPD exacerbations, with a focus on the interaction of cardiac disease and COPD.

He holds an academic appointment with Monash University and is a PhD supervisor. Martin has published extensively in leading journals including Lancet Respiratory Medicine, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, European Respiratory Journal, Chest and Respirology. He is a Deputy Editor for Respirology. His PhD was awarded the Fairfax Family research scholarship and he was a finalist for the prestigious Thoracic Society Australia and New Zealand New Investigator Award.

He works predominantly as a Respiratory and Sleep Physician at Monash Medical Centre and as Head of Unit for both Respiratory and General Medicine at Jessie McPherson Private Hospital. Through Monash Lung and Sleep Department he maintains an active research interest in COPD and severe asthma including biological therapies. He has expertise in a broad range of respiratory and sleep disorders and performs a weekly bronchoscopy list.

Dr Thomas is a Vascular and Renal Transplant Surgeon with over 10 years clinical experience in the field and is a member of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons and Australia New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery. During his training to become a surgeon, he was involved in vascular science research, with publications produced in several international journals. He is regularly invited to speak at both local and international vascular conferences. After completing his FRACS training, Dr Thomas undertook specialised endovascular training in Leipzig, Germany and Padua, Italy prior to taking up his consultant position at the Randwick Campus Hospitals.

Dr David O’Donnell is a Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist, and the CEO of Advara HeartCare, Sleep and Respiratory. He has a long-standing clinical interest in arrhythmias, and specialises in atrial fibrillation, with a specific interest in athletes with atrial fibrillation. In recent years, his clinical and research focus has been on pioneering the newest techniques for Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT) devices in heart failure patients.

Associate Professor Benjamin Kwan is the Head of Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Sutherland Hospital, and Director of Sleep Medicine and Pleural Medicine Lead in St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. He has extensive interests in the field of sleep apnoea, smoking cessation and lung cancer, and new models of care. He has published widely, including co-authorships in articles published in NEJM and JAMA. He has also co-authored state-wide guidelines and GP health pathways. He has received multiple seeding grants and is currently involved in multicentre studies in the field of smoking cessation, malignant pleural effusions and airway diseases.

A/Prof Natasha Smallwood is a consultant respiratory physician at the Alfred Hospital, Head of the Chronic Respiratory Disease Research Group, and Associate Professor at Monash University. In addition to her respiratory qualifications, she holds postgraduate qualifications in Medical Leadership, Epidemiology and Palliative Care. She has authored over 100 publications and been awarded over $9 million as major research grants. She has clinical and research interests in severe lung disease, particularly COPD. A/Prof Smallwood serves as a Board Director for the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Victorian Doctors Health Program, and holds multiple leadership roles. She is a taskforce member for various national and international respiratory guidelines.

Duncan Topliss is Senior Endocrinologist in the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, after stepping down as Director in 2020, and is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne Australia.
He is a past-President and Life Member of the Endocrine Society of Australia.
He has a long interest in thyroid physiology and disease with an MD thesis and many publications in this area. In recent years he has been an investigator in several pivotal trials of multikinase inhibitor therapy of advanced thyroid cancer, and is active in evaluation and treatment of thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules.
He has a long-term interest in the prevention and management of acute and chronic complications of diabetes and has been an investigator on multiple major international diabetes trials relating to this. He is a current Editor of Clinical Endocrinology and is a frequent reviewer for Clinical Endocrinology, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Thyroid, and other endocrine journals.
His other interest is drug regulation and safety. He chaired the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (ADRAC) 2001-2010, and is a member of the Advisory Committee on Medicines of the TGA (1999- ) He has chaired the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee of Alfred Health since 1988.
He was awarded an AM in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list for significant service to endocrinology, and to professional organizations.

Dr Sharon Salmon is Technical Officer, Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), WHO Regional Office of the Western Pacific. Prior to re-joining WHO, Sharon was the Assistant Director of Nursing, Infection Prevention at the National University Hospital, Singapore and Associate Consultant, Ministry of Health Singapore. She has 20 years of IPC experience including extensive international consultative experience, providing technical advice for IPC national programmes, hospital assessments and development of national guidelines across several countries in Asia. Sharon holds a Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney and a PhD from the University of NSW, Australia.

Dr Jocelyne Basseal leads the strategic development of the Institute and fostering local, national and global partnerships. She is a graduate from the University of Sydney with a PhD in Medical Microbiology and has supervised post-graduate students, delivered lectures, organised scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. After leaving academia, Jocelyne spent 8 years as the Managing Editor, Research and Policy Manager for the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine. With strong governance knowledge, skills in policy development and communication, Jocelyne was instrumental in advocating for best practices in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for medical imaging. During this time, Jocelyne was a consultant for commercial companies as an IPC advisor and delivered educational workshops, supported medical associations with their peer-reviewed journals and developed the research grants scheme for a philanthropic organisation. Since April 2020, Jocelyne worked as an IPC consultant for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 response supporting low-middle income countries in the Western Pacific Region. She is currently the President for the Australasian Medical Writers Association, an active member of the Standards Australia HE-023 committee and facilitating IPC guideline development for Radiology Across Borders.