Dr Penny Browne is the Chief Medical Officer at Avant, advising the Senior Management Team on all clinical matters, and leading the team that promotes quality, safety and professionalism in medical practice through advocacy, education and research. Penny is a general practitioner and has worked extensively in General Practice education. She is currently a Senior Staff Specialist in General Practice at Hornsby Hospital, NSW.

David Sullivan is a physician and chemical pathologist in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. This includes conjoint appointment as Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney Central Clinical School. David has a long-term interest in lipid metabolism with particular emphasis on the environmental component (especially dietary) of gene environment interactions contributing to cardiovascular disease. He has been involved in the early use of many forms of lipid-lowering intervention and has a particular interest in interventions arising from nutritional principles, such as the cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols. His other main interest is the improvement of detection and management of severe inherited dyslipidaemia, such as that seen in Familial Hypercholesterolaemia. David has experience in several international clinical posts, including registrarship at the MRC Lipoprotein Unit, Royal Postgraduate School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London and co-ordination of international clinical studies from the World Health Organization reference lipid laboratory in Wageningen, Netherlands. In addition to his clinical activities in Australia, he has served on numerous clinical committees including the management committees of the LIPID and FIELD trials. Current research interests are focussed on biomarkers and post-prandial metabolism

Catherine Sinclair is board certified in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in Australasia and the United States. She completed fellowships in Head and Neck surgery and Laryngology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the New York Center for Voice and Swallowing, respectively. She is an active member of many Endocrine National Committees including the Executive Committee of the Endocrine Section of the American Head and Neck Society and the Guidelines and Statements Committee and Diversity Committee of the American Thyroid Association. She has published numerous peer reviewed papers and consensus statements on thyroid disease, thyroid cancer and operative techniques during thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. Her team has pioneered a new continuous neuromonitoring technique for the vagus nerve which can monitor motor, sensory and brainstem vagus nerve pathways during thyroid and brainstem surgeries. In 2019, she performed the first radiofrequency thyroid nodule ablation in New York and pioneered one of the first thyroid radiofrequency ablation programs in the United States. Research interests include intraoperative neuromonitoring of laryngeal nerves and voice preservation during thyroid and parathyroid surgery, radiofrequency ablation of thyroid nodules, and neurophysiology of the human larynx.

Professor Thierry Vancaillie is a gynaecologist and pain specialist, renowned for his role in developing minimally invasive procedures, including hysteroscopic and laparoscopic surgery. His expertise includes pudendal neuralgia, pelvic pain, post-surgical pain and the surgical treatment of infertility with Asherman’s Syndrome.
He has published over 200 papers, ranging from the application of electrosurgery to the world-first pilot study utilising Botulinum Toxin for pelvic floor muscle pain. He is a founding director of the Women’s Health and Research Institute of Australia working with our large interdisciplinary team.
After studying medicine in Namur, Belgium from 1973-1976 then Leuven, Belgium 1976-1980, Professor Vancaillie went on to complete his obstetrics and gynaecology specialist training in Bremen, Germany in 1985. He is a fellow of the RANZCOG, as well as fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FFPMANZCA).

Dr Sara Whitburn (she/her) is the Deputy Medical Director at Sexual Health Victoria. She has a Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practice, has Diplomas in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Family Planning. Sara specialises in genital health, menopause, and IUD insertion training. Sara is excited about enabling healthcare professionals to deliver great sexual and reproductive healthcare

Dr Nathan Connelly is a highly skilled and well respected gastroenterologist and hepatologist. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Melbourne in 1995 and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Nathan began his working career at The Austin Hospital in Heidelberg in 1996. Since then, Nathan has practiced as a specialist gastroenterologist and consultant physician, in both public and private practices.
Nathan performs gastroscopy, colonoscopy, polypectomy, hemorrhoid banding, flexible sigmoidoscopy, capsule endoscopy and also specialises in helping patients with inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease and liver disease.
Nathan is a founding director of Moonee Valley Specialist Centre. In addition to providing private consultations in his clinic, he treats patients at Warringal Private hospital, Epworth Freemasons, Brunswick Private Hospital and St Vincent’s Private Hospital.
Nathan is a member of the Australian Association of Consultant Physicians, Gastroenterological Society of Australia and the Conjoint Committee for Endoscopy Accreditation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Dr Kennedy trained in Paediatrics and Clinical Genetics in Sydney and Toronto. Canada. She is Director of MotherSafe which was established at RHW in 2000. She is committed to providing evidence-based information and counselling on exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding to both consumers and health professionals.

Professor Philip Boyce is Professor of Psychiatry at Westmead Hospital and Head of the Perinatal Psychiatry Clinical Research Unit at Westmead Hospital.
A past President of the International Marcé Society, Philip has had a long-standing clinical and research interest in perinatal mental health. He has conducted research into psychosocial aspects of postnatal depression, examining risk factors for the disorder, particularly the role of personality and obstetric risk factors. His current research focus is into the impact of psychotic disorders on women in pregnancy and in the postpartum period.

As a specialist anaesthetist in private practice, Dr Andrew Miller spends a lot of his time in direct clinical care. In addition, Dr Miller has a legal education which has led to involvement in governance and strategy for national ‘not for profits’. These organisations operate in the areas of medical indemnity, policy and advocacy for the medical profession. Dr Miller is also a director of several commercial enterprises, and a Graduate and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Dunn attended the University of Wollongong from 1997-2000 where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology. Having completed a Certificate III in Fitness, and combined with his interests in physical activity and sport, he undertook a PhD at the University of Sydney (2002-2006), where his dissertation looked at the influence of drug use, exercise, and sexual orientation on body image concerns in men. He taught undergraduate psychology at the University of Sydney and at ACU during this time.

Dr Kirsty Short is an influenza virologist by training with extensive experience in emerging viral pathogens and pandemic preparedness. Short has now turned her expertise to working on SARS-CoV-2 and in particular the role of children in disease spread, the impact of this disease on people with diabetes and the development of new antiviral therapies.