Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah is a physician in infectious diseases and general medicine at a major Melbourne hospital. She has research interests in artificial intelligence, health services research and the occupational safety of health care workers. Michelle is the founder of fungalAi, a platform technology that aims to facilitate faster surveillance and diagnosis of fungal infections in patients with blood cancers. In 2019, she was awarded a prestigious TRIP (Translating Research Into Practice) fellowship by the Medical Research Future Fund and appointed to JAMA Network Open as a statistical and methods reviewer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle has advocated for Australian healthcare workers and brought her critical thinking skills to the vaccine debate noting that she is not a vaccinologist. She is the co-founder of Healthcare Workers Australia, a grass-roots advocacy group supporting better work, health and safety standards for Australia’s frontline.

Prof David Playford is a cardiac imaging specialist, having run a specialist echo laboratory, an echo core laboratory, and an advanced echo fellowship program. His clinical cardiology interests are general cardiology, cardiac risk assessment, breathlessness and pulmonary hypertension, heart failure and valvular heart disease. David is dual FRACP-trained in General Medicine and Cardiology, and is a Fellow of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, the American College of Cardiology, the and the European Society of Cardiology.

David is the Professor of Cardiology at the University of Notre Dame, where he was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and coordinates the undergraduate cardiovascular teaching program.

From a research perspective, his Doctor of Philosophy examined vascular function, lipid abnormalities and diabetes, and he subsequently undertook echocardiography training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston USA. David is the Principal Investigator of the National Echo Database Australia (NEDA), the largest echo database in the world with links to mortality data. He also runs an artificial intelligence program focusing on automation of interpretation of echo and ECG data.

Professor Jeff Craig is a Lecturer in Medical Sciences at School of Medicine at Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria. Prior to this, he spent twenty years as a researcher at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne. He studies the role of epigenetics in mediating the effects of early life environment on the risk for chronic disease. He is currently developing epigenetic biomarkers from easy-to-collect biosamples. Dr Craig has established a number of longitudinal cohorts in collaboration with clinicians and epidemiologists. Most have involved twins, due their ability to resolve the effects of genes and environments, particularly in the prenatal period. His longest-running cohort, the Peri/postnatal Epigenetic Twin Study (PETS), is currently funded to study children at eleven years of age. Dr Craig is also a Chief Investigator on the NHMRC-funded Twins Centre of Research Excellence and President of the International Society for Twin Studies. He has a keen interest in the applications of his research for public health and to do this, he is engaging with the public and with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines. In the broader context, he is interested in the two-way interactions between human health and the health of the environment.

Mark Patrick Taylor is a Professor of Environmental Science and Human Health at Macquarie University, Sydney, specialising in environmental contamination and the risks it can pose.

His research program investigates environmental contamination in aerosols, dusts, sediments, soil and water and risks to human health. His work has focused on mining and smelting emissions and depositions, as well as contamination in urban environments. In recent years he has examined lead and other contaminants in bees, sparrows, lichens and wildfire ash. His most recent paper examines atmospheric trace metal emissions from wildfires. His work has also encompassed ‘human environments’ and has included analysis of blood lead levels in children, lead in wine, honey, residential veggie patches, household dusts, drinking water and the effect of early life lead exposure on aggressive crime rates.

His group’s work includes Australia’s only community VegeSafe program, which provides free soil metal analysis and advice to household gardeners across the nation. More recently, he started a new global citizen science initiative ‘DustSafe’ to examine contaminants in household dust.

Amy Howell is an Associate Research Scientist at the Marucci Center for Blueberry Cranberry Research. She has a background in plant science and pathology and her program targets utilising cranberry for prevention and management of bacterial diseases, including urinary tract infections (UTIs), stomach ulcers, and periodontal disease. She is keen to have consumers utilise more natural alternative methods, such as cranberry for disease prevention in an effort to curb overuse of antibiotics and resistance development. Her primary research focus has been on isolating polyphenolic compounds from cranberry and determining their role in prevention of UTIs. She studies the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of the structurally unique cranberry proanthocyanidins in an effort to determine site(s) of action and dose-response, as well as the influence of cranberry on enhancing the potency of antibiotics. She regularly collaborates in clinical trials on cranberry consumption and UTI prevention. Other projects include development of cranberry supplements for both human and canine urinary health, and anti-cancer, anti-viral and oral cavity health studies utilizing cranberry.

Howell is very involved in method development for powdered cranberry supplements, working closely with regulatory teams from AOAC and USP (US Pharmacopoeia) to determine standard methods for quantification of the bioactive compounds in cranberries. USP determines FDA-enforceable quality standards for drugs and dietary supplements. This is extremely important given the variability in efficacy and frequent adulteration of cranberry products.

Howell actively supports the cranberry and blueberry industries and trade associations by educating consumers and healthcare professionals through seminar presentations on health attributes of the fruits. She has travelled to over 20 countries on international trade missions to present the latest findings on health-related research. She regularly travels as part of a team to China and India under the Global Based Initiative (GBI), a program funded by USDA and the Foreign Agricultural Service to introduce cranberries overseas. She serves on the USDA-sanctioned US Highbush Blueberry Council as the Public Member, helping determine funding for health-related research on blueberries.

A/Prof Jeremy Grummet is a practising urologist and Director of Urology at Alfred Health in Melbourne and Clinical Associate Professor at Monash University where he supervises PhD and Masters students on research in prostate cancer diagnosis. He was a member of the EAU Guidelines Prostate Cancer Panel for 6 years and is co-founder of MRI PRO, an online training program for reading prostate MRI, accredited as a Monash University Short Course. He is Co-Principal Investigator of the LIBERATE registry of Focal Brachytherapy for prostate cancer. A/Prof Grummet is currently on the government-funded committee to update Australian guidelines on early detection of prostate cancer.

Dr Al-Salihi is a certified Urogynaecologist, Obstetrician and a Gynaecologist.

Dr Al-Salihi gained his primary degree in Medicine and Surgery overseas and acquired extensive experience in Medicine and Surgery working in different parts of the world. After completing his General Obstetrics and Gynaecology training in New Zealand and Australia, Dr Al-Salihi received formal training in Urogynaecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery at the Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne. Currently, Dr. Al-Salihi is appointed as the Head for the Urogynaecology Unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Parkville.

Dr Al-Salihi offers services in Urogynaecology and Urodynamic testing for patients with pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. He has a special interest in laparoscopic and minimal access surgery in pelvic reconstruction and urogynaecology. Our private obstetric practice offers antenatal care, ultrasound and deliverers at both Frances Perry House Hospital.
Dr Al-Salihi is extensively involved in clinical research and innovative developments in the field. He won the best video abstract award at the International Urogynaecology Association (IUGA) conference held in Como Italy in 2009. He presents his papers regularly at national and international conventions around the world. He is also committed to the junior trainees’ clinical and surgical training.

Professor Rebecca Mason is a physician with clinical experience in endocrinology and a scientist who leads a research program in the fields of bone and skin, with a particular interest in the study of vitamin D, calcium and phosphate. She notes, the link between bone and skin is vitamin D, which is synthesised in skin and is critical for bone health, but, as our research has discovered, also important in skin for photoprotection. Her research interest in calcium underpins her team’s studies on the role of calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) in bone health. Professor Mason is internationally recognised for major contributions to the field of vitamin D research. She developed one of the first assays in Australia for measuring vitamin D compounds in blood and was one of the first scientists to demonstrate extra-renal production of the active hormone made from vitamin D, and among the first to study the role of vitamin D compounds in skin. Her group discovered the ability of vitamin D metabolites to reduce UV-induced DNA damage in skin. Professor Mason’s research has substantially influenced health policy, including the revision of sun exposure guidelines in Australia, which have moved away from total sun avoidance and advise some sun exposure to synthesise vitamin D. She led the process of updating the Vitamin D position statement for Australia and New Zealand and contributed to the revised Vitamin D statement for pregnancy, infants and children. She has received an award from the International Workshop on Vitamin D, recognising her ‘career contributions to vitamin D research’. Professor Mason is Board member of Osteoporosis Australia and a Past President of the ANZ Bone and Mineral Society.

Founder and Executive Director, Nicole was the former Deputy CEO and National Perinatal Advisor of beyondblue between 2001-2013. Her role in the perinatal area specifically included oversight of the National Research Program, advocacy and the implementation of Australia’s $85M National Perinatal Depression Initiative (NPDI). Other areas of specialisation within the perinatal field include consumer research, national community awareness campaigns, clinical guidelines and resource development, digital screening and research and advocacy to inform and guide policy and best practice. Her leadership and strong commitment to perinatal mental health has resulted in the formal establishment of COPE in 2013.

Prof Helen O’Connell AO is Professor, Department of Surgery, at the University of Melbourne and the Director of Surgery and Head of Urology at Western Health, Victoria. She is a leading researcher in the area of female pelvic anatomy and was the first woman to complete training as a urologist in Australia. Prof O’Connell is the Chair for the 2021 International Continence Society meeting in Melbourne.

Dr Therese McGee is currently Clinical Director of Women’s and Newborn Health at Westmead Hospital with responsibility for over 500 staff. She trained as a specialist Obstetrician Gynaecologist and has worked across both the private and public sectors. She is particularly interested in trying to make sure that clinical care for women and newborn babies is safe, evidence-based and cost-effective. To achieve this she is involved in creating up to date practices & guidelines, and providing education for medical and midwifery staff.

Prof Teede AM is a clinician, academic and leader. She’s an endocrinologist with a focus on women’s metabolic and reproductive health through mechanistic, clinical, health services and public health research into practice and policy. She’s strongly committed to broad stakeholder engagement in health reform and service innovation, and is passionate about research and evidence translation into healthcare to improve health outcomes. Prof Teede’s research interests focus on women’s health during the reproductive years, and on obesity and its endocrine, reproductive and metabolic complications – PCOS, infertility, pregnancy complications, gestational diabetes and diabetes.