I am a social psychologist whose research interests include emotion, culture, group dynamics, and gender. I have a long-standing interest in bridging the academic-“real world” gap. I have worked both inside and outside academia as a lecturer, public policy researcher, and research consultant. Whether in the classroom or the conference room, I enjoy communicating psychological science to a wide audience. Along with co-author Dr. Patrick Gallagher, I have co-authored a book on doctoral-level psychology careers outside academia. Together with co-author Dr. Janet Boseovski, I am currently writing a book on body image development in early to late childhood and the importance of the mother-daughter relationship in this process.

Over the past two decades, I have studied social judgments and decision making in early to late childhood (i.e., 3- to 12-year-olds). My program of research has revealed a positivity bias in children’s judgments of self and others that peaks in middle childhood and that has implications in diverse areas of social and cognitive functioning (e.g., learning, safety, critical thinking). My research has been published in the top peer-reviewed outlets in my field and it has been supported the National Institutes of Health. Recent research interests center on body image and body perceptions in childhood, with projects that examine the relation between nutrition, body size, and activity, and children’s perceptions of muscularity. Together with co-author Dr. Ashleigh Gallagher, I am also writing a book (forthcoming, Fall, 2024, American Psychological Association Books) on body image development in early to late childhood, with an emphasis on how mother-daughter transactions shape girls’ body image. I also enjoy writing about health and wellness; these are topics that I have covered in two decades of teaching about human development across the lifespan at the university level.

Based in Melbourne, Dr Julie Wehbe maintains her multifaceted international profile across the healthcare and business sectors. Her 20+ years of psychiatrist practice extend to Australia-wide and overseas coverage supporting professionals both in their home countries and abroad. Dr Wehbe is a founder of ADHD-BED Integrated® group which for the past 4 years has been coordinating multi-disciplinary treatment for adults and children with ADHD, Binge-Eating Disorder and other eating disorders across Australia. Dr Wehbe is part of the expert group who developed the first in Australia GP training module for BED, endorsed by RACGP in 2020. In her current collaboration with public and private stakeholders, Dr Wehbe focuses on implementing National Eating Disorder Standards in primary health sector and promoting GP education in this area. In her vast clinical practice, Dr Wehbe continues to manage a number of patients with Binge Eating and other Eating disorders, Mood and Anxiety disorders, and ADHD. Dr Wehbe’s professional interest extends to fitness, nutrition and health restoration as well as personal performance building. Dr Wehbe is active within Australian and international professional expert networks in the area of eating disorders and other mental health conditions.

Associate Professor Mark Green is a reproductive biologist and group leader at the University of Melbourne and a Fellow of the Society for Reproductive Biology. Following his PhD in the UK, he held postdoctoral positions in the USA and NZ before moving to Australia. His lab focuses on identifying how environmental factors, especially emerging contaminants and endocrine disrupting chemicals, impact hormone concentrations, gamete and embryo development that underpin the growing incidence of infertility and reproductive disorders in humans and wildlife.

Dr David Moseley is a clinical psychologist, senior research fellow, and Deputy Director at the Monash Krongold Clinic, Monash University. David was previously the Psychology Discipline Senior at the Early in Life Mental Health Service at Monash Health, leading a department of 50 psychologists. David’s work spans health, disability, and education. His expertise in child and youth mental health is complemented by specialisation in neurodevelopmental disorders, child development, parent-child attachment, and infant mental health. David is a strong advocate for flexible, collaborative, and evidence-based interventions, putting practical developmental psychology tools in the hands of children and families, clinicians, and educators.

Dr Alok Gupta is a Nephrologist with over 20 years of experience in treating a wide range of both acute and chronic renal conditions. Originally from New Delhi, India , Alok received training in general medicine and advanced training in nephrology. He then went on to complete a two-year clinical fellowship in Nephrology at Toronto, Canada. Upon his arrival in Australia, he practised at Mildura Base Hospital in regional Victoria. In 2015, he was awarded his fellowship in Medicine and Nephrology by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He moved to Toowoomba, Regional Queensland in early 2016 and since then, has been practicing both at public and private sectors. His practice is now permanently based in Toowoomba. His area of Interest includes metabolic syndrome and its management through lifestyle changes and medications, resistant hypertension, CKD and its associated complications, and renal stone disease.

Chris Blyth is a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow. He is director of the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases and Professor of Paediatrics. Based at Perth Children’s Hospital, Telethon Kids Institute and University of Western Australia, his focus is treating children with complicated infections and prevention infection through vaccination. His PhD evaluated the effectiveness of influenza immunisation in children, data critical to inform current influenza policies. He previously has served on the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

Dr. Noor Ali is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.
She graduated with her medical degree from the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 2010. She completed her Ophthalmology training in New Zealand. She undertook subspecialty training in Medical Retina and Uveitis at the prestigious Sydney Eye Hospital and Westmead Hospital; and in Glaucoma at the world-renowned Oxford Eye Hospital.
She a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Retinal Specialist, the Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Society, as well as the Uveitis Special Interest Group.
Dr Ali is an experienced and precise cataract surgeon with the ultimate goal of clear, crisp vision. She is highly skilled in managing complex cataracts with co-existing glaucoma or ocular inflammation.
In addition to mastering the gold standard glaucoma surgeries such as trabeculectomy and tube implants, she worked at the Imperial College Trust Western Eye Hospital in London and learned the latest techniques in minimally invasive glaucoma surgery or MIGS that can be combined with routine cataract surgery to provide her patients with an opportunity to receive the latest in technological advancements.

Dr. Al-Aly a physician-scientist; he directs the Clinical Epidemiology Center and serves as the Chief of Research and Development Service at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System. He is a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in Saint Louis. He has several research interests including pharmacoepidemiology, environmental epidemiology, global health, and most recently short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on health outcomes. He led work which provided systematic characterization of the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (also called Long Covid) and subsequently characterization of the increased risks of cardiovascular disease, neurologic disorders, diabetes, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, and gastrointestinal disorders following SARS-CoV-2 infection. His laboratory was the first to produce evidence characterizing the effects of vaccines on Long Covid, the health consequences of repeated infections with SARS-CoV-2, and the effect of antivirals on the short- and long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Dr. Al-Aly co-chaired the U.S. Biden-Harris Administration committee that developed the National Research Action Plan for Long Covid. He serves on the US Government Interagency Long Covid Coordination Council. He advised the Chief Science Advisor of Canada (Mona Nemer – Government of Justin Trudeau) on Long Covid strategy. He currently serves on a consensus committee at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine looking at the long-term health effects stemming from COVID-19 and their implications for the U.S. Social Security Administration. He is also a member of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force for data and innovation. Dr. Al-Aly’s work is published in prestigious medical journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet and several others. According to Google Scholar, his work has been cited more than 100,000 times. His work is frequently featured in major national and international media outlets including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, NPR, BBC, CNN, the Guardian, Bloomberg, The New Yorker, the Atlantic, Rolling Stones, Scientific American, Science Magazine, Nature Magazine, and several others. Several of his studies on Long COVID have generated exceptionally high public and media engagement, ranking in the top 10 of more than 23 million research papers ever tracked by Altmetric, a firm that monitors public engagement in academic research. Dr. Al-Aly serves on multiple national and international committees and boards, and on multiple editorial boards and serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology – the flagship journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Profile: https://outlook.wustl.edu/real-world-reflections/

Dr Becky Freeman is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. With over twenty years of experience working in the tobacco control field she is well versed in program and policy best practice. She is an established authority on the potential of the Internet to circumvent tobacco advertising bans and has pioneered research methods in tracking and analysing online social media content. Her primary research interests include tobacco control and how online and social media influence public health.

Jasmine Lee is a pharmacist, and PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.