Experience

Wishlist (Sunshine Coast Health Foundation)

• Australia
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chair - Research Advisory Committee

  • Sep 2018 - Present

  Wishlist is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fundraising for the needs of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.



Wesley Research Institute

• Australia
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Executive Officer | General Manager

  • Jul 2019 - Sep 2022

  Wesley Medical Research is a not-for-profit research institute that focuses on giving hope and changing lives through applied health and medical research. Our vision is to be recognised as a world leader in applied health and medical research and be acknowledged for achieving excellence and innovation in patient care.



Women in Technology

• Australia
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• President

  • Apr 2019 - May 2021

  WiT is one of Queensland's most respected and active technology and science industry associations. We aim to support, develop, recognise and promote the achievements of women in the technology and science industries through advocacy, networking events, breakfasts, professional development, mentoring, our Board Readiness Program and the prestigious WiT Awards.



Mater Research

• Australia
• Research Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Head of Research Strategic Development

  • Jan 2019 - Jun 2019

  • Developing high quality initiatives and support programs aimed at assisting Mater’s research community • Important role in developing and delivering Mater Research’s strategy for attracting national and international competitive grant funding • Provide strategic assistance and advice to Mater’s research community including co-ordinating processes for identification of funding opportunities and subsequent application. • Develop, review and implement internal funding… Show more • Developing high quality initiatives and support programs aimed at assisting Mater’s research community • Important role in developing and delivering Mater Research’s strategy for attracting national and international competitive grant funding • Provide strategic assistance and advice to Mater’s research community including co-ordinating processes for identification of funding opportunities and subsequent application. • Develop, review and implement internal funding schemes • Develop and improve systems to capture research performance metrics and reporting • Develop educational programs and exploring marketing opportunities • Engagement with a range of internal and external stakeholders Show less



Children's Hospital Foundation

• Australia
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director Research and Grants

  • Mar 2018 - Jan 2019

  Achievements • Established the Centre for Child and Adolescent Brain Cancer Research ($5.7M) • Established the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research ($5M) • Developed and launched the Mary McConnel Career Boost Program for Women in Paediatric Research ($200K) in my role as member of the Foundation’s Gender Equity Advisory Group • Oversight of increased expenditure in quality research and grants from $5.6M (FY17) to $10M (FY 18) • Convened a strategy and… Show more Achievements • Established the Centre for Child and Adolescent Brain Cancer Research ($5.7M) • Established the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research ($5M) • Developed and launched the Mary McConnel Career Boost Program for Women in Paediatric Research ($200K) in my role as member of the Foundation’s Gender Equity Advisory Group • Oversight of increased expenditure in quality research and grants from $5.6M (FY17) to $10M (FY 18) • Convened a strategy and collaboration workshop to develop the Children’s Brain Cancer Initiative’s research program model which informs the applicant guidelines to establish a multi-million dollar research program. • Supported the CEO and CDO in philanthropic efforts to attract tied revenue towards new research and grant awards in support of the Foundation’s mission. Responsibilities • Active member of extended Executive Management Team • Provide strategic and scientific advice to Grants Committee and Board through papers and presentations. • Develop/implement operational plans to support strategy • Prepare/manage Research and Grants budget of $10M (FY18), $11M (FY19) • Oversee/manage team to deliver operational plan. • Manage administrative, legal and planning functions of the research and grants operations. Negotiate agreements e.g. research award funding agreements, award funding agreements, MoUs and service agreements. • Established operations meetings to significantly improve cross-disciplinary collaboration and operational efficiency. • Establish/maintain strong networks with external stakeholders (e.g. Research Advisory Committee, Federal Government Department of Health, Cancer Australia, CHQ executive and clinician researchers, UQ, QUT, QIMR, Griffith, AusHSI, Woolworths, other funding bodies and corporates) • Support the CEO, COO and CDO in philanthropy, corporate and government co-funding opportunities

• Head of Research and Grants

  • Aug 2017 - Mar 2018

  • Invited/contributed to Ministerial Roundtable Discussion (convened by Federal Health Minister, Hon Greg Hunt MP) to develop the Australian Brain Cancer Mission, underpinned by the national brain cancer research roadmap. Federal Gov announced $100M contribution towards brain cancer research on 29/10/17 • Established a new Health Service Research grant scheme ($500K FY17; $1.2M FY18), PhD Scholarship Top-Up Scheme ($230K FY18; $250K FY19); refined the Preclinical and Clinical Research Grant… Show more • Invited/contributed to Ministerial Roundtable Discussion (convened by Federal Health Minister, Hon Greg Hunt MP) to develop the Australian Brain Cancer Mission, underpinned by the national brain cancer research roadmap. Federal Gov announced $100M contribution towards brain cancer research on 29/10/17 • Established a new Health Service Research grant scheme ($500K FY17; $1.2M FY18), PhD Scholarship Top-Up Scheme ($230K FY18; $250K FY19); refined the Preclinical and Clinical Research Grant Scheme and increased funding pool available ($1M FY17; 2M FY18 & FY19). • Established new Clinical Excellence scheme to understand hospital and health services needs (expression of interest) and assess fundability of all non-research requests to improve clinical and medical excellence locally and state-wide. • Contributed to the development of the 2017 – 2023 UQ Child Health Research Strategy which aims to align the interests of multiple institutions (e.g. Children’s Health Qld, QUT, UQ, Children’s Hospital Foundation). • As part of the CHQ Research Symposium Committee, successfully convened annual CHQ research symposia (2016, 2017).

• Research and Grants Manager

  • Apr 2016 - Aug 2017

  South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia • Prepared/submitted report on behalf of Children’s Hospital Foundation to the Senate Inquiry into Funding for Research into Cancers with Low Survival Rates. I was invited to make a further contribution leading to at least two of the 24 recommendations made by the Select Committee being directly related to my submission. • Key role in establishing strategy for Children’s Health Research Alliance (joint venture between Children’s Hospital Foundation and Children’s Health… Show more • Prepared/submitted report on behalf of Children’s Hospital Foundation to the Senate Inquiry into Funding for Research into Cancers with Low Survival Rates. I was invited to make a further contribution leading to at least two of the 24 recommendations made by the Select Committee being directly related to my submission. • Key role in establishing strategy for Children’s Health Research Alliance (joint venture between Children’s Hospital Foundation and Children’s Health Queensland). • Delivered workshops to bring together executives and heads of major NHMRC-administering research institutes, government bodies, CHQ and other foundations to develop strategy for Children’s Health Research Alliance • In consultation with key internal and external stakeholders developed/implemented new research and grants strategic plan and framework to ensure investment in high quality translational research that is assessed/evaluated by an independent Research Advisory Committee, and demonstrates national and international impact on children’s health. • Facilitated establishment, recruitment and management of internationally-recognised members of the Foundation’s independent Research Advisory Committee. • Developed/implemented numerous new funding schemes to support the Foundation's mission which is key to positioning and reputation of the organisation • In collaboration with CHQ established CHF/CHQ Collaborative Committee to assess non-research grant applications • Scoped/implemented cloud-based grants management system and associated business procedural change management to facilitate online applications, communication and operational efficiency of the team • Managed $7.7M budget



Icon Cancer Foundation

• Clinical Trial Ethics, Regulatory & Start-Up Specialist

  • Feb 2012 - Apr 2016

  Key Achievements Led a program of change within the business to significantly decrease clinical trial start-up timeframes resulting in: o Award for 2013 Best Clinical Trials Site for Australia & NZ - outstanding ethics and governance management, ARCS o Oral presentation at ARCS Conference Sydney (2013) on Clinical Research Study Start-Up Timelines at the HOCA Research Centre o Invited panel member in ethics and governance discussion at ARCS Conference 2013 o Increased… Show more Key Achievements Led a program of change within the business to significantly decrease clinical trial start-up timeframes resulting in: o Award for 2013 Best Clinical Trials Site for Australia & NZ - outstanding ethics and governance management, ARCS o Oral presentation at ARCS Conference Sydney (2013) on Clinical Research Study Start-Up Timelines at the HOCA Research Centre o Invited panel member in ethics and governance discussion at ARCS Conference 2013 o Increased pharmaceutical sponsorship/clinical trial activity with number of new clinical trials opened increasing from 6 (2012) to 36 (2015) - Managed entire clinical trial ethics and regulatory governance portfolio (107 trials as at April 2016) across 5 sites in Qld. - Established key collaborations, provided education and guidance on clinical trial ethics and governance across the country Responsibilities - Develop framework to streamline ethics and governance proesses - Establish/maintain external relationships with many pharmaceutical sponsors, Clinical Research Organisations, TGA, Pathology (QML, SNP), Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC; Bellberry, Mater, UnitingCare Health) - Establish/maintain internal relationships with Clinical Services, Medical Services – Visiting Medical Officers, IT, Pharmacy, Clinical Trial Coordinators, Data Managers, Executives, Administrative Staff - Report to Research Committee and Board - Manage feasibility assessments and all study start-up activities in compliance with Good Clinical Practice and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. - Review contracts, indemnity/insurance, prepare essential regulatory documents. - Maintain regulatory compliance (contract negotiations, financial disclosures, CVs, Data Release Forms, Clinical Trial Notifications for the TGA, FDA1572s for the FDA, site-specific assessments, Clinical Trial Research Agreement execution) - Develop/review SOPs, policies, operational manuals and implement/monitor in compliance with GCP

• Project Manager - Patient Outcomes

  • Apr 2014 - Jun 2015

  In this role, I led a major change initiative to develop and implement a value-based healthcare framework that would systematically collect, analyse and report on patient outcomes in day oncology hospitals to assess the impact of healthcare delivery. This would form the basis of the ultimate aim which was to maximise value for patients and all stakeholders involved in healthcare delivery, with value defined as the health outcomes achieved per dollar spent. Streamlining processes and maximising… Show more In this role, I led a major change initiative to develop and implement a value-based healthcare framework that would systematically collect, analyse and report on patient outcomes in day oncology hospitals to assess the impact of healthcare delivery. This would form the basis of the ultimate aim which was to maximise value for patients and all stakeholders involved in healthcare delivery, with value defined as the health outcomes achieved per dollar spent. Streamlining processes and maximising operational effectiveness whilst measuring patient outcomes and the cost associated with these, would strategically position the organisation to gain a clear competitive advantage. Achievements/ Responsibilities - Developed Icon-specific value-based framework to measure patient outcomes by: • Establishing and managing a multidisciplinary team • Conducting retrospective data analyses to understand the patient population and the organisation’s maturity to implement the framework – including patient journey mapping, process mapping, business/workflow analysis • Developing Icon-specific metrics to prospectively capture patient outcomes data in day oncology hospitals • Fostering collaborative internal relationships with all major business units including Research, Medical Services, Clinical Services, IT, Oncologists/Haematologists, Brand and Comms, Finance, Events and Fundraising • Developing external relationships including contractual agreements with the Qld Cancer Control Analysis Team, Harvard Business School’s International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement and QUT • Developing protocol and associated documents (questionnaires, Participant Information Sheet/Informed Consent Form) with intent to run pilot as investigator-initiated study • Reviewed/developed policies, SOPs, medical records forms etc to achieve strategic goals • Thought leadership - Define strategy, framework and lead major change management initiative for patient outcomes measurement



The University of Queensland

• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Research Officer

  • Feb 2007 - Feb 2008

  School of Medicine UQ - Princess Alexandra Hospital Project: Rapamycin as an anti-fibrotic agent Major Achievements: • Worked with Prof Crawford to lead and set direction of research • Won – Young Investigator Award – 11th Coolum Update in Gastroenterology & Hepatology • Secured Travel Grant – Gastroenterology Society of Australia • Finalist – Princess Alexandra Hospital Week Poster Prize • Established local and national collaborations and international contacts • Supervised research assistant and work experience… Show more Project: Rapamycin as an anti-fibrotic agent Major Achievements: • Worked with Prof Crawford to lead and set direction of research • Won – Young Investigator Award – 11th Coolum Update in Gastroenterology & Hepatology • Secured Travel Grant – Gastroenterology Society of Australia • Finalist – Princess Alexandra Hospital Week Poster Prize • Established local and national collaborations and international contacts • Supervised research assistant and work experience student • Published numerous articles in internationally-recognised, high-impact factor journals Show less



The University of Queensland

• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Fellow

  • Feb 2003 - Dec 2006

  Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research now known as Diamantina Institute Project: The role of TGFbeta1 in human epidermal keratinocyte differentiation Project: The role of AP-2 transcription factors in human hair and sebaceous glands Major Achievements: • Secured UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship • Won – UniQuest Trailblazer Challenge for: Your dream come true – hair removal for good • Established multi-disciplinary local, national and international collaborations • Supervised honours students and research assistants • Published… Show more Project: The role of TGFbeta1 in human epidermal keratinocyte differentiation Project: The role of AP-2 transcription factors in human hair and sebaceous glands Major Achievements: • Secured UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship • Won – UniQuest Trailblazer Challenge for: Your dream come true – hair removal for good • Established multi-disciplinary local, national and international collaborations • Supervised honours students and research assistants • Published numerous articles in internationally-recognised, high-impact factor journals Show less