Seminar presenters
The Research Skills Seminar and Workshop Series have a range of guest presenters that volunteer their time and expertise towards enriching the series. All presenters bring their experiences with scientific research to ensure our series covers topics that are important and useful to our audience.
Our Presenters
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Dr Kenneth LeeSenior Lecturer, Pharmacy Practice, University of Western AustraliaDr Lee is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice and a clinician. As a clinician, he works in a large medical centre as the in-house pharmacist, as well as in private consultancy, where he primarily delivers comprehensive medication management review services to domiciliary patients. Dr Lee is passionate about integrating practice, research, and teaching. Presented
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Michael DymockBiostatistician, Telethon Kids InstituteMichael is a biostatistician and PhD candidate based at the Telethon Kids Institute. His research interests involve the use of Bayesian methods in adaptive clinical trials, computational statistics, and novel methods for vaccine safety surveillance. He aims to bridge the gap between clinical research design and decision-making by enhancing research methodology and encouraging statistical literacy and communication. Presenting
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Dr Amy PageSenior Lecturer, School of Allied Health, University of Western AustraliaDr Amy Page is a registered pharmacist and qualified biostatistician. Her vision is to reduce medicines-related harm while balancing symptom control to align with individualised treatment goals for older people to improve well-being. She undertakes knowledge creation and translation through implementation, practitioner development, communication and media, engagement with professional bodies and policy for sustained impact on pharmacy practice. Presented
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Alexandra RobertsonDirector of Research Operations, Child and Adolescent Health ServiceAli has joined CAHS from The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), Melbourne where she was the Director of Research Operations. She has a wealth of experience in health service management, research governance and operations at tertiary academic hospitals, both paediatric and adult. Ali worked across RCH and with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute to strengthen the partnership, implement systems and processes to streamline research governance and ethics. Her primary focus was to support clinicians of all disciplines to conduct research by breaking down barriers and developing enablers. Presented
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Dr Natalie GilesManager, Research Ethics and Governance, Research Department CAHSNatalie has a background as a researcher prior to moving into research ethics. She initially worked in the field of immunology and later completed a PhD in biomedical science from Murdoch University. She worked as a post-doctoral researcher for the Fiona Wood Foundation, known as the McComb Foundation at the time. Natalie then took on a research ethics role at the University of Notre Dame Australia and later at South Metropolitan Health Service prior to joining CAHS. Presenting
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Medya AhmadianResearch Governance Coordinator, Research Department CAHSWith a background in public health, Medya has been a Research Governance Coordinator at the Child and Adolescent Health Service since 2022. In addition to assisting researchers making quality governance applications, Medya is responsible for reviewing and monitoring research projects across Child and Adolescent Health Service sites. Co-presented
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Samantha CrawfordResearch Governance Coordinator, Research Department CAHSAs the Research Governance Coordinator at the Child and Adolescent Health Service, Samantha is part of the team responsible for reviewing, approving and monitoring Research projects that happen at a CAHS site which include Perth Childrens Hospital, Community Health, Mental Health and Neonatology. Samantha offers researchers specialised support services to assist in the development, governance and implementation of effective research across the health service. Co-presented
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A/Prof Tony KempSchool of Earth Sciences, University of Western AustraliaTony completed his PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra, and held research positions in the UK, Japan and the USA, before relocating to UWA in 2011 as an ARC Future Fellow. He has > 120 peer reviewed publications, including first authored papers in Nature and Science, is an expert assessor for a number of national research funding bodies (including ARC, NERC, NSF) and serves as Associate Editor for two international journals. Presented
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Melanie WrightDirector of Research, South Metropolitan Health ServiceMel has 40 years of healthcare experience and for the past 7 years has led strategic transformation of the research environment in SMHS, achieving significant cultural change, to one where researchers are supported, enabled and empowered to conduct high quality local, state and international research projects. Mel is passionate about project management, research and involving consumers with lived experience in every aspect pf healthcare as equal and active partners, Mel has over 10 years of healthcare project management experience. Mel is also passionate about teaching, coaching and mentoring staff to achieve their very best. Presenting
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Dr Charlie McLeodPaediatric Infectious Diseases Clinician Researcher, Research Fellow, Raine Fellow,
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Dr Giulia PeacockResearch Fellow, CAHS Research Education ProgramGiulia graduated medical school from the University of Notre Dame Fremantle in 2014. She supplements her clinical work as an Advanced Paediatric Trainee by conducting and publishing research in paediatric cardiology and through active involvement in medical education. She is currently completing her Masters in Clinical Science, Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia. She hopes to ensure easy accessibility to research education and support, to create best outcomes for all patients. Presenting
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Dr Tamika HeidenFounder and Principal, Research Impact Academy, VictoriaThe Research Impact Academy is a consulting service supporting researchers since 2014. Coming from a background in health and medical research, Tamika now helps researchers, research organisations, funding bodies, government agencies, and industry organisations to create, capture, evaluate and communicate research impact. Since 2018, Tamika has worked with over 600 researchers to perfect their NHMRC impact statements for the Investigator Grants. To date, she has supported researchers in securing more than $100 Million in research funding, with her clients enjoying an average success rate of 30%. Tamika also hosts the annual Research Impact Summit, the first global online and free conference dedicated to research impact. Presented |
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Belinda FrankSenior Community Engagement Manager, Telethon Kids Institute
Belinda is the Senior Community Engagement Manager at Telethon Kids Institute. She started her consumer advocacy work in 2002, originally as a board member and then state manager for a not for profit organisation. In 2016 she started work at the Telethon Kids Institute as the Consumer Advocate then moving into the Development Team with the establishment of the Consumer and Community Health Research Network. Belinda currently serves on state and national research committees. Presented
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Dr Timothy BarnettHead, Strep A Pathogenesis and Diagnostics Team, Telethon Kids Institute
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Prof Daniel FatovichEmergency Physician, Director of Research East Metropolitan Health Service
As Director of Research for East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS), Prof Fatovich provides strategic advice and leadership. He is a Board Member of the Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation and Chair of the EMHS Research Advisory Committee. He is an executive member of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Research Committee and the Clinical Trials Network and has received $26m in competitive grant funding. In 2020 and 2023, he was Ministerial adviser for the passage of the Guardianship and Administration (Medical Research) Act Western Australia. In 2017-18, he was deputy chair of the WA Methamphetamine Taskforce. Expertscape ranks him in the top <1% globally for expertise in Emergency Medicine. He loves to challenge doctors to think, and to think differently. Co-presenting |
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Mark WoodmanManager Research Department East Metropolitan Health Service
Mark has worked in research ethics and governance since 2008 and has managed the EMHS Research Hub since 2019. He takes a supportive and faciliatory approach to research governance, aiming to help clinical researchers and partners navigate regulatory requirements in as painlessly and productively as possible. With EMHS having strong ED and ICU research teams, the service has enrolled more than 200 patients in research under the Guardianship Act Part 9E and Mark has led operationalising the Act and training and support researchers in its use. Co-presenting
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A/Prof Natalie StrobelAssociate Dean (Research), Maladjiny Research Centre, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan UniversityNatalie is a Senior Research Fellow employed as the team leader on the evidence synthesis stream for the Centre for Improving Health Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families (ISAC) at the Edith Cowan University. She has been working in health services research and epidemiology to improve service delivery to children, in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Dr Strobel has been consulting with WHO on various neonatal guidelines including for preterm and low birth weight infants. Her work has had a strong focus on ensuring projects delivered are needs based and inform policy and practice. Presenting
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Prof Sonya GirdlerProfessor of Occupational Therapy and Director of the Curtin Autism Research Group (CARG)
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Prof Fenella GillAcute Paediatric Nursing, Perth Children's Hospital and Curtin UniversityFenella was an NHMRC Translating Research into Practice Fellow for post-doctoral research on partnering with parents in the care of their deteriorating child in hospital. She has undertaken training in implementation science in Canada and Australia and has held two further Implementation Science Fellowships. Fenella led the development of an evidence based paediatric early warning system with integrated family involvement and sepsis recognition. The ESCALATION System has been recently implemented throughout all WA hospitals where children are cared for and also adopted in pre-hospital emergency care by St John Ambulance WA. She now leads a research program Safer care for children in hospital to optimise the ESCALATION System. Presenting
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Peta O'SullivanCommunications Coordinator, CAHS Research DepartmentPeta’s early working life was as a journalist, working in print media and writing both news and feature articles, before eventually moving into sub-editing. Peta has been with the WA Health System for over a decade, working in communications. While at the Department of Health Peta has had the opportunity to work on stories promoting WA research, which she has really enjoyed. Presenting
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Dr Tegan McNabGrants & Research Development Manager, Telethon Kids InstituteTegan undertook her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Murdoch University. She managed the Western Australian DNA Bank (an NHMRC Enabling Resource) for a number of years before moving into research development roles at both The University of Western Australia and Curtin University. Tegan joined Telethon Kids in early 2019. Tegan has a particular interest in supporting researchers to secure research funding. She is responsible for the Institute's grants research operations. Presenting
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Cheryl BridgeHead, Kulunga Aboriginal Unit, Telethon Kids InstituteAs the Head of the Kulunga Aboriginal Unit, Cheryl plays a senior role in the full integration of Aboriginal health research as a core business focus of the Telethon kids Institute. She leads her team in providing support, cultural training and building awareness and understanding of Telethon Kids research involving Aboriginal communities across the state. Cheryl's vision is to see TKI's important research continue to translate into a positive impact for our Aboriginal children and families. Co-presenting
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Dr Lorna DavinSenior Lecturer Medical Education, University of Notre Dame AustraliaLorna is an experienced educator, facilitator, and researcher, in the area of emotional well-being. She has worked in the health and education sectors for the last 30 years. Lorna is a qualitative researcher who uses stories as the basis of her research. Her areas of interest are compassion and self-compassion, our values and beliefs, the stories we tell ourselves, and the way they shape our lives. She is a regular presenter at state and national conferences, has contributed a range of publications to the field, and supervises and mentors students undertaking research in health professional education. Her emphasis is to use education as a mechanism to enhance care for the vulnerable. She currently ‘teaches’ into the SoMs professional development program, and is reviewing aspects of the curriculum to reflect contemporary society, including gender diversity and inclusion. Presenting
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Ashley SchoofCommercialisation Officer, Telethon Kids InstituteAs the Commercialisation Officer at the Telethon Kids Institute, Ashley is responsible for the identification, protection and commercialisation of Intellectual Property at Telethon Kids to support the development of new discoveries, preventions and cures. Co-presenting
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Dr Helga MikkelsenInvestment Analyst, Brandon BioCatalystHelga Mikkelsen is a WA-based Investment Analyst at Brandon Capital, which manages Australia and New Zealand’s largest large life science investment fund, Brandon BioCatalyst. Following degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Helga completed her PhD in microbiology at the University of Cambridge and postdoctoral research in bacterial genetics at Imperial College London. She has since worked with medical innovation and has managed development of devices and drug treatments in the UK and Australia. Helga is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Director and co-founder of Respirion Pharmaceuticals, which develops an inhaled treatment for chronic lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Co-presenting
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Our previous presenters- some seminar recordings are still available to watch via the links below |
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Dr Jane Mugure GithaeResearch Fellow, CAHS Research Education ProgramMugure joins us from Kenya where she practiced as a General Surgeon & Honorary Lecturer in General Surgery. She has experience in clinical research, clinical audits and medical education. She is keen to simplify the process of integrating day-to-day clinical work with research. Presented
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Prof Peter RichmondHead of Paediatrics, University of Western Australia
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Prof Jonathan Carapetis AMDirector, Telethon Kids InstituteProfessor Jonathan Carapetis is Director of the Telethon Kids Institute and a Professor at UWA. His research interests include rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, other group A streptococcal diseases, vaccine preventable disease, Indigenous child health, youth health and education, and skin sores and scabies. He has supervised 23 PhD, Masters, Honours, Clinical Trainees and others in research. Presented up to end 2022 |
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Keryn McKinnonHead Strategic Communications, Telethon Kids InstituteKeryn is a corporate communications specialist with more than three decades experience as a senior journalist, newspaper editor, government media adviser and public relations executive. With expertise in crisis communications, stakeholder engagement and media management, Keryn was Agency Director at Perth PR firm Hunter Communications prior to taking on the role as Head, Strategic Communications at Telethon Kids Institute in April this year. A highly respected leader of communications teams, Keryn is an expert storyteller who thrives on delivering compelling, relevant and engaging content to targeted audiences. She cut her teeth on news reporting in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, where she become the first woman, and youngest person, to be appointed editor of the State’s only regional daily newspaper – the Kalgoorlie Miner. Presented
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A/Prof Bep UinkDean Indigenous Knowledges, Murdoch UniversityAssociate Professor Bep Uink (Master of Applied Psychology (Clinical), PhD) is a Noongar woman from Perth, WA. Her research focuses on understanding how socially determined disadvantage impacts the social emotional wellbeing of young people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and how social systems such as higher education can support young peoples’ wellbeing. Co-presented
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Shakara Liddelow-HuntResearch Assistant, Telethon Kids Institute/UWAShakara Liddelow-Hunt is a queer Wajarri Yamatji who grew up on Noongar country. They are a Research Assistant in the Youth Mental Health Team at the Telethon Kids Institute and PhD student at the University of Western Australia, focused on the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people. Co-presented
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