News & Events

Professor Deborah Sweeney

Professor Deborah Sweeney is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Enterprise and International at Western Sydney University. She provides leadership and guidance to achieve the University’s strategic priorities for research and innovation and focuses on quality assurance and enhancement.  In addition, she is responsible for supporting the research portfolios within the Schools and Institutes.

Deborah joined Western Sydney in 2009 and has more than 20 years’ experience in research and research management.  She received her Bachelor of Optometry from UNSW in 1980, joining the Cornea & Contact Lens Research Unit within the School of Optometry, UNSW.  Since completing her PhD in 1992, she has held various executive roles within the Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit and Vision CRC and its predecessor the CRC for Eye Research and Technology, including five years as Chief Executive Officer of Vision CRC.

Her major research area has been corneal physiology, her work has been instrumental in developing an understanding of the physiology of the human cornea and the effects of contact lens wear and refractive surgery on corneal function characteristics and the development of alternative forms of vision correction.  Deborah has received both national and international award recognition for her research. She has published over 100 refereed articles and several book chapters, and is co-inventor on two patents.

Deborah is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Paul McBride

Paul is First Assistant Secretary in the Commonwealth Department of Health. He has spent more than a decade in senior policy and advisory roles, with a primary focus on providing policy advice on the $110 billion per annum welfare payments system and more recently developing a whole of health system economic framework and managing the Medical Research Future Fund.

Paul led a review of the welfare payment system that redesigned welfare so that it better fit the economic, fiscal, social and political challenges. He was also responsible for improving the Department of Health’s ability to make evidence-based recommendations to government by better organising itself around available data. A key outcome of this process was the creation of the Australian Investment Approach which, by combining 15 years of administrative data, is now able to predict the likely welfare outcome based on an individual’s characteristics thereby creating a business case for investing in protective \ preventative interventions.

Since joining Health in October 2018, Paul has started the process to develop a whole of health system understanding of how incentives, structures and funding from governments and health care providers drive patient level outcomes, currently sub-optimally. He also has responsibility for data modelling and analytics functions and, as part of that, responsibility for the Digital Health CRC.

Paul’s previous board roles include Housing Supply Council, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). His previous senior governance roles include: DSS Audit committee deputy chair, deputy chair of Department of Social Services Research Ethics Committee.

Dr Steve Hambleton

Dr Steve Hambleton is a GP in Kedron in Brisbane and a former State and Federal President of the Australian Medical Association and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland.

He was the Chairman of National eHealth Transition Authority (NEHTA) and is currently a co-chair of the Clinical Programs, the Clinical Reference Group and the My Health Record Expansion Program Steering Group in the Australian Digital Health Agency.

He also holds board positions with Avant Mutual Group Limited, the AMA Queensland Foundation and the Qld Aboriginal and Islander Health Council.

Dr Neale Fong

Neale is a registered medical practitioner with over 30 years’ experience in medical and health care delivery and a wide range of leadership roles. His strengths lie in systems management, reform and change management, developing strategic directions and leading and managing both health policy and operational entities. He has held and continues to hold very senior positions in all health care sectors covering government services, private hospitals, academia, health research, public health, aged care and not for profit organisations.

Neale is currently Chair of the Western Australian Country Health Service Board, Professor of Healthcare Leadership at Curtin University, Chairman of Bethesda Health Care, National President of the Australasian College of Health Service Management and was Project Lead to the Australian Health Ministers Council in developing Australia’s first Health Leadership Development Capability Framework. In additional Dr Fong is a director of a number of health technology companies.

As a past Director-General of the WA Department of Health, Neale was responsible for an annual budget at the time of $4.5 Billion and 37,000 staff. Prior to joining the Department of Health, he was the Chief Executive Officer of St John of God Hospital Subiaco, Australia’s largest private hospital at the time, with over 500 beds and 27 operating theatres. He has served on numerous health and aged care boards over the past years in the private and not-for-profit sectors.

Neale was named a finalist in the 2010 WA Citizen of the Year Awards in the category of Community Service and awarded a Centenary Medal in 2011 for services to healthcare by the Australian Government.

Professor Priscilla Rogers

Priscilla is a highly motivated engineer, entrepreneur and leader of industry-based health technology ventures. Her core expertise is in the research, development, and commercialisation of next-generation solutions for real-world problems within the health and life sciences sectors. Priscilla’s special interests are in digital health, medical devices and pharmaceuticals.

Priscilla is currently a Director and Investor in Upstart Innovations and Chief Operating Officer of Wintermute Biomedical. Other current roles include Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University and Advisor to DoseMe. Priscilla was formerly a Senior Manager and Research Staff Member for IBM Research, where she developed and commercialised innovative artificial intelligence solutions. Priscilla has been a member of the DHCRC’s Translation and Commercialisation Committee for FY 18/19.

Dr Megan Robertson

Megan is an alumna of the University of Melbourne where she completed a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). She is the current Director of Research at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, and works as a Senior Intensivist at Epworth HealthCare (Richmond and Freemasons).

Megan is on the boards of Biomedical Research Victoria, the Caroline Chisolm Centre for Health Ethics and FearLess (PTSD-ANZ), the Biodevices Advisory Board at the ARC Training Centre in Biodevices at Swinburne University, and the Tuckwell Scholarship Selection Panel at ANU. She also works with national bodies including the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, AusBioTech, and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Previously, Megan held positions as the Director of Professional Affairs, CICM, as the Executive Director of Research at Epworth HealthCare, and as the Co-Director of the Intensive Care Unit at Epworth Freemasons.

Mr William (Bill) Lucia

Bill Lucia has served as HMS chairman, president, and chief executive officer since March 2009. He has been a member of the board of directors since May 2008 and was appointed chairman in July 2015. From May 2005 to March 2009, Bill served as HMS president and chief operating officer. He joined the company in 1996 and continues to lead HMS through the evolving healthcare landscape, demonstrating the ability to formulate and implement key strategic initiatives.

Prior to HMS, Bill served as senior vice president of operations and chief information officer for Celtic Life Insurance Company, and senior vice president of Insurance Operations for North American Company for Life and Health Insurance. He serves as chairman of the Council for Medicare Integrity, and is a director on the board of AllyAlign Health.

Bill also is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute program through LOMA, an international association of insurance and financial services companies engaging in research and educational activities to improve operations.

Ms Kate Munning

Kate joined Ramsay Health Care as Chief Operating Officer in January 2016 and is responsible for Ramsay’s extensive hospital operations across Australia. Kate qualified as a registered nurse in the 1980’s, and went on to complete a Bachelor of Health Science and a Bachelor of Laws. In 2003, she was appointed as a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, specialising in contract and construction law. Kate then joined the partnership at international firm Baker McKenzie where she held a number of leadership positions.

In 2006, Kate moved into a corporate role at international company; Transfield Services Limited and was accountable for Legal & Corporate Governance, Risk & Commercial Management, Procurement and Corporate Communication. Kate was later appointed to the role of Chief Executive of Operations where she had operational responsibility for the Logistics, Construction & Consulting businesses which provided services, largely for State and Commonwealth Governments.

Kate has also served as a Board Member for South East Sydney Local Health District for 4 years from 2012 – 2016.

Mr Michael Walsh

Michael currently provides strategic advisory services to large organisations with a focus on leadership, digital health, governance, strategy, planning and transformation.

Michael Walsh was Director-General of Queensland Health from July 2015 to September 2019. Queensland Health employs approximately 100,000 people and provides a public health and hospital system for nearly five million people.

Michael was chair of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) providing advice to the COAG Health Council from 2016 to 201 and was on the Board of the Australian Digital Health Agency from July 2018 to September 2019. The ADHA is responsible for My Health Record. Michael has also previously been on the Board of Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners, an NHMRC accredited Advanced Health Research and Translation Centre.

Over the past 20 years, Michael has held senior executive positions in New South Wales and Queensland. He has worked as Chief Executive HealthShare NSW and was the inaugural Chief Executive of eHealth NSW. In Queensland, Michael has worked in both social and economic portfolios at the Deputy Director-General level including health, education, and infrastructure. Michael has also worked in the private sector including as a principal with PwC.

Michael holds a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in psychology, Bachelor of Science in human movement and Bachelor of Education. Michael has a passion for organisational excellence and leading value based teams achieving outcomes that improve the lives of all Australians.

Professor Steven McPhail

Professor in Health Services Research

Queensland University of Technology

Flagship area – Intelligent Decision Support

More information – https://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/steven.mcphail

Contact – [email protected]

Professor Steven McPhail is a health services researcher with a passion for empowering health service providers and clinical teams to make intelligent decisions that lead to high value, safe and effective care for patients. He is both a health economist and a clinician with 15 years’ experience working in collaborative partnerships between healthcare organisations and academic institutions.

Steve is currently the academic director of the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and also leads the health management discipline at the Queensland University of Technology. He has been fortunate to have been supported by NHMRC administered fellowships for the duration of his research career to-date conducting research embedded in health services. He has a special interest in digital disruption in healthcare environments as an unprecedented opportunity for improving value-based care and reducing non-beneficial care. He is not only interested in novel technical solutions, but also the implementation and human elements of healthcare teams and patient interactions that underpin successful digital transformations, as well as their economic sustainability.

He is excited to be working with Digital Health CRC industry and academic partners making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capitalise on our collective strengths in the digital health arena for the benefit of patients and the broader community.

Professor James Boyd

Professor of Public Health (Digital Health)

Curtin University and Latrobe University

Flagship area – Enabling Information Discovery and Application

More information – https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/jhboyd

Contact – [email protected]

James is a Professor of Public Health at Curtin University and the inaugural Chair in Digital Health at La Trobe University. He has a strong research background and is an international expert in data linkage who will lead La Trobe’s Digital Health strategy around course development and research.

James has over 25 years’ experience working with large, national, linked population-based health administrative datasets to produce national epidemiological and management information, assisting in the monitoring and evaluation of health service performance. The resulting research using linked data supports innovation in the public sector and industry, leading to advances in preventative medicine, improvements in healthcare and better development of commercial drugs and diagnostics. It provides new insights into the understanding of causes of ill health, which in turn will guide new biomedical research discovery.

Professor Rachel Davey

Director, Health Research Institute

University of Canberra

Flagship area – Changing Health Trajectories

More information – https://researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/persons/rachel-davey

Contact – [email protected]

Rachel is Director of the multi-disciplinary Health Research Institute and has over 30 years’ research experience relating to the prevention of chronic disease, health services research and evaluation, and clinical and community interventions. She has wide experience of working across the healthcare system in Australia and internationally.

Her research has focused on partnerships with local, state and national government health authorities, hospital networks, primary care, General Practice and a broad range of medical, allied health services, health professionals and consumers.

Her translational research has informed public policy in Australia and overseas in addressing physical inactivity, lifestyle behaviour risk, and broader social and environmental factors that impact on health and health outcomes. She has an international track record and ongoing research projects with large research groups in the USA, UK, and Europe in chronic disease prevention and behavioural change.

Professor Deborah Parker

Professor of Nursing Aged Care (Dementia)

University of Technology Sydney

Flagship area – Residential Aged Care

More information – https://www.uts.edu.au/staff/deborah.parker

Contact – [email protected]

Deborah is the Professor of Nursing Aged Care (Dementia) in the Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney. She leads the aging research program for the Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT) Centre at UTS and has received over $35 million in research funding from the NHMRC, Australian Government and philanthropic organisations.

She is a co-lead on End of Life Directions in Aged Care, a $15 million federally funded program to improve palliative care and advance care planning for older Australians. Deborah is President of Palliative Care New South Wales, a Board Director of Carrington Care, Leigh Place and Chair of the Ageing Policy Chapter for the Australian College of Nursing. Prior to joining UTS in 2016 she was the Director of two industry-based research centres and has extensive aged care industry research networks and experience.

Professor Deborah Theodorus

Director, RECOVER Injury Research Centre

The University of Queensland

Flagship area – Rehabilitation Following Injury

More information – https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/245

Contact – [email protected]

Deborah is Director of the RECOVER Injury Research Centre in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Queensland. She is a founder and co-director of the Centre for Research in Telerehabilitation (CRT) and the Telerehabilitation Clinic in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at UQ. She is a world leader in the development of telerehabilitation in speech pathology, and she has collaborated with other allied health professionals in the application of technology in clinical practice.

Prolific in research and an avid educator, Deborah has over 180 publications in telerehabilitation, speech and voice treatments, intensive therapy and clinical education. She has received just over $12 million in competitive grant funding. She continues to break new ground in ongoing studies relating to online therapy interventions and technology-enabled models of care.

Professor Suzanne Robinson

Professor and Theme Leader for Health Systems and Health Economics

Curtin University

Flagship area – Rural and Remote

More information – https://staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/Suzanne.Robinson/

Contact – [email protected]

Suzanne is lead for the Health Systems and Health Economics Discipline at Curtin University, and Co-Director of the Curtin Research and Data Analytics Hub. She has been awarded competitive research grants from international and national funding agencies and has been involved in leading health systems and health economics projects that have had a major impact on government reform initiatives.

In Australia, she has been successful in a number of industry-driven partnerships including with the WA Primary Health Alliance and WA Country Health Services – these collaborations are aimed at undertaking translational research and evaluation activity in primary care commissioning in WA.

Suzanne is passionate about using evidence to support the delivery of effective and equitable health services and leads international research on decision making, priority setting and disinvestment in health. This work involves a number of aspects, in particular, the use of health datasets to produce an evidence base to inform resource allocation decisions. She is also involved in undertaking economic evaluations alongside clinical trials.