Scientific Advisory Committee

The Scientific Advisory Committee contributes to and endorses NCIRS’ long-term national research and surveillance strategy; systematically monitors the performance of NCIRS scientific outcomes; monitors the quality of the research and surveillance systems and processes used by NCIRS in its work; and identifies emerging matters that should be incorporated into the long-term strategy.
 

Chair

• Professor Christopher Blyth, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, Perth Children’s Hospital; Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia; Director, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Kids Research Institute Australia
   

Members

• Professor Jim Buttery, Professor of Child Health Informatics, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne; Head of Epidemiology Informatics research group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Head of Epidemiology and Signal Detection of SAFEVIC; Chief Research Information Officer, Infectious Diseases Physician, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne; Co-director, Global Vaccine Data Network
• Professor Tom Snelling, Director, Health and Clinical Analytics Team, The University of Sydney School of Public Health; Paediatric Infectious Diseases Physician, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network; Team Head of Adaptive Health Intelligence and Honorary Research Fellow, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Kids Research Institute Australia
• Professor Margie Danchin, Group Leader, Vaccine Uptake Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Paediatrician, Department of General Medicine, The Royal Children's Hospital; Professor, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne; Deputy Chair, Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance (ARIA)
• Professor Katie Flanagan, Director Department of Infectious Diseases, Launceston General Hospital; Director, Tasmanian Vaccine Trial Centre, Clifford Craig Foundation; Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania; Adjunct Professor, School of Health and Biomedical Science, RMIT University
• Professor Paul Effler, Senior Medical Advisor, Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Department of Health, Western Australia; Adjunct Professor, University of Western Australia
• Professor Nigel Stocks, Head, Discipline of General Practice, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide
• Professor James Wood, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney
• Professor Colleen Lau, NHMRC Fellow, Program Leader, Operational Research and Decision Support for Infectious Diseases, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland
• Associate Professor Jane Smith, Head, General Practice, Bond University Medical Program; General Practitioner, Robina Town Medical Centre
• Dr Shannon Melody, Specialist Medical Advisor/Public Health Physician, Communicable Diseases Prevention Unit, Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmania
• Mrs Catherine Hughes, Director, Immunisation Foundation of Australia
• Ms Karen Booth, Board of Directors Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
• Ms Kristy Crooks, Aboriginal Program Manager, Health Protection Unit, Hunter New England Population Health; PhD Scholar
   

Government Representatives

• Ms Vivien Bevan, Director, Immunisation Policy and Advisory Section, Health Security and Emergency Management Division, Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Mr Dave McNally, Assistant Secretary, Planning and Assessment Support Branch, National Immunisation Division, Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Dr Ben Polkinghorne, Director, Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Dr Megan Hickie, Principal Medical Advisor, Pharmacovigilance Branch, Therapeutic Goods Administration
• Mr Shaun Coutts, Senior Health Program Advisor, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, Global Health Division, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Dr Christine Selvey, Director, Communicable Diseases, Health Protection NSW
• Dr Sonya Ennis, Manager, Immunisation Unit, Health Protection NSW
   

NCIRS Executive Management

• Professor Kristine Macartney, Director, NCIRS; Professor, The University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School; Staff Specialist, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
• Professor Nicholas Wood, Associate Director, Clinical Research and Services, NCIRS; Senior Staff Specialist, Department of General Paediatrics, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead; Associate Professor, Academic Leader (Postgraduate studies), The University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School
• Professor Bette Liu, Associate Director, Population Health, NCIRS; Professor, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
• Associate Professor Frank Beard, Associate Director, Coverage, Evaluation Surveillance and Social Science, NCIRS; Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney
• Dr Clayton Chiu, Associate Director – Immunisation Policy Support and Guideline Development (Public Health Physician), NCIRS; Lecturer, The University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School
• Dr Helen Quinn, Manager – Associate Director Policy Support & Guideline Development, NCIRS; Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School
• Associate Professor Aditi Dey, Senior Research Fellow, NCIRS; Conjoint Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, The University of Sydney
• Dr Sarah Sheridan, Technical Lead, Global Health, NCIRS; Adjunct Senior Fellow/Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland
• Dr Kirsten Williamson Senior Medical Officer – Immunisation, NCIRS
• Ms Sophie Chadwick, Senior Manager, Global Health, NCIRS
• Ms Emma Carey, Coordinating Nurse Manager, PAEDS
• Ms Karyn Phillips, Head of Business and Research Operations, NCIRS
• Ms Stoy Drinic, Manager – Research Grants and Contracts, NCIRS
• Ms Salema Barrett – Senior Marketing and Communications Manager
   

Secretariat

• Ms Karyn Phillips, Head of Business and Research Operations, NCIRS
• Ms Bronwyn Ward, Senior Administrative Officer – Contract Management and Policy Support, NCIRS
• Ms Belinda Smith, Executive Assistant, Clinical and Research, NCIRS