22/09/23 – Vaccination for people with disability

Kristine Macartney is a paediatrician, infectious disease specialist and vaccinologist. She previously worked in the US, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and she was a founding member of the US Vaccine Education Center. 

Kristine’s particular interests include the translation of evidence into policy and practice; vaccine safety; and vaccine-preventable diseases research – particularly in viral diseases, including COVID-19, rotavirus, varicella zoster virus, human papillomavirus (HPV) and influenza. She is the senior editor of the Australian Immunisation Handbook, has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and is a member of key peak advisory committees in Australia, including the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

Kristine is also an expert consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), a member of the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, a member of several WHO-SAGE subcommittees and the Founding Chair of the Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance. She has a clinical appointment at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as a Staff Specialist in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology and a conjoint academic appointment as Professor in the Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney.

George Taleporos has over 25 years’ experience of advocating for disability rights and self-directed supports. He is a member of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Independent Advisory Council; provides advice on disability issues to the Department of Health and Aged Care; and works as a Senior Policy Analyst and Communications Producer at the Summer Foundation, where he hosts and produces Reasonable and Necessary, a fortnightly podcast series about the NDIS. 

Marianne Haleblian is the Principal Policy Officer, Disability, Youth and Paediatric Health in the Health and Social Policy Branch at the NSW Ministry of Health. Her work is focused on disability inclusion, intellectual disability health services, and the NSW Health response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. 

Marianne has worked in disability across a number of NSW agencies, including the Department of Communities and Justice, the NSW Ombudsman and NSW Trustee and Guardian.

Callie Barrett is an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health and Aged Care, and has been leading the COVID-19 vaccine program for people with disability since February 2023. 

Callie has worked on COVID since March 2020, and has led the development of multiple platforms, access channels and communications for priority populations.

Prior to working with the Department on COVID, Callie worked in the community sector with both state and territory governments and not-for-profit organisations.

As well as her professional experience, Callie identifies as having lived experience as the parent of a child with disability.

Madeline Hall is a Nurse Practitioner specialising in vaccine-preventable diseases, with a special interest in vaccine safety. She has extensive experience in vaccine-preventable diseases and is involved in advanced health assessments and risk screening of adults with specific vaccination requirements, such as persons who have had a previous serious or unexpected adverse event following immunisation, immunocompromised persons and those at occupational risk. Madeline was a member of ATAGI from 2012 to 2021 and has been a member of the Advisory Committee on Vaccines since 2020. 

Natalie Ong is a Developmental Paediatrician with experience working in the UK, Singapore and Australia. Natalie currently works at the Child Development Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. She has extensive experience of conducting developmental assessments and training in the use of developmental screening and assessment tools. She also has experience in general paediatrics. In addition, Natalie has led service development of multidisciplinary health and assessment teams. She has assisted departments in the development of staff training and adapted care pathways to improve access and safety of care of children with intellectual disability. Natalie is completing her PhD, on improving care for children with intellectual disability in hospital, through the University of Sydney. 

Nicholas Wood is a staff specialist general paediatrician and Professor in Clinical Vaccinology at the University of Sydney. Nick holds a National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship. He leads the NSW Immunisation Specialist Service and coordinates the Immunisation Adverse Events Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. He is a senior investigator on the Primary Health Network Immunisation Support Program. Nick is interested in maternal and neonatal immunisation, as well as research into vaccine safety, including genetics and long-term outcomes of adverse events following immunisation.