Dr Lavender Otieno (PhD) is an Early Career Researcher behavioural scientist whose work focuses on the growing concern of nicotine use among young adults in Australia. Dr Otieno came to Flinders University from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute where she focused on investigating the motivating factors behind the growing use of nicotine vapes among adolescents in South Australia for translational implementation. Her current research interests Include: Tobacco control and smoking cessation Vaping product and e-cigarette use

I am a Psychologist in the Discipline of Behavioural Health, College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. My clinical expertise is in strength-based psychotherapy, and research interests include the design of digital mental health technologies, the lived experience of health service users, the acceptability and effectiveness of low intensity cognitive behaviour therapy, and strength-based mental health promotion.

Dr Joshua Trigg is a public health researcher with training and experience in psychological and population health research. His work focuses on health and occupational health risk factors, risk attitudes and motivators of risk behaviours. Dr Trigg came to the Flinders Public Health Team from Cancer Council South Australia, where he researched tobacco and alcohol use attitudes and behaviours, as well as community perceptions of culturally focused tobacco cessation messaging. His previous work has examined motivators and inhibitors of emergency risk taking behaviour, and wellbeing and quality of life domains, and has used various quantitative and qualitative methods. He is a member of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs and Public Health Association of Australia, and has worked with government health bodies, non-profits and various community organisations across Australia. His current research interests include: – Tobacco control and smoking cessation – Vaping and e-cigarette use – Alcohol consumption patterns – Health risk behaviours – Health promotion/risk messaging effectiveness – Wellbeing and quality of life Qualifications – PhD (Psychology) – BPsycSci(Hon) (First Class)

Prof Andrew Sindone, Cardiologist; Director of the Heart Failure Unit and Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Concord Hospital; Head, Department of Cardiology, Ryde Hospital
Prof Andrew Sindone B. Med (hons), MD, FRACP, FCSANZ, FNHFA is Director of the Heart Failure Unit and Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Concord Hospital and Head of Department of Cardiology at Ryde Hospital. He runs the Concord Hospital Heart Failure Clinic, research, rehabilitation and outreach programs. He has been Principal Investigator in 50 international, multi-centre, clinical trials and authored over 100 articles. He is a Co-Chairman of the NSW Cardiovascular Expert Reference Group, Fellow of the Heart Foundation of Australia and is co-author of the Australian and the Asia Pacific Heart Failure Guidelines.

Dr Desmond Graham, Geriatrician; Northern Beaches Hospital, Sydney
Dr Desmond Graham is a Geriatrician who graduated from the University of Newcastle and completed specialty training at Westmead and North Shore Hospitals. He is actively involved with the Australia and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine and holds an academic appointment as a Clinical Lecturer with the University of Sydney. Dr Graham has a special interest in healthy ageing and peri-operative medicine. He provides holistic, patient-centred care for all patients with major geriatric syndromes including dementia, delirium, frailty, falls and end of life care. He participates in a monthly Healthy Ageing segment with Deborah Knight on 2GB radio and holds regular forums for the Northern Beaches community.

Prof Dominic Dwyer, Medical Virologist and Infectious Diseases Physician; Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR, Westmead Hospital, Sydney
Prof Dominic Dwyer is a medical virologist and infectious diseases physician in the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, located in the ICPMR at Westmead Hospital, Sydney. He has a clinical and research interest in viral diseases of public health importance. This includes HIV (where he coordinates an active program in antiretroviral drug resistance and HIV molecular epidemiology in Australia and the region), influenza and other respiratory viruses, and arboviruses. He leads an antiviral trials unit that has participated in over sixty studies of antiviral drugs and vaccines. His influenza research includes assessing interventions to prevent influenza transmission in closed environments, and developing assays for seasonal and pandemic influenza. CIDMLS has enhanced the laboratory investigative capacity in NSW for infectious disease outbreaks, with his particular focus being rapid detection and molecular epidemiology of outbreak and emerging viruses.

Dr Ted Wu, Endocrinologist; Senior Specialist Endocrinologist, Director, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes Centre; Director of Physician Training, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
Dr Ted Wu is a senior specialist endocrinologist, Director of the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital Diabetes Centre and Director of Physician Training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He has a long-term interest clinical diabetes, and teaching and research into diabetes complications and novel treatments. In 1998 he joined the RPA Diabetes Centre, formulating and delivering novel educational programs in clinical diabetes. He has published numerous articles, abstracts and book chapters and has been an invited speaker to many international symposia. He was instrumental in establishing RPA Hospital’s Diabetes Centre as a National Association of Diabetes Centre’s ‘Centre of Excellence’ and Australia’s only International Diabetes Federation ‘Centre of Education’.

Dr Ted Wu is a senior specialist endocrinologist, Director of the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital Diabetes Centre and Director of Physician Training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He has a long-term interest clinical diabetes, and teaching and research into diabetes complications and novel treatments. In 1998 he joined the RPA Diabetes Centre, formulating and delivering novel educational programs in clinical diabetes. He has published numerous articles, abstracts and book chapters and has been an invited speaker to many international symposia. He was instrumental in establishing RPA Hospital’s Diabetes Centre as a National Association of Diabetes Centre’s ‘Centre of Excellence’ and Australia’s only International Diabetes Federation ‘Centre of Education’.

Dr James MacKean is based in Brisbane and works at both GenesisCare’s Chermside and Wesley centres. James also regularly visits GenesisCare Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast.
James was awarded the Windeyer Fellowship in 1999. He completed registrar training in New South Wales and a Fellowship year at Mt Vernon Hospital, London before commencing employment at The Wesley in 2000.He has a particular interest in all aspects of the management of Prostate cancer.
His other interests are Palliative care, Colorectal and Haematological malignancies. He is a member of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology Genito-urinary Group and a former chair of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group.

Dr Alex Metse obtained a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) and PhD (Clinical Psychology) from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Alex is an established early-career academic and clinical psychologist who is passionate about making a difference to the lives of vulnerable populations by reducing physical health inequities and improving mental health. A key focus of her clinical and research work is on the role of health behaviours such as smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and suboptimal sleep in the interplay between physical and psychological health, and the need and health benefits of routinely addressing such behaviours. Other interests include the role and benefits of novel technologies to support delivery of mental and physical health interventions. Alex has a particular interest in the pivotal role of sleep in promoting health and preventing chronic disease. In her clinical work, she has specialised in the treatment of clinical sleep disorders. This has informed the program of research she leads, which seeks to 1) improve the effectiveness and acceptability of treatments for suboptimal sleep and sleep disorders, 2) highlight the extent to which suboptimal sleep is an issue within the Australian population, as well as its key determinants, and 3) spotlight the need for routine preventative intervention in primary and tertiary health care settings. Much of her research is undertaken in collaboration with relevant industry partners, which ensures relevancy and that it addresses meaningful questions and supports timely translation of findings into policy and practice. Alex’s work is a driving force highlighting the need for improved treatments to address suboptimal sleep and for sleep to be a public health priority, shaping a healthier future for all. In recognition of her work, she has been invited as a leading expert to contribute to the development of various large-scale behavioural interventions and public policy briefs, including the recently published policy evidence brief entitled: Improving population sleep health to reduce preventable illness and injury, a report by the Mitchell Institute and Sleep Health Foundation. Alex’s work has been published by prestigious top-tier journals and she has been invited to present on her program of research at various national conferences and events, including at TEDxBrisbane (TEDx talk can be accessed here. Alex remains at the forefront of evolving research in her field and is an editor for Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. In her teaching, Alex consistently implements authentic, evidenced based and cutting-edge teaching strategies which engender the development of professional competencies and skills needed to address identified gaps in the current workforce. For example, the need for more psychologists skilled in the treatment of sleep disorders in Australia. Alex’s leadership in teaching has been recognised and she is an awarded Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. She also supervises several HDR and Honours students and, as a Board-approved supervisor, provides clinical supervision to provisionally registered psychologists. In Alex’s clinical practice, in addition to treating sleep disorders, she has experience supporting clients of all ages with a broad range of psychological difficulties, with assessment, formulation and treatment informed by the following approaches: CBT, DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy and Family Systems Therapy.

Dr Anita Muñoz is a GP in private practice in Melbourne’s CBD and has a dedication to evidence-based medicine, lifelong learning, and promoting the role of general practice in the health of patients, communities and in public health more broadly.
She sees general practice as the key to a rational health system that produces better outcomes for patients and practitioners alike.