Cathy Herbrand is a Professor of Medical and Family Sociology and the Deputy Director of the Centre for Reproduction Research. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the Université libre de Bruxelles which was funded by the Belgian Scientific Research Funds (FNRS). As a FNRS Postdoctoral Researcher, she was a Visiting Fellow at the Social Science, Health and Medicine Department at King’s College London and at the BIOS Research Centre at London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Ottawa.

Cathy is an appointed member of the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics (2014-2023) and currently co-chairs the subcommittee to produce policy and ethics recommendations on surrogacy regulation in Belgium (advisory report expected to be published in June 2023). Previously, she contributed to the advisory reports on: non-invasive prenatal testing (report n°66 – 9 May 2016); male circumcision (report n°70 – 8 May 2017); sex chromosomal aneuploidies (report n°76 – 30 April 2021).

Her research interests lie in the sociological and anthropological study of new family forms, biotechnologies and genetics, with a particular focus on reproductive decision-making, multi-parenthood and gender issues. She is especially interested in exploring the interactions between new parental forms and reproductive practices and their legal regulation. Her publications appear in Bioethics, Sociology of Health and Illness, BioSocieties, Anthropology and Medicine, Journal of Medical Law and Ethics, etc. (see Publications).

Cathy has recently been awarded a large-scale ESRC Research Grant (£595K) to conduct a collaborative and interdisciplinary study on the implications of new preconception reproductive genomic testing in the UK (Feb 2023 – Jan 2026) in partnership with the Progress Educational Trust. Informed by scholarship in medical sociology with insights from science and technology studies, bioethics and political economy, this project investigates the emergence of expanded carrier screening for preconception use amongst the general population, and its social, ethical, economic and policy implications.

Cathy has also undertaken research on reproductive choices in the context of mitochondrial disorders. The aim of the research was to gain a better understanding of the interactions between scientific progress, policies and people’s lives, through the analysis of the debates surrounding mitochondrial replacement techniques under development in the UK and their impacts on families affected by mitochondrial disorders.

Cathy has previously been involved in several international and interdisciplinary collaborative research projects on cross-border surrogacy, egg donation for research and same-sex adoption, including as a co-investigator on the EDNA project: ‘Egg donation in the UK, Belgium and Spain: an interdisciplinary study, ESRC Research Grant, led by N. Hudson N. (March 2017 – Aug 2021).

Her previous work explored multi-parenthood through the study of practices and laws around gay and lesbian families in Belgium. Her publications include papers and book chapters on the legal recognition of gay and lesbian parenthood, information-sharing in gamete donation and the comparison of assisted conception laws in Belgium, Quebec and the UK.

Dr Pulle is currently working in a clinical capacity as a Senior Staff Specialist / Geriatrician at The Prince Charles Hospital. Dr Pulle’s interests include Dementia and Orthogeriatic care. Dr Pulle is a Geriatrician who has been managing patients in the Hip Fracture Unit at The Prince Charles Hospital since it’s establishment in 2010. He is member of the steering committee of the Australia New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry. Dr Pulle is also a Principal Investigator at The Prince Charles Hospital Internal Medicine and Dementia Research Unit. Over the last 15 years the Research Unit has provided evaluation, diagnosis and treatment recommendations, to patients and caregivers participating in Pharmaceutical Sponsored clinical drug trials with the most recent advances in possible new medications for various Dementia types. Dr Pulle is current Chair of Dementia Trials Australia. He is past president of the Qld Division of The Australia New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine and current member of the Society’s Federal Council.

Robyn Kelly is a High school teacher, married, mother of 3 now adult children. In 2019 at age 46, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and became a BCI patient. Joined the clinical trial for Empower SMS after active treatment in 2020. Co – presented at the launch of the BCI Empower SMS program in 2023.

A/Prof Ee is an academic GP, Associate Professor (Cancer Survivorship and Primary Care) at Flinders University, Supportive Care GP at Chris O’Brien LIfehouse Cancer Center, and incoming Director of the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials group (PC4). Her research focusses on the role of primary care in cancer survivorship, reducing health inequity in culturally and linguistically diverse populations and increasing access to care through patient navigation, and on the intersection between cardiometabolic and women’s reproductive health and cancer survivorship.

Professor Elisabeth Elder is a specialist breast surgeon at the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and privately through Specialist Services at Lakeview Private Hospital.

Elisabeth is a surgeon at the forefront of the developing field of oncoplastic breast surgery; developing techniques that concentrate on achieving not only the best possible outcome for a woman’s breast cancer but also an excellent cosmetic outcome.

Elisabeth is one of the surgeons at the forefront of developing oncoplastic surgical techniques, which means that in appropriate cases she concentrates on a good cosmetic outcome as well as treating her patient’s cancer.

Oncoplastic surgery combines breast cancer surgery with plastic surgery. The combination of cosmetic and oncological treatments gives women more treatment options. For example Elisabeth might take out a cancer and do a breast lift or reduction as part of the same operation. For patients who need a mastectomy, Elisabeth offers a wide range of reconstructive options, including implant based reconstruction (often in combination with nipple sparing mastectomy) and tissue based reconstruction in collaboration with her plastic surgical colleagues.

Dr Anna Singleton (she/her) is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between the University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW. Anna has a background in psychology (PhD Dec 2021, MSc Experimental Psych; BSc Hons I Psych) and her research aims to co-design and implement scalable and accessible digital health strategies to improve health outcomes for people living with and beyond cancer.

Anna has been awarded >$5.9M in research funds and awards (>$2.3M as CIA/B) and published >40 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including high-impact journals like theJournal of Clinical Oncology (IF 45.3).Anna was awarded the 2023 NSW Premier’s Award for Outstanding Early Career Researcher and was named a top 25 Brilliant Woman in Digital Health in Australia by TelstraHeath (2022). The same year, Anna’s EMPOWER-SMS clinical trial won the Consumer Involvement Award at the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance Trial of the Year Awards. This trial found that a health and wellness support program delivered via text messages was acceptable, useful and engaging for breast cancer survivors.

Anna is now expanding this work by leading a national multi-centre trial in primary care to help more people across Australia. Anna also holds many leadership positions, including the co-chair of the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials group Survivorship Engine Room and Topic Editor of Frontiers in Digital Health.

A/Prof Yvonne Zissiadis Yvonne is a Radiation Oncologist and Medical Director at GenesisCare WA. She is the Past President of the Australasian Society for Breast Disease and the Oceania Representative of the Senologic International Society. She is Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University (Dept of Health Sciences), alongside conjoint lecturer at ECU and UWA and Chair of the Australian GenesisCare Breast Tumour Reference Group.
Yvonne is the CMC (Clinical Managers Committee) Chair for Oncology WA alongside the WA Representative to the CLF (Clinical Leaders Forum) for GenesisCare Oncology Australia. She has also been a member of various voluntary committees within RANZCR including the Education & Training Committee and the Research Committee.
Yvonne has a strong interest in clinical research and is an advocate for cancer patients. Whilst Yvonne treats predominantly breast, skin, upper gastro-intestinal and haematological cancers, she is also interested in making exercise a part of treatment for all cancer patients, patient reported outcomes and how a patient’s cancer journey can be improved through treatment.

Blake Henderson is a senior audiologist and former audiology trainer working for Amplifon, Western Australia. He has fifteen years of experience in the industry, and for his outstanding contributions in the industry for supervision of students and graduate interns, was recognised with the inaugural Outstanding Supervisor Award from Audiology Australia in 2023.

Associate Professor Krish Karthigasu is a locally trained Gynaecologist having worked in Perth, England, Melbourne and Sydney with training in advanced endoscopic surgery. He is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s and Infants Health in the University of Western Australia and has been Head of the Gynaecology Endoscopy Department at King Edward Memorial Hospital since 2007, having set up the unit in conjunction with Ray Garry in 2002. He is on the executive of the Anatomy of Complications workshop and a previous Board member of AGES. He works in the private sector performing advanced endoscopic surgery as well as fertility treatment at Fertility Specialists South. His interests include surgical education, endometriosis and fertility.

Dr Scott White is a Consultant Obstetrician and Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, having completed training in obstetrics and gynaecology in Western Australia before completing fellowships in Maternal Fetal Medicine in Perth and London. He returned to King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth in 2016. His clinical interests include preterm birth prevention, complex multiple pregnancy, prenatal diagnosis, and fetal therapy. Dr White completed a PhD in genetic epidemiology in 2017 and was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Maternal Fetal Medicine at The University of Western Australia in 2019. He maintains active research projects in areas such as preterm birth prevention, perinatal epidemiology, and clinical trials in obstetrics and fetal medicine. Dr White is a Councillor of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, serving on several state and national committees including as Deputy Chair of the Women’s Health Committee. He was recently appointed as Associate Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.