Committee
Meet our Committee and Speakers
Scott Bowden – Co-convenor
Scott Bowden is a Senior Scientist at VIDRL and an adjunct Professor in Microbiology at Monash University. He has served on Government committees helping develop strategies and testing policies for viral hepatitis. He has published over 180 papers and is an expert on the diagnosis of the hepatitis viruses.
Jason Grebely – Co-convenor
Jason Grebely is a Professor in the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney.
Jason’s training and research is based in the field of epidemiology, with a specific focus on clinical epidemiology. Jason has a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, both from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Jason is also the President of the International Network on Hepatitis in Substance Users.
Kevin Marriott – Co-convenor
Kevin is the Director of Programs at Hepatitis Australia and has worked in the area of blood borne viruses and sexual health for 25 years. Kevin’s background is in Human and Community Services including direct service provision, health promotion, program management and executive leadership positions
Mark Stoové – Co-convenor
Mark Stoové is Head of Public Health at the Burnet Institute and has researched the transmission and impact of blood borne viruses among key risk populations for almost 20 years. A primary focus of his work is understanding the epidemiological, behavioural and biological drivers of infections and the translation of research evidence into effective public health policy and practice.
Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson is an ACRRM Registrar at Bamaga Hospital and Primary Heath Care Centre. He is an associate lecturer at the University of Queensland, board member of the Sexual Health Society of Queensland, works with ASHM in educational development, and has worked clinically and non-clinically in the sexual health and BBV sphere for over ten years in Australia and Canada.
Gabrielle Bennett
Gabrielle Bennett (RN, RM, Grad. Dip. CHN, Grad. Dip. Women’s Health, MPH) has experience working in diverse areas of primary health care including with remote Indigenous communities, people experiencing homelessness, marginalised women, drug using communities and with newly arrived refugees. She has experience in policy, education, public health and clinical settings. She is currently Clinical Nurse Consultant, Victorian Viral Hepatitis Educator based at St Vincent’s Melbourne.
Lauren Bradley
Lauren Bradley is the Senior Project Coordinator at the Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL). She has over 7 years of experience working with marginalised and stigmatised communities. Lauren is the current Vice-President of Hepatitis ACT, a Director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and former Board Member of Hepatitis Australia.
Joanne Bryant
Joanne Bryant is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Social Research in Health in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UNSW. She is a social scientist trained in sociology and epidemiology, and has led a range of research projects focusing on harm reduction and sexual health among people who use drugs, street-involved young people and Aboriginal young people.
Joseph Doyle
Associate Professor Joseph Doyle is a specialist in infectious diseases and public health medicine. He leads a clinical and implementation research program across The Alfred, Monash and Burnet Institute aiming to improve treatment access and delivery of hepatitis C treatment. He is a leader of the Eliminate C Australia Partnership which aims to build capacity and support for HCV elimination across all jurisdictions nationally. He has been an advisor and consultant to the World Health Organisation on HIV and Viral Hepatitis, and has received research support as a chief investigator from the National Health & Medical Research Council, WHO, philanthropic organisations and industry.
Nikitah Habraken
ASHM Viral Hepatitis Program Manager
Behzad Hajari
Behzad Hajari is a clinical epidemiologist, and a Senior Lecturer in the Kirby Institute (UNSW Sydney). He trained as a Medical Practitioner and has an MPH and PhD in Medicine. His research interests include HCV natural history, and HCV care in prison setting and among people who inject drugs.
Kelly Hayes
I have been a registered nurse since 2000, working in various areas including emergency, community and practice nursing. I have a Bachelor of Nursing, a post-graduate diploma in advanced nursing, a certificate of proficiency in pharmacology and certificates in clinical nurse education, nurse preceptorship and business management. I am also currently working towards a graduate diploma in human resource management. I started at the Hepatitis Foundation in September 2016.
Margaret Littlejohn
Dr Margaret Littlejohn is a senior medical scientist in the Molecular Research and Development Laboratory at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, in Melbourne. Dr. Littlejohn has extensive experience in HBV research, with a particular interest in Hepatitis B virus evolution and chronic HBV infection in Indigenous Australian’s.
Jennifer MacLachlan
Jennifer MacLachlan is a Senior Epidemiologist for the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis at The Doherty Institute. Her research focuses on the innovative utilisation and analysis of publicly available datasets to inform epidemiology and public health action, and she currently leads the National Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project.
Kristen Mckee
Kristen has been nursing for over 15 years. Her experience has been diverse across a wide range of areas. For the last 10 years she has focused on viral hepatitis and liver disease both here in Australia and in the United Kingdom. Her skills have been gained from working within the tertiary setting, community and district nursing, drug and alcohol settings, and the custodial setting. She is currently a clinical nurse consultant within the Storr Liver Centre, Westmead hospital.
Kristen is a board member for the Australasian Hepatology Association (AHA). Chair of the Advanced Liver Disease working group (AHA) and Chair for the NSW Hepatology Nurses group.
Dominic Ray-Chaudhuri
New Zealand Gastroenterological Society
Sami Stewart
ASHM Viral Hepatitis Program Manager
Sam White
Samantha White is the Operations Manager at Hepatitis Queensland bringing to the role over a decade of experience working in the BBV sector. Her skills and expertise have enabled HQ to embrace innovative and new approaches that support the care and wellbeing of people living with, or at risk of, viral hepatitis and/or liver disease. Sam’s leadership ensures that all programs and activities are executed to the highest standard and consistently provide better health outcomes for all Queenslanders.
