2019 Invited Speakers

We’re delighted to have an outstanding selection of invited speakers joining us at ACIPC 2019. More speakers will be announced as planning proceeds!

International Invited Speakers

Professor Jennie Wilson
Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London

2019 ACIPC - Jennie Wilson 300
Jennie has worked in the field of infection prevention and control for over 30 years, both as an infection control nurse specialist in London teaching hospitals and as a consultant epidemiologist at the Health Protection Agency. Her first degree was in microbiology, she has both an MSc in Public Health and PhD and is also a registered nurse.

She has published extensively on healthcare associated infections and is an author of the Epic National Evidence-based Guidelines for Preventing HCAI in NHS Hospitals in England and Infection Control in Clinical Practice.

She is currently Professor of Healthcare Epidemiology at the Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London where her research interests include the use of clinical gloves, surgical site infection and surveillance, urinary catheters and hydration of the frail elderly and she is also Programme Leader of the MSc Infection Prevention & Control.

Jennie has been a member of IPS since becoming an infection prevention & control practitioner, and a board member for the last 10 years both as Editor of the Journal of Infection Prevention and currently as Vice-President.

Dr Ling Moi Lin
Singapore General Hospital

2019 ACIPC - Ling Moi 300
Dr Ling Moi Lin received her medical education at the National University of Singapore. She obtained her postgraduate training in Microbiology at the Victoria University of Manchester, is a member of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, and is a certified professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ).

She is currently the Director of Infection Prevention & Epidemiology at the Singapore General Hospital where she plays a key role in the development and running of the program in the hospital.

She is the President of the Infection Control Association (Singapore) and President of the Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC). Her interests are in infection prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance, molecular epidemiology as well as quality improvement. She is an experienced trainer in infection prevention and control, quality improvement, LEAN and patient safety.

A/Professor Marin Schweizer
University of Iowa

Schweizer~Marin
Marin Schweizer, PhD, is an epidemiologist and Associate Professor of General Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa in the US.

Her research focuses on the prevention of surgical site infections and Staphylococcus aureus infections, and has been published in high impact journals such as JAMA, JAMA Surgery, and Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Since 2012, she has been involved in implementing a surgical site infection bundle among cardiac and orthopedic surgery patients at 33 hospitals across the United States. Her three current research grants focus on antibiotic stewardship among surgical patients, de-implementing unnecessary urine testing, and nasal decolonization of dialysis patients.

She has travelled worldwide to teach infection prevention including courses in Vietnam, Indonesia and the Netherlands. She also oversees a Masters degree program in translational medicine at the University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Medicine.

Invited Speakers

Rebecca Adams
Communicable Diseases Branch of Queensland Health

Rebecca Adams is a registered nurse with extensive experience and expertise in infection prevention and management, infectious diseases, immunisation and public health. She also has experience in policy development and project management.

Rebecca’s current position is within the Communicable Diseases Branch of Queensland Health as part of the team that provides strategic interventions to prevent, prepare for, respond to and reduce the impact of healthcare associated infection in Queensland.

Dr Jocelyne Basseal
Australian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine

Dr Jocelyne Basseal is a graduate from the University of Sydney with a Doctorate in Microbiology and has worked as a post-doctoral fellow on numerous research projects.  She has supervised graduate and post-graduate students, published in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks, delivered university lectures and organised national and international scientific conferences. Jocelyne joined the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) in 2012 as the journal Managing Editor, Research Grants and Policy Manager. As a microbiologist in an ultrasound world, Jocelyne is passionate about patient health and safety and infection prevention and control.  She was integral in development of the joint ACIPC / ASUM “Guidelines for Reprocessing Ultrasound Transducers” and continues to actively research and publish in infection prevention in ultrasound.

Wendy Beckingham
Canberra Hospital

Wendy Beckingham is an Assistant Director of Nursing at the Canberra Hospital and a credentialed Infection Control Professional. Wendy holds a masters in nursing research. Wendy has worked in infection control since 1998.

Clinical A/Professor Susan Benson
PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA

Associate Professor Susan Benson is a clinical microbiologist, infectious diseases physician and clinical director for the PathWest Perfect Pathology initiative. In 2014 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate innovative approaches in education, informatics and microbiology service delivery to improve the management of infection and antibiotic use. Her current role is exploring the role of data analytics, collaboration and complex system improvement to improve patient outcomes and reduce waste in healthcare. She is the clinical lead of a state-wide collaborative project to improve the diagnosis of sepsis. Susan is also chair Lab Tests Online www.labtestsonline.org.au which provides consumer information on pathology tests.

Lauren Bloomfield
Edith Cowan University

Lauren is a lecturer in Epidemiology and Communicable Disease at Edith Cowan University, and an Epidemiologist at the Communicable Disease Control Directorate, in the WA Department of Health. She has worked in several roles in communicable disease, including in the Healthcare Associated Infection Unit, working with the state-wide surveillance system. Her research interests include Clostridium difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and in particular the role of community-acquired infection in the overall epidemiology of these organisms.

Dr Chris Blyth
The University of Western Australia

Chris Blyth is head of the Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Perth Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Microbiologist with PathWest Laboratory Medicine. In addition, he is co-director of the Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at Telethon Kids Institute and Associate Professor of Paediatrics at University of Western Australia. He is also co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, the peak scientific immunisation committee providing advice to the Commonwealth Department of Health and a NHMRC Career Development Fellow. Through his work with Infection Control at Perth Children’s Hospital and the PathWest Microbiology Laboratory, he was called upon to assist with the complex task of commissioning Perth Children’s Hospital

Asha Bowen
Perth Children’s Hospital and Telethon Kids Institute

Areas of expertise: Skin infections, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Aboriginal children, central line associated blood stream infections, osteomyelitis, paediatric infections including HIV, bacteraemia, TB and congenital CMV

Associate Professor Asha Bowen is a clinician-scientist working at Perth Children’s Hospital (paediatric infectious disease specialist) and Telethon Kids Institute (Head, Skin Health). Her clinical role informs her research as an NHMRC funded Fellow. She was awarded her PhD in 2015 (Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin), a large randomized controlled trial investigating impetigo in remote Indigenous children to find a better treatment. Dr Bowen is the lead investigator for the SToP trial to “see, treat and prevent” skin infections, a large cluster-randomised trial recruiting from 2019 – 2021 in the Kimberley, WA. Community engagement over several formative years has ensured the study is guided by Aboriginal co-investigators and community members. In 2018 Asha launched the inaugural National Healthy Skin Guideline for guiding clinicians’ recognition and evidence-based treatment of skin infections. Asha is the Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases committee and Deputy Chair of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases clinical research network.

Tracy Briggs
St John of God Murdoch Hospital

Samantha Butenko
Department for Health and Wellbeing l Government of South Australia

Samantha Butenko is the Director of the Infection Control Service at SA Health, South Australia.

Sam is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years’ experience, she holds post graduate qualifications in Infection Prevention and Control and has specialised in this area over the last 20 years. Her experience and expertise spans public, private and community practice. Sam has particular interests in partnering with consumers, having recently undertaken research in this area as part of her completion of a Master of Clinical Science.

Sam also has specialist knowledge in the areas of outbreak management, infection prevention methodology and quality improvement, clinical leadership, teaching and strategic planning as well as particular interest in hand hygiene, device safety, blood stream infection prevention and multi resistant organisms.

Sam participates and holds a number of positions on hospital and state working parties/committees, is an expert Credentialled Infection Control Professional and member of the Australian College of Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC).

Donna Cameron
Victorian Department of Health and Human Services

Donna is an Infection Control Consultant with the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory and Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Unit at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services where she provides infection control advice to non-acute healthcare facilities and other community-based practices, such as beauty therapists and tattoo artists.

During her time with the department, Donna has been involved with the development and implementation of a number of DHHS guidelines including the Infection prevention and control guidelines for hair, beauty, tattooing and skin penetration and the Victorian guideline on Candida auris for health services. Among other responsibilities, her role also includes public health investigations such as blood borne virus transmissions, unregistered premises and infection control breaches in health facilities.

Karen Carey
Former Chair, NHMRC Community and Consumer Advisory Group

Karen Carey has represented consumers for more than a decade across all levels of the healthcare system. She is the Former Chair of the NHMRC Community and Consumer Advisory Group, the immediate past Chair of Consumers Health Forum and former Chair of Health Consumers Council of WA.

Karen’s focus is on building a healthcare system that measures and considers value from a consumer perspective, and in which consumers can meaningfully partner with service providers and researchers to deliver safe, effective and cost-effective care, from individual patient episodes to system-wide strategic planning and design.

Karen has also been the Executive Producer of the evidence-based health program Tonic broadcast on ABC TV and in more than 25 countries internationally. She is also the co-founder of Tonic Health Media, which narrowcasts broadcast quality evidence-based health programs into healthcare environments providing consumers with accurate health information at the time when they are most likely to need and act on the information.

Jonathon Chambers
Fresenius Medical Care

Dr Jonathan Chambers is a Clinical Microbiologist and Infectious Diseases Physician from Perth, Western Australia. He attends Joondalup Health Campus as an ID physician and works as a Pathologist for Western Diagnostic Pathology. He has interests in hospital infection control, novel rapid molecular testing, antibiotic resistance and general infectious diseases.

Carolyn Chenoweth
Fresenius Medical Care

Carolyn Chenoweth works for Fresenius Medical Care as the Australian Quality and Infection Prevention and Control Manager. She has a Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science, Infection Control and is currently studying for a Masters in Clinical Science.

Carolyn is passionate about the importance of hand hygiene and last year collaborated with Hand Hygiene Australia to develop the Renal Dialysis hand hygiene online learning module. Carolyn has been involved in establishing and supporting infection prevention and control and hand hygiene programs in dialysis clinics across Australia and Asia Pacific countries.

Peter Collignon
Executive Director of ACT Pathology

Professor Peter Collignon is an experienced infectious diseases physician and microbiologist, Peter is currently the Executive Director of ACT Pathology. He continues to work in the Infectious Diseases Unit and Microbiology Department at the Canberra Hospital. He is also a Professor at the Medical School of the Australian National University and is a college member. In his career he has engaged with media on a variety of topics related to infection. Peter is active in many research and public health advocacy issues dealing with different infections and their risks.

Professor Geoffrey Coombs
Murdoch University

Geoffrey Coombs is the Chair of Public Health at Murdoch University and a Senior Clinical Scientist for PathWest Laboratory Medicine – WA.  At Murdoch University he and his colleagues have established a three million-dollar one health antimicrobial and infectious diseases research laboratory, which performs basic and clinical research on human and animal isolates.  The laboratory is the reference laboratory for the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance’s (AGAR) S. aureus and Enterococcus Sepsis onset programs, and employs a suite of molecular assays, including next generation sequencing, and new bioinformatic methodologies which can handle large-scale data analysis and perform comparative genomic analysis.

He is a member of the Commonwealth’s Australian Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, Secretary General of the International Society for Chemotherapy, and President Elect of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials.  Professor Coombs is a long-term member of the AGAR Executive and is the Chair of AGAR.

Evonne Curran
School of Health and Life Sciences Glasgow Caledonian University

My infection control career began late in 1987 and from 2006 until September 2015 I led the outbreak programme of work at Health Protection Scotland. I am now an independent nurse consultant for infection prevention and control.

Key infection prevention interests include: quality improvement, outbreaks and safe IV therapy. I have over 70 publications and have led 3 multi-centre research projects on reducing phlebitis, identifying norovirus index cases and reducing MRSA using statistical process control charts.

My doctorate focused on the safety issues associated with infusate contamination. I am a past co-ordinator of the RnD group for IPS. And importantly I write the Outbreak Column in the Journal of Infection Prevention.

Emeritus Professor Mike Daube AO
Curtin University

Mike Daube is Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University, where he was Professor of Health Policy and Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute from 2005 – 2018. Before this he was Director General of Health for WA and Chair of the National Public Health Partnership. He has held numerous senior positions in government, and committee roles including President of the Public Health Association of Australia, President of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, co-chair of the National Alliance for Action on Alcohol, Vice-Chair of the WHO FCTC Review Group, and many others. He has published widely on tobacco, alcohol, advocacy and other health topics, and worked with WHO, governments and other health organisations in more than 40 countries. He is an Officer in the Order of Australia, and has received many awards from state, national and international organisations. He was the 2018 Western Australian of the Year.

Norman Davies
Juniper

Norman Davies has a background in Medical Science, with majors in Microbiology and Immunology.

Spent approximately 25 years working in pathology in Africa and Australia.

Worked as a vaccine specialist before moving into program management working in the not for profit health sector. Worked for a community healthcare provider for almost 7 years and I’ve been with Juniper 2 years.

Qualifications; Dip Med Tech, M Med Sc, Cert IV Workplace Assessment and Training, Post Grad Cert, Health Management, Quality and Leadership, PhD candidate examining outbreaks of gastro in aged care facilities

Kathy Dempsey
Juniper

A very accomplished and well regarded Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner (ICP)

Now leading the Healthcare associated program across NSW as HAI Manager NSW Health Clinical Excellence Commission, Previous manager and consultant at one of the largest tertiary healthcare facilities in NSW managing a dynamic team of ICPs and past ICP lead for NSW Infectious Diseases unit.

Kathy has 21 years’ experience in the profession And is a credentialed expert in Infection Control, Kathy holds a master’s degree in Critical Care/Microbiology/Infection control and hospital epidemiology; post graduate certificate in medical microbiology; certificate in Infection Control and hospital Epidemiology from Centre of disease control and Society hospital epidemiology of America and a diploma in leadership and management

Kathy is the lead Infection Control expert on various state and national Committees. Chair of the NSW HAI Steering committee and expert advisory committee. Lead Infection Control clinician on numerous expert advisory committees and taskforces to NSW Health and the Australian Commission. Conjoint lecturer for University of Sydney and UNSW. Kathy has presented at a number of conferences and forums including international Forum on safety and quality in healthcare in Paris, winner of Quality awards both WSLHD and NSW, and runner up in the national lead clinician’s award. Kathy is a published Infection prevention and control practitioner and reviewer for the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Kathy has held a number of past executive positons on the Australasian College of Infection Prevention and Control (formerly AICA and NSW ICA) and is current member on the Australasian College of Infection Prevention and Control credentialling and professional standards board.

Roslyn Franklin
Amalgamate Enhancing Dental Practices

Roslyn Franklin graduated from UWA School of Dentistry in 1994. She worked in private and government dental practices before side-stepping to work as a trainer/assessor for dental assistants, and then in compliance in a registered training organisation. On re-entering the dental industry in 2015, Roslyn created her business, Amalgamate, in which she provides services and advice to dental practices on infection prevention & control (IP&C), work health & safety (WH&S) and accreditation. With her motivation to always learn more, she completed a Certificate IV in WH&S in 2016, a Graduate Certificate in IP&C at Griffith University in 2018 and is a CICP-P with ACIPC.

Ellie Golling
St John Ambulance WA

Ellie is a Registered Nurse and has worked in the field of infection prevention and control in hospital, residential aged care and community settings and currently works for the ambulance service covering Western Australia. Ellie joined St John WA in 2016 in the newly created position of Infection Prevention and Control Officer. She is responsible for the development and promotion of infection prevention and control standards and training throughout St John WA mainly in the area of pre-hospital care, as well as non-urgent patient transport, event health and first aid services.

She was awarded the first GAMA Healthcare scholarship in Australia and is currently completing her Master of Infection Prevention and Control with Griffith University.

Sally Havers
ACIPC, Hand Hygiene Australia

Sally is a committed Infection Control Professional of ten years, with a passion for improving and ensuring safe patient care. Sally’s current experience includes management and completion of large scale, multi-centre research projects (including ethical clearance and protocol development) as well as extensive project management experience in the development and roll out of a large national infection prevention program. Sally has experience managing multidisciplinary research and project teams, with an active commitment to Infection Control and Infectious Diseases research, both nationally and internationally. Sally has received Certification at the level “Expert” with the Australasian College of Infection Prevention and Control (re-credentialled 2017).

Dr Rob Herkes
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Dr Herkes is a highly respected senior clinician and leader in intensive care medicine, with extensive operating and leadership experience in the development, evolution and provision of critical care services at state and national levels.Dr Herkes is the Chief Medical Officer at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care providing expert clinical advice to the wide range of programs managed by the Commission. Dr Herkes has a significant role in identifying areas for synergies, partnerships and new opportunities across the Australian health sector in collaboration with all health sector stakeholders, and providing leadership and education around the latest evidence on safety and quality in health care. Dr Herkes has also led the Commission’s work with states and territories in regard to review of issues of significant clinical governance.

Meredith Hodge
PathWest

Dr Meredith Hodge is a Clinical Microbiologist at PathWest Laboratory Medicine, located at the QEII complex in Perth, Western Australia. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, holds a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and is a Clinical Senior Lecturer for the School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (University of Western Australia). In addition to her clinical laboratory and hospital infection control roles, she oversees PathWest’s Environmental Microbiology Unit, the Microbial Contamination and Testing Facility and the Pharmaceutical Testing Facility. Dr Hodge sits on the WA Department of Health’s Advisory Committee for the Purity of Water and on the Foodborne Disease Outbreak group with OzfoodNet WA and Environmental Health Directorate’s Food Unit. She has experience in both food and water-borne outbreak investigation and total water quality management, including Legionella control, in hospitals.

Lucy Hughson
Tasmania Public Health Services

Lucy Hughson is Clinical Nurse Consultant – Infection Control at Public Health Services, Tasmania. Lucy has worked in infection control for 14 years and holds a Graduate Diploma of Nursing (Leadership and Management major), a Graduate Certificate Infection Control and Prevention and is an authorised immuniser. Lucy served on the Tasmanian Infection Control Association executive and more recently on the ACIPC Membership Engagement Committee. Lucy’s infection prevention and control interests include the development of education and training resources, policy development and environmental hygiene.

Clare Huppatz
Communicable Disease Control Directorate, WA Health

Dr Clare Huppatz is a Public Health Physician, with post-graduate qualifications and experience in public health, applied epidemiology and general practice. Clare has worked for the majority of her career in rural and regional locations, most recently in Kalgoorlie, WA.  In 2016, Clare was the Consultant Public Health Physician at the Goldfields Public Health Unit during Australia’s first meningococcal serogroup W outbreak.  She has been involved in a number of meningococcal outbreak responses since that time.  She is currently a Senior Medical Advisor with the Communicable Disease Control Directorate, WA Department of Health.

Cathy Jones
National Manager Quality & Compliance, Healthscope

Cathy has 25 years’ experience in public and private hospitals, including 20 years in Quality and Risk Management. Her experience spans acute hospitals, rehabilitation and mental health services in both public and private sectors. Cathy has worked for Healthscope for 12 years and prior to this was the Director of Strategy for St Vincent’s Health Melbourne. She lectures internationally on quality and safety in healthcare.
Cathy has written the quality chapter in the Transitions in Nursing: Preparation for Practice handbook, used by the majority of nurses in Australia in their final year of study. She represents the private hospital sector on several national committees with the Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Health Care and Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.
Cathy has been a lecturer since 2003 for the International Hospital Management MBA Program at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management University in Frankfurt, Germany. Her particular areas of interest are person centred care, measurement of clinical indicators, public reporting, outcome measures, open disclosure and consumer participation.

Catherine Jones
Infection Prevention and Management, Womens and Newborn Health Service

Catherine is an Infection Prevention and Management Clinical Nurse Consultant with over 25 years’ experience in the field.

Her current position is at the Women’s and Newborn Health Service which comprises of King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, the State Tertiary referral centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology in Western Australia.

In October 2015, Catherine was seconded to the New Perth Children’s Hospital Project Operational Readiness Team, as the Senior Infection Prevention and Management Project Officer.

During her time on the project, Catherine was responsible for the development and implementation of the Infection and Prevention Commissioning and Transition, of Princess Margaret Hospital to the New Perth Children’s Hospital, which opened on the 10th June 2018.

Martin Kiernan
University of West London

Martin has worked in infection prevention and control for 28 years in a variety of settings. He is a Visiting Clinical Fellow at the Richard Wells Research Centre at the University of West London and Clinical Director of GAMA Healthcare, where he is responsible for clinical research and education. Prior to this he was Nurse Consultant and Deputy Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust in the North-West of England.

Martin was a member of the Department of Health (England) advisory committee on antimicrobial resistance, prescribing and healthcare-associated infection for ten years, is a past president of the Infection Prevention Society and has led the scientific committee for the Healthcare Infection Society international conferences in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

His research interests centre on environmental hygiene, healthcare-associated pneumonia and urinary catheter-associated infections. He has presented at many international conferences, has published over 50 papers and articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Terry McAuley
Director STEAM Consulting

Terry has extensive experience as an independent Consultant in her own business, STEAM Consulting Pty Ltd. In this capacity, she has conducted training and consultancy reviews of hospital based sterilising services, day procedure centres, dental, podiatry and general office-based practices and performed state-wide audits for various Australian Departments of Health.

She has representsed the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control on the Australian Standards Committee responsible for AS/NZS 4187 Reprocessing Reusable Medical Devices in Health Service Organisations and the sister Standard AS/NZS 4815 applicable to office-based practice for over 19 years and has participated in ISO Standards Working Groups during this time. Terry recently joined the Editorial Board of the international journal – Central Sterilization.

Rebecca McCann
Healthcare Associated Infection Unit

I am a Registered Nurse and have worked in the field of Infection Prevention and Control for many years. Since 2008, I have held the position of Program Manager for the Healthcare Associated Infection Unit (HAIU), within the Communicable Disease Control Directorate of WA Health. This role has the key responsibility for the coordination and implementation of the Healthcare Infection Surveillance WA (HISWA) program across all public healthcare facilities in WA. . In addition, we also manage surveillance data for 15 private WA hospitals The HAIU is responsible for collation, validation and reporting of HAI data at both state and national levels. I also have responsibility for the development of state-wide policies for IP&C and these are produced through consultation with key stakeholders in our private and public facilities.

Vicki McNeil
Department of Health and Wellbeing, South Australia

Vicki coordinates the National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program (NAUSP), which is based in the Infection Control Service, Communicable Disease Control Branch, SA Department for Health and Wellbeing. She has held this role since 2007 and during this time has overseen the program as it has expanded, with over 200 hospitals contributing data now. Her role with SA Health also involves executive support for the SA expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (SAAGAR) which advises on antimicrobial use and antimicrobial stewardship activities in South Australia. Vicki is the SA representative on the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Jurisdiction Network, and represents NAUSP on the Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee coordinated by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Jackie Miley
ACIPC

JACKIE MILEY MSc, Cert IC, PG Cert PH, RN
Jackie has worked as a Senior Infection Control Practitioner, Nurse Manager, and Operating Room nurse in Ireland, UK and Australia. Her career spans Clinical Practice, Leadership, Management and Education.
Jackie, in the role of Senior Lecturer at Brookes University in Oxford UK, was appointed to Course Coordinator of a Masters Degree Course in Infection Prevention and Control, and conducted this course in face to face and online modes. She also taught post graduate modules in Microbiology, Immunology, Infection Prevention and Control, Communicable Diseases, Health Promotion, Finance for Nurse Managers and Executives in Hong Kong and in the UK.
More recently Jackie has worked in Infection Prevention and Control in various hospitals in Melbourne, Jackie feels that Infection Prevention and Control and Education are her passion.

Professor Brett Mitchell
University of Newcastle

Professor Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing at the University of Newcastle, is the Editor-in-Chief of Infection, Disease and Health. Brett has over 100 peer reviewed journal and conference presentations. He has many interests in infection control, including environmental cleaning. surveillance, urinary tract infections, social media and pneumonia. Brett has been involved in national work in the area of infection prevention and control, including with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, the NHMRC and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Natasha Nunes
North Metropolitan Health Service, Perth

Natasha started her nursing career working as an Enrolled Nurse in the North West of WA prior to completing Bachelor of Nursing degree in 2001. Natasha has worked in a variety of roles across WA in both the public and private sector and is currently working as the Clinical Nurse Manager – Infection Prevention & Control. Since completing her degree, Natasha has completed further studies with post graduate certificates in Nephrology, Infection Control, Leadership & Management, as well as a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and is currently completing a Master’s Degree at Notre Dame University.

Libby Oakes
Bethesda Hospital in Perth, Western Australia

Libby Oakes is the Manager, Infection Prevention and Control at Bethesda Hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Libby has extensive healthcare experience in a variety of settings including perioperative services, endoscopy, day procedure units and senior nursing positions within the private sector.  She has worked in Infection Prevention & Control for the past 10 years and has been a member of state committees related to infection prevention and control.  Libby is passionate about improving practice in Infection Prevention, building effective teams and influencing safe practice.

Carol O’Sullivan
Country Health Service, Western Australia

Carol O’Sullivan, RN, BSN, GradCert. Infection Prevention and Control
Carol is a Registered Nurse and has worked in the field of infection prevention and control since 2009. Since 2011 Carol has worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with WA Country Health Service (WACHS) in rural and remote Western Australia, first in the Pilbara, then in 2017 relocated further north to the Kimberley. Carol provides infection prevention and control advice and support to acute and non-acute WACHS healthcare facilities and community-based practices. Carol has a keen interest in supporting and mentoring rural and remote infection control practitioners to develop their skills and promote retention.

Kristie Popkiss
St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals

Kristie Popkiss is motivated, passionate and committed to the field of Infection Prevention and Control because of the significant impact that it has on patients, visitors and staff in our health services across Australasia. She believes that Infection Prevention and Control requires more visibility, transparency and a higher profile, to improve the level of safety in healthcare facilities. Kristie is currently a Director for ACIPC and chairs the Education and Professional Development Committee. She is also the Quality and Risk Manager at St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals with Infection Prevention as one of the several services who report to her. Kristie’s goals are to further contribute to the greater vision of improving both the culture and implementing best practices of Infection Control for Australasia whilst improving the patient experience and outcomes.

Kylie Robb
Australian Dental Association NSW

Kylie is the Australian Dental Association (NSW Branch) Practice Services Manager in Sydney and has been instrumental in advocating for best practice in infection control standards while promoting the benefits of accreditation outcomes to hundreds of practice teams. She is a member of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control’s Education and Professional Development Committee, has a Master of Health Services Management in Clinical Leadership from the University of Technology, among many achievements. Kylie is a popular speaker, routinely presenting Infection Control and accreditation courses across the country. Kylie is a 2019 member of the coveted Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America’s International Ambassador Program.

Megan Reilly
Hands-On Infection Control

Megan has 30 years experience working in the area of infection prevention and management in the acute, day hospital, community, residential, office-based, early learning, justice and aviation settings.   She completed her Masters in Health Science (Infection Control) in 2002 and has been the Director of Hands-On Infection Control since 1998,  providing an  infection  prevention  advisory,  education  and  immunisation service to health care and related industries throughout Australia.

Megan has presented at state, national and international conferences, published in peer reviewed journals, and currently co-coordinates a Graduate Certificate in Infection Prevention  and  Control  Course.    In  addition  to  ACIPC,  she  is  a  member  of  the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Inc, Australian College of Operating Room Nurses Ltd and Sterilizing Research and Advisory Council of Australia (WA) Inc.   She has held executive positions on both State and National professional associations/colleges.

Professor Tom Riley
University of Western Australia

Tom Riley divides his time in Perth, Western Australia, between PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA’s public sector pathology service provider where he is a Senior Clinical Scientist, Edith Cowan University where he is a Professorial Research Fellow, and Murdoch University where he is Professor of Public Health. He has had a long standing interest in healthcare-related infections, particularly the diagnosis, pathogenesis and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection and the antimicrobial activity of Australian native plants. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, the Australian Society for Microbiology, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Faculty of Science of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, and has published over 400 book chapters and refereed journal articles, including more than 170 on C. difficile.

Luci Rodda
Aegis Aged Care

Luci is a Registered Nurse who has worked in the aged care industry for over ten years, across different departments including management, complaints and compliance with the Department of Health, and she currently works in a clinical governance position.  Luci has completed a Master of Nursing Science (Gerontological Nursing) and Graduate Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control.  She currently holds the portfolio for Infection Prevention and Control for the Organisation, which focuses on implementing IPC programs and improving resident healthcare outcomes associated with infection prevention and infection management.

A/Professor Owen Robinson
Royal Perth Hospital

Dr James Owen Robinson is an Infectious Diseases consultant who qualified in 1997 from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and completed his Infectious Disease training in 2005. He works as an Infectious Diseases Consultant at Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital. He also holds an academic adjunct appointment as Associate Professor, Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University. He is a Principal Investigator for the antimicrobial resistance surveillance programmes performed by the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR), is the Chairman of the Western Australian Committee for Antimicrobial and is a member of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee for the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care. His area of interest include S aureus, prosthetic joint infections, transplant related infections and antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship.

A/Professor Phil Russo
ACIPC President

Philip is Director of Nursing Research, Cabrini Health and Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.

Dr Holly Seale
School of Public Health and Community Medicine

Dr Holly Seale is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine (SPHMC), University of New South Wales. Her original qualifications were in biomedical science, she then transitioned into public health by undertaking a PhD at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Within her social science research program, she has developed a reputation for exploring the patient and healthcare factors that influence engagement and acceptance of infection prevention strategies. She uses her behavioural insight data to formulate approaches and interventions to improve uptake. Her research includes qualitative and quantitative research approaches and consumers such as hospital/community healthcare workers, special at-risk groups and the general public.

Dr Norelle Sherry
Austin Health

Dr Norelle Sherry is an Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, appointed to the Infectious Diseases Department at Austin Health. She has a special interest in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and is a current NHMRC PhD Scholar at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne investigating the role of genome sequencing in AMR surveillance. Dr Sherry is also appointed to the Antimicrobial Reference and Research Unit at MDU PHL, co-located with the research laboratory at the Doherty Institute. She is coordinating the ‘Controlling Superbugs’ study for the Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance, applying new genomic technologies to hospital infection control practices in four hospital networks across Melbourne.

David Speers
PathWest

Dr David Speers is an ID Physician and Medical Lead for Infection Prevention and Management, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Chair of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA and Clinical Associate Professor for the Department of Medicine, University of WA. He is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, and the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine.

Jo Tallon
Northern Sydney Local Health District

Jo is a qualified Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner (ICP) with extensive experience. She has been an Infection Prevention and Control Consultant and department manager for the past 18 years and is currently the Director of Infection Prevention and Control in Northern Sydney Local Health District. Jo holds a master’s degree in Public Health, a post graduate certificate in Renal, Nephrology, Transplant & Haemodialysis, certificate in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (SHEA & ECCMID) and a diploma in leadership and management. Jo has been a consulting ICP expert on various state and contract management committees, and a member of numerous NSW Health expert advisory committees/taskforces and steering committees. Jo is currently the Chair of the NSW Clinical Excellence Committee (CEC) Environmental Working Party, a member of the CEC HAI Expert Advisory Committee and MRO Reference and Advisory Groups. Jo has also published a number of articles on infection prevention and control and presented at numerous conferences and forums she has also showcased the work of the Western Sydney Local Health District at the NSW Health Quality awards and the international forum on quality and safety in healthcare.

Helen Van Gessel
WA Country Health Service Great Southern

Dr Van Gessel trained as an infectious diseases physician in Perth.  She was the inaugural medical lead for the WA Healthcare Associated Infection Unit, and advisor to the WA Patient Safety and Quality Unit. She represented WA on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care during the initiation of the national HAI program and creation of the national standards.

Since 2011, Helen has been living and working in Albany in regional WA where she is working as a general physician.  She has also recently has taken up a part time leadership role as the Director, General Medicine for WA Country Health Service.

Annie Wells
Nursing, Public Health Services Tasmania

Annie Wells is the Assistant Director of Nursing, Public Health Services Tasmania where she has worked since 2008 initially as a clinical nurse consultant – infection control.  She has a post graduate Master’s Degree in Advanced Practice (Infection Control & Prevention) and her interests include infection surveillance and support of novice practitioners.  Annie was the 2018 recipient of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control Claire Boardman Medal for leadership in infection prevention and control.

Dr Brendan White
Dental Council, NSW

Dr Brendan White is an Authorised Person for the Dental Council of NSW, and has significant experience investigating infection control complaints. The Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons, recognise him as a subject matter expert.

As an active member of ADA Infection Control Committee since 2015, he is also endorsed as an expert on infection control by the ADA Inc infection control committee. In this role, he has frequently authored or contributed to infection control compliance articles for the ADA News Bulletin and has contributed to the last 2 editions of the ADA Infection Control Guidelines. In June 2019,

Dr White represented ADA for the second time at the international infection control conference (OSAP) in Tucson Arizona.

He has been a private dental practitioner for 22 years in the regional NSW town of Lismore and led a successful 10 year campaign for water fluoridation in his community.

Ann Whitfield
South Metro Health Service

Ann Whitfield is the Coordinator for Infection Prevention at Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group and is credentialed with the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control.

Ann’s research interests include culture, building capacity in small teams, invasive devices and consumer involvement.

Leon Worth
VICNISS Coordinating Centre

Associate Professor Leon Worth is an infectious diseases physician and clinician researcher. He is Acting Director of the Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance (VICNISS) program, leading a multidisciplinary team responsible for healthcare infection surveillance in all Victorian hospitals, and is engaged with national agenda focussed on antimicrobial resistance and surveillance of healthcare-associated infections. He provides medical lead to infection prevention departments in two major Victorian teaching hospitals. As Chief Investigator for the NHMRC-funded CRE, ‘National Centre for Infections in Cancer’, his research is centred upon effective and meaningful infection surveillance strategies for patients with cancer. His interests include monitoring and prevention of device-related bloodstream infections, novel interventions and bundle approaches for infection prevention.

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