Adjunct & Conjoint Members

Kedir Ahmed is an Adjunct Fellow at the Translational Health Research Institute (THRI) of Western Sydney University. Kedir has expertise in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, with research interests focused on maternal and child health, childhood obesity, health risk factors, and remote and rural health.

Evan Alexandrou is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Western Sydney University as well as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in the Intensive Care Unit at Liverpool Hospital where he coordinates the Central Venous Access Service which is internationally renowned for its clinical expertise in vascular access procedures.

Dr Jannine Bailey is an adjunct fellow at Western Sydney University. She is involved in public health and health services research, with particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, broader rural health issues and health service delivery in rural and regional communities.

Professor Catherine Best is Chair in Psycholinguistic Research and currently the Director of Research at MARCS Institute. She also is leader of the Speech Production Laboratory at MARCS (AHAA Lab). Her research focuses on how adults’ and infants’ experience with their native language - and even their native regional accent - shapes their perception and production of the phonological elements of spoken words, including consonants, vowels, lexical tones and prosodic patterns.

A/Prof Ilse Blignault is an Adjunct Associate Professor at THRI with qualifications in psychology and global health and broad expertise in clinical and population mental health and wellbeing, health services research and evaluation, and research translation.

Stacy Blythe is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her research interests include: infant mental health, substance exposed infants, foster care, foster carers, the foster care family.

Prof Brakoulias is a psychiatrist who is passionate about improving the mental health and well-being of his patients. He realises this involves research and teaching and strives for excellence.

Dr Denejkina's research focuses on intergenerational trauma transmission, specifically in military families. She is interested in military family wellbeing, including the psychological, emotional and physical wellbeing of children in military families.

Dr Tinashe Dune (MAPS) is a multi-award-winning researcher, tertiary educator, and Senior Clinical Psychologist with extensive qualifications and experience who brings a unique, culturally-informed perspective to her work. Her expertise spans complex trauma, disability, and sexuality concerns, with a special focus on neurodiversity-affirming assessments for often overlooked groups.

Anton du Toit is an Adjunct Fellow at the Translational Health Research Institute (THRI) of Western Sydney University. He has expertise in smartphone passive data streams, R programming, and systematic reviews and meta-analysis. His research interests are focused on mental health and psychological wellbeing.  

I am an adjunct fellow in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. I have experience and qualifications including nursing, midwifery, child and family, law and health management.

Dr Abhishek Gupta is an adjunct fellow in the School of Social Sciences at Western Sydney University.

Dr Katherine Kent is an early career academic in the School of Health Sciences. Her research investigates dietary strategies to prevent and manage cognitive decline, with a particular focus on flavonoid-rich fruits.

Kenny is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Translational Health Research Institute. His central focus is trying to support decision makers to improve population health and well-being by making better use of resources. He conducts economic evaluation of health and non-health sector policies to identify best value interventions, and works with decision makers to translate evidence into practice.

Professor Rosemary Leonard is Chair in Social Capital and Sustainability in the School of Social Sciences at Western Sydney University.

Kate is a researcher, educator and Chinese medicine practitioner, specialising in women’s health and maternal health research. Her current NHMRC Early Career Fellowship involves leading a collaboration of investigators in a large prospective meta-analysis of independent childbirth education, which includes non-pharmacological pain relief methods, and its effect on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Pranee Liamputtong is a medical anthropologist and an Adjunct Professor at THRI, Western Sydney University. She has a particular interest in issues relating to cultural and social influences on childbearing, childrearing, motherhood, reproductive health, sexuality and sexual health.

David’s program of health policy and health service research is in appropriate Emergency Department and public hospital utilisation.

Karen Liu is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University. She has over 30 years of clinical and research experience in rehabilitation in Australia, Hong Kong, and the United States.

Karen conducts research using various strategies to enhance people’s daily task performance.

Zelalem Mengesha is an Adjunct Fellow at the Translational Health Research Institute. He has an interest in the areas of equity in health, refugee and migrant health, critical public health, and qualitative and mixed methods research.

Deb Mitchison is an Adjunct Associate Professor and a Clinical Psychologist. She has a research interest in eating disorders and related body image problems, and has a track record using epidemiological research methods to uncover the population burden, risk factors, and need for treatment associated with eating and body image disorders.

Elias Mpofu PhD, DEd, CRC, FASROC, MAPS is professor of health sciences at the University of North Texas, honorary professor of rehabilitation counselling at the University of Sydney, and Carnegie Foundation Visiting Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Formerly Professor of Rehabilitation Services at the Pennsylvania State University (2002-2008), he has an international reputation in the scholarship of teaching with service-learning, and research on community-oriented health practices.

Dr Rebecca O'Reilly is a Registered Nurse and Midwife as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She has a passion for advancing women's and family health and has pursued research in this area.

Dr Simone Ormsby is an Adjunct Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute. Simone runs a busy Traditional East Asian Medicine (acupuncture) practice, whilst also pursuing her academic career interests: epi-/genetics, fertility, obstetrics, nutrition, women’s and men’s perinatal health, infant outcomes, and postnatal sequelae.

Dr Ogbo is an Adjunct Research Fellow at THRI, Western Sydney University. His research interests include global health, and maternal and child health, including childhood undernutrition.

Dr. Lal Rawal is currently a Senior Lecturer-Public Health with School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity. He is an Adjunct Fellow with School of Social Science, Western Sydney University. Dr. Rawal has over 16 years of experience in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of large-scale intervention and observational studies across countries of Asia and Australia.

Jennifer Reath an emeritus professor in the School of Medicine at Western Sydney University. Her areas of research/teaching interest and expertise include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, Health service development and evaluation, Educational policy, Curriculum development and implementation, and Medical education in a developing world context.

A/Prof Salter is an adjunct Associate Professor at THRI who specialises in the study of complex trauma and gendered violence.

A/Prof Anoop Sankaranarayanan a general adult psychiatrist with extensive clinical and senior managerial experience of working in Australia and overseas. He is presently consultant psychiatrist in Melaleuca Unit of Blacktown Mental Health Service and is actively involved with the Clozapine clinic and Diabetes and Mental Health Forum.

Professor Gemma Sharp established and has led the Body Image, Eating & Weight Disorders Research Program since 2018. She is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership 2 Fellow (2023-2028) and a former NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow (2018-2022).

Dr Nicole Sharp is an Adjunct Fellow and registered occupational therapist. Nicole’s primary research focuses on exploring the lived experience of people with disability and mental illness through qualitative methodologies, with an emphasis on co-design approaches.

Professor Caroline Smith has a background in evidence based research in relation to acupuncture, complementary therapies, integration of Chinese medicine and biomedical research protocols, predominantly in the areas of women's health. She has extensive experience in the design, conduct and analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Professor Lesley Wilkes is the Professor of Nursing at the Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research. Her research has received high community recognition nationally and internationally through extensive media coverage showcasing her research expertise in areas such as organisational violence, family and community health, prostate cancer, and child-to-mother violence, through both radio and television networks.

Professor Anna Williams is an applied health researcher and an adjunct professor with the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Prof Carlos Zubaran Jr is the medical director of Sunnyside Clinic in Sydney, with branches in the Upper North Shore and Northern Beaches. He holds a conjoint professorial appointment with the School of Medicine at Western Sydney University.