Members
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Dr Penny Abbott is an academic general practitioner and the Chair of General Practice at Western Sydney University. She has career long teaching, research, clinical and professional interests in high quality accessible primary care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, the health of justice involved people and health equity.
Kingsley Agho is a professor of Biostatistics at the School of Science and Health. He has over 15 years’ experience in the design and analysis of large epidemiological studies including longitudinal and cluster RCT data. Another key research interest of Kingsley is in Epidemiology, Global health and water management and engineering– one to one water saving program for high water users.
I am Chair of Medicine at Blacktown Clinical School, Western Sydney University and Clinical Network Director Subspecialty Medicine (Cardiology, Endoscopy, Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Neurology and Respiratory Medicine) at WSLHD. Clinically, I work as an academic gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Blacktown Hospital.
Dr Ghufran Alhassani is an associate lecturer in the School of Health Sciences. Ghufran’s research interests are in acute and chronic pain, chronic disease, non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroplasticity. She is also interested in disease prevention and management in culturally and linguistically diverse populations, with ongoing project collaborations in cancer, food security, and dementia.
Dr Allison is a cross-disciplinary researcher who has worked in psychology, healthcare and social computing research. They hold a PhD from Macquarie University, where their dissertation examined how antisocial online behaviours are rationalised and normalised within toxic and subversive online communities. More broadly, their research examines experiences of populations marginalised and underserved by dominant systems: young people impacted by cancer; LGBTQI+ inclusion in healthcare and the workplace; and online communities for marginalised and subversive groups.
I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Brain Sciences at the MARCS Institute for Brain Behaviour & Development. My work focuses on first language acquisition in infants and the role of caregiver speech in this process.
Associate Professor Mike Armour
Dr Armour is an associate professor working in the area of women's health. His background is a mixture of western and eastern medicine, having completed an honours degree in Biomedicine before training as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and completing his PhD in period pain. His research areas include menstruation, endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, and traditional Chinese medicine.
Sam is a Lecturer with the School of Psychology, Western Sydney University and Visiting Fellow with the Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN), University of New South Wales. He is a registered psychologist with a background in supporting adults with disability in community settings.
Associate Professor Amit Arora
Dr Amit Arora is an associate professor in Public Health and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Fellow in the School of Science and Health. His research interests include health promotion, life-course epidemiology, socio-economic inequality in health, prevention and management of chronic diseases and health literacy.
Associate Professor Evan Atlantis
Associate Professor Evan Atlantis is a distinguished researcher and educator specialising in clinical obesity and its associated chronic illnesses. Their research has directly shaped national and international policy and clinical practice guidelines, notably through their leadership of foundational Frameworks for clinical obesity services.
Tuki is an experimental psychologist by training, with a keen interest in the relationships between diet, eating behaviour and the brain. He has experience in experiment design, machine learning, data science and fMRI analysis.
Dr Boulton is an early career researcher (PhD 2018) with a strong background in exercise physiology and neurophysiology. He is one of the most experienced and skilful microneurographers in Australia. Dr Boulton works in the areas of neurophysiology, integrative physiology and neurological dysfunction in pain, fatigue, and exercise. He holds conjoint research and lecturing positions at the University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia.
Dr Paul Breen is a Professor in the Biomedical Engineering and Neuromorphic Systems (BENS) research program at The MARCS Institute. His work focuses on identifying addressable real-world problems, utilising embedded systems technology to build solutions to these problems, while working closely with industry partners to bring these solutions to commercial reality. Research interests include neuromodulation as a treatment for the loss of sensory function and morphic sensor technology for truly wearable diagnostics.
Dr Nicole Bridges is a Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and the Director of Academic Program for Communication, Creative Industries and Screen Media. Her research interests include supporting breastfeeding, while being sensitive and inclusive to all parents (regardless of race, gender, and sexuality), particularly via breastfeeding peer support with a focus on social media communities.
Cristy is an Associate Lecturer in Interprofessional Health Sciences, from the School of Health Sciences, with research interests in obesity and chronic disease, inflammation, exercise and menstrual health.
Dr Cherylea Browne is a Senior Lecturer in Human Anatomy within the School of Science, Western Sydney University, and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer within the School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney. Her research focuses on a rare vestibular disorder called Mal de Debarquement Syndrome and understanding the underlying mechanisms of this disorder to develop novel treatment protocols. Cherylea is also involved in concussion/mild traumatic brain injury research and cochlear gene therapy.
Associate Professor Elaine Burns
Elaine Burns is an Associate Professor of Midwifery and Director of Higher Degree Research and Honours, in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, at the Western Sydney University. Elaine is an experienced midwifery clinician, educator and researcher.
Dr Rocco Cavaleri is a Senior Lecturer in the Physiotherapy department at Western Sydney University. He currently leads the Brain Stimulation and Rehabilitation (BrainStAR) lab in the School of Health Sciences.
Dr Cheema is an Associate Professor of Sport & Exercise Science at Western Sydney University. His research to date has demonstrated the effectiveness of exercise training in chronically diseased and at-risk populations, including individuals with end-stage renal disease, breast cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Rose is an expert in behavioural neuroscience, with particular expertise in using rodent models of substance abuse, schizophrenia and neurodegeneration. She investigates novel treatments for mental illness and dementia as well as gene-environment interactions for these disorders.
Professor Cheung specialized in human gait biomechanics and retraining research, in particular biomechanical factors of musculoskeletal conditions, neural control of gait, and development of wearable sensors for gait retraining.
Dr Philippa Collin is the Co-Director of Young and Resilient Research Centre and Principal Research Fellow at Institute for Culture and Society. A social scientist, Philippa researches the role of the digital in the social, cultural and political lives of young people, with a focus on the implications for the promotion of mental health, wellbeing and citizenship.
Dr Susan Collings’ research addresses complex and intersecting inequalities that impact on socially disadvantaged children and families. Her work draws on social ecological theory and intersectionality to explore factors that influence children's opportunities to thrive in safe and supported environments.
Dr Elizabeth Conroy is a Senior Research Academic with expertise in cross-sectional and longitudinal survey methodology, mixed methods research, and program evaluation. Her research addresses the health inequities experienced by marginalised populations, such as people seeking asylum and people experiencing homelessness.
Associate Professor Janet Conti
Janet Conti is an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology. She is also a clinical psychologist and dietitian who specialises in research in eating disorders, particularly qualitative methods.
Dr Kristy Coxon is a registered occupational therapist, senior lecturer and early carer researcher. She has a program of research in driving, community mobility and participation across the lifespan. Clinically, she has extensive experience in rehabilitation, program development and evaluation for people with chronic airway limitation and area wide representation on clinical collaboratives.
Dr Ann Dadich is an Associate Professor within the School of Business who is actively pursuing a research program on health service management – notably, knowledge translation.
Hannah Dahlen is Professor of Midwifery, Assocate Dean Research and HDR and Mdiwifery Discipline Lead in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. Hannah is a leading midwifery researcher in Australia, with an international reputation as an outstanding midwifery scholar.
Associate Professor Stefan Dieleman
Stefan Dieleman is a Consultant Cardiac Anaesthetist and Head of Research at the Department of Anaesthesia of Westmead Hospital. He is the inaugural academic lead for Anaesthesia at Western Sydney University.
Professor Alison Downham Moore
Alison is a medical humanities scholar and historian in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, who loves multidisciplinary collaboration.
Associate Professor Gabrielle Drake
Dr Gabrielle Drake is Director of Academic Programs (Social Work and Community Welfare) at Western Sydney University. She is a recognised expert in the areas of social policy, mental health and disability, and homelessness and housing pathways.
Genevieve is a Senior Lecturer in the Physiotherapy Program at the University of Western Sydney and a paediatric physiotherapist. Her current research endeavours are focused upon physical activity behaviour in children (with and without disability), outcomes in infants born preterm and novel approach to assessment and training of balance skills in children.
Elisabeth Duursma is a Research Theme Fellow at TeEACH/School of Education. Her research focuses on father involvement and the impact on child development. Her work is largely interdisciplinary, working with colleagues in education, psychology, criminology and business.
Natalie is a doctor and an academic based at University Centre for Rural Health, Lismore, Northern NSW, Australia. Natalie is involved in research education and health education research, while maintaining clinical research particularly in areas related to sexual assault.
Associate Professor Carolyn Ee
I am a Principal Fellow at the NICM Health Research Institute and a practicing GP. My research focusses on chronic illness relevant in primary care especially the intersection between metabolic health, women’s health and cancer survivorship, with a growing focus on disparities in care.
Rakime Elmir is a registered midwife and lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her research explores birth trauma, perinatal mental health, women’s health, nursing education and midwifery education.
Dr Gihane Endrawes is a lecturer at Western Sydney University with more than 20 years teaching and mental health experience. She has experience in research supervision, leading research teams, obtaining research grants, developed and reviewed curriculum, coordinating under-graduate and post-graduate subjects for many years.
Paul Fahey, Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics, has over 30 years experience as a statistician in multi-disciplinary health research teams.
Dr Catharine Fleming is a Lecturer in Public Health in the School of Science and Health. Dr Fleming has research and professional experience is in public health, behavioural health science, paediatric nutrition, oncology and chronic disease management
Prof Gaetano Gargiulo has extensive experience in the design, development, test, and commercialization of medical devices (bio-potentials recording in particular). Research interests include Brain/Human machine interfaces, morphic sensor technology for truly wearable diagnostics and Biomedical signal processing.
Sandra Garrido is a Senior Research Fellow in Brain Sciences at the MARCS Institute for Brain Behaviour & Development. With a background in both music history and psychology, her work focuses on the use of music for mood regulation and to improve mental health and wellbeing in both historical and modern day contexts.
Dr Michael Gascoigne is a Senior Lecturer and clinical psychologist within the School of Psychology. His research interests relate to cognitive deficits in clinical populations, including memory difficulties in children with epilepsy.
Dr Ajesh George (BDS, MPH, PhD) is a Professor of Interprofessional Oral Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University (WSU) and Honorary Professor in the School of Dentistry at The University of Sydney.
Associate Professor Emma George
Dr Emma George is an associate professor and Academic Course Advisor in Health and Physical Education at Western Sydney University. With a background in physical activity and health promotion, her research aims to promote lifelong physical activity and improve health outcomes.
Associate Professor Emilee Gilbert
Associate Professor Emilee Gilbert is a feminist sociologist whose research expertise is in gender equity, sexuality, and health.
Professor Athula Ginige is a professor of Information Technology in the School of Computing, Engineering & Math. At present he is researching Web Engineering, eTransformation and how to provide remote healthcare.
Associate Professor Anupama Ginige
As an associate professor in Health Informatics, Anupama teaches and researches Applied Computing in Health. Currently, Anupama's projects are concentrated on utilising AI technologies in clinical classification, eye tracking, "smart spaces" for remote patient monitoring, and health data management.
Craig completed his clinical psychology training including his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the National Institute for Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), University of Bangalore, India and has extensive experience as a senior clinician.
Robert Gorkin is a Professor and Institute Co-Director (Impact, Innovation, & Partnerships). He has a background across Biomedical Engineering and Entrepreneurship, and works at the interface of emerging technologies and social good.
Rebekah completed her PhD in Medical Psychology in 2002. Her program of research is driven by a commitment to ensuring that an evidence-based approach is taken to address the support needs of children and families who experience adversity. Her vision is that all children will be supported to thrive, regardless of the circumstances in which they were born.
Dr Andy Grainger is a lecturer in sport development in the School of Health Sciences. His research and teaching focuses on the sociocultural and sociohistorical analysis of sport, physical culture, and physical activity.
Dr Grant is currently investigating options and outcomes in integrative healthcare. Her research interests include the effect of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in the treatment of chronic disease such as diabetes, and cancer. Suzanne is also interested in how Chinese medicine may help women with fertility problems.
Dr Jane Graves (B.SC, MChiro & AHPRA registration) is an Associate Lecturer in Medical Education at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. Her research supports the exploration of the Medical Education Personal and Professional Development (PPD) curriculum, in particular compassion fatigue in medical students. Jane is the PPD Convener for first and second year and also supports Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), academic writing and referencing skills, interprofessionalism and is an LBGTQIA+ advocate at a school level.
Associate Professor Simon Green
I am an Associate Professor in Sport & Exercise Science in the School of Health Sciences. My research is focused on exercise and integrative physiology, with a special focus on cardiovascular control.
Dr Justin Guagliano is a Lecturer in Health Promotion at Western Sydney University. He is primarily interested in conducting research that promotes health and prevents obesity and chronic diseases in young people through community and family-based interventions.
Dr Oya Gumuskaya is a senior lecturer at the Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery. Oya completed a master’s and a PhD in Surgical Nursing while developing her career from clinical experience to research and education in Australia and Turkiye, collaborating internationally in research, education, and nursing leadership. Having gained experience in cardiovascular surgery, from the theatre to intensive care, she studied perioperative communication, patient experience and safety, reduced fasting, and prevention of postoperative complications. Her passion for perioperative care excellence drove her research focus to implementation science and de-implementing unwarranted practices.
Yi Guo is an Associate Professor of Data Science at Centre for Research in Mathematics and Data Science in the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, Western Sydney University.
Dr. Dharmappa (Dharma) Hagare is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental, Sustainability and Risk Engineering in the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics (SCEM). Dharma has over 20 years of academic and 5 years of industrial experience in a wide variety of areas of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Neil Hall has been a lecturer at WSU since 1997 where he teaches in the Bachelor of Social Work, specialising in group work. He researches both individually and collaboratively in the areas of men and boys, engagement, and health & wellbeing.
Dr Laynie Hall Pullin is a Registered Nurse and lecturer with extensive experience in undergraduate and post-graduate nursing education. She has a background in Spinal Cord Injury and rehabilitation nursing and held the position of School Disability Coordinator from 2015-2019.
Dr Benjamin Hanckel is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. Benjamin is based at the Young and Resilient Research Centre. His work examines youth health and wellbeing, social inequalities in health, and social change.
Professor Anandwardhan A Hardikar
Anand received training in pancreas development, regenerative biology, and (epi)genetics, and is leading research in three distinct areas related to diabetes: i) islet cell biology, ii) cellular physiology and epigenetics, and iii) biomarkers of diabetes and foetal programming.
Dr Hawkey is an Associate Research Fellow at the THRI, Western Sydney University. Alex works at the intersection of critical public health and cultural enquiry to explore inequities in sexual and reproductive health experienced by marginalised groups of women, particularly migrant and refugee women.
Professor Hay is an academic psychiatrist who is recognised internationally for her expertise in reducing the personal and public health burden of eating disorders and obesity. She has over 200 peer reviewed publications, written and co-edited several books, and has won several awards, notably the 2015 Australian and New Zealand Academy Lifetime Achievement award.
Dr Kym Hennessy is a Lecturer of Podiatry and Academic Program Advisor for the Podiatric Medicine program in the School of Health Sciences. Her research interests include interventions for foot and ankle problems resulting from rheumatic conditions. Kym is also a registered podiatrist with experience in public and private practice in Australia and the UK.
Associate Professor Gabriella Heruc
As both an experienced eating disorder clinician and researcher, Adjunct Associate Professor Gabriella Heruc is passionate about bringing a nutrition and dietetic focus to eating disorder research. She is particularly motivated by creating real-world solutions in the eating disorder sector, as seen through her development of the innovative ENRG at Western, and her implementation of the ANZAED credentialing system for eating disorder clinicians to standardise care and improve treatment outcomes.
Sam is a Lecturer in Epidemiology and currently in the final stages of completing his PhD candidature at THRI. In his research, Sam has used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. His main research focus is on Hepatitis B prevalence in Nepal, building on a collaboration from his Masters dissertation which investigated trends in HIV prevalence in at-risk groups.
Dr Sadia Hossain is an Epidemiologist and a Lecturer in Public Health with broad public health teaching and research experience. Sadia is keen to harness data skills for better equity research in priority population groups.
Wendy’s careers in general practice, child health, health administration, clinical and health services research have led to her focus on medical and health professions education research, scholarship and research translation.
Ally is passionate about youth health. Her research is all about co-designing safe supportive environments for young people. She is particular interested in advocacy and co-designing with young people to enhance health and that of the wider community.
Associate Professor Diana Jefferies
I am an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. I have qualifications in both general and mental health nursing and have 25 years clinical experience in mental health community, drug and alcohol, HIV/AIDS, Dementia and the management of challenging behaviours. My academic background is in the humanities and my research program examines historical and literary representations of mental illness after childbirth to investigate the cultural background of stigma.
Associate Professor Mugdha Joglekar
Mugdha is a researcher trained in human pancreas development and immunology of diabetes, researching molecular biomarkers (miRNAs, lncRNAs, mRNAs, cfDNA, telomeres); specifically related to pregnancy (GDM) and Type 1 diabetes. She is a recipient of several national/international highly competitive fellowships, including the JDRF International Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship and leads research in epigenetic regulation of gut cells, immuomodulation and diabetes.
Associate Professor Caroline Jones
Associate Professor Caroline Jones is a researcher in Speech and Language. Her research focuses on how we can increase the success and sustainability of Aboriginal language revitalization initiatives, how we can improve early language assessment and intervention, and what strategies support communication with elderly people. Caroline is Director of Impact & Engagement for MARCS and a Research Theme Champion for the University.
Kingsley (Arua) Kalu is an associate lecturer in Food Science and Nutrition at the School of Science, Western Sydney University in Australia. With over 8 years of experience in teaching and research, he has a particular interest in exploring the role of diet in age-related diseases such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer's Disease.
Dr Karamacoska is a cognitive neuroscientist and was appointed in 2021 as a Research Support Program Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute. She has strong interest in improving the health of individuals at risk of, or diagnosed with, conditions that affect the brain.
Tim Karl graduated from the Leipniz University of Hanover (Germany) in 2003 with a PhD in Zoology (Behavioural Neuroscience). Until 2008, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Garvan Institute working on rodent models for anxiety and schizophrenia.
Hazel is a Senior Lecturer of Midwifery at The School of Nursing and Midwifery and has more than two decades of experience as a clinician in nursing and midwifery, educator and researcher.
Andrew is an Associate Lecturer, Medical Education Unit, School of Medicine. With a focus on adolescent health, his research utilises multiple methodologies and explores how research on the social determinants of health can be integrated into the education of health professionals using novel pedagogical methods.
Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp
Dr Lynn Kemp is recognised as an international leader in the field of early childhood interventions in primary and community health and translational research. Her local, national and international research in early childhood is bringing quality evidence-based early intervention programs to vulnerable families with young children in Australia and world-wide.
Dr Kennedy’s research focuses on the scale-up and dissemination of evidence-based physical activity programs in school and community settings.
Professor Michael Kohn, MBBS, FRACP, FACPM, PhD, is the Chair in paediatrics and Child Health at Westeren Sydney Unviersity. He is a developmental Paediatrician with over 30 years experience in the assessment and management of conditions affecting the health and development of children, adolescents and young adults.
Dr Tran Lam is currently working part-time as a General Practice (GP) registrar at Granville Family Medical centre. She joined the Western Sydney University School of Medicine in the Department of General Practice as a GP Academic Registrar in February 2024.
Associate Professor Phyllis Lau
Dr Lau is Associate Professor and Research Lead at the Department of General Practice, Western Sydney University. She has extensive experience in health service, Indigenous health, communication, interprofessional collaboration and chronic disease management research for the purpose of informing primary health care policy reform, particularly related to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and disadvantaged population groups.
Dr Liwan Liyanage has been a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics at Western Sydney University. She has a strong passion to integrate statistics/operations and research/mathematics with data base, data management & IT skills to develop real time solutions for real life applications with a focus on providing decision support for decision making.
Associate Professor Lauretta Luck
Dr Lauretta Luck is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Australia and has many years teaching in the tertiary sector both at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels.
Isaac Lyne is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) working on a 5-year project "Building the evidence base on the impacts of mobile financial services for women and men in farming households in Laos and Cambodia", commissioned by Australia Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
Erin Mackenzie is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and a researcher in the Centre for Educational Research at Western Sydney University. Her research interests include adolescent online interactions, coping, and the role of psychological and social factors in adolescent girls’ participation in STEM.
Prof Freya MacMillan is a health promotion intervention expert. She uses her community engagement, mixed-methods and implementation science expertise to develop, evaluate and translate health promotion and injury prevention interventions into sustainable practice for the prevention of diabetes, promotion of health and wellbeing and prevention of road injury/mortality.
Associate Professor David Mahns
David Mahns is an Associate Professor in Integrative Physiology at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. He specializes in quantifying the contribution of sensory nerves arising from skin and deep structures such as muscle and bone to perception.
Dr Haider Mannan is a Senior Lecturer in biostatistics at the Translational Health Research Institute and the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. He has three roles-research, teaching and providing statistical consulting service to staffs and students.
Associate Professor Brahmaputra (Brahm) Marjadi
Brahm Marjadi is an Associate Professor in Community Engaged Learning and Associate Dean for Engagement at the WSU School of Medicine. He is a multi-award-winning leader in community engaged learning and diversity, intersectionality, equity and inclusion in health, medicine and medical education.
Dr Hazel Maxwell is a sport and leisure educator and researcher. Her research and teaching focuses on physical activity, community sport, social inclusion and diversity management.
Beth is an early career researcher and Occupational/Hand Therapist who engages in research to understand and promote occupational justice and health among communities of marginalised workers and patients. She has a particular interest in how institutional practices and organisational cultures influence individual experiences with recovery from injury or illness, adaptation to change in work environments, health choices, and mental health.
Associate Professor Kate McBride
Kate is an epidemiologist and chronic disease prevention expert. Kate is Associate Professor in Population Health at Western Sydney University and has more than 16 years experience in population health and chronic disease research including development, evaluation and translation of interventions and exploration of barriers to healthcare, particularly among individuals living with obesity.
Dr Jenny McDonald is a Senior Lecturer in the Medical Education Unit, School of Medicine. She is Coordinator of the Personal and Professional Development program and academic lead of the portfolio. Jenny is a specialist in Community Child Health with clinical and research experience in child development and disabilities, Aboriginal child health and the impacts of social disadvantage on child well-being.
Dr Stephen McNally is the Associate Dean, Learning & Teaching in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. His primary research interest lies in emergency nursing practice, specifically triage education and sepsis. Additionally, he is particularly interested in collaboration opportunities to further develop Learning & Teaching scholarship such as co-design with students and industry.
Professor Tanya Meade is Dean, School of Psychology, and Professor of Clinical Psychology. A clinical and health psychologist, Professor Meade's clinical and research expertise is in complex physical and mental health co-morbidities.
Professor Shahla Meedya is the Clinical Chair in Midwifery at the Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research (CNMR) at Western Sydney University and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (LHD). She is well-regarded for her evidence-based approach and dedication to translating research into practical strategies. Her work explores the social, cultural, and psychological factors that influence breastfeeding and maternal care, aiming to empower women and improve health outcomes for families through education and support, particularly by leveraging digital interventions.
Professor Dafna Merom is a Professor of Physical Activity and Health in the School of Science and Health. Her academic background comprises of education, exercise science including PDHPE and Dance Teaching Diplomas, master in public health major in epidemiology, health education and health promotion.
Dr Sowbhagya Micheal is a Lecturer in Medical Education and the Convenor of the School of Medicine’s flagship community-engaged teaching program, Medicine in Context. Dr Micheal has a background in microbiology, medical and psychiatric social work, public health, community development and medical education.
Dr Caroline Mills is a lecturer in Occupational Therapy at Western Sydney University. Caroline has extensive clinical experience in disability, special education and healthcare in Australia, China and the UK. Caroline is a mixed methods researcher interested in disability, health and education.
Associate Professor Lise Mogensen
Lise Mogensen is an associate professor and researcher in the School of Medicine. She coordinates the ‘Community Research Projects’, an applied research skills program for medical students. Her particular research interests include health and well-being of children and young people, and issues of disability, mental health, inclusion, identity, and life transitions.
Dr Jed Montayre is a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing & Midwifery. Jed has a strong clinical background in gerontology and medical-surgical nursing. Jed’s teaching areas include biosciences for nurses, gerontology and aged care nursing. Jed’s research focuses on population ageing, cardiovascular health of migrant populations, nursing policy and workforce issues.
Dr Morrison is a registered psychologist and contributes to the local hospital community on a volunteer basis. She also works as a School Psychologist providing care to students, families, staff and the broader school community by offering individual, family, and group based programs. Dr Morrison is a regular guest lecturer across multiple national universities and non-government organisations particularly within her area of practice and research expertise of psychological trauma.
Gerald Muench is a Professor of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine. His major project focus is on Alzheimer's disease with a special emphasis on carbonyl stress in age-related and neurodegenerative processes, and also looking at brain inflammation as a major progression factor in Alzheimer's disease, now widely accepted.
Sithum Munasinghe is a Post-Doctoral Associate Research Fellow in Health Data Analytics working as part of an interdisciplinary team spanning the School of Computer, Data, and Mathematical Sciences, the Translational Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University, and Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Australia.
Gill is a lecturer in the school of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She has worked as a mental health nurse for 20 years, with experiences in forensic, in-patient, community and emergency mental health services. Her current research programme focuses on mental illness; loss and recovery.
Navin is the Director of Paramedicine at Western and Deputy Chair of the Australasian Council of Paramedicine Deans. He is experienced in health service strategic management and professional regulation. His interests include critical theory, transformative pedagogy, gender-based violence prevention and evidence-informed decision making that intersects state and civil society interests in emergency care and violence prevention. He supervises HDRs in the fields of Paramedicine, social inclusivity, health professions education, emergency and forensic medicine.
My current research interests and publications are in the area of health and wellbeing. As a developmental psychologist, I am keen on understanding the impact of life events on development, more so from the point of view of migration and settlement issues like loneliness, general ethnic discrimination, psychological distress, help seeking, language barriers and job-seeking challenges.
Associate Professor Quang Vinh Nguyen
Dr Quang Vinh Nguyen is an associate professor in Visual Analytics whose main research areas are Visual Analytics and Information Visualization particularly for genomic, flow cytometry and biomedical data, network and application based data. He is also interested in the areas of Human Computer Interaction, Virtual and Mixed Reality and related research areas.
Dr Norton has extensive clinical experience as a Senior Paediatric Dietitian working across the acute and community sector in the area of eating disorders. She is passionate about integrating preventive interventions within the wider community and has research interests include the early years, food communication and preventive interventions.
Associate Professor Michael O'Connor
Michael uses human stem cells to better understand normal human development and also the causes of disease progression. Specifically, his research group uses human pluripotent stem cells (i.e. cells that can produce any cell type of the body) to identify causes and potential treatments for cataract, macular degeneration, and other diseases of ageing such as gut motility disorders.
Kate O’Reilly is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University and teaches into both the undergraduate and post graduate programs.
Associate Professor Olayide Ogunsiji
Dr Olayide Ogunsiji is a registered nurse and an Associate Professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Australia. Her research interest focuses on Migrant and Refugee Health and she has worked closely with African Women on various health issues.
Levi is a Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead of Rural Health at Bathurst Rural Clinical School, School of Medicine. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at Charles Start University and a Honorary Associate Professor at University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban South Africa.
Professor and Chair of Epidemiology in the Translational Health Research Institute. Andrew has extensive research experience in epidemiology, psychology and public health, with particular interests in the study of suicide and mental health, the social determinants of health, injury prevention, breast cancer screening, and maternal and child health.
Robin is a Lecturer in Paramedicine and the Academic Program Advisor for Paramedicine at Western Sydney University. His research interests are in improvement science, quality/performance measurement, patient safety, and evidence/knowledge synthesis.
Nicole Peel is a Senior Lecturer in Therapeutic Recreation in the School of Science and Health at Western Sydney University. Her research focuses on the principles of trauma informed care and therapy with vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to assist with progressing their lives within complex and complicated support systems.
Dr. Sheeja Perumbil Pathrose is a Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She is a quantitative method researcher and her research has largely concentrated on studies that investigated practical aspects affecting vulnerable and sick infants and children.
Tania is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology. As a researcher she examines the effectiveness of psychological therapies in the treatment of bipolar disorder and depression. She also examines illness course in bipolar disorder more broadly and has a particular interest in understanding the impact of hormonal life events, such as menopause, for women living with bipolar disorder.
Janette Perz is the Institute Co-Director (Research) and Professor of Health Psychology. She researches in the field of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with a particular focus on gendered experiences, subjectivity and identity. She has demonstrated expertise in research design and analysis, and mixed-methods research.
Kath Peters is a Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She is a registered nurse and has extensive experience in clinical practice, teaching and research.
Rona Pillay is a lecturer and Academic Course Advisor BN Undergraduate within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. Rona brings with her over 35 years of experience in health, education, course curriculum development and research, nationally and internationally across disciplines.
Associate Professor Milan Piya
Milan Piya is a clinical academic endocrinologist at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, and Head of Department for the Macarthur Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Service (MDEMS) at Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals. He has a clinical and research interest in severe obesity and related physical and mental health co-morbidities as well as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and associated health conditions.
Dr Rosalie Power is a Research Fellow with the Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Western Sydney University. Rosalie’s research focuses on marginalized population health, specialising in sexual health, disability and LGBTQ health and using arts-based, mixed-methods, and co-creation approaches.
I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Computational Epidemiology at Western Sydney University School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Science. My work is in the areas of dynamic data-driven computer simulation and systems science. Focus of my research is on policy and planning decision support and modelling of health systems.
Lucie Ramjan is a Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She is a qualitative and mixed method researcher who is committed to education and workforce research, research with adolescents and young people and mental health research, particularly in the area of eating disorders.
Shyama Ratnayake is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Western Sydney University. Her research areas include aged care, nutrition, nursing education and curriculum development.
Dr Kazem Razaghi is a Lecturer in Nursing, Deputy Director Academic Career Development – Sessional, and co-leader of the Training and Education in Mental Health Theme in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. His research focuses on mental health, young people's well-being, QoL, substance use prevention, health promotion, and the experiences of individuals in foster care. He is also active in the scholarship of teaching and learning, with a strong emphasis on translational research, workforce development, and health equity.
Associate Professor Arianne Reis
Dr Arianne Reis is an Associate Profession in Leisure and Recreation Studies at the School of Health Sciences. Her current research focuses on the ways active leisure can promote healthy living and social justice. Dr Reis is also engaged in research examining student learning experiences, particularly focused on student mental wellbeing.
Distinguished Professor Andre Renzaho
Professor Renzaho is a Distinguished Professor of Humanitarian and Development Studies in the School of Medicine at Western Sydney University. He undertakes research in public health in complex humanitarian emergencies and the effectiveness of development assistance in developing countries.
Professor Kerry Robinson is in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology (SSAP) and is the leader of the Sexualities & Genders Research (SaGR) cluster located in the school. Her research interests include: sexuality and gender issues; LGBTQ issues; childhood, gender and sexuality; transgender and gender diverse children and young people; sexual citizenship; sexual harassment and gender and sexuality based violence; and sexuality education.
Rossana Rosa Porto is a postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Medicine. She works in the laboratory of Behavioural Neuroscience, where she is starting her own project, using the heat shock as a non-pharmacological treatment for neurodegenerative diseases and schizophrenia.
Dr Samantha Ryan is an Associate Research Fellow with the Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University. Samantha’s research focus is within critical health psychology and women’s sexual and reproductive health.
Dr Prathyusha Sanagavarapu specialises in early childhood education. She has been teaching in the areas of developmental and educational psychology, covering topics on children’s play, development and learning and prosocial guidance of young children. She has completed a few inter-disciplinary projects, intersecting education with wellbeing and published papers on these topics in reputable journals.
Carolina is an accredited exercise physiologist and clinical researcher. Her program of research focuses on fatigue as a sequalae of acute infection (post-infective fatigue, long-COVID) and cancer (post-cancer fatigue). She holds a NSW Cancer Institute fellowship with a project focused on eLearning for diagnosis and management of post-cancer fatigue.
Virginia Schmied is Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Family and Community Health (FaCH) research group. She is a registered midwife and a registered nurse with experience extends across clinical practice, education, research and consultancy.
Yasin is a Senior Lecturer in general practice. His current academic research interests are looking at innovations in primary health care, medical education, and mentorship in general practice.
Seyed is currently a Senior Lecturer in Computing and ICT at Western Sydney University. His main teaching and research interests include: computer networking, management and security of networked systems, analysis, control and management of complex systems, artificial intelligence applications, and health ICT.
Sara Shishehgar is a Senior Lecturer at School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. As a registered nurse in Australia and with over 10 years of midwifery experience overseas, Sara brings a wealth of practical and academic knowledge to their role.
Associate Professor Alison Short
As an academic music therapist and health services researcher, I am passionate about research and its capacity to inform the evidence base and education, changing health care practices in the future via translational knowledge.
Dr Lei Si is an Associate Professor in Health Services Management at Western Sydney University. He is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health and an Adjunct Professor at Nanjing Medical University. He undertakes research that employs health economics methods to promote efficient and equitable distribution of healthcare sources.
Joyce is currently leading a program of research combining psychology, social psychiatry and public health to identify the social risks, causes and consequences of risk factors on dementia. Her research vision is to maximise the real-world value of research on reducing dementia risk, and to move us towards optimally effective digital interventions to support healthy lifestyles and quality of life in older adults.
Distinguished Professor David Simmons
David is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the Western Sydney University Macarthur Clinical School, Head of the Campbelltown Hospital Endocrinology Department, Chair of the Campbelltown Hospital Clinical Council, Director of the Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism Translation Unit (DOMTRU) and Co-Director of the Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism Clinical Academic Group of the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise.
Associate Professor Paul Simpson
Paul is a registered paramedic and Associate Professor of Paramedicine at Western Sydney University. From 2013 to 2022, he served as the inaugural Director of Paramedicine at Western and now contributes to institutional governance as Deputy Chair of the University's Human Research Ethics Committee.
Associate Professor Shameran Slewa-Younan
Shameran is an Associate Professor in Mental Health at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University and holds a role at the Centre for Mental Health, University of Melbourne as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow. She has significant clinical, research and teaching experience in the mental health and wellbeing of refugee and other CaLD groups.
Associate Professor Evelyn Smithsor Evelyn Smith
I am a clinical psychologist specialising in eating disorders and obesity. My main research program has focused on the possible effects of obesity and associated correlates (inflammation, arterial stiffness, diabetes) on cognition, and whether cognition and cognitive processes impact on eating behaviour and body image. I have also focused on developing or modifying treatments for obesity and eating disorders.
Dr Rebecca Smith is a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist and Lecturer in Speech Pathology at Western Sydney University. Rebecca completed her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in 2022. Rebecca’s research interests include improving the quality of life for children and adults with swallowing and feeding difficulties. She is also interested in examining how 3D food printing can be used to improve their mealtime experiences.
Dr Sandro Sperandei is a Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology in the School of Medicine. He is particularly involved in research on marginalised populations and mental health and suicide prevention.
Dr Kylie Steel’s research explores the intersection of cognitive performance, learning, and female physiology in sport. With a focus on the menstrual cycle’s impact on attention, decision-making, and motor skill acquisition, her work challenges traditional, male-dominant sport science models. Kylie’s interdisciplinary approach bridges cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and applied sport science to improve the design of training and coaching practices for female athletes. She is particularly interested in how hormonal fluctuations influence cognition under pressure and the implications for talent development and athlete well-being. Her work informs athlete support systems across elite and developmental sport contexts.
Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner
Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Director of Research at the NICM Health Research Institute where she leads the NICM Neurocognition and HEADBOX Labs. Her cognitive neuroscience research spans the early detection, prevention, and treatment of memory and thinking problems in older people with the aim of reducing dementia risk and improving quality of life.
Associate Professor Virginia Stulz
Virginia is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She is currently Chief Investigator on one major research project in three Local Health Districts of NSW that improves birth options for women.
Teresa Swist is a Research Fellow at the Young and Resilient Research Centre. She is part of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre's Safe and Well Online project - researching social communications in the promotion of young people's safety and wellbeing.
Associate Professor Mustapha Taibi
Associate Professor Mustapha Taibi is the leader of the International Community Translation Research Group and Editor of Translation & Interpreting. He has been teaching translation, interpreting, semantics, pragmatics and intercultural communication.
Clarice has a research interest in improving health outcomes for people with chronic cardiorespiratory diseases. She is particularly passionate in improving people’s engagement, especially those from a CALD community, to participate in evidence-based management.
Dr Kathy Tannous' current research areas include the evaluation of Fire and Rescue New South Wales Home Fire Safety Checks Program from the firefighters' perspective. She is a professor in the School of Business with an active research program in aspects of health economics, economic evaluation studies, and community care.
Chloe is a Senior Lecturer in sport & exercise science in the School of Science and Health. Her research focus is cardiovascular control, in particular the responses to physiological challenges such as exercise and orthostasis, and the effects of time of day.
John R. Taylor is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Music Cognition and Computation at the MARCS Institute. John's current project involves developing a personalised music affect recommender system for unfamiliar music.
Professor Amanda Third is the Co-Director of Young and Resilient Research Centre and Professorial Research Fellow at Institute for Culture and Society. Her research focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of young people's technology use, with particular emphases on children's rights in the digital age, the intergenerational dynamics shaping technology practice, and vulnerable young people's technological engagements.
Liz is an Associate Professor in the WSU Paramedicine program and Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) for the School of Health Sciences. She was an advanced life support paramedic with Ambulance Victoria for 11 years including roles as a clinical instructor and peer support officer.
Stephen Tomsen is a sociologist and criminologist, and Professor of Criminology at Western Sydney University. He is an acknowledged international figure in research on violence, gender/sexuality, and drinking and drug use (AOD) and has delivered numerous papers at national and international conferences and meetings on these topics. His output includes eight books/research monographs and dozens of refereed articles and papers.
Cris is a sociologist whose research explores what we can learn, to inform practice, when we put the child, young person and family at the centre of the nexus between health service delivery, community and education.
Danielle is a Professor in Educational and Developmental Psychology and Disability Studies, and a researcher in the Translational Health Research Institute and Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University. Her career objective is to advance the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of children and young people, with a particular focus on individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Associate Professor George Turner
Dr. George Turner’s research is focused on reducing health disparities by advancing sexual health equity in areas such as sexual justice, LGBTQIA2S issues, disability, and sexuality education. As a social worker, George has a demonstrated clinical expertise as a psychotherapist with over fifteen years in private practice specialising in sex therapy.
Jane Ussher is Professor of Women's Health Psychology. Her research focuses on examining gendered factors underlying mental health problems, subjectivity in relation to the reproductive body and sexuality, and the gendered experience of cancer and cancer care.
Dr Emma Walter is a lecturer in psychology and early career researcher. Emma’s research aims to identify markers in cognitive and emotional functioning which have transdiagnostic utility. By developing our understanding of the complex nature of social, emotional and cognitive functioning in everyday life and the impact of individual differences and mechanisms which may underlie impaired functioning in these areas.
Gabrielle is a Professor in Psychological Science in the School of Psychology. She is the Research Theme Champion for Health and Wellbeing.
Dr Rhiannon White is a senior lecturer in Health and Physical Education and teaches exercise psychology and PE teaching. Her research aims to better understand the relationship between physical activity and mental health, so that physical activity can be used and promoted in a way that is most likely to improve mental health.
Dr Wilson's research interests are in applied research that enhances the health, wellbeing and social participation of people with long-term disabilities, in particular people with intellectual and developmental disability.
Wilson Wong is trained in miRNA and lncRNA biology through projects that generated miRNA (Wong, Joglekar et al iScience 2021) and lncRNA (Wong et al JCI insight 2019) profiles of human cells. His key strengths lie in wet lab as well as data analytics and bioinformatics.
PhD, MMed, BA
Research Support Program Fellow - Healthy Ageing: Chinese Medicine Prevention in Chronic Diseases, NICM Health Research Institute