WESTERN ALLIANCE - Key Persons

Alesha Sayner

al..@gh.org.au

Job Titles:

Associate
Research Translation Coordinator - Grampians

Alesha Sayner is taking on part of the Research Translation Coordinator role covering Grampians Health during the leave of Dr Ella Ottrey. Alesha will be undertaking this role alongside her existing position at Grampians Health as Allied Health Research & Knowledge Translation Lead. Alesha is also a pelvic health physiotherapist and PhD candidate. If you are from Grampians Health and want to get in touch with Alesha to discuss your research or translation ideas, you can do so at Alesha.Sayner@gh.org.au .

Alison Johnson

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Evaluation Support Lead

Ally Stock

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DELIVER Project Officer

Dr Anna Ugalde

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Dr Anna Ugalde Associate

Dr Daria Soldatenko

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Research Fellow, Federation University

Dr Ella Ottrey

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Associate
Member of the Western Alliance Team
Research Translation Coordinator
Research Translation Coordinator - Ballarat / East Grampians Region

Dr Ella Ottrey is the Western Alliance Research Translation Coordinator for the Ballarat/East Grampians region. Ella grew up in Gippsland, before moving to Melbourne to train and work as a clinical dietitian. Ella's research career began eight years ago, completing honours and then a PhD, exploring mealtimes in hospital. In addition to her role with Western Alliance, Ella is a Postdoctoral Fellow with Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education. Ella looks forward to building research capacity and capability within the health services in her region. She provides support to people conducting research, by reviewing protocols or ethics applications, accessing statistical support, navigating the pathway to publication, and in linking health services with universities.

Dr Joanne Enticott

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Senior Research Fellow,  Health Systems Services & Policy, Monash

Dr Kara Burns

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Program Manager, Collective Impact Incubator Team Leader, University of Melbourne

Dr Kayley Lyons

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Education & Workforce Development Lead Team Leader, University of Melbourne

Dr Kit Huckvale

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Research Fellow, Validitron, Team Leader, University of Melbourne

Dr Laura Alston

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Associate
Member of the Research Translation Committee
Associate Research Fellow
Director of Research, Colac Area Health

Laura is a clinical dietitian and qualified diabetes educator who is passionate about preventing and treating chronic diseases through better nutrition. Laura's PhD focussed on the preventable inequalities in heart disease experienced by rural Australians. Laura received a Graduate Women's Victoria award for her PhD progress in 2018. Her fellowship project involves investigating the role of rural health services in assisting their community to improve the local food environment and will include the development of evidence-based guidelines for rural health services in Western Victoria and more broadly across the state of Victoria. Laura's Fellowship represents a collaboration between Colac Area Health, The Global Obesity Centre, Deakin Rural Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr Louise Greenstock Western

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Member of the Research Translation Committee
Member of the Western Alliance Team
Alliance Research Translation Coordinator

Dr Mahima Kalla

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Research Officer Participatory Research, University of Melbourne

Dr Michael Field

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Associate
Member of the Research Translation Committee
Member of the Western Alliance Team
Research Translation Coordinator
Research Translation Coordinator - Barwon / Colac Region

Dr Michael Field is the Western Alliance Research Translation Coordinator for the Barwon/Colac region. Michael grew up on the Bellarine Peninsula and studied at Deakin University on Geelong before moving to Adelaide where he attended medical school. Michael worked as a junior doctor in South Australia in both city and country settings then returned to Victoria taking up a position in population health research at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at the Royal Children's Hospital. Michael's research experience spans clinical trials, cross-sectional studies and cohorts, and his research interests include childhood allergy and addressing rural health outcome inequalities. He also maintains part-time clinical practice in surgical assisting. Michael joined Western Alliance in February 2020 and aims to build research capacity in the Barwon/Colac region through supporting clinical and administrative staff at Western Alliance partner sites in the region.

Dr Olivia King

Job Titles:

Member of the Research Translation Committee
Member of the Western Alliance Team
Manager of Western Alliance 's Research Capability Building Program
Manager, Western Alliance Research Capability Building Program
Research Capability Building Program Manager

Dr Olivia King is the inaugural Manager of Western Alliance's Research Capability Building Program. The key focus of her role is leading the development of the STaRR (Supporting Translation of Research in Rural and Regional settings) Program. Olivia has worked in a range of clinical roles as a podiatrist and diabetes educator, research roles and more recently as the Allied Health Research and Translation Lead with Rosalie Boyce, supporting allied health researchers at Barwon Health and South West Healthcare. Olivia's research interests include health professions education, allied health workforce, and sociology of the professions. In addition to her role with Western Alliance, Olivia is a Senior Consultant with AHP Workforce working on a research capacity building program and an Adjunct Research Associate with Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education. Olivia wears many hats, but all of her work relates to building research capacity and capability in the healthcare workforce - particularly in rural and regional settings.

Dr Olivia Metcalf

Job Titles:

Senior Research Fellow
Senior Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

Emma West

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Member of the Western Alliance Team
Program Officer Research Capability Building

Ishaan Ameen

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Digital Health Support Officer, Western District Health Service

Jodie Reid

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Co Director, Community Health, Rehabilitation and Palliative Care, Barwon Health

Mr Andy Giddy

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Member of the Research Translation Committee

Mr Craig Fraser

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Member of the Board of Directors

Mr Dale Fraser

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Member of the Board of Directors

Mr Drew Aras

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Executive Officer
Member of the Research Translation Committee
Member of the Western Alliance Team
Company Secretary / Public Officer

Hailing from Ocean Grove, Drew started his career as a physiotherapist working in public health settings across Geelong, Melbourne, Sydney and the United Kingdom. He has since completed a Master of Public Health and has worked in health promotion and preventative health, health program and project management and extensively in health research and education. Prior to commencing with Western Alliance in October 2018, Drew was the Associate Director of Education & Research at Northern Health, a large public health service in Melbourne's north. Drew has a special interest in health services research, workforce development, preventative health, consumer and community involvement, health literacy and falls prevention. Drew provides support and advice to the Board, including on policy, planning and implementation, and is also responsible for Western Alliance's day-to-day operations, financial management and staffing. Drew also administers the research funding portfolio. Drew looks forward to helping to build research and improve health outcomes across western Victoria.

Mr Mario Santilli

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Member of the Board of Directors

Mr Rohan Fitzgerald

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Member of the Board of Directors

Mrs Alicia Boyd

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Member of the Research Translation Committee

Mrs Marilyn Dolling

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Member of the Research Translation Committee
Consumer Representative

Ms Ashleigh Clarke

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Member of the Research Translation Committee

Ms Cassandra Hamilton

Job Titles:

Administrative Officer
Member of the Research Translation Committee
Member of the Western Alliance Team

Cassandra provides administrative support and advice to the Executive Director, Executive Officer, the Board of Directors and the Research Translation Committee members, as well as general office administration, financial assistance, website maintenance, correspondence and all events coordination. Cassandra has over 25 years experience in office administration. Prior to commencing with Western Alliance in March 2018, Cassandra worked at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre for over 8 years in a variety of roles - her most recent role involved management of the whole secretarial team for the Haematology and Medical Oncology departments, overseeing all administration departments for the Division of Cancer Medicine and assisting the Divisional Director.

Ms Fiona Brew

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Member of the Board of Directors

Ms Fiona Mitchell

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Associate Research Fellow, Deakin Rural Health

Ms Frances Diver

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Member of the Board of Directors

Ms Hannah Beks

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Research Fellow, Deakin Rural Health

Ms Jaclyn Bishop

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Member of the Research Translation Committee
Manager, Development and Improvement, East Grampians Health Service

Ms Kate Huggins

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Member of the Research Translation Committee

Ms Leah Damman

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Member of the Research Translation Committee
SouthWest Health Care

Ms Natalie Bransgrove

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Research Fellow, Federation University

Ms Rowena Clift

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Member of the Board of Directors

Ms Samantha Sharp

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Member of the Board of Directors

Ms Sue Williams

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Senior Research Policy and Practice Fellow, National Ageing Research Institute, DELIVER Research Translation Coordinator, Grampians Health

Peter Kelly

Job Titles:

Program Officer, Research Capability Building

Peter's role is to support research capability initiatives of the STaRR programs, including strategy development, training content and evaluation. Peter worked in several different sectors, including local government, family services and health services. The majority of his roles have been in project management, focussing on health promotion and community development. Specific areas of interest include prevention of violence against women, family violence identification and response and male health.