FUTURE FERTILITY - Key Persons
Dr Wakefield leads a growing group of paediatric psycho-oncology research professionals at the Behavioural Sciences Unit, at the Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital. You can read more about her team here:
Dr Dean is a Lecturer at UNSW, a Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecologist and a Fertility specialist. After completing her specialist training, Dr Deans undertook a fellowship post at the Royal Hospital for Women (2007-2009), and subsequently went to University College London Hospital (2009-2011) to further pursue her training in Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology under Professor Sarah Creighton, and still has a collaborative role in research with UCLH. She She completed the Certificate in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in 2011. Rebecca is an early career researcher and is currently a part time clinical lecturer at UNSW, with an appointment at the Royal Hospital for Women (NSW), and Sydney Children's Hospital.
Dr Dean has a Master of Medicine (Reproductive Health Sciences & Human Genetics) from the University of Sydney (2005-2008). She is currently enrolled in a PhD through the University of NSW. Her main areas of interest and expertise include Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology, and infertility. Her PhD is on intrauterine adhesions (Asherman syndrome) and the effect these have on female infertility. Dr Dean is also Vice President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (ANZPAG). She also sits on the panel for International Harmonization group for late effects in childhood cancer, with its recent mandate to develop international guidelines for surveillance and health screening for childhood cancer survivors.
Dr Yasmin Jayasinghe (MBBS, FRANZCOG, PhD) is a Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecologist with the Department of Gynaecology, Royal Children's Hospital. She is a gynaecologist with the Reproductive Services and the Oncology/Dysplasia Service at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. She is the current President of the Australian & New Zealand Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology, and a Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne. Between 2005-2007 she undertook research investigating breast disorders in children and young women with the Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine Mayo Clinic Rochester. She was awarded a PhD on cervical cancer and precancer in young women in 2013 at the University of Melbourne and is a co-investigator on the VACCINE study, monitoring the impact of the cervical cancer vaccine in an Australian population. She is principal investigator on a review of Fertility Preservation measures in oncology patients at the Royal Children's Hospital which is a project supported by the Victorian Government through Victorian Cancer Agency Research Funding. Dr Yasmin Jayasinghe is the recipient of the Victorian Cancer Agency Early Career Research Funding .
Job Titles:
- Director of the Sydney Youth Cancer Service at Sydney Children 's Hospital
Dr Antoinette Anazodo trained in Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology in the United Kingdom and completed her training with a clinical fellowship at the Kids Cancer Centre at The Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick (SCH). During her training and fellowship Antoinette completed a postgraduate diploma in Adolescent Oncology and has developed a comprehensive understanding of the issues specific to Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) patients including best practice for individual cancer types. Antoinette has an interest in sexual health, sexual dysfunction and fertility in cancer patient's. As CIA Antoinette brings together a very strong team who are committed to making a difference in the development of biological, medical and psychological studies that will advance our knowledge and care of patient's sexual health and fertility potential following successful cancer treatment.
Antoinette was appointed as the Director of the Sydney Youth Cancer Service at Sydney Children's Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital in October 2010. Her committment over this time has been to develop a service that allows all AYA patients to receive age appropriate and tumour specific medical treatment and psychosocial care. Antoinette's appointment across both paediatric and adult campus has provided opportunities for clinical and research collaboration and the development of the first Youth Cancer Unit in NSW. Antoinette is a member of the national COSA AYA Cancer Steering Group, Chair of the NSW and ACT AYA Steering Group, member of the CanTeen Steering Group and the CanTeen Research Group and a member of the Fertility Society of Australia Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group.
Lynn Gillam is the Clinical Ethicist and Academic Director of the Children's Bioethics Centre at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. She is also Associate Professor in Health Ethics at the University of Melbourne, in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. Lynn works in clinical ethics case consultation, policy advice and research; teaches ethics in the university's medical course and postgraduate social health program; is a member of a number of state and federal advisory bodies; and is the Chair of the University's Human Research Ethics Committee.
Brigitte Gerstl is an epidemiologist and holds a Masters Degree in Public Health, majoring in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of New South Wales. Brigitte is the International Program Manager for the FUTuRE Fertility Study and is currently working on her PhD examining pregnancy complications and reproductive outcomes following cancer treatment. Brigitte's research interests include: paediatric oncology, international women's and children's health as well as sexual and reproductive health in Aboriginal communities.
Job Titles:
- Melbourne IVF 's Clinical Research Manager
- Secretary for the Medical Preservation of Fertility Special Interest Group
Franca Agresta is Melbourne IVF's Clinical Research Manager and has more than 18 years' experience in research, where laboratory and basic science research has evolved into the initiation and coordination of various clinical trials. Franca and her team are actively involved in various research projects, both investigator-initiated trials and in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. Her ICH-GCP training ensures that clinical research conducted is of high quality and compliant. Her role also involves encouraging and facilitating new research across the various disciplines within the organisation and collaborating with universities and various research institutes.
Franca co-ordinates the Fertility Preservation Program at Melbourne IVF; the largest of its kind in Australia. The FPS was the first dedicated service for fertility preservation in Australia and continues to lead clinical programs and research in this area of medicine.
Franca is also the secretary for the Medical Preservation of Fertility Special Interest Group. This group comprises national and international experts in the field of fertility preservation and which was launched in 2009. This initiative has been supported and endorsed by the Board of the Fertility Society of Australia.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Investigator
- Chairman of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia
Associate Professor Stern also initiated Australian and New Zealand's first Fertility Preservation "Special Interest Group." This group comprises of national and international experts in the field of fertility preservation, which was launched in 2009. The initiative has been supported and endorsed by the Board of the Fertility Society of Australia.
Associate Professor Stern was also responsible for leading the ground-breaking research providing unequivocal evidence that ovarian tissue cryopreservation does preserve complete follicle development, and that normal ovarian function and pregnancy can both occur at a site outside of the ovaries.
Professor Sullivan is a public health physician with 23 years' experience working at a national and international level as a maternal and reproductive epidemiologist. She is a Professor of Public Health, at the University of Technology Sydney and Associate Dean of Research with the Faculty of Health. From 2002-2014, she was the Director AIHW National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, where her position involved academic and research leadership of the national unit, monitoring reproductive, maternal and perinatal health. She has national expertise in the development of perinatal and reproductive health information and surveillance systems, data linkage, being a national Data Custodian and the management of large datasets including 12 years' of experience managing the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database (ANZARD). She is Chief Investigator of Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS) and leads a health services research group with focus on maternal and reproductive health. She is Chief Investigator on a number of NHMRC and other competitive grants and is a highly experienced research administrator with demonstrated expertise in management of national multisite projects.
Associate Professor Cohn is a Paediatric Oncologist and until December 2013 was Head of Clinical Oncology, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital (SCH). He is the Clinical Director of Medicine at SCH; Chairman of the SCH Brain Tumour Collaborative; Head of the Long-term Follow-up and Neuro-Oncology Programmes, SCH; conjoint Associate Professor in the School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW); and a Clinical Research Associate of the Children's Cancer Institute Australia. He is the Co-director (Paediatrics) of the NSW Cancer Survivorship Centre in the Faculty of Medicine, UNSW.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Andrology Australia
- Professor
Professor Robert McLachlan is the Director of the Andrology Australia, a Federal Government initiative committed to research and community and professional education in male reproductive health. He is an Honorary Professor in the Monash University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is Director of Clinical Research at Prince Henry's Institute, and Deputy Director of Endocrinology at the Monash Medical Centre. He is a past President of the Fertility Society of Australia, and a consultant to the World Health Organisation on male fertility regulation. His clinical and research interests are in the area of male reproductive health, especially in fertility and androgen physiology. As Consultant Andrologist to the Monash IVF program since 1991, he oversees the evaluation and management of male infertility and is also the Chairman of the Monash IVF Research and Education Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Head and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Professor
Professor William Ledger is Head and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, School of Women's & Children's Health at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Head of the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of New South Wales and Director of Research and Development with IVF-Australia in Sydney.
Professor Ledger moved to Sydney in 2011 having been Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Sheffield since 1999. Before that he was Reader in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Oxford and Clinical Lecturer and Subspecialist Trainee in Reproductive Medicine in Edinburgh. He was a Member of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for five years before his move to Australia, and also was Chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Examinations and Assessment Committee for five years to 2010, and a Member of Council of the RCOG. His research interests focus on in vitro fertilisation and assisted reproduction, impacts of reproductive disorders such as gynaecological cancer, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome on quality of life, reproductive effects of cancer treatment and health economic and demographic aspects of infertility. He is married, with three sons.