CANNABINOID - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director of the Drug Policy Modelling Program

Professor Alison Ritter is an internationally recognised drug policy scholar and the Director of the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP) at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales. She is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Research Fellow leading a multi-disciplinary program of research on drug policy. The goal of the work is to advance drug policy through improving the evidence-base, translating research and studying policy processes. Alison worked as a clinical psychologist in the alcohol and drug treatment sector prior to commencing full-time research. She has contributed significant policy and practice developments across alcohol and drug policy over many years. She is the immediate past President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy, Vice-President of the Alcohol and Drug Council of Australia and an Editor for a number of journals, including Drug and Alcohol Review, and the International Journal of Drug Policy. Alison has an extensive research grant track record and has published widely in the field.

Job Titles:

• General Practitioner

Professor Andrew Bonney is a general practitioner and Roberta Williams Chair of General Practice in the School of Medicine at the University of Wollongong. He has been in clinical practice on the NSW south coast since 1992 as a GP to a rural town and Aboriginal community. He has been involved in medical education and clinical leadership roles for over 20 years. Andrew completed his Master of Family Medicine (Clinical) degree through Monash University and his PhD through the University of Wollongong. He has been published both nationally and internationally on aspects of primary care and is on the review panels of national and international primary care and medical education related journals. Andrew is an Associate Editor for the Australian Journal of Rural Health, Director of the Illawarra and Southern Practice Research Network (ISPRN) and Co-Director of the Health Impacts Research Cluster (HIRC) within the Faculty of Science Medicine and Health. Andrew's personal research interests are practice-based research, patient-centred health care and health equity and he is currently involved in a diverse range of related research projects. Andrew is a Chief Investigator on the SIMLR Cohort study, a longitudinal investigation of the socioeconomic and geographical distribution of cardio-metabolic risk factors in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region of NSW.

CARE NSW provides Rachel with the opportunity to combine her research passions of natural product pharmacology, consumer reported outcomes and the design and execution of quality clinical trials. Her early career included a PhD in New Zealand on the dietary chemoprevention of Pacific Island foods, before she moved to Australia and undertook pre-clinical and clinical research with isolated natural compounds. This, together with her subsequent coordination of the Australian Corneal Graft Registry and a large international multisite cancer trial for TROG Cancer Research, provided her with the necessary skills, understanding and appreciation of the complexities a clinical trial of cannabis medicines involve.

Job Titles:

• ACRE Affilate PhD Student - University of Wollongong

Carlos Jimenez Naranjo is a PhD candidate at Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong. His research interest is focused on the use of cannabinoids to improve cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders, which are untreatable with current medications. Carlos is experienced in molecular analysis techniques in both cellular and animal models as well as in adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors design and production for gene therapy purposes. Carlos' qualifications include a Bachelor's in Biotechnology at the University of Leon (Spain) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Gene Therapy at Imperial College London (UK). During his undergraduate program, Carlos worked in collaboration with Dr Katrina Green at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) to explore the effect of cannabidiol on the muscarinic system in a schizophrenia rat model as part of an international student exchange program at the University of Wollongong. His postgraduate master thesis focused on analysing the molecular changes in the brain of an epilepsy mouse model following AAV-mediated CDKL5 gene augmentation therapy.

Job Titles:

• ACRE Post Doctoral Research Fellow - Griffith University
• Pharmacist and Public Health Researcher
• Research Fellow

Daniel Erku is a pharmacist and public health researcher, with training and experience in using (pharmaco) economic evaluations to inform health...

Job Titles:

• Researcher
• Doctor

Doctor Lisa-Marie Greenwood is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer within the Research School of Psychology at the Australian National University. ... Lisa.Greenwood@anu.edu. Lisa-Marie has extensive research experience in the design and implementation of randomised-controlled clinical trials for both pharmacological (amino acids, cannabinoids) and behavioural (exercise and mindfulness) interventions. She specialises in neuropsychological, psychophysiological and brain imaging techniques to inform the neural mechanisms of treatment interventions and in guiding evidence-based clinical practice. Lisa-Marie is currently coordinating a longitudinal investigation of neural signatures associated with the transition and maintenance of cannabis use disorders in recreational users. She has particular interest in investigating the effects of different cannabinoids on neural repair within the brain to treat and prevent severe mental illness. Lisa-Marie is a member of the ACRE Community of Practice for Cannabis Medicines and Dementia and the ACRE Capacity Building Group.

Job Titles:

• University of Queensland ( Doctor )

Dr Antony Martin (PhD) will develop a library of unique plant strains that have been chemically phenotyped via customised massively high throughput crop phenotyping platforms for the full spectrum of cannabinoid compounds, with effective databasing of information. This work will feed off of his team's experience (e.g. breeding programs for bioenergy crops, commercial breeding and genetic marker discovery in rice (International Rice Research Institute) and tobacco

Job Titles:

• Affiliate Investigator - NSW Cannabis Medicines Advisory Service / University of Newcastle
• Investigator

Dr Catherine Lucas (BPharm, MBBS, FRACP, FAANMS) is a dual-accredited clinical pharmacologist and nuclear physician, as well as a pharmacist. Catherine holds positions with both the University of Newcastle and the Hunter New England Local Health District, in clinical pharmacology and nuclear medicine, as a staff specialist clinical academic. Catherine has authored pharmacology-based research grants, multiple peer-reviewed publications (a number collaboratively with other ACRE researchers) and presentations at national and international meetings. Current research interests entail provision of pharmacokinetic expertise in clinical trial design and pharmacokinetic analysis. Catherine is a member of the ACRE Capacity Building Group.

Job Titles:

• ACRE Post Doctoral Research Fellow - University of Melbourne
• Research Fellow

Dr Christine Hallinan is an epidemiologist in the Department of General Practice (DGP) at the University of Melbourne. Her research interest is focused on the impact of policy on population level health outcomes. Christine has expertise in the analysis of time series data and in the transformation and modelling of big data. Her statistical skills include the development of prediction models using segmented regression and auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. In her research with Australian Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE), which has been funded by a multi-institutional NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, Dr Hallinan is working as a post-doctoral research fellow on the pharmacovigilance of Medicinal Cannabis. This research involves an exploration of the prescription patterns and the reporting of adverse events for patients accessing medicinal cannabis in Australia. Christine is also working on the analysis of primary care electronic medical record data for the University of Melbourne Future Health Today (FHT) and Antimicrobial Stewardship projects. Christine's qualifications include a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of Melbourne. Dr Hallinan has an MPH major in Health Program and Economic Evaluation. Her PhD involved the analysis of the removal of incentives to general practitioners for immunisation, using multiple modelling proceedures on Australia's national immunisation data registry. She was awarded a Commonwealth Supported Place in 2009, an Australian Post Graduate Award in 2012 and a Research Training Program Scholarship in 2017. Her breadth of capability includes the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse complex interventions. Christine's overarching aim is to provide evidence around how best to optimise the quality of care using routinely collected data. Christine is a member of the ACRE Capacity Building Group.

Job Titles:

• Post - Doctoral Research Fellow - University of Wollongong
• Research Fellow

Dr Jessica Bartschi is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Wollongong (UOW) and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI). Jessica completed her Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) in 2015, and recently completed her PhD thesis in the School of Medicine at UOW.

Job Titles:

• University of Wollongong ( Doctor )

Dr Katrina Green is a medical science lecturer in the School of Medicine, University of Wollongong and a scientist at the Centre for Translational Neuroscience, Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute. Katrina has a PhD in neuroscience and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI). She also serves as an ad-hoc scientific advisor to various organisations, including the National Health and Medical Research Council, Czech Science Foundation, Schizophrenia Research Institute and publicly-listed pharmaceutical companies. Katrina's research aims to improve the pharmacological treatment of mental illness and to promote healthy aging, with a particular interest in exploring the potential of cannabinoids as novel therapeutics. She has 11 years of experience in neuropharmacological research utilising animal and cell models. Dr Green brings to ACRE expertise in quantitative animal research, including a detailed understanding of drug dosing regimens that best reflect human treatment, behavioural testing, and molecular analysis techniques, as well as cell line and primary cell culture methods. Dr Green leads a research team that were the first to discover the therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) on cognition (learning and memory) in a rodent model of schizophrenia. These findings are particularly important as cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is largely untreatable with current antipsychotic medications. Further research from her team is investigating the potential therapeutic benefits of other cannabinoid molecules - a promising and untapped possibility that may prove critical in light of the presently dry antipsychotic drug discovery pipeline. Her team is also exploring the medicinal potential of cannabinoids for other indications, such as depression, autism, age-related illnesses and healthy aging, as well as interactions with gut-microbiota.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor Nikola Bowden

Job Titles:

• Clinical Trial Manager - University of Newcastle

Dr Rachel Galettis is the Clinical Trial Manager for ACRE. Her position involves the management of a NSW-wide study, Cannabinoids for Symptom Control ... rachel.galettis@newcastle.edu.

Job Titles:

• ACRE PhD Student - University of Newcastle

Edward Eden is a PhD candidate with the University of Newcastle, investigating how cannabinoids can be used to treat brain cancer. Edward has a research background in cancer neurobiology - the interaction between tumours and the nervous system. He is also experienced in cellular stress responses, in particular the unfolded protein response. Edward holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with First Class Honours and Diploma in Languages from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Throughout his undergraduate program, Edward studied abroad in Germany at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, the University of Stuttgart, and Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen.

Job Titles:

• ACRE Affilate PhD Student - University of Wollongong

Helen Clunas is a PhD candidate at Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong. After more than 20 years in the Australian Army, Helen decided to change careers and explore her interest mental health. She is particularly passionate about how different societies define mental illness, the philosophical ideas around consciousness and the search for biomarkers that will better explain mental illnesses and identify more accurate treatments. After a Bachelor of Science - Chemistry (University of New South Wales), Helen studied neuroscience with a Masters of Brain and Mind Science at the Brain Research Centre (University of Sydney). Helen's master's thesis, with the Kassiou Group, examined novel allosteric modulators of the P2X7 receptor in a cellular model for potential use as antidepressants utilising both ELISA and Yo-Pro assays to determine levels of inflammation following drug treatment. In 2019 Helen joined the NeuroHorizons Lab to begin her PhD under Dr Katrina Green and A/Prof Kelly Newell (UOW). Helen's current project is exploring the potential for compounds found in the cannabis plant to function as rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressants. This research involves animal experiments and post-mortem tissue analysis to identify the efficacy of these compounds to effect behavioural changes in a rodent model of depression and determine the mechanisms by which they work. The result of these investigations will be the possible identification of novel antidepressants that have less side effects and are faster acting than currently available treatments. Helen is a member of the ACRE Capacity Building Group.

Job Titles:

• Hunter New England Local Health District ( Doctor )
• Local Health District ( Doctor )

Dr Craig Dalton (BMed, MMSc, FAFPHM (Public Health)) is a public health physician and founder of Flutracking.net - the largest online participatory surveillance system in the world with 26,000 Australians responding to a flu symptoms survey each week in winter. He is cofounder of Vaxtracker.net, an online and SMS surveillance system tracking adverse reactions to vaccines, part of the Commonwealth funded AusVax Safety Program. He assisted in developing similar online influenza tracking systems in the US and Canada. He conducts environmental health risk assessments of contaminants and is a member of the Australian College of Toxicologists and Risk Assessors. Craig's public health training in the US Communicable Diseases Centre was in a field position in Denver; his ongoing links with Colorado provide insight into the evolution of medicinal and recreational cannabis in that state. Craig will provide expert input into the technological platforms and survey methods used by ACRE to maximise participation in the pharmacovigilance activities.

Job Titles:

• Professor

(Hon) Professor Jan Copeland (PhD) was the founding and sole Director of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) at the University of NSW from 2007 to its defunding by the Turnbull Coalition government in 2016. She is now leading her own consultancy Cannabis Information and Support. She is a registered psychologist and a member of the US College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the Australian Psychological Society, and the International Cannabinoid Research Society. Jan has worked in the addictions field at UNSW for more than 25 years, specialising in the development and testing of tools and brief interventions for the management of cannabis use disorder among adults and adolescents. Her research and research translation work has attracted $42.5million, including 14 clinical trials, 4 as lead Chief Investigator with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and 5 as a member of NHMRC Chief Investigator teams. Jan led the development of the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale and the first trial of nabiximols (Sativex) for the management of cannabis withdrawal. She has more than 350 publications (n=175 in peer reviewed journals) including lead author of a 2015 book on quitting cannabis for Allen & Unwin and sole author of a clinical manual for US Hazelden Publications on brief Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) interventions for cannabis use disorder, released in 2017. She has advised national and international governments on cannabis-related prevention and treatment. She is an Associate Editor of Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment among other journal editorial roles. Jan has received a number of awards for her contribution to drug-related treatment, public health and community education.

Job Titles:

• Professor Jane Gunn ( MBBS, FRACGP ) Has Played Key Leadership Roles in Reforming Shared Maternity Care and Cervical Screening Programs in Victoria Via .

Professor Jane Gunn (MBBS, FRACGP) has played key leadership roles in reforming shared maternity care and cervical screening programs in Victoria via work with the State Government and the Cancer Council; these also spanned medical and nursing student training and continuing medical and nursing education. She was the invited inaugural Chair of the Board of the Northern Melbourne Medical Local Ltd and served in this role until these were replaced with Primary Health Networks (PHNs). She is now a Member of the Board of the recently formed Eastern Melbourne PHN. In all of these roles Jane has been able to bring her leadership skills and research expertise to lead health care system updates as the evidence progresses, much as is needed within ACRE. Most recently, Jane's recognised leadership role and unique combination of research and practice skills led to her Ministerial appointment to the Steering Committees of the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, the National Standards Performance Framework for Mental Health, and to the Mental Health Expert Reference Group. This contributes nationally to policy reform. These and membership of national guideline groups are a key translational outcome of ACRE. Jane led the 'diamond cohort' study, one of the 5 top research projects in mental health featured in the 2009 publication ‘NHMRC: Working to Build a Healthy Australia'. It has influenced National Surveys of Mental Health and Well-being, the development of 'beyondblue' guidelines for use by GPs, and the 2011 NHMRC Committee to develop clinical guidelines for borderline personality disorder. The research methods and guideline development have gained international attention (UK, USA and Asia), are influencing translational research, and are a key ACRE methodology. Jane has also worked with the National Prescribing Service, a key ACRE collaborator, to develop data extraction method enabling continuous monitoring of the quality of GP care (e.g. in medication use and uptake).

Job Titles:

• Director
• Clinical Pharmacologist and Physician
• Professor

Jenny's research has focused on the development of analytical techniques for therapeutic drug monitoring, pharmacokinetic studies, use of dried blood spot for drug monitoring and investigating the stability and compatibility of drug infusion solutions. She also has an interest in teaching and learning research, particularly around the use of augmented reality and other technology. Dr Amirali Popat (PhD) is a Pharmaceutical formulation chemist with a PhD in novel drug delivery systems from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland (UQ). He is currently a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Fellow at the School of Pharmacy, UQ and was chosen from a national panel for ACRE as Australia's developing leader in clinically relevant novel drug delivery technologies. Amirali is already successfully working with Professor Jennifer Martin and the Newcastle Pharmacology team on novel formulations of therapeutics. His expertise in formulation and delivery of problem molecules coupled with working relationships and funding support from pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies is pivotal for the successful translation of research molecules into therapeutic formulations safe for human use. In his previous projects, Amirali has developed novel formulations for controlled drug delivery, influential contributions to the fields of pharmaceutics (27 publications with >1100 citations, and 2 patent applications in last 5 years). In such a short academic career (PhD awarded in July 2012) Amirali has secured >$4 million funding including from the NHMRC, Advanced QLD and from collaborating pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies to establish a state of art formulation and drug delivery facility at the school of Pharmacy, UQ. He is a senior Chief Investigator on a NHMRC Project Grant on the formulation of nanoparticles to target obesity and Advanced QLD grant to develop novel pesticide formulations. Some of the learning from these funded projects will be translated into ACRE to generate proof of concept data for future funding. Amirali will oversee the formulation and development of optimised cannabinoids to be used for ACRE's clinical trial/clinical pharmacology program. Professor Jennifer Martin (FRACP, PhD) is a dual-accredited clinical pharmacologist and physician, and holds an MA in politics and economics from Oxford University. Her basic science PhD is from Monash University, following which she held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Jennifer has held clinical and research posts in clinical pharmacology since 2000 and has had over 15 years of experience on national (both Australian and New Zealand) state and local bodies in the area of pharmacovigilance, pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutical pricing and regulation. She has worked for Bristol Myers Squibb in the pharmacoeconomic and regulatory departments, and in medical departments in the cardiovascular therapeutic area. In 2014, Jennifer left her role as Head of one of the largest clinical training facilities in Australasia, responsible for the training and medical performance of 600 medical students and ensuring access to research training programs, facilities and posts in the clinical school, to take a Chair of Clinical Pharmacology and Head of Medicine at the University of Newcastle. Her research spans all of the pharmacology disciplines from basic to translational, which is pivotal for the success of ACRE to in filling the gaps in research and translation in medicinal cannabinoids. Although she has over 100 publications in the pharmacology area, her recent research focus has moved to the translational and clinical practice areas, with roles on clinical and prescribing guidelines, recommendations and roles in national and international regulatory and pricing bodies and policy committees (e.g. the College of Physicians, National Prescribing Service and NSW Health), latterly in cannabinoid policy.

Job Titles:

• Professor of Health Services Research and Director of the Australian Health Services Research Institute

Professor Kathy Eagar is Professor of Health Services Research and Director of the Australian Health Services Research Institute (AHSRI) at the University of Wollongong. AHSRI has a team of over 60 researchers covering 20 disciplines, and includes eight research centres including the Centre for Health Service Development (CHSD), the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre (AROC), the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC), electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (ePPOC) and the National Casemix and Classification Centre (NCCC). AHSRI undertakes approximately 30 research projects each year and has attracted over $50 million in grants in the past decade. Kathy has over thirty five years' experience in health and community care systems, during which she has divided her time between being a clinician, a senior manager and a health academic. She has authored over 450 papers on management, quality, outcomes, information systems and funding of the Australia and New Zealand health and community care systems. Kathy has an established track record of undertaking large and complex health service research projects. She has significant expertise in the design and management of large multidisciplinary research and evaluation projects and a well-established track record in research translation. She has a strong record of achievement in undertaking policy-relevant research projects in partnership with the health system.

Job Titles:

• Affiliate Investigator - Sydney Children 's Hospitals Network
• Investigator
• Key Member

Linda Truong (B.Sc (hons), M.Phil) is an experienced clinical trials project manager at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network and a qualified pharmacologist. Her expertise includes studying alternative pharmacotherapies affecting the brain and managing international and national multi-site industry sponsored and investigator-initiated Phase I-III clinical trials for both medicines and medical devices. Linda also has an academic affiliation at the University of New South Wales in research and oversees the team driving inspection readiness activities related to assigned trials within the Refractory Epilepsy Program led by Dr John Lawson. She serves as the scientific and strategic leader of program and is accountable for scientific content, operational precision and integrity of development plans and ensuring protocols meet requirements for simultaneous regulatory submission and optimal research access. She has over 15 years' experience in leading and champions ideation and implementation of internal and external cross-functional innovation efforts to advance successful execution of research grants, clinical trials, patient-focused clinical trial design methodologies and technology solutions in Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Her key clinical therapeutic areas include: epilepsy, rheumatology, gastroenterology, ulcerative colitis, neurology, vaccine studies, ophthalmology, Ear Nose and Throat (ENT), osteoarthritis and endocrinology. Linda serves as key member on the SCHN Refractory Epilepsy Steering Committee, External Review Committee and is currently managing the NSW Compassionate Access Scheme allowing children with treatment resistant epilepsy with Epidiolex ® and world first early phase clinical trial trialling Cannabidivarin in children with Rett Syndrome and epilepsy. She has developed regulatory and governance frameworks for conducting high quality clinical trials and an efficient model to implement consistent quality and risk frameworks to meet the requirements as a sponsor of trials and quality recognition by external bodies. Linda aims to use her complimentary expertise in clinical trials management and cannabinoid research to capture safety and efficacy data that will be useful for ACRE to develop guidelines and policies on prescribing medicinal cannabis in the Australian research landscape. She believes that her skills fit within the interdisciplinary research program at ACRE, and concords with the ACRE's aspirations concerning the importance of engaged cannabinoid research that is relevant both nationally and internationally. Linda is a member of the ACRE Capacity Building Group.

Linda Truong (B.Sc (hons), M.Phil) is an experienced clinical trials project manager at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network and a qualified...

Job Titles:

• Consultant Physician and Clinical Pharmacologist

Associate Professor Michael Kennedy is a Consultant Physician and Clinical Pharmacologist. MB BS (Syd) FRACP and MD from University of NSW in pharmacology. Clinical experience includes an acute metropolitan hospital general roster for over 30 years and private practice in the same area. Pharmaceutical industry experience with Searle International, both locally and overseas, in collaboration with it's UK and USA-based facilities covering a wide variety of agents. Phase 1 research on antiarrhythmics was undertaken locally in the St Vincent's Hospital Department of Clinical Pharmacology.

Job Titles:

• ACRE Associate Investigator
• Associate Investigator - University of Newcastle

Collaborative research with impact: Myfanwy is a current Fulbright scholar based at the University of Southern California and is conducting a... Myfanwy was the principal specialist medicines information pharmacist of the New South Wales Cannabis Medicines Advisory Service (CMAS) that operated between 2018 and mid-2022, an innovative NSW Government-funded cannabis medicines advisory service for medical practitioners. The service model, led by a clinical pharmacologist and pharmacist, provided comprehensive patient-specific and evidence-based information to support health professionals in prescribing and patient-care decisions. Under this leadership, the service delivered sustained, exceptional outcomes and gained national and international recognition.

Job Titles:

• Professor Nicholas Lintzeris ( MBBS, PhD, FAChAM ) Is a Clinician Who Has Worked for over 30 Years in the Area of Cannabis and Other Addictions and Is.

Professor Nicholas Lintzeris (MBBS, PhD, FAChAM) is a clinician who has worked for over 30 years in the area of cannabis and other addictions and is a national reference regarding cannabinoid behaviour and response in humans. He also has a wealth of expertise in pharmacovigilance of medicines with abuse potential, such as opioid and benzodiazepine pharmacovigilance. Although ACRE is focused on developing an efficacy and safety evidence base for the medicinal aspects of cannabinoids, it is recognized that either actual or perceived abuse potential of cannabinoids by the community and health practitioners is a major hurdle to research into safe implementation of cannabinoid therapeutic goods in practice. Nicholas also has expertise in clinical trials regarding medicinal cannabinoids, including outcome, safety and cost effectiveness assessments, a major ACRE research theme.

Job Titles:

• Professor

Professor Nicholas Talley is a neurogastroenterologist, has published over 1000 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, and is considered one of the world's most influential clinician-researchers (H index 122, Scopus 2016). He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Journal of Australia (since 2015). He is also a leading medical educator and the author of the highly regarded textbooks Clinical Examination and Examination Medicine. In June 2014, Professor Talley was inaugurated as one of the first 15 Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS) and was elected to the Executive of the Academy. Nicholas was on the consultant staff at Mayo Clinic for 12 years in Rochester, USA, where he held the rank of Professor of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology, and was Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida from 2007-2010. He was the Foundation Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney, Nepean Hospital for nearly a decade. Nicholas is a Senior Staff Specialist and gastroenterologist at John Hunter Hospital and attends clinic and lists on a weekly basis. He currently holds adjunct research appointments as Professor at Mayo Clinic (and Supplemental Consultant), University of North Carolina and the Karolinska Institute. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (and Past President 2014-2016), the Royal College of Physicians (both London and Edinburgh), the American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

Job Titles:

• Deputy Director
• Health Economist
• Professor

Professor Paul Scuffham (FAAHMS, PhD) is a leading health economist in Australia, Deputy Director of the Menzies Health Institute Queensland, and... p.scuffham@griffith.edu.

Job Titles:

• Professor

Professor Ravi Naidu (MSc, PhD, DSc) has more than 25 years of experience in soil chemistry, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic environments. He has global recognition in this field and currently is Chair of the International Committee on Bioavailability and is the past President of the International Society in Trace Element Biogeochemistry and Commission 3.5 on risk and reclamation of degraded land. He has supervised 42 PhD students, 24 post docs and is author of more than 600 journal articles. His expertise will provide ACRE with leadership and guidance on environmental issues affecting quality, safety and efficacy of cannabinoids, and bioavailability of different cannabinoids in humans based on the heavy metal contamination.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of General Practice

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor

Associate Professor Ross Norris obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science (applied chemistry) in 1979 and Master of Applied Science in 1985 from the... Associate Professor Norris held the positions of scientist/senior scientist/chief scientist in the TDM Laboratory in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane from 1979 to 1996. He was a full-time PhD Student 1997-2001, and Research Consultant, Australian Centre for Paediatric Pharmacokinetics, Mater Health Services (2002 - 2014), also holding the joint position of Senior Scientist, Therapeutic Advisory Service, Mater Health Services, Brisbane from 2008 to 2010. From 2014-2018 he was the Scientific Head, Clinical Pharmacology, SydPath, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia. He is currently a Consultant, Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW Australia. Associate Professor Norris has published more than 70 papers, two book chapters and several letters to editors primarily in the area of TDM.

Job Titles:

• Distinguished Professor

Distinguished Professor Xu-Feng Huang (MBBS, PhD, DSc) is the Director of the Centre for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Wollongong... xhuang@uow.edu. Distinguished Professor Xu-Feng Huang (MBBS, PhD, DSc) is the Director of the Centre for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Wollongong and has held significant medical research leadership in roles, such as Executive Director of the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), Deputy Executive Director (Scientific) of IHMRI, and Foundation Scientific Director of the Metabolic Continuum of IHMRI. Although a neuroscience clinician, he has been more recently leading medical neuroscience research at the Schools of Health Sciences and Medicine and IHMRI.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor

Associate Professor Yvonne Bonomo (MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FAChAM) is Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and ... yabonomo@unimelb.edu.