Our Speakers
International Speakers
Marion Lanteri, Ph.D.
Marion oversees Research & Development at CTS, with expertise in emerging infectious diseases and blood safety. She has specialised in West Nile, Dengue, and Zika virus research, and holds an adjunct professorship at UCSF. She has authored or co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Australian Speakers
Dr Heather Machin
An ophthalmic nurse and global leader in eye tissue ethics, Heather heads the Lions Eye Donation Service and manages the CERA Biobank. She has worked in over 30 countries and co-developed the Barcelona Principles — a global eye tissue ethical framework.
Dr Todd Pryce
Todd is a medical scientist with 33 years' experience in Clinical Microbiology, specialising in molecular diagnostics. He contributes as a Senior Lecturer at UWA, Course Advisory Board member at Murdoch University, National Neisseria Network member, and a NATA technical assessor.
Dr Suzanne English
Suzie completed her MBBS at UWA, a DPhil from Oxford and specialist training in Virology and Infectious Diseases at Cambridge. She now works as a Clinical Microbiologist at PathWest, Fiona Stanley Hospital, specialising in Quality Management and Audit.
Mr Dheeraj Nurani Venkatachalam
Dheeraj Nurani Venkatachalam is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne with a background in microbiology and infectious diseases research. His work focuses on improving diagnostics for sexually transmitted infections, particularly syphilis. His current research centres on the development of CRISPR-based multiplex point-of-care diagnostics capable of differentiating syphilis, herpes and mpox within a single assay. Prior to commencing his PhD, Dheeraj conducted research in viral protein biochemistry and pseudotyped lentiviral systems. Through his work, he aims to support the development of accessible and clinically useful diagnostic technologies that improve detection, patient management, and public health responses to infectious diseases.
Jessica Bordessa
Jessica Bordessa is a Senior Medical Scientist specialising in Molecular Diagnostics, Serology, and Typing within the Department of Clinical Microbiology at the Fiona Stanley Hospital Network, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA.
Kathy Vuhu
Kathy Vuhu is a Medical Laboratory Officer currently overseeing the Microbiology Department at Northern Provincial Hospital, Vanuatu, since 2019 and is also a member of the hospital Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Committee. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science from the Fiji School of Medicine in 2016 and worked at the National Laboratory in Vanuatu from 2017 to 2018. In 2022 and 2024, she presented award-winning research at the Vanuatu Health Research Symposium on antimicrobial resistance and syphilis prevalence among antenatal mothers. In 2024, she completed an online postgraduate microbiology course and in 2025 attended the JICA Infectious Diseases Microbiology Training Program in Japan. Her current quality improvement project focuses on improving microbiology specimen quality through clinician education and laboratory quality management.
Ms Megan Gooey
Megan is the Deputy Section Head for the Blood Borne Viruses Laboratory at Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) and has been working in the field for 20 years. She has a keen interest in molecular diagnostics and quality of testing within the laboratory. Megan has shared her knowledge, presenting at meeting and conferences, as well as being an author on multiple papers.
Mr Nasir Khan
Nasir is an Adv Molecular Scientist at Royal Brisbane and Women Hospital with experience in real-time PCR assay validation, troubleshooting, and quality assurance in clinical diagnostics. His interests include assay optimisation, internal controls, and improving diagnostic accuracy in molecular testing.
Prof. Catriona Bradshaw
Professor Catriona Bradshaw [MMBS (Hons), PhD, FAChSHM, FAHMS] is a clinician scientist, NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Head of Research Translation and Mentorship at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University and Alfred Hospital. She leads a programme that focuses on translational research to improve treatment and control of STIs, including the development and implementation of resistance diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance and stewardship in STIs, and interventions to optimise the vaginal microbiome.
Shraddha Swami
Shraddha Swami is the Director of the Devices In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Section within the Medical Devices Authorisation Branch. She manages a team of technical specialists and policy officers that oversees the approval of IVD medical devices for supply in Australia and leads the development and implementation of policy reforms and strategic initiatives shaping the IVD regulatory landscape.Over more than a decade in the health sector, she has built extensive experience across health administration, policy development, and the regulation and reimbursement of health technologies, particularly medical devices. She holds a degree in Engineering, specialising in Biotechnology.
Silvy Ha
Sivly Ha is a highly skilled Molecular Senior Scientist with a strong foundation in laboratory science. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree and began her career as a lab assistant in cytology and histology at ACL Pathology. In 2017, Sivly transitioned into a molecular lab technician role at ACL Pathology, where her expertise quickly grew. By mid-2019, Sivly was offered a scientist position at ACPCC, marking a significant step forward in her professional journey. At the end of 2021, Sivly joined Monash Pathology, gaining valuable experience in both bacteriology and serology. In 2025, Sivly returned to ACPCC as a Senior Scientist.
Dr Courtney Lane
Bio coming soon.
Prof. Eric Chow
Bio coming soon.
Dr Susie Braniff
Bio coming soon.
Dr Michael Watson
Bio coming soon.
Karen Luna-Ramirez
Bio coming soon.
Darren Jardine
Bio coming soon.