speakers
Our
International Speakers
Lousie Davies
Wales Specialist Virology Centre
Louise Davies, Senior Biomedical Scientist at the Wales Specialist Virology Centre in Cardiff, is the National Infectious Disease Point of Care Testing (POCT) Lead for Public Health Wales. She has led the strategic expansion of POCT services across the country, supporting efforts to meet the WHO’s Hepatitis C elimination targets. Her work includes implementing POCT services in various setting and coordinating mass screening projects in prisons, homeless shelters, and substance misuse services. Looking ahead, she aims to further expand POCT to enhance patient care and public health outcomes.
Donna Mitchell
Canterbury Health Laboratories
Donna Mitchell is a Senior Scientist currently working in Serology/Virology at Canterbury Health Laboratories in New Zealand, as well as serving as a Serology QAP Consultant for the Pacific Pathology Training Centre. She has experience in both private and public laboratories across New Zealand and has previously worked in the commercial sector selling laboratory systems and products. In the 1990s, she was involved in the initial introduction of PCR testing (then known as LCR) for Chlamydia and TB in New Zealand diagnostic laboratories and also played a role in launching the product in Australia.
Dr Xun Wang
Shanghai Blood Center
Our
Local Speakers
Valerie Lawrence
Lifeblood
Valerie Lawrence is a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science (FIBMS UK) having studied at the University of Westminster. Val has worked in the blood transfusion field for her entire career in hospital settings initially in England before moving to Australia in the early 2000s. Val has worked in the Manufacturing and Logistics business unit of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood for almost 20 years. Based in Brisbane, in a national role, Val is the Scientific and Technical Director and has responsibility for scientific processes associated with blood product quality including screening for infectious diseases and blood grouping.
Ass/Prof Jess Howell
The Burnett
Associate Professor Jessica Howell MBBS(Hons) FRACP PhD MSc(Epi) PGDip(PH) FGESA is a gastroenterologist/ hepatologist, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and Head of the Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer research group in the Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne/ University of Melbourne and Burnet Institute. She is also Chair, Gastroenterology Society of Australia (GESA) Liver Faculty (2023-2027). She combines clinical, basic science and public health expertise in translational research projects in liver cancer and viral hepatitis, focused on marginalized populations. She currently leads several multi-centre studies in rapid point-of-care diagnostics in viral hepatitis, biomarker development in liver cancer, health systems research and international health programs for viral hepatitis in low resource settings. She is a technical advisor to the World Health Organisation.
Dr Fabiola Martin
Stonewall Medical Centre
Dr Fabiola has worked in Genitourinary, HIV, and HTLV Medicine in the UK since 1998, before moving to Brisbane in 2017. She is a clinical academic at UQ and a medical educator with True Relationships & Reproductive Health. Her evidence-driven practice focuses on improving patients’ sexual and mental health experiences. She provides clinical care and advice for transgender people, LGBTIQ+ individuals, people with sexual dysfunction, and sex workers. Dr Fabiola is an expert in HTLV-1, as well as HIV, HBV, and HCV.
Dr Ian Norton
Respond Global
Ian is managing director of Respond Global and Sotero Healthcare. He is an Emergency Physician but spent the last 20 years focused on disasters and emergency management for health crisis. He is lead author of the Global standards used by Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) deploying in disasters and outbreaks and worked for 6 years in WHO managing the EMT initiative across 130 countries. He led responses to the West African and DRC Ebola responses, the Mosul conflict in Northern Iraq, 2015 Nepal Earthquake, Diphtheria outbreak affecting 8,000 children in the Rohingya camps of 2017 among many others. Prior to this he led the development of Australia’s Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) and their response to dengue outbreaks in Solomon Islands, Pakistan floods and typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Ian is passionate about systems strengthening for local response including the role of point of care and field-based laboratory systems in crisis.
Navin Karan
VIDRL
Navin Karan is a Senior Medical Scientist, and Training and Capacity Manager for the Victorian Infectious Diseases Laboratory (VIDRL). He is currently a co-lead of the Public Health Cross Cutting Discipline at the Doherty Institute and an Honorary Fellow at the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne (UoM). He has extensive experience working with developing nations, strengthening laboratory systems to improve diagnostic and public health services through provision of technical training and advise to regional agencies, partner organisations and country Ministries of Health. Navin is an expert advisor on laboratory systems and capacity building for the Asia-Pacific region and co-leads the eLABorate Project at the Doherty Institute.
VIDRL
Navin Karan is a Senior Medical Scientist, and Training and Capacity Manager for the Victorian Infectious Diseases Laboratory (VIDRL). He is currently a co-lead of the Public Health Cross Cutting Discipline at the Doherty Institute and an Honorary Fellow at the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne (UoM). He has extensive experience working with developing nations, strengthening laboratory systems to improve diagnostic and public health services through provision of technical training and advise to regional agencies, partner organisations and country Ministries of Health. Navin is an expert advisor on laboratory systems and capacity building for the Asia-Pacific region and co-leads the eLABorate Project at the Doherty Institute.
Linda E
Lifeblood
Linda E is a Project Manager for Scientific & Digital Transformation at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. She holds a Bachelor of Medical Sciences from Macquarie University and has extensive experience in the verification and validation of new test methods in national testing laboratory networks. Linda's particular area of expertise is haematology, and she has also led the implementation of new technologies and test methods in bacterial contamination screening, blood grouping and infectious disease serology.
Indya Gardner
Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology
Indya Gardner is a Senior Scientist at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the University of Queensland. During her time in private pathology, she has specialised in molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases and has contributed to the validation and/or verification of new assays introduced into diagnostic service.
Rory Gough
RCPAQAP
Rory Gough is a scientist at the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP), where he has worked since 2022. He contributes to the development and delivery of external quality assurance programs across the microbiology disciplines of Biosecurity, Molecular Infectious Diseases, and Synovial Fluids. His work supports the continual improvement of diagnostic accuracy and laboratory preparedness, with a focus on strengthening capability in laboratories globally.
Gabriel Chen
Eastern Health
Gabriel Chen is a Microbiology Scientist (Grade 1) working in a clinical pathology laboratory, passionate about infectious diseases and committed to continuous learning and growth in diagnostic microbiology.
Andrew Kelly
St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research
Andrew Kelly is a research assistant at St Vincent's Center for Applied Medical Research. He works as a part of the DBS Group and focus mainly on HIV and hepatitis C research and testing.
Alma Redzic
VIDRL
Alma is a medical scientist at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory with seven years of experience in Infectious Diseases Serology. She focuses on serological testing to accurately diagnose and monitor infectious diseases, including HIV and Hepatitis. Alma’s work emphasises diagnostic testing and disease surveillance, to support public health initiatives and improve community health outcomes.
Carol Timmins
St Vincent's HospitalCarol Timmins is the Grade 3 Supervising Scientist of the Serology/Molecular Biology areas in the Microbiology laboratory at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Carol has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Laboratory Science and has over 25 years’ experience working in public pathology.
Carol Timmins
Carol Timmins is the Grade 3 Supervising Scientist of the Serology/Molecular Biology areas in the Microbiology laboratory at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Carol has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Laboratory Science and has over 25 years’ experience working in public pathology.
Phyu Thant
PathWest
Phyu Thant is currently working in the Tissue Culture and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at PathWest Laboratory Medicine, where she focuses on assay development and viral diagnostics. Her work includes the development of a focus reduction neutralisation test (FRNT) for flaviviruses and the application of FRNTs to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in response to Nirsevimab. She is passionate about advancing diagnostic tools for infectious diseases through innovative laboratory research.