Dr Leanna Read

Chair of the Board

Dr Leanna Read has broad-ranging executive, board and investment experience in health translation and in a range of technology-based enterprises, particularly biotechnology. As CEO and Chair of the CRC for Cell Therapy Manufacturing (CTM CRC) until October 2019, she had oversight of research translation programs focused on cancer immunology as well as smart surfaces for implanted medical devices. She has an ongoing role as chair of CTM CRC’s spin-out companies, Carina Biotech Pty Ltd and TekCyte Pty Ltd, which are commercialising the technology in these fields.

Leanna has recently completed a four-year term as Chief Scientist for South Australia and brings extensive experience on boards that address innovation across government, industry and academic sectors. She is a current member of several private and public sector boards including Uniseed venture capital investment company, Biosensis Pty Ltd, RSPCA SA and the Federal Government Biomedical Translation Fund Committee.  She also chairs the recently established Agtech Advisory Group for the SA Government.

Susan Hillier

Professor Susan Hillier is an academic and clinician with teaching and research interests in the broad field of neuroscience and rehabilitation. One of her main research areas is on the effectiveness of rehabilitation approaches after stroke. The influence of rehabilitation on neuroplasticity is also a focus.

Susan also has an interest in movement education and intervention approaches for other populations such as children with developmental coordination disorder or people who are ageing. As well as conducting clinical trials to produce primary evidence, Susan also is an experienced Cochrane reviewer (vestibular rehabilitation, HIV, self-management after stroke, task-specific training).

Susan’s current role at the University of South Australia is Dean: Research (and Research Education) for the Division of Health Sciences.

Alison Kitson

Professor Alison Kitson is Vice-President & Executive Dean College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University. She was the former Dean of Nursing and Head of School at the University of Adelaide and is now a University Titleholder. She is an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford in the UK. Alison is internationally recognised for her work in Knowledge Translation (KT) and as the originator of one of the most widely cited and used KT frameworks, the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) Framework.

Jonathan Craig

Professor Jonathan Craig is an internationally recognised clinician and scientist and holds the position of Vice President and Executive Dean of the College of Medicine & Public Health.

Professor Craig holds many board and advisory panel positions, including as a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Advisory Group on the Synthesis and Translation of Research Evidence, a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, a member of the Medicare Services Advisory Committee, a member of the International Advisory Panel for Singapore’s Agency for Care Effectiveness, and President of the Australia-NZ Society of Nephrology.

Kim Hosking

Kim Hosking is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Country SA PHN with a career long engagement in health-related activities in rural areas. He has an extensive history of Board engagements with rural ambulance entities, hospitals and health services and Divisions of General Practice and was past CEO of Country North SA Medicare Local, Mid North Division of Rural Medicine, and past Director of the Country Services SA Ambulance Service.

Deb Lee

Deb Lee is Chief Executive Officer Adelaide PHN and was previously CEO of the Northern Adelaide Medicare Local. She has extensive senior management experience within Community and health sector and is a member of the AASW with extensive Mental Health qualifications and experience. She holds a Masters in Business Administration.

Nahtanha Davey

Nahtanha Davey is CEO of the Aboriginal Health Council of SA – the State’s peak body for Aboriginal health. She has more than 15 years’ senior leadership experience in the community health, disability and families sectors, including Chief Executive Officer of South Australia’s Peak Body Brain Injury SA, General Manager within the Mallee District Aboriginal Services, and head of Corporate Services for the Torres Strait Hospital and Health Service.

As CEO of Brain Injury SA, Nahtanha was instrumental in turning the organisation around to deliver sustainable outcomes. Her contribution to community health has extended to committees including the Law Reform, Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee; Mallee Family Violence Committee; and the Child Protection Alliance in Victoria.

Nahtanha is mother to two beautiful daughters, and is proud of her connection to Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna people.

Chris McGowan

Chris is currently Chief Executive of South Australian Department for Health and Wellbeing and has over 25 years of experience in Human Service Management including Disabilities Services, Aged Community, Acute Hospital (public and Private) and Mental Health but particularly in Primary Health Care.

Chris was Director of Primary Health Care for the South Australian Government. He was Chief Executive Officer of Noarlunga Health Services which incorporates a private hospital, public hospital, mental health service, emergency department and an extensive primary health program incorporating five primary health care centres.

Before moving to Silver Chain in Western Australia (2007) he was the Executive Director of Population and Primary Health Care for the Southern Adelaide Health Service.

Julia Overton

Julia Overton is the Chief Executive at Health Consumer Alliance of SA and has spent most of her career working within the health system in South Australia. She is an experienced executive, having held senior positions within Medicare Locals, a Primary Health Network and Local Government, as well as management experience in small business. Julia is passionate about driving collaborative approaches to achieve progress and developing partnerships to increase organisational capacity, impact and outcomes.

Steve Wesselingh

Professor Steve Wesselingh is Executive Director of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He is also the Infection and Immunity Theme Leader for the institute. Professor Wesselingh is an Infectious Diseases Physician and researcher in Neurovirology, HIV and vaccine development. He has consistently worked towards the integration of high quality medical research with health-care delivery, leading to improved health outcomes for Australia and the poorly resourced countries of the region.

Alex Brown

Professor Alex Brown is an Aboriginal medical doctor and researcher and in July 2012, Alex joined SAHMRI to lead Aboriginal health research. He leads projects encompassing epidemiology, psychosocial determinants of chronic disease, mixed methods health services research in Aboriginal primary care and hospital settings, and randomised controlled trials of pharmacological and non-pharmacological chronic disease interventions.

He sits on a range of national committees, including the Heart Foundation, chairs the Cardiac Society Indigenous Cardiovascular Council and was a member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equality Council (2009-2012). In November 2012, Alex was awarded the prestigious Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship to further his research into the impacts of psychosocial determinants on cardiovascular disease in Aboriginal communities.

Andrew Zannettino

Professor Andrew Zannettino is the Interim Executive Dean and Professor of Experimental Haematology in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. He heads the Myeloma Research Laboratory, based at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), which focuses on the intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of myeloma disease pathogenesis.

He is a founding member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Group of Myeloma Australia and is a member of the Robinson Research Institute, the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH) and the North West Adelaide Health Study Advisory boards. In conjunction with his collaborator, Professor Stan Gronthos, he developed a family of 8 patents, covering the identification and isolation of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPC), a rare cell population present in many post-natal tissues, that underpin the world’s largest cell therapy company, Mesoblast Ltd.