The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) CEO has established the Organ and Tissue Working Committee (OTWC) to advise AHEC on the review of the NHMRC ethical guidelines on organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

The OTWC, established under section 39 of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992, will:

  1. Taking into account the recently finalised Ethical guidelines for organ transplantation from deceased donors, advise on the review of the following NHMRC ethical guidelines on organ and tissue donation and transplantation:
  2. Identify how all NHMRC ethical guidelines on organ and tissue donation and transplantation could be brought together in a cohesive fashion.
  3. Advise on the recommendation from NHMRC's Principal Committee Indigenous Caucus regarding the development of separate guidance that specifically addressed issues related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
  4. Develop advice in the form of ethical guidelines for consideration by NHMRC's Australian Health Ethics Committee.

The OTWC will be effective for the period 1 July 2017 to 30 December 2019.

Committee members

Chair,
Professor
Ian
Olver

Director, Sansom Institute of Health Research

Chairperson of the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC).

A member of NHMRC’s Council.

Chair of the Working Committee that developed NHMRC’s Ethical guidelines for organ transplantation from deceased donors, 2016.

Declaration

  • Professor Olver holds a number of research grants, including NHMRC research grants.
  • Professor Olver has consulted with Tesaro, and engaged in educational activities with Tesaro, Helsinn, Teva, Seqirus, Merck and Mundipharma.

Professor
Stephen
Alexander

Professor, Department Head, Paediatric Nephrology, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Clinical expertise in organ donation and transplantation, in particular paediatric transplantation and transplant rejection and tolerance.

President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and Chair of the TSANZ paediatric subcommittee.

Declaration

  • Professor Alexander is an editor for Springer, an online journal.
  • Professor Alexander has published extensively on the issue of transplant rejection and tolerance.

Ms
Kelly
Anstey

Clinical Nurse Manager, DonateLife (NT).

Experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues and the coordination of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Declaration

  • Ms Anstey is amongst the group of trainers who nationally facilitate the Organ and Tissue Authority's (OTA) Family Donation Conversation workshops.
  • Ms Anstey is a jurisdictional system administrator for OTA's Electronic Donor Record.
  • Ms Anstey is a member of the Australasian Transplant Coordinators Association.

Associate Professor
Mark
Arnold

Associate Dean, University of Sydney School of Rural Health.
Associate Professor of Medicine University of Sydney.
Private practice (rheumatology) at Gloucester, Orange and Dubbo (NSW).

Member of AHEC

Declaration

  • A/Professor Arnold has participated in the OPAL research consortium – Optimising Patient outcomes in Australian Rheumatology. His participation is supported by the provision of data collection software from Roche. This support will cease in 2017.
  • A/Professor Arnold is a member of the Medical Health and Safety Advisory Committee of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (South Eastern Section).
  • A/Professor Arnold is the NSW State Branch Counsellor for the Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA) and is a member of the ARA's Rural Rheumatology Committee.

Professor
Steve
Chadban

Director, Renal Medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Statewide Renal Services. 

Clinical expertise in organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Former President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ).
Member of the NHMRC Working Committee that developed the 2016 Ethical Guideline

Declaration

  • Professor Chadban has no disclosed interests.

Ms
Tina
Coco AO

Clinical State Manager and Nursing Director, DonateLife (QLD).

Expertise in the clinical coordination of organ and tissue donation for transplantation.
Master’s Degree in International Course in Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation for Transplantation (University of Barcelona)

Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017 for service to community health as a leader of, and advocate for, organ and tissue donation and transplantation coordination organisations.

2017 Faculty of Health Outstanding Alumni Award Winner, Queensland University of Technology

Declaration

  • Ms Coco has more than 25 years of clinical experience in the organ and tissue donation sector and through her role with DonateLife, Ms Coco delivers professional and community education based on state and national guidelines on organ and tissue donation for transplantation.

Dr
Marisa
Herson

Associate Professor of Health Ethics and Professionalism, School of Medicine, Deakin University
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery, Monash University.

Clinical expertise in tissue donation and tissue banking.

Declaration

  • Dr Herson is the Former Head of Service at the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria.
  • Dr Herson is a Fellow of the Biotherapeutics Association of Australasia (BAA) and an (unpaid) member of its Council.
  • Dr Herson has been a member of a range of expert committees, providing advice to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the OTA, and the World Health Organisation on issues relevant to organ and tissue donation.

Ms
Claire
Leonard

Founder and Executive Officer, LiverKids Australia.
General Manager of Cystic Fibrosis ACT.

Experience in community and consumer issues related to organ transplantation.

Declaration

  • Through LiverKids' partnership with DonateLife, Ms Leonard has been involved in community activities to raise awareness of organ donation and donation rates in Australia.
  • Ms Leonard is a representative on the Medication Safety Research Advisory Committee, Sydney Children's Hospital Network.

Dr
Dominique
Martin

Senior Lecturer in Health Ethics and Professionalism, Deakin University.

Expertise in health ethics and experience in developing ethical guidelines at an international level.

Declaration

  • Dr Martin is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Doha International Academy of Organ Donation and co-Chair of the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group, developing ethical guidelines and statements relating to donation and transplantation.
  • Dr Martin has published papers relating to ethical issues related to organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Reverend
Kevin
McGovern

Lecturer in the Department of Moral Theology and Canon Law at the Catholic Theological College.
Adjunct Lecturer at Australian Catholic University.

Member of AHEC.

Declaration

  • Reverend McGovern is a Minister of Religion in the Catholic Church, which holds clear positions on many matters related to human health.
  • Reverend McGovern is the Secretary-Treasurer of Catholic Moral Theology Association of Australia and New Zealand.
  • Reverend McGovern was previously the Director of the Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics, which is sponsored by the Catholic hospitals of Victoria.
  • Reverend McGovern has been a member of a range of expert committees, Clinical Ethical Committees and Human Research Ethics Committees and is a former Member of the Advance Care Planning Steering Committee at Mercy Health, Melbourne.
  • Reverend McGovern has been involved in various activities related to organ donation and transplantation, including running conferences and drafting policy and procedures for the St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne.
  • Reverend McGovern has published articles on bioethics.

Ms
Eva
Mehakovic

Director, Clinical Programs, Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA).

Experience in clinical program management for the donation and transplantation of organs and tissues from living and deceased donors.

Member of the NHMRC Working Committee that developed the 2016 Ethical Guidelines.

Declaration

  • Ms Mehakovic has been involved in a number of projects relating to organ and tissue donation and transplantation. This work has included contributions to clinical and ethical guidelines and research.

Mr
Barry
Moroney

Nurse Unit Manager (Operating Theatre & Day Procedure Unit), Bunbury Hospital (WA).

Experience with the coordination of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Declaration

  • Mr Moroney is a member of the Implementation Committee for extending organ retrieval services to Bunbury Hospital.

Dr
Helen
Opdam

National Medical Director, Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA).
Senior Intensive Care Specialist at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne.
Director of the Warringal Private Hospital Intensive Care Unit.

Experience in clinical program management for the donation and transplantation of organs and tissues from living and deceased donors.

Member of the NHMRC Working Committee that developed the 2016 Ethical Guidelines.

Declaration

  • Dr Opdam has been involved in the development of a number of clinical and ethical guidelines related to organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
  • Dr Opdam has published research related to organ and tissue donation and transplantation, and has presented at a number of conferences on these topics.

Dr
Graeme
Pollock

Director, Lions Eye Donation Service Centre for Eye Research Australia at the University of Melbourne.

Clinical expertise in eye and tissue donation and transplantation, and experience in the co-ordination of tissue donation and transplantation.

Declaration

  • Dr Pollock is Chair of the Eye Bank Association of Australia and New Zealand
  • Dr Pollock has provided expertise to a number of expert committees, including the Eye Bank Association of Australia and New Zealand and the Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations.

Mr
Paul
Robertson

Transplant coordinator, National Pancreas Transplant Unit at Westmead Hospital.

Expertise in the coordination of organ and tissue transplantation.

Member of the NHMRC Working Committee that developed the 2016 Ethical Guidelines.

Councillor of the Australasian Transplant Coordinators Association.

Board member of the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement.

Declaration

  • Mr Robertson has no disclosed interests.

Dr
Shih-Ning
Then

Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology.

Expertise in health ethics and health law, including guardianship and medical decision-making.

Declaration

  • Dr Then has presented at a number of conferences on topics related to pediatric donation, consent and decision-making, and organ and tissue donation.
  • Dr Then is currently the Chief Investigator (CI) on and Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant to examine effective decision-making support.
  • Dr Then has published research in a range of health issues, including guardianship, medical decision-making and paediatric donation.
  • Dr Then is a member of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research.
  • Dr Then is a former member of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry Ethics Committee and the Supported Decision-Making Advisory Group for the Queensland Public Advocate.

Mr
Allan
Turner

Founder and CEO, Zaidee’s Rainbow.

Experience in community and consumer issues related to organ donation.

Declaration

  • Through his role as CEO of Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation, Mr Turner has been involved in a campaign to change the current donor registration system (from opt-in to opt-out).