NHMRC Principal Committees and NHMRC-MRFF Committees announced
NHMRC is pleased to announce the members of six important committees today.
These newly established committees, reporting to NHMRC Council, chaired by Professor Caroline Homer AO, and to the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB), will play a critical role in helping shape and advance health and medical research and build a healthy Australia. They will also support improved alignment and coordination of the NHMRC’s Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) and Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to achieve the best of both and strengthen Australia’s world-leading research capability.
The new committees include two NHMRC Principal Committees, appointed by the Minister for Health and Aged Care, and four shared NHMRC-MRFF Committees, which have been jointly established by NHMRC and the Department of Health and Aged Care.
The six committees established for the 2024–2027 triennium are:
- NHMRC Research Committee
- NHMRC Australian Health Ethics Committee
- NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group
- NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group
- NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Systems Committee
- NHMRC-MRFF Industry, Commercialisation and Philanthropy Committee
Our highly valuable committees allow us to draw on the expertise and experience of people from across the health system, research sector and the community. We extend our gratitude to all individuals who took the time and effort to nominate across each of the committees– all 700 of you!
NHMRC congratulates the appointees announced today and looks forward to working with NHMRC Council and these important committees over the next 3 years.
NHMRC Research Committee
Professor Anushka Patel will continue as Chair of Research Committee for a further 3-year term, having first been appointed to the role in August 2023.
Professor Patel is a cardiologist, with research interests in prevention and management of common chronic conditions through large-scale clinical trials and implementation science. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the George Institute for Global Health and member of NHMRC Council.
NHMRC’s Research Committee advises on the quality and scope of health and medical research in Australia, including on the use of research funding through NHMRC’s grant program – funded by the MREA.
As part of a new collaborative arrangements between NHMRC Council and AMRAB, which governs the strategy and priorities for the MRFF, Research Committee will also advise on MRFF matters as required and at the request of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Health and Medical Research Office.
The membership comprises:
Professor Anushka Patel (Chair)
Chief Executive Officer, the George Institute for Global Health and Scientia Professor at UNSW Sydney
A/Professor Odette Pearson
Co-Theme Leader, Aboriginal Health Equity Research and Strategy, SAHMRI
Ms Debra Langridge
Head of the CCI Program, Western Australian Health Translation Network
A/Professor Viet Tran
Deputy Director, Emergency Department, Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Tasmania
Professor Andrew Wilks
Managing Director, SYNthesis BioVentures
Professor Paul Scuffham
Chair of Health Economics, Griffith University
Professor Sarah Larkins
Dean, College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University
Dr Yee Lian Chew
Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University
Professor James McCluskey
Assistant Vice Chancellor, The University of Melbourne
Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin
Institute Director and CEO, HMRI
Professor Adrian Barnett
Professor of Statistics, Queensland University of Technology
Professor Alistair Forrest
Associate Director, Scientific Strategy, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
Professor Julian Grant
Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean (Research) and Graduate Studies, Charles Sturt University
Professor Carol Hodgson
Head of the Division of Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Professor Alex Brown
Director, National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University
Professor Anne Chang
Senior Paediatric Respiratory Physician, Queensland Children’s Hospital and Division Leader, Child and Maternal Health, Menzies School of Health Research
Professor Doug Hilton
Chief Executive Officer, CSIRO
More information is available on the NHMRC website.
NHMRC Australian Health Ethics Committee
Associate Professor Stephen Adelstein will chair NHMRC’s Australian Health Ethics Committee.
Associate Professor Adelstein, who also sits on NHMRC Council is a practitioner member of the National Medical Board of Australia (MBA), inaugural Chair of the Medical Training Survey Consultative Committee and Steering Committee of the MBA and has been instrumental in leading the development of medical training survey in Australia.
The Australian Health Ethics Committee advises on ethical issues related to human health and develops guidelines for human research.
The membership comprises:
A/Professor Stephen Adelstein (Chair)
Member with expertise in professional medical standards
Sr/Professor Annette Braunack-Mayer
Member with knowledge of the ethics of medical research
A/Professor Michelle Taylor-Sands
Member with expertise in law
Professor Ainsley Newson
Member with expertise in philosophy
Dr David Kirchhoffer
Member with expertise in religion
Professor Steve Webb
Member with expertise in medical research
A/Professor Michelle Kennedy
Member with expertise in public health research
Professor Emma Kowal
Member with expertise in social science research
Dr Laine Chilman
Member with expertise in nursing and allied health practices
Professor Erwin Loh
Member with expertise in clinical medical practice
A/Professor Viet Tran
Member with knowledge of the regulation of the medical profession
Dr Yvonne Ho
Member with understanding of health consumer issues
Professor Jackie Leach Scully
Member with understanding of the concerns of people with a disability
A/Professor Mark Slee
Member with other expertise relevant to the functions of the committee
Professor Michael Martin
Member with other expertise relevant to the functions of the committee
More information is available on the NHMRC website.
NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group
Ms Ainslie Cahill AM will chair the new NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group.
Ms Cahill is a highly respected advocate in the consumer sector, with a mission to ensure consumer and community involvement becomes firmly embedded into health and medical research. She is the current co-chair of the Health Systems Research Theme Executive Committee in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at UNSW and a member of NHMRC Council.
The NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group has been established to advise on consumer and community involvement, including on strengthening consumer involvement in MREA and MRFF grant programs.
It will also provide advice on significant issues of relevance to the Australian community and consumers of health care, including strategies, priorities and opportunities for consumer involvement in health and medical research.
The membership comprises:
Ms Ainslie Cahill AM (Chair)
Consumer Lead, Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre
Ms Cheryl Bridge
Head of Kulunga Aboriginal Unit, The Kids
Mr Peter Button
Community and consumer representative & Co-Chair, QIMR Berghofer Community Advisory Group (CAG)
Ms Merryn Carter
Consumer advocate, WEHI Breast Cancer Laboratory
Ms Christine Edwards
Board member, Centre for Eye Research Australia
Mrs Imelda Gilmore
Consumer advisor, Australian Digital Health Agency
Dr Yvonne Ho AM
Health consumer representative, and Senior Medical Adviser, Therapeutic Goods Administration
Mr Adam Johnston
Community and consumer representative, NSW
Mr Harry Iles-Mann
Health Consumer Leader & Digital Health Advisor, Australian Digital Health Agency
Ms Debra Langridge
Head of the CCI Program, Western Australian Health Translation Network
Mrs Lillian Leigh
Advocacy Chair and a Board member, Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia
Dr Jeanette Pritchard
Chief Executive Officer, Passe & Williams Foundation
Dr Supriya Mathew
Senior Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research
Ms Anne McKenzie AM
Health consumer advocate & project manager of the Raine Study, University of Western Australia
Dr Shyam Muthuramalingam
Manager of Consumer Engagement, SA Health
Dr Jack Nunn
Founder and Director, 'Science for All' Charity
Mr Jonathan Ward
Committee member, Australian Research Management Society and Senior Advisor, Research Management at the University of Canberra
More information is available on the NHMRC website.
NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group
Njikena Jawuru woman, Professor Yvette Roe will chair the new NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group.
Professor Roe, a distinguished leader in Indigenous health for over 25 years, is dedicated to serving as a conduit between research, policy and First Nations communities. She is the current Co-Director of the Molly Wardaguga Institute for First Nations Birth Rights at Charles Darwin University and a member of NHMRC Council.
The NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) has been established to advise on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander involvement and on strengthening their involvement in MREA and MRFF grant programs.
It will also provide advice on significant issues of relevance to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, as well as opportunities for Indigenous-led research practice. IAG will advise on governance issues including valuing and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and connections to community and Country.
The membership comprises:
Professor Yvette Roe (Chair)
Co-Director of the Molly Wardaguga Institute for First National Birth Rights, Charles Darwin University
Dr Sarah Bourke
Research Fellow with Yardhura Walani, the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, ANU
Ms Cheryl Bridge
Head of the Kulunga Aboriginal Unit and Aboriginal Health RFA Deputy Head, The Kids
Miss Brooke Conley
Peeneeyt Thanampool Indigenous Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Tuguy Esgin
Dean of Indigenous Engagement in the Faculty of Business and Law, Curtin University
Mr Adam Heterik
Bioinformatics Officer, Indigenous Genomics, Australian Alliance for Indigenous Genomics
Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy
Strategic Research Advisor, Lowitja Institute
Associate Professor Veronica Matthews
Leadership Program Fellow, University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney
Dr Julee McDonagh
Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Chronic and Complex Care Research, University of Wollongong
Mr Michael Newman
Deputy CEO, Lowitja Institute
Associate Professor Odette Pearson
Senior Research Fellow with Wardliparingga Aboriginal Research Unit, SAHMRI
Dr Jacob Prehn
Associate Dean Indigenous and Indigenous Principal Research Fellow Academic Development, University of Tasmania
Associate Professor Maree Toombs
Associate Dean Indigenous and Professor School Population Health, UNSW
Professor James Ward
Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland
More information is available on the NHMRC website.
NHMRC-MRFF Industry, Philanthropy and Commercialisation Committee
Ms Bronwyn Le Grice will chair the new NHMRC-MRFF Industry, Philanthropy and Commercialisation Committee.
Ms Le Grice has over two decades of experience in health technology commercialisation, venture capital, capital raising and industry advocacy. Bronwyn is a recognised expert in innovation and actively advocates for the digital health sector both nationally and internationally. She is the current Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of ANDHealth and a member of NHMRC Council.
The NHMRC-MRFF Industry, Philanthropy and Commercialisation Committee has been established to provide strategic advice on industry and philanthropic involvement in health and medical research, and strategies to foster greater research commercialisation.
It will also advise on opportunities to connect to, build and coordinate financial support and co-investment for health and medical research, including through the participation of Australia’s industry and philanthropic sectors.
The membership comprises:
Ms Bronwyn Le Grice (Chair)
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, ANDHealth
Dr Noel Chambers
Chief Executive Officer, National Foundation for Medical Research and Innovation
Ms Elizabeth de Somer
Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Australia
Professor Matt Dun
Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Newcastle
Associate Professor Tuguy Esgin
Dean of Indigenous Engagement in the Faculty of Business & Law, Curtin University
Associate Professor Jiawen Li
Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide
Professor Fabienne Mackay
Chief Executive Officer and Director, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Dr Dean Moss
Chief Executive Officer, UniQuest
Dr Chris Nave
Founding Partner and Managing Director, Brandon Capital/BioCatalyst
Dr Jeanette Pritchard
Chief Executive Officer, Passe & Williams Foundation
Professor Karen Reynolds
Dean of the Medical Device Research Institute, Flinders University
Ms Kylie Sproston
Chief Executive Officer, Bellberry Ltd
Mr Mark Sullivan AO
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Medicines Development for Global Health
Professor Andrew Wilks
Chief Executive Officer, SYNthesis Research/ Catalyst Tx
More information is available on the NHMRC website.
NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Systems Committee
Adjunct Professor Darryl O’Donnell will chair the new NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Systems Committee.
Adjunct Professor O’Donnell is a seasoned health leader with over 30 years’ experience in public health, research and public sector roles. He has led transformative initiatives in HIV and mental health across government and community sectors. He is the Principal and Director of Praxis Insights and a member of the NHMRC Council.
The NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Systems Committee will provide advice on strategies for strengthening preventive health and public health, primary care and health services, and for embedding research translation in the health system.
It will also provide strategic advice on barriers to the uptake of research evidence within the Australian health system, as well as clinical trials and cohort studies to strengthen the linkages between both clinical and research practice.
The membership comprises:
Adjunct Professor Darryl O’Donnell (Chair)
Director & Principal of Praxis Insights and Adjunct Professor, UNSW
Adjunct Professor Ginny Barbour
Editor in Chief, Medical Journal of Australia and Adjunct Professor, QUT
Professor Tracey Bucknall
Director of Nursing Research, Alfred Health and Professor, Deakin University
Adjunct Professor Paul Burgess
Executive Director Health Statistics and Informatics, NT Health and Public Health Physician and Rural GP, Charles Darwin University
Professor Karen Canfell
Professor of Public Health, University of Sydney and Chair of the Cancer Screening Committee, Cancer Council
Mr Harry Iles-Mann
Health Consumer Leader & Digital Health Advisor, Australian Digital Health Agency
Professor Louise Maple-Brown
Deputy Director (Research), Menzies School of Health Research
Associate Professor Veronica Matthews
Leadership Program Fellow at the University Centre for Rural Health, The University of Sydney
Professor Danielle Mazza
Professor and Head of Department of General Practice (GP), Monash University
Professor Caroline Miller
Director of Health Policy Centre, SAMHRI
Professor Julie Redfern
Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Bond University
Professor Chris Reid
John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Curtin University and Assistant Director of CCRE Therapeutics, Monash University
Professor Paul Scuffham
Professor of Health Economics, Griffith University
Professor Christine Stirling
Head of School of Nursing, University of Tasmania
Professor Andrew Way
Interim Chief Executive Officer, RANZCP and Chair, HealthShare Victoria Board
Emeritus Professor Paul Worley
Emeritus Professor in the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University
More information is available on the NHMRC website.
