OMOZ 2024
NEWCASTLE
AWABAKAL AND WORIMI COUNTRY

INTRODUCING OUR SPEAKERS

Just some of our exciting speakers. More to come.

  • Lisa Brown is an Aotearoa New Zealand trained Hepatic pancreatic and biliary Surgeon currently working at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne. She is a NZ Māori, from Ngāi Tahu rūnunga. In addition to Surgical training Lisa has undertaken extensive training and research in Aerospace Medicine since 2005. She was the Aerospace Medicine Research Fellow at Oxford and completed an internship at German Aerospace. She helped found the Space Surgery Association and Women in Space Aotearoa New Zealand.

A female medical professional in scrubs and a surgical cap standing in a hospital or operating room.

  • Dr Guy Cameron is a proud Wailwan man and early career researcher in Immunology and Microbiology. Based at the Hunter Medical research Institute, Guy leads a collaboration between University of Newcastle and NSW Health researchers in a new study using genomic methods to investigate the bacteria causing upper respiratory infections and childhood ear disease. Guy primarily works as a post-doctoral researcher with the Aboriginal ear and immune health team to expand our knowledge on ear disease, which disproportionally affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Guy also holds a fellowship co-funded by the national imaging facility and systems neuroscience group to foster Indigenous collaboration and ownership in the field of imaging research to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians. He’s also an Indigenous tutor and mentor with the Wollotuka Institute, and the co-chair of the Indigenous student engagement committee; striving to assist mob with getting equal opportunity. Guy is also a proud member of the Yakul Yabang Aboriginal health community research panel and is part of the executive as a category B member for the animal care and ethics committee.

Photograph of Dr. Guy Cameron, smiling, outdoors with blurred trees in the background, wearing a colorful sports jersey with university logos.

  • Hasantha is a Clinical Academic and Professor of Paediatric Priority Populations in the Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney. He is engaged in research partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across Australia focussing on ear health, and established a service delivery project for Aboriginal children across NSW called HEALS. He works as a General Paediatrician at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead where he has worked in the refugee clinic for nearly two decades. As a Board member and Treasurer for the Academy of Child and Adolescent Health he has been able to advocate for children from priority populations such as children from refugee backgrounds and First Nations children.

Book cover with photo of professor in suit, title reads 'Prof Hasntha Gunasekera Clinical Academic and Professor of Pediatric Priority Populations'.

  • Jay Horvat is a Professor of Immunology and Microbiology and Deputy Head of School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy (Research) at the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute. He leads a team that specialises in the development of the most highly representative animal and cell models of many infection & inflammation-induced diseases. His team have used their unique models to make major advances in understanding mechanisms of pathogenesis of respiratory and reproductive tract diseases and identify novel therapies. One of his research interests includes understanding how the inter-relationship between immunity and iron metabolism affects the pathogenesis and susceptibility to infection in lung diseases such as asthma, COPD and IPF.

Professor Jay Horvat in a laboratory setting with scientific equipment in the background.

  • Professor Amanda Leach, PhD(medicine) is Leader of the Ear Health Research Program at Menzies School of Health Research. Amanda’s career has focused on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for prevention and treatment of otitis media (OM) and disabling hearing loss in First Nations children. Prof Leach led a 6-year Centre of Research Excellence and is currently Co-Chair of a 5-year Randomised Trial of ear and hearing workforce enhancement in remote communities (the Hearing for Learning Initiative). Since 2013, Prof Leach has published 147 papers. In 2019 Prof Leach won the Telstra NT Business Woman of the Year, and in 2020, Prof Leach was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia.

A woman smiling in front of greenery, wearing a pink top and large pink earrings, with a blurred background.

  • Nathan Towney is a proud Wiradjuri man from Wellington NSW. He is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Strategy and Leadership at the University of Newcastle. Prior to this appointment Nathan spent over 20 years in the NSW Department of Education in a variety of roles, including his final appointment as the Principal of Newcastle High School, where he spent six years. Nathan is a visible, active and strategic leader who champions people to be the best they can be. Most recently, Nathan has pulled a team together to develop the ‘Reimagining Evaluation: A Culturally Responsive Evaluation Framework for the NSW Department of Education’. Nathan has a passion for educational leadership and the characteristics of leaders that crate environments where people want to be.

An event poster featuring Nathan Towey, titled 'Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Strategy and Leadership,' with a photograph of him smiling at a microphone.

  • Dr Lisa Waia is a first year ENT registrar from Torres Strait Islands. She grew up in the communities surrounding Bamaga in Cape York, with blood lines from Saibai Island. She completed medical school at James Cook University and is currently training in ENT in Brisbane. She is committed to improving healthcare outcomes and advancing knowledge within Indigenous communities. In her research endeavours, she has prioritised community-initiated and driven projects, recognizing the importance of Indigenous voices in shaping healthcare practices. She has collaborated closely with community members to ensure that research is culturally sensitive, relevant, and beneficial to the community.

A woman with shoulder-length dark hair taking a selfie inside a room, with a stainless steel refrigerator visible in the background.

  • Dr Kate Wylie is a GP and the executive director of Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), a not-for-profit advocacy organisation that recognises that human health depends upon a healthy environment.

    Based in Adelaide, Dr Wylie’s work centres on the need for emissions reduction and the protection of biodiversity in order to protect human health and on the need for sustainability in health care.

    A skilled media commentator, Dr Wylie has spoken on television and radio and provided comment for written media on the health impacts of climate change and what we can do to protect ourselves from harm.

    Dr Wylie is the immediate past chair of the RACGP’s Climate and Environmental Medicine Specific Interest Group, elevating the need for climate action with GPs across Australia. She is a previous chair of DEA and is the founder of Climate Medicine, an advocacy project whereby she presents to community groups on the health effects of climate change. 

    In all her work, Dr Wylie applies a medical model to the climate crisis and as such offers a treatment plan for climate change. She seeks to activate her audience so they can help create the paradigm shift that we need to combat the climate crisis. 

    “Our planet is worth saving, and so are we.”

Portrait of Dr. Kate Wylie, Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia, smiling and wearing a blue shirt.