Meet Our Team

We are a very diverse team, with expertise in hearing and vision care, implementation science, ageing, and health economics.

Professor Piers Dawes

Professor of Audiology, The University of Queensland

Associate Professor Angelita Martini

Director, Brightwater Research Centre

Associate Professor Angelita Martini, PhD, is the Director of the not-for-profit Brightwater Research Centre. Her research is focused on the health needs of vulnerable Australians, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and families impacted by illness. She has extensive experience in policy and health services research, leading to substantial influence on policy and practice through successful collaboration with community, government, industry and non-government organisations.

Professor Lisa Keay

Head of School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW

Prof Keay is the Head of the School at the School of Optometry and Vision Science and Honorary Professorial Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Sydney. She is an Optometrist and public health researcher, with expertise in epidemiology, health promotion and injury prevention.

Professor Colette Browning

Professor, Health Research, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University

Professor Browning is a health psychologist specialising in ageing and chronic illness management. Her research involves working with partners to facilitate implementation of evidence-based approaches in healthcare. She has a particular interest in the impact of dual sensory loss on social participation and mental health in older people.

Professor Chyrisse Heine

Director, Brightwater Research Centre

Professor Chyrisse Heine is the Discipline Lead for Speech Pathology at Federation University Australia. She is a Speech Pathologist and Audiologist with research interests in Dual Sensory Loss, Auditory Processing Disorder and capacity-building services in Majority world countries. Chyrisse is a highly experienced clinician and has worked extensively with people of all ages who have hearing loss.

Associate Professor Hamid Sohrabi

Director, Centre for Healthy Ageing at Murdoch University

Associate Professor Hamid Sohrabi was awarded a PhD in Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Western Australia in late 2010. He has combined clinical and academic roles both as a neuroscientist and a clinical psychologist. Hamid’s research examines diverse mechanisms (psychological, functional, neuroanatomical, biophysiological and genetics) causally underpinning young (before the age of 65) and late onset dementia (after the age of 65) due to AD. He is the Director of the Centre for Healthy Ageing at Murdoch University, WA, and has Honorary appointments as A/Prof in Neurosciences at Macquarie University, Sydney, and Edith Cowan University, WA.

Dr Yuanyuan Gu

Senior Research Fellow, Macquarie University

Dr Gu is a Senior Research Fellow at the Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy. His research is in the broad area of health economics, economics of ageing and aged care, choice modelling and econometrics, with a particular interest in preferences, choice, behaviour, and performance in the health and aged care system.
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Emma Scanlan

Principal Audiologist for Adults, Hearing Australia

Emma is Principal Audiologist for Adults at Hearing Australia, mainly responsible for service delivery and quality for adults with complex needs. She has delivered clinical services in the paediatric and adult areas for many years, and manages policy and practice for clients who have severe and profound hearing loss, have poor communication ability, or have other impairments in addition to hearing loss.

Emma is passionate about improving communication outcomes and access to services for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired, with a particular interest in adults with additional challenges and the hearing health of Aboriginal people in remote communities.

Dr Antonio Ahumada-Canale

Research Fellow, Macquarie University

Dr Ahumada-Canale is a Research Fellow at the Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy. He is also trained as a pharmacist. His expertise is in conducting economic evaluations and clinical trials of health interventions in older adults.

Tim England

Dementia Champion

Tim England is a Dementia Champion and is a leading voice in Australia on dementia. With a Masters of Dementia and a Bachelor of Dementia Care, Tim operates as a freelance dementia consultant who De-mystifies and De-stigmatises dementia, and he is an effective information bridge between the scientific community and the general public with regard to dementia related topics. As a skilled Educator, Consultant, an Advance Care Planner, and a Public Speaker, Tim is a regular contributor to dementia discussions on community and commercial radio, on film, and both national and international podcasts.

Associate Professor Melanie Ferguson

Curtin University

Associate Professor Kasia Bail

Gerontological Nursing, University of Canberra

Dr Bail is Associate Professor of Gerontological Nursing at the University of Canberra and ACT Health Directorate. Her work involves older people, health services and nursing, and particularly examines the systemic barriers and enablers to person-focussed care.

Dr John Newall

Clinical audiologist and lecturer, Macquarie University

Dr Newall is a clinical audiologist and lecturer at Macquarie University. Dr Newall’s key research interest is in developing effective and efficient hearing rehabilitation for special populations and those in low-and-middle income countries.

Dr Carly Meyer

Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland

Dr Meyer is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Queensland and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London. She is interested in the development, implementation, and evaluation of complex interventions to improve outcomes for all people living with communication disabilities and their families.