Evaluation Subcommittee (ESC) members

Current members

• Professor Kwun Fong – Chair

  Thoracic, sleep medicine
  MBBS, PhD, FRACP

  Professor Kwun Fong is a thoracic and sleep physician at The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH), and professor with the University of Queensland (UQ) School of Medicine. He is the Clinical Manager of the Pulmonary Malignancy Unit at TPCH. Professor Fong is also the Director of the UQ Thoracic Research Centre, which undertakes molecular, genomic, and translational research in lung diseases.

  He was inaugural Chair of the Australasian Lung Cancer Trials Group and serves as Chair of the Australian Lung Foundation's Lung Cancer Consultative Group, Co-Editor of the Cochrane Lung Cancer Review Group and is a Co-Deputy Editor for the Journal of Thoracic Diseases.

  Professor Fong is an internationally respected clinician and researcher in thoracic and sleep medicine. His skills in lung disease are important given the number of co-dependent applications to MSAC and PBAC, particularly for non small cell lung cancer.

  Professor Fong is the Chair of the MSAC’s Evaluation Sub-Committee (ESC) and has served on the MSAC ESC since 2015.

• Dr Merran Auland

  General practice

  Dr Merran Auland is an experienced rural and remote general practitioner and anaesthetist.

• Professor Katy Bell

  Epidemiology, pathology
  MbChB, MMed (clin.epi., merit), PhD

  Professor Katy Bell is a clinical epidemiologist in the School of Public Health, at The University of Sydney. She teaches and researches on the potential benefits and harms of medical tests used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring chronic disease, with a focus on cancer and cardiovascular disease. She has over 90 publications and holds NHMRC grants for health services research on the use of tests for early detection of cardiovascular disease and cancer, especially melanoma. Prior to becoming a clinical epidemiologist, she worked for six years as a medical doctor, including two years of pathology training. She is Chair Elect of the International Network for Epidemiology in Policy, and a past Vice President of the Australasian Epidemiological Association.

• Dr Rohan Bhagwandeen

  Interventional cardiology

  Dr Rohan Bhagwandeen is a Senior staff specialist and Director of Structural Interventions / Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation at John Hunter Hospital Newcastle NSW. He is also Director of the TAVI Program at Lake Macquarie Private Hospital. He is a strong advocate for equitable healthcare delivery and was a Clinical Lead of the Hunter New England Cardiac Stream 2012-2015. He has convened the Essential Percutaneous Interventional Course since 2005. He is a Course Director of the Sydney Valves conference and a member of numerous steering committees including ANZ Endovascular Therapies. Rohan is a board member of the Asia Pacific Interventional Council.

• Professor Emily Callander

  Health economics

  Professor Emily Callander is a health economist in the School of Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

• Professor Louisa Collins

  Health economics

  Professor Louisa Collins is the Group Lead of Health Economics at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Louisa is a health economist and holds a PhD in Public Health, Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Economics. Louisa has 20 years’ health economics experience performing economic evaluations, decision-analytic modelling and applied economic research. She predominantly works in cancer economics and her current research are in the areas of skin cancer prevention, genomic medicine, supportive care interventions for cancer survivors and the financial burden of cancer to families. Prior to 2016, she undertook health technology assessments commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health for Medicare funding decisions.

• Dr Paula Cronin

  Public health, health economics

  Dr Paula Cronin is Senior Research Officer at The Centre for Health Economics, Research and Evaluation (CHERE), University of Technology Sydney. Paula has been a member of the Evaluation Sub-Committee of MSAC since January 2017. Paula holds PhD candidate in Health Economics. Her PhD explored the Economic Impact of Childhood Language Impairments. Paula’s research interests include health inequalities in disadvantaged and vulnerable populations and in the application of discrete choice experiments to value multi-attribute health states. Paula is currently an evaluator for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and has had considerable experience in the evaluation of both MSAC and PBAC submissions and has worked extensively on linked administrative health data in applied economic research.

• Professor Anthony Gill AM

  Surgical, anatomical pathology

  Professor Anthony Gill AM is Professor of Surgical Pathology at the University of Sydney, a senior staff specialist in anatomical pathology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney and chairman of the Australian Pancreatic Genome Initiative (APGI). His scope of clinical practice includes both anatomical (surgical and cytological) pathology and targeted molecular testing of tumours, with an emphasis on biomarker development and companion diagnostic testing for targeted therapies.

  In addition to his clinical practice, he has a proven track record of translating advances in the knowledge of cancer gained at the basic science level into validated and clinically useful tests which are now employed in diagnostic pathology laboratories around the world. He has co-authored over 500 highly cited original research publications in addition to numerous invited review articles and book chapters. He is a standing editorial board member of the WHO/IARC classification of tumours which is considered the peak international body in surgical pathology and sets diagnostic criteria for tumours applied around the world. In 2018 he was appointed a member of the order of Australia (AM) in the Queens Birthday honours list “for significant service to medical research in the field of surgical pathology as an academic, author; adviser, and mentor”.

• Associate Professor Susan Jordan

  Clinical epidemiology

  Associate Professor Susan Jordan is a medically trained cancer epidemiologist who is currently Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health. Before starting her PhD, she worked in rural and urban general practice for over 10 years and brings that clinical experience to her research. She currently leads projects on ovarian and thyroid cancers, examining aetiology, patterns of care and survival. Her research employs a broad range of methods including individual patient and clinician surveys, molecular epidemiology and pooling of consortia data, but she has particular expertise in large-scale data linkage.

• Associate Professor Billingsley Kaambwa

  Health economics

  Associate Professor Billingsley Kaambwa [PhD (Health Economics), MA (Health Economics), BA (Economics and Statistics)] is Head of Health Economics, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University of South Australia. His primary research focuses on employing econometric and statistical methods in economic evaluation, decision-analytic, and choice modelling. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications.

• Associate Professor Caitlin Keighley

  Microbiology and infectious diseases
  MBBS PhD GAICD FRCPA (Microb) FRACP (Infect Dis)

  Associate Professor Caitlin Keighley  is a medical director, microbiologist and infectious diseases physician at Southern.IML Pathology, an infectious diseases physician at the Illawarra Private Cancer Care Centre, Wollongong Private Hospital and Honorary medical officer at the Wollongong Hospital. She is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Wollongong where she is involved in collaborative research with the Wollongong antimicrobial resistance research alliance (WARRA) and on the ethics committee.

  A/Prof Keighley serves on the TGA Advisory Committee on Medical Devices (ACMD). She is the chair of the microbiology advisory committee of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) and on the board of the Australian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID). She is also co-chair of the Australia and New Zealand Mycology Interest Group (ANZMIG).

• Associate Professor Tom Lung

  Health economics
  BCom, Msc, PhD

  Associate Professor Tom Lung is a Principal Research Fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and Honorary Senior Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health. He has 15 years’ experience in developing and using health economic models for policy decisions, conducting economic evaluations and applied health economics research. He has worked in diverse public health areas such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, falls prevention, tuberculosis and models of care in emergency department.

• Associate Professor Suzanne Mahady

  Epidemiology, gastroenterology
  M.B.B.S, B.Med.Sci, FRACP, M.Med – Clin. Epi., PhD

  Associate Professor Suzanne Mahady is a senior staff specialist, consultant gastroenterologist at Royal Melbourne Hospital and adjunct senior research fellow in the School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Monash University. She holds a Masters degree and PhD in clinical epidemiology (University of Sydney) and has expertise in teaching epidemiology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is the Chair of the International Endpoint Adjudication Committee for Clinically Significant Bleeding for the ASPREE and ASPREE-XT clinical trials, with publication in New England Journal of Medicine and others. She has research interests in clinical epidemiology of gastrointestinal disorders and evidence-based health care.

• Professor Andrew Mitchell

  Health economics
  BPharm, MMedSci

  Professor Andrew Mitchell is an honorary professor in the Department of Health Economics Wellbeing and Society at the Australian National University (ANU). In a career spanning several decades in the Office of Health Technology Assessment in the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, he applied long experience in reviewing clinical and economic evaluations of medicines and other health technology types. He also helped steer the development of several approaches to use this information systematically to guide resource allocation decisions in Australia’s publicly funded health care system.

• Professor Rachael Moorin

  Diagnostic radiography, nuclear medicine, health economics, epidemiology

  Professor Rachael Moorin is Professor of Health Systems and Health Economics at Curtin University and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Western Australia. Rachael is a past Director of the Australian Centre for Economic Research on Health, the International Health Data Linkage Network and has been a member of the Evaluation Sub-Committee of MSAC since 2010. Prior to her move to academia Rachael was a Diagnostic Radiographer and Nuclear Medicine Technologist having held several senior positions in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. Rachael's research interests include epidemiology of health service use in various population groups; equity in and access to health care services and the effect of health policy on equity, access and outcomes of health care services. Rachael is considered one of the leading authorities on using linked administrative health data in applied epidemiological and economic research.

• Associate Professor Michael Ng

  Radiation oncology
  MBBS Hons, FRANZCR

  Associate Professor Michael Ng is a full-time radiation oncologist, working at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne and at radiotherapy centres in the Melbourne suburbs of Epping and Ringwood. Dr Ng has interest in improving the quality of radiation delivery, with special interest in prostate, breast, lung and gastrointestinal malignancies. He also has interest in clinical research and participates in various clinical trials, including as principal investigator. Dr Ng was the radiotherapy committee chair of EviQ (Cancer Institute NSW) from 2013-2017, which involved developing evidence-based radiation therapy guidelines, used worldwide. He was appointed as an Associate Professor by the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne.

• Ms Kristine Pierce

  Consumer representative
  MHealthSc (HealthProm&HealthEd), MWellness, Nursing

  Ms Kristine Pierce is a distinguished leader in consumer involvement and advocacy within the healthcare sector. As the Director of Consumer Involvement at Child Unlimited, UNSW, she has developed and implemented consumer engagement frameworks and led patient-centred initiatives. She has co-founded and leads SCN2A Australia and has contributed to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), Global Genes, and The Epilepsy Foundation. Recognised through her induction into the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll and a nomination for the Children’s Healthcare Australasia Medal of Distinction, she continues to enhance patient and family engagement, ensuring consumer voices are integral to healthcare decision-making.

• Professor Michael Schuetz

  Trauma surgery, orthopaedic surgery

  Professor Michael Schuetz is a practicing orthopaedic surgeon and research leader in the field of trauma care and orthopaedic trauma research. In August 2018, he commenced as the Director of Jamieson Trauma Institute based at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital campus in Brisbane and Chair of Trauma, Queensland University of Technology. The Jamieson Trauma Institute strives to advance the optimal trauma patient’s outcome by focusing on the patient’s journey to include the prehospital, acute care, rehabilitation and long-term outcomes for people who suffer a traumatic injury. Improvements can range from models of care, to specific interventions and developing new devices.
  
  Professor Schuetz is actively involved in clinical knowledge translation and commercialisation of novel orthopaedic surgery technologies across Australia and the world.

• Dr Marcin Sowa

  Health economics
  PhD Health Econ, MEcon, MMgt

  Dr Marcin Sowa is a postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Business and Economics of Health at the University of Queensland. He previously held academic positions with The Australian National University and Griffith University. Dr Sowa has led academic and commissioned research projects in the areas of health care financing and insurance, health system governance, comparative healthcare systems, and health technology assessment. The latter includes appointments as an economic evaluator for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and as a health economist in the Centre of Research Excellence in Chronic Kidney Disease. In addition to research, his academic activity involves teaching and providing policy recommendations. In 2016 Dr Sowa published a book exploring the evolution of hospital governance in Eastern Europe.

• Dr Joanna Sutherland

  Anaesthesiology
  FAICD MB BS (Hons) FANZCA MHPol MClS

  Dr Joanna Sutherland is an Honorary Medical Officer Anaesthetist at Coffs Harbour Health Campus and a Conjoint Associate Professor with the University of New South Wales Rural Medical School.

  She was an appointed member of the NSW Mid North Coast Local Health District Governing Board (2010-2021) and a Director of the NSW North Coast Primary Health Network (2015-2021). Dr Sutherland served as a member of the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce (2018-2021) and chaired the Anaesthesia Clinical Committee. She is the Chair of the Safety and Quality Committee of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. Her clinical and research interests include safe sedation administration and competency-based training.

• Associate Professor Vanessa (Ness) Tyrrell

  Genomics, precision medicine

  Associate Professor Vanessa (Ness) Tyrrell is Head of the Clinical Translation Research Division, and Program Director of the Zero Childhood Cancer National Precision Medicine Program at Children’s Cancer Institute. With over 30 years of experience in all disciplines of genetic testing, she is a recognised leader in her field. She is a Fellow of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA), Associate to the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA), and Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Most recently she was appointed Board of the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), and the Australian Genomics National Steering Committee.

• Dr Christine Walker

  Consumer representative

  Dr Christine Walker is a health sociologist, who is principal researcher for The Australian Longitudinal Study Into the Social Impact of Epilepsy. She has expertise in qualitative analysis of data. Her principal research interest is in the role of consumer experience and participation in the health system and health research. Additionally, she focuses on safety and quality in all aspects of health care to benefit health consumers.
  
  She is a member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Expert Committee on Quality Care and a member of the community advisory group in Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance and a Board Member of Consumers’ Health Forum, Epilepsy Foundation and Epilepsy Australia.

Related information

• Members
• How to become a member
• Managing conflicts of interest
• ESC meetings
• ESC terms of reference

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