I have thirty years’ experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of health and human services for vulnerable Australians. I have held senior leadership roles in service delivery, program development, system reform, research and public policy.

Most of my career has been in the public sector in large-scale health and human services program design and delivery, funding and public policy. My roles have included leading Aged and Disability services for the NT Government, out of home care policy and funding for the NSW Government and shaping disability policy in NSW. I have also worked in the not-for-profit sector in senior leadership and operational roles and spent a year at Deloitte in their Economics practice. In addition, I have run my own micro-business for more than a decade.

In 2017 I graduated my PhD titled Applying collective impact to improve health services for Aboriginal people in rural and remote communities. My thesis included nine publications and won the Rita and John Cornforth Medal for PhD achievement – the only university-wide medal awarded for a PhD by the University of Sydney.

I initiated the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health program of high impact translational research in 2013 which included Aboriginal academics and community members as Investigators on all research. It has eleven research projects across 78 sites producing high impact translational co-designed research in oral health, children’s health, genomics, cardiovascular disease, lung disease and health systems reform.

Since 2012 I have secured $11.55m in funding to co-design, deliver and evaluate services with Aboriginal people including new approaches to oral health, allied health, hearing and cardiovascular disease. I am currently a CI on four grants: an Aboriginal children’s hearing health MRFF (CID), a workforce development ARC (CIH), an Australian Genomics grant about engaging Aboriginal people in Early Carrier Screening (CIA), and a fluoride varnish MRFF (CIC). Previously I was CIA on a Heart Foundation Vanguard Grant which delivered translational cardiovascular research.