INVITED SPEAKERS

Alex Brown

Professor Alex Brown is an internationally leading Aboriginal clinician/researcher who has worked his entire career in Aboriginal health in the provision of public health services, infectious diseases and chronic disease care, health care policy and research. 

Mika Sakurai

Mika Sakurai is Associate Professor at Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo), Tohoku University, Japan. 

Craig Pennell

Professor Craig Pennell is the Chair in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Head of Discipline at the University of Newcastle, and Senior Staff Specialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine (John Hunter Hospital). In addition to his subspecialty training in maternal fetal medicine, he has a PhD in fetal physiology and completed postdoctoral training in molecular genetics in Toronto.

Rose Upton

Rose Upton completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours I) majoring in Biological Sciences at The University of Newcastle in 2016. She has been working with the Conservation Biology Research Group at the University of Newcastle since 2014 where she completed her PhD titled, “Development of sperm cryopreservation and assisted reproductive technologies for the conservation of threatened Australian tree frogs” in 2020.

Jennifer Byrne

Professor Jennifer Byrne is Director of Biobanking with NSW Health Pathology and conjoint Professor of Molecular Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. 

Daniel Catchpoole

A/Prof Catchpoole was appointed Head of the Tumour Bank at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in 2001, where he has established a tissue-based research program within the Children’s Cancer Research Unit of The Kids Research Institute. A/Prof Catchpoole brings with him extensive real-world experience in the operations, governance and regulatory requirements around which biobank driven research must be practiced. 

Simon Dillon

Simon Dillon has been involved in agriculture and food production for 35 years with roles in research, extension, production, and management.

His team provides researchers and production companies with access to greater than six thousand yeast and bacterial strains predominantly from winemaking environments.

Megan Penno

Dr Megan Penno is the National Project Manager for the Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity (ENDIA) study and Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Rym Ben-Othman

Rym Ben Othman is a researcher passionate about the impact of research in health and specifically on those who need it the most: the youngest and the poorest.

Rym had a PhD in cellular and molecular biology focused on host immune system and metabolism in the context of infectious disease.

Simon Lake

Simon Lake is an Accreditation Specialist working for NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities), who have recently commenced offering accreditation in Australia against ISO 20387 (General Requirements for Biobanking).

Peter Cuneo

Peter Cuneo is Manager, Seedbank & Restoration Research at the Australian PlantBank, Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. He is program leader for the seedbank, including the statewide threatened species seed program.