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In 2021, Christine became Founding Director of Healthy Trajectories, a child and youth disability research hub on the Melbourne Children’s Campus. She is excited to bring together a team to work towards the vision of achieving best outcomes for children and youth with disability and their families. Read more about Christine’s research.
Alicia Spittle is part of the Healthy Trajectories Advisory Committee. Alicia is the Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Alicia is a physiotherapist and clinician researcher within the Melbourne School of Health Sciences, where she leads the Paeds Co-Lab (Paediatric Collaborative for Learning and Allied Health Research).
In addition to her research roles at the University of Melbourne, Alicia works clinically in the neonatal intensive care unit and follow-up clinic at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia and has a research appointment at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Inspired by her own family’s experiences with disability, her research and clinical work is focused on improving health and well-being outcomes for children with disabilities and their families, with inclusion at the heart.
Bruce Bonyhady AM, is Executive Chair and Director of the Melbourne Disability Institute. Bruce is a disability reformer, economist, one of the key architects of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and was the inaugural Chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) from 2013 to 2016. Bruce began his career in the Australian Treasury and also worked in economic consulting, funds management and insurance in Australia and the UK, before becoming a non-executive director. His non-executive roles include President of Philanthropy Australia (2006-13).
Bruce is the father of three adult sons, two of whom have disabilities and in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for services to people with disabilities, their families and carers, and to the community as a contributor to a range of charitable organisations.
Sarath Ranganathan is part of the Healthy Trajectories Advisory Committee. Sarath is Stevenson Chair and Head, Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne. He is also respiratory physician at the Royal Children’s Hospital and head of respiratory research at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne. Sarath values equity, participation and inclusion for all children as a guiding principle. He aims for Healthy Trajectories to become so successful that we can see and share exciting changes in the very near future.
Nathan Grills is a Public Health Physician and professor at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne. He works on community health and disability largely in the context of India. Nathan has a personal and professional interest in disability.
Academically, he established the Melbourne-India Disability Research Initiative which works with the Department of Empowerment of People with Disability, Government of India. Programmatically he established the Samvedna Community Based Disability program in North India and has overseen the establishment of a national network of organisations responding to disability in India. Personally, Nathan’s daughter, Abby, has intellectual disability. Nathan has worked in global health and development in Africa, Fiji, East Timor, PNG, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Dr Anderson is Director, Clinical Sciences Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Head, Psychology, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. She is a paediatric neuropsychologist of 30+ years. Her research and clinical interests are in disorders of childhood that impact the brain, including both developmental and acquired disorders. Her recent work focuses on translating her early career findings into clinical practice to optimise child outcomes. Major translational achievements include design and development of child assessment tools (Test of Everyday Attention for Children, novel, iPad delivered social competence tools (PEERs), digital health tools for managing child concussion symptoms and e-health parenting and parent mental health interventions for families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and chronic illnesses.
Kelly Weir is part of the Healthy Trajectories Advisory Committee. She is the Director of Allied Health Research
at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and Associate Professor of Speech Pathology, Department of
Audiology and Speech Pathology at School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne. Kelly is a speech pathologist and clinician researcher and holds honorary research appointments at Murdoch Children’s
Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Griffith University and City University London.
Kelly’s research focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of infants and children with feeding and swallowing difficulties
and respiratory problems, including premature infants, acutely unwell children needing respiratory support in
hospital and those with disability. She also supports other allied health professionals to conduct research to be
able to provide the best healthcare for children and their families; and help children and families enjoy and
participate in life.
Karen is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association for Children with Disability (ACD). At the heart of ACD is our love for our children and our vision that children with disability and their families have the same rights and opportunities as all children.
Karen has held a range of leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector and has been a foster carer for almost 20 years. Karen is the mother of two boys. Her eldest son is 18, is autistic and has an intellectual disability. He is building a life out of Lego.
Eliza Hull is an award-winning musician, writer, access consultant and disability advocate. Eliza is a proud disabled woman, with a physical disability ‘Charcot Marie Tooth.’
Eliza is the editor and creator of the book ‘We’ve Got This, stories by disabled parents’ and the creator of the children’s book ‘Come Over To My House’. She has been a guest on The Today Show, The Drum, ABC News Breakfast, ABC’S Q&A and ABC Radio. She is also a contributor in ‘Growing up disabled in Australia’
Eliza Hull is also a speaker and has spoken at the Human Rights Convention ‘Free and Equal’, for the NDIS, DARU, Brunswick Music Festival, The Wheeler Centre and the Changes Music Conference. Recently Eliza was awarded the Music Victoria ‘Amplify’ award, Women in Music Award, the APRA mentorship for women in music and the National Leadership Award from the Australia Council and Arts Access Australia.
Catherine (she/her) is an experienced economist and public policy specialist with a particular interest in Australian disability policy and the NDIS. Catherine is currently working on the government review of the NDIS.
Before this, she was Policy Adviser to Healthy Trajectories, and also worked at the Productivity Commission for many years, including on the first review of NDIS Costs, as well as reviews of the National Disability Agreement and National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. She also has experience working at the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance.
Catherine is passionate about influencing disability policy in Australia, through evidence-based research and analysis and consultation with the sector, to ensure that it meaningfully caters for the needs of all people with disability, their families, and carers.
Catherine is an avid gardener who loves to grow her own produce to feed her family including her two young boys.
The Healthy Trajectories Child and Youth Disability Research Hub acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to the lands and waterways on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past, present and emerging.
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