Speakers

Rod Baber is Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of Sydney and is Head of the Menopause clinic at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.
He is a Past President of The Australasian Menopause Society and a board member of The International Menopause Society

Associate Professor Bell is a medical epidemiologist. Her primary appointment is as Deputy Director of the Women’s Health Program, Monash University, in the Department of Medicine at the Alfred Hospital. She also has a fractional appointment within the Monash Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, from which she co-ordinates the teaching of Population Health in the first year of the MBBS program. She has also recently been appointed as Associate Dean Research covering the areas of clinical, public and allied health within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash.

Her research interests include all health issues affecting the lives of women, particularly the health of women at mid-life and beyond. The Women’s Health Program has active research projects investigating various aspects of cognitive function, breast cancer, sexual function, joint health, and urinary incontinence. The Women’s Health Program has a wide range of collaborative relationships both at the Alfred hospital site and at other Monash campuses.

Dr Roslin Botlero is currently doing her PhD at Women's Health Program, Monash University and her focus of research is "Urinary Incontinence in Women". She is a medical graduate from Chittagong Medical College in Bangladesh, has worked as an honorary medical officer at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (tertiary referral hospital) for 6 months. Her most recent job was as Assistant Scientist at Reproductive Health Unit of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research: ICDDR,B at Dhaka, Bangladesh. In that organization she worked for about 3 and a half years and gained expertise in conducting clinical research related to maternal and child health. She also completed Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Monash University in Melbourne in the year 2002 under AUS-AID scholarship and Masters in Gynecology and Obstetrics (Part-1) in 1999 from the Institute of Postgraduate Medical Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Tanja G. Bohl MBBS (Mon), Dip.RACOG, FACD Fellow of the ISSVD (International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease) since 1991 and was first Australian Dermatologist to join. Has served on the Patient Education Committee of this Society. Established first Vulval Diseases clinic in Melbourne 1988 at the Skin and Cancer Foundation Victoria (SKFV) and has worked at the Vulval Clinics of the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH). Currently she is also a member of the ECSVD (European College for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease) and Vice President of the newly incorporated ANZVS. Works in private practice in regional Victoria and is involved in undergraduate teaching at the Gippsland School of Rural Health.

Karin is a nurse / midwife and has worked in women’s health for the past 30 years. Since March 2006, she has been endorsed as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in Victoria. Karin is currently employed in 2 roles at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, firstly as a nurse coordinator of several outpatient services, including the Menopause; Family Planning; Sexual Counselling and Communicable Diseases Clinics. Secondly, as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in the Gynaecology Assessment Clinic and as part of a multidisciplinary team in the Vulvar Disorders Clinic. As the nurse coordinator of the Menopause Clinic , together with the Nursing staff of the Women’s Health Information Centre, Karin initiated the “Spring into Step” programme in 2000. This following presentation of a further observational study of this programme was researched by Helene Johns from the Women’s Health Information Centre and Karin is presenting this on her behalf.

Professor Julie Byles (BMed PhD) is the Director of the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing (RCGHA) – a Priority Research Centre at the University of Newcastle, co-Director of Newcastle Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and co-Director of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH). As a clinical epidemiologist, Professor Byles has interests in risk determination and assessment, and measurement of health outcomes. As a Gerontologist and Fellow of the Australian Association of Gerontology, Professor Byles’ research interests in ageing include the role of health services, preventive activities, and treatments in maintaining quality of life for older people, and in determining physical, psychological and social factors associated with optimal physical and mental health of men and women as they age.

Jill Cargnello MBBS, FACD Jill completed her medical training at Monash Medical School and the Alfred Hospital clinical school in Melbourne, Australia in 1983. After doing an internship and residency at the Alfred Hospital, Jill joined the dermatology training programme. She obtained her FACD- Fellowship of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD)in 1990.

Jill became interested in hair disorders during her dermatology training and on graduation she spent 18 months working and doing research furthering her interest at St Thomas's hospital and St Bartholomews hospital, in London. Jill helped to set up the Hair clinic at the Skin and Cancer Foundation in Melbourne and she still attends this clinic with her colleague Annette Callan. Jill works in a private dermatological practice and is interested in all areas of dermatology. She is fortunate to be in joint practice with 3 other vibrant dermatologists in East Malvern.

Jill attends hair clinics at the Skin and Cancer Foundation as well as in her own clinic. She also does a vascular laser clinic for the Royal Children's hospital and attends the Austin Repatriation General Hospital outpatient clinic weekly. Jill is active in the ACD and is currently director of training for our Victorian dermatology registrars.

On a personal level Jill is the mother of three challenging but very typical boys aged 11, 16 and 18 years!

Professor Susan Davis is an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and Professor of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine, Alfred Hospital Campus of Monash University (since 2005). She was CIA for the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence for the Study of Women’s Health at Monash University (2003-2007).
She held the conjoint Chair in Women’s Health of the Jean Hailes Foundation and Monash University 2003-4 and was the Director of Research at the Jean Hailes Foundation 1997-2004 She has published extensively in the field of menopausal medicine with specific focus on the consequences of sex steroid depletion and sex steroid therapy in women. She has published over 200 peer reviewed journal articles. She has achieved national and international recognition for her work as exemplified by the following awards: the Robert Greenblatt Scientific Award, the International Menopause Society, Sweden, 1993; the Novartis Australasian Menopause Society Research Publication Award, 1997;the Glenn Aging Award, The Endocrine Society ,Toronto, Canada, 2000; the Glaxo Welcome International Diabetes Education Award, Annual European Diabetes Society Congress, Israel, 2000; the Barbara Gross Award, Australasian Menopause Society, 2000; the North American Menopause Society Androgen Research Award, USA, 2003; the Australian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting Award 2008 and the Australasian Menopause Annual Scientific Award in 2008. Prof Davis has been an invited lecturer at over 100 international conferences, presented 20 distinguished international plenary lectures and has been a visiting professor at many leading US academic institutions. She is past President of the Australasian Menopause Society, serves on the editorial board of Maturitas, Menopause, Climacteric and the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. She was a member of the Council and the Council Executive of Monash University 2006-2008.

Dr Davison is currently an NH&MRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Women’s Health Program, Alfred Hospital, Monash University, where she is undertaking a study of the effects of testosterone on cognition in women.
Dr Davison is an Endocrinologist in Private Practice at the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health with interests in gynaecological and general endocrinology, and women’s health at mid-life. She completed a PhD in 2006 examining androgen levels in over 1400 Victorian women and their relationships with age, wellbeing, sexual function, natural and surgical menopause.

Dr Elizabeth Farrell is a gynaecologist in clinical practice. She is the Head of the Menopause Unit, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia and a Director of the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health, a national not-for profit organisation dedicated to improving Women’s Health. She is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.

She is the President of the Asia-Pacific Menopause Federation (APMF) and the APMF representative on the Council of Affiliated Menopause Societies (CAMS) of the International Menopause Society. She is also on the Council of the Australasian Menopause Society and is the President-elect.  Dr Farrell is the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 4th APMF Scientific Meeting in 2010 in Sydney.

In the January 2009 she was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for her services to women’s health.

She is involved in clinical practice, clinical research and education of both health profession and the community. She has authored peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and two books.

Anna is a Gynaecological Endocrinologist who completed her endocrine training in Perth, Western Australia and a PhD in bone cell biology at the University of Melbourne. She was involved in establishing the New Zealand branch of the Australasian Menopause Society and has served on the board of Osteoporosis New Zealand. Anna has been active in establishing quality standards in bone densitometry in New Zealand. She has been responsible for establishing and expanding the gynaecological endocrine service at Christchurch Women’s Hospital and is actively involved in research and both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. Her research interests cover metabolic bone disease and midlife women’s medicine. She is co-editor-in-chief of Climacteric, the journal of the International Menopause Society and also serves on a number of corporate boards.

Ian S Fraser AO, MD, BSc (Hons), FRANZCOG, FRCOG, CREI, FFFP (Hon), DUa, is Professor in Reproductive Medicine at the University of Sydney, and immediate-past Head of the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. He is a Past-President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and is currently Honorary Secretary of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). He is a member of the International Committee for Contraception Research and a Senior Scientific Adviser to the Population Council, New York. He is a past-Chairman of the World Health Organization Steering Committee for Long-Acting Hormonal Methods of Contraception. He gained his initial medical and specialist training in Edinburgh and Oxford, and now has a wide range of specialised clinical and research interests within reproductive medicine, specifically in the fields of menstrual disorders, endometriosis, contraception, menopause transition and gynaecological endoscopic surgery. He has current major interests in terminologies and definitions around menstrual disorders, mechanisms of abnormal uterine bleeding and in research into endometrial function in endometriosis. He has been responsible for over 500 scientific publications, with over 400 original scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Stephanie is an associate lecturer of Physiotherapy and research associate of Neurological Ageing and Balance research team at the University of Queensland. She is also a physiotherapist working at DAART Mater Health Services in Brisbane. She is currently the Vice- President of Gerontology Physiotherapy Australia, President of the Gerontology Physiotherapy Australia Queensland and treasurer of the Australian Association of Gerontology Queensland Branch. She is now completing her PhD on Balance training, healthy ageing and wellbeing of women in their menopause transition.

Professor Roger Hart is Professor of Reproductive Medicine in the School of Women’s and Infants’ Health at the University of Western Australia. He was trained in the reproductive medicine in the UK, was awarded his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of London in 2003, and was awarded his subspecialty accreditation in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (CREI) in 2007 by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is the Medical Director of the IVF units; Fertility Specialists of Western Australia and Fertility Specialists South, based in Perth. He is an Associate Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and an editor for the Cochrane Foundation Menstrual Disorders and Infertility Group and has over 60 publications.

Dr Hale completed her Medical degree at Monash University in 1987, her Physician training in NSW in 1996 and her PhD in Midlife Women’s Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Sydney in 2006. She is currently a Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Sydney while working as a Medical consultant in the remote North West of Australia (Port Hedland Hospital). Through her association with the Cedars Sinai Center for Women’s Heath, Los Angeles, where she worked as a Research Fellow in 1999 and 2000, she continues to be involved in collaborative research work with the Cedars Sinai Women’s Heart Center in Los Angeles, a mathematics group working on a new mathematical model for the menstrual cycle at Wake Forest University, North Carolina and with Professor Jerilynn Prior in menstrual studies at the University of Vancouver, BC. This presentation concerns data from her PhD at the University of Sydney.

Professor Martha Hickey is a Clinical Psychologist and Obstetrician Gynaecologist who has recently been appointed to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Western Australia and is currently establishing her research laboratory.
Over the past five years she has gained international recognition for her work on the mechanisms of breakthrough bleeding in women using progestogens. She is part of an all-Australian group awarded a US$1.34m grant by NIH in 2002 to continue this work. Her pioneering work in HRT related bleeding attracted NHMRC funding in 2002 and lead to the "Young Investigator of the Year" award from the RCOG/RANZCOG. She has 35 peer reviewed publications, five chapters and one book.
In 2002 she was made an editor for the large Cochrane "menstrual disorders and subfertility" group. In 1994 she was the most junior clinician to be awarded the MRCOG and 1996 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Bristol University for research into the mechanisms of endometrial bleeding at Sydney University, supported by a research scholarship from the RANZCOG. She came to Australia from Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM), which has the second most successful research profile in the UK (after Oxford University). In 1999 Martha was awarded permanent residency status in Australia on the grounds of "exceptional overseas talent".
Prof Hickey is a Consultant and Expert Clinical Advisor to the WHO on uterine bleeding and sits on the biomedical review panel allocating WHO funding for reproductive health research. She regularly receives invitations to speak at international meetings, the most prestigious being FIGO 2000 (Washington USA), NIH/WHO symposia on Steroids and Endometrial Bleeding (1996, 1999), the WHO symposia on implantable contraceptives (2001), The European Society for Human Reproduction (1999) and the British and European Menopause Society Meetings in 2000. She acts as an expert clinical referee for a number of international journals. She has twice acted as external examiner for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Director Women’s Health Research Centre. She works 6 tenths of her time in research and 4 tenths clinical and advisory roles including as a Director and clinician at the Wellington Menopause Clinic , and at Te Mahoe, capital Coast Health DHB women’s health service. Dr Lawton was made an Officer of the NZ order of merit by the Queen for services to women’s health in 2004., Past President of Australasian Menopause Society(2007), Member NZ Cancer Control Council, Principle investigator of NZ arm of UK MRC WISDOM study and the New Zealand Women’s lifestyle study. Research interests in inequalities, clinical trials, women’s health – Menopause, Midlife, exercise, Maori health, Contraception and STI’s. As well as peer reviewed publications Dr Lawton has written a book on menopause - Menopause; A New Zealand Guide.

Alastair MacLennan is Professor and Head of The Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide. He was the second President of the Australasian Menopause Society and has been awarded honorary Life Membership of this society. He was Editor-in-Chief of Maturitas and then Climacteric, The Journal of The International Menopause Society for 15 years. He is an honorary life member of the IMS. He has produced over 300 peer reviewed publications, five books, 30 educational videos and run multiple clinical trials on menopausal therapies.

Dr Alice MacLennan MB ChB DCH is a GP who in addition to working in general practice has run her own menopause clinic since 1988. She is currently President of AMS.

Dr Jenny Nitz leads the ageing teaching, clinical and research team in the Division of Physiotherapy at UQ. Her main areas of research interest are the effect of ageing on balance and functional ability, the impact of physiotherapy on age related conditions in adults living in the community and residential aged care. Over the last 5 years Jenny has had 25 research papers published in peer-reviewed multi-professional journals, published 1 text book and contributed 10 chapters to physiotherapy texts. She has also attracted around $2M in research funding across a number of research projects where she is a chief investigator. She runs a preventive health clinical intervention program that aims at controlling age-related decline in balance and postural stability in middle-aged women and men.

Prof Quinn is a consultant gynaecological oncologist at the Royal Women's Hospital, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Clinic , Melbourne and Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne.

He is the author of more than 180 articles and has written 3 Books, 8 book chapters and 2 monographs.

Prof Quinn is the chair of the Australian & New Zealand Gynaecologic Oncology Trials Group, is a member of the Excecutive of the Gynaecological Cancer Inter-Group and past Secretary/Treasurer of the International Gynecological Oncology Society. He is also on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Gynaecological Oncology, Gynaecological Oncology, Clinical Ovarian Cancer, the FIGO Annual Report, the Journal of Obstetric and Gynaecological Research and the Asia Pacific Journal of Oncology and Haematology.

Prof Quinn is a dedicated fundraiser for research into gynaecological cancer and has personally raised over $500,000 by running marathons around the world.

In 1996, he received the Victoria Day Award for Community Services.

Ms Mary Panjari BSc GradDipEd GradDipWomen’s Health MWH is a PhD Student at the Women’s Health program, Monash University under the supervision of Associate Professor Robin Bell and Professor Susan Davis. Her PhD project was a study of the efficacy and safety of DHEA therapy for postmenopausal women with low libido. She is currently working on the "MBF Foundation Health and Wellbeing After Breast Cancer Study".

Dr Redelman is a Specialist GP working at the Sydney Centre for Sexual and Relationship Therapy, Bondi Junction as a medical sex therapist and relationship therapist. She has been working in Sexual Health since 1980 after starting her training in sexuality in the USA. She has worked in Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinics and Family Planning Clinics and has been involved in clinical research, written articles and been a speaker on sexual topics. Her clinical practice includes male and female sexual dysfunctions, and relationship issues in homosexual and heterosexual couples especially relating to sexuality.

She is currently President of ASSERT  National (Australian Society of Sexuality Educators Researchers and Therapists) and Secretary of ASSERT NSW. She was President of the 18th World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) Congress held in Sydney in 2007.

Ian Reid MD is Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he is Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. His research interests include the causes and treatment of osteoporosis & Paget’s disease. He is immediate past-president of the International Bone and Mineral Society, Secretary of the Asian Pacific Osteoporosis Foundation, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Christine Read MBBS, ThA, FAChSHM, Grad Cert PH Dr Read is Medical Director, Family Planning NSW. She is a sexual health physician with a particular interest in the use of contraceptive methods and the issue of unplanned pregnancy. She has also worked in the areas of menopause and mid life for many years and is a council member of the Australasian Menopause Society. She is committed to providing better reproductive and sexual health care to rural and Aboriginal women and has managed a number of innovative projects to address the lack of services and information for these women. Dr Read is an investigator for a number of research projects including an international contraceptive study and has written books on medical topics for lay audiences. Titles include ‘Depression, Lifting the Cloud’, When Love Hurts’ and Doctor, I’m Tired’

A gynaecological oncologist, Greg Robertson originally studied Medicine in Western Australia. He trained in obstetrics & gynaecology at Cambridge (UK) and King Edward Hospital (WA) before working as a solo obstetrician/gynaecologist in the Kimberly, WA. Greg has also trained as a GYN Oncologist in the UK, Canada and, more recently, Sydney.

Sonia Stanton graduated from Medicine at the University of Sydney in 1992. Following early postgraduate training in Sydney (Royal North Shore Hospital) she went on to do Endocrinology training in Sydney (Concord and Westmead Hospitals) and Canberra. She was admitted to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in late 1999. She worked as an Endocrinologist in private practice in the ACT from 2000-2008 and has this year joined The Department of Endocrinology at The Canberra Hospital as a Staff Specialist with a particular interest in osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease.

Lily Stojanovska is Professor at School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. For many years she has been involved in medical research, teaching and supervising post-graduate students in the area of women's health, in particular intervention studies in preventing osteoporosis and cardiovascular disorders in postmenopausal women.

She has published in internationally peer-reviewed journals, is a co-author of 3 books, out of which two are on menopause and is a member of the Australasian Menopause Society education sub-committee.

Professor Stojanovska is an Honorary Member of the Indonesian Menopause Society, Peruvian Menopause Society, she is a Visiting Professor at Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand and Honorary Visiting Professor, Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in Australia.

She is a recipients of several awards including:

• Victorian Honour roll of Women in 2004 for her work as an international educator in women’s health,
• Barbara Gross Award by the Australasian Menopause Society in 2006 for the best overall paper,
• Victoria University President’s Award for community engagement in 2007 and
• Her achievements have been listed in the Who’s Who of Australian Women between 2006-2009.