ACB members

Chair

Professor Erica Wood is Head of the Transfusion Research Unit in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. She is a consultant haematologist at Monash Health and holds an honorary appointment at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Professor Wood is immediate past President of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, a member of the World Health Organization's Expert Advisory Panel in Transfusion Medicine, and past President of the International Haemovigilance Network. She is past-President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion and served as Chief Examiner (Haematology) for the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Professor Wood provides expertise in the field of blood products.

Members

Professor David Brown is a clinical immunologist and immunopathologist who has expertise in the basic cellular pathways that many biologicals target, as well as significant experience in using these drugs in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. He also has expert knowledge regarding the immunological tests used for the diagnosis of diseases leading to and resulting from the use of biological therapies. Professor Brown is the Director of Immunopathology at NSW Health Pathology-ICPMR and is a member of the NSW Pathology Immunology Advisory Clinical Stream. In addition, he has experience in the recognition and treatment of side effects of biological therapies. Professor Brown provides advice as a clinical expert.

Dr Jason Brown is a general surgeon, working specifically in the areas of acute surgery, burns and trauma with over 26 years of healthcare experience.  He is currently the Director of the Queensland Statewide Adult Burn Service at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the Acting Chief Digital Health Officer for Metro North Health.  He has also worked previously as a dental practitioner.  Dr Brown has knowledge and experience with medical devices, biologics and medical software and integrated devices.  Dr Brown provides expertise in tissue products, cellular therapies, including tissue engineering and clinical expertise.

Clinical Associate Professor Shoma Dutt is a Senior Staff Specialist Paediatric Gastroenterologist based at the Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW). She is currently the Clinical Lead for the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) service at the CHW. She is an advocate for both gastroenterology and paediatric patients who require equitable access to treatments such as biological therapies. Clinical Associate Professor Dutt provides expertise in the fields of clinical paediatrics and paediatric gastroenterology.

Associate Professor Ngaire Elwood is the Director of the Bone Marrow Institute (BMDI) Cord Blood Bank in Melbourne and serves as Chair of the AusCord network of public cord blood banks. Associate Professor Elwood is the Head of the Cord Blood Stem Cell Research Program at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute where the focus is on creation of GMP-grade induced pluripotent stem cells for potential therapeutic use, clinical trials using cord blood for cardiac repair in infants and children, and telomere biology of haematopoietic cells. She is Vice President of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy Board of Directors and is immediate past ANZ Regional Vice President for the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy. Associate Professor Elwood provides expertise in the field of tissue products, Blood products and cellular therapies including tissue engineering.

Professor John Hayball is Professor of Immunology at the School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, University of South Australia, and Chief Scientific Officer of Sementis Ltd.  He leads a research team with diverse multidisciplinary capabilities ranging from basic organic, physical and protein chemistry, through to molecular and cellular biology, immunology, virology and vaccinology, and regulated biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Professor Hayball has expertise in immunological tolerance and immunity and the development of new immuno- and biotherapeutics using genetic engineering and biomanufacturing technologies. Professor Hayball provides expertise in the fields of infectious diseases, vaccinology and immunology.

Dr Marisa Herson is an Associate Professor (Hons) in Bioethics at Deakin University. As a retired Plastic Surgeon, specialised in burn care and in human tissue banking with a Doctorate degree in skin bioengineering, Dr Herson maintains an interest in all fields of Medical Products of Human Origin and has contributed via diverse advisory roles and commissioned work in national and international projects. She is the Chair of the Eye and Tissue Advisory Committee of the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority, a member of the Biotherapeutics Association of Australasia Executive Council, a member of the WHO Advisory Panel on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation and of the WHO Taskforce on Human Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, a member of the Canadian Hema-Quebec Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee and a technical expert of the ICCBBA - ISBT128 ITTAG. Dr Herson provides expertise in the field of tissue products, cellular therapies including tissue engineering and clinical expertise.

Dr Laurens Manning is an infectious disease physician with wide ranging research and clinical expertise. He has been appointed to two international working groups, is developing treatment guidelines for Papua New Guinea and is involved in facilitating infectious disease collaborative studies across Australia and New Zealand. In addition, his current work relates to the treatment of conditions using new tissue therapies and the establishment of a faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) service in WA. Dr Manning provides clinical expertise in the field of infectious diseases.

Dr Kenneth Micklethwaite is a haematologist and physician scientist, actively working in cell and gene therapy of malignancy. He is the Medical Director of the Sydney Cellular Therapies Laboratory and the Clinical Lead for the CAR T-cell program at Westmead Hospital, the NSW Immune Effector Cell Translational Centre. He is active in the field of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells in Australia, developing novel new cell and gene therapies for haematological and solid organ malignancies. He has served as co-chair of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy Immuno-Gene Therapy Committee. Dr Micklethwaite provides expertise in the field of cellular therapies, including tissue engineering.

Associate Professor Helen Ritchie has a special interest in reproductive and developmental toxicology and serves as an Associate Professor in the discipline of Anatomy and Histology Sciences within the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She has experience with laboratory research and has previously worked at the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme as a Senior Regulatory Scientist. Associate Professor Ritchie provides expertise in the field of toxicology.

Dr Deborah Verran is a Senior Specialist Transplant Surgeon. She has led organ donor surgical teams for 23 years and was the Clinical Resource Officer for DonateLife organ and tissue donation network, of the Australian Organ & Tissue Authority. She has knowledge and understanding of the current regulatory and governance requirements pertaining to the use of human tissue for therapeutic purposes. Dr Verran has also been an expert panel member for medico-legal groups, undertaken advisory roles with NSW Health and been a member of the NHMRC Research Ethics Subcommittee. Dr Deborah Verran provides expertise in the field of transplant surgery.

Dr Zlatibor Velickovic is the Facility Director of Cell and Tissue Therapies WA at Royal Perth Hospital.  Working at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, he managed the TGA-accredited laboratory for molecular histocompatibility testing.  He helped set up and validate the GMP facility at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and managed production activities for cell and gene therapy clinical trials.  Dr Velickovic is also the Regional Vice President, Australia and New Zealand, International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy.  Dr Velickovic provides expertise in, cell and gene therapies and tissue products, including manufacturing and regulatory expertise.

Ms Julie Wheeler has a wide variety of health care experience, including research, government policy, health practitioner regulation, clinical practice and most recently as a consumer representative.  In addition to her clinical experience, she also has tertiary qualification in health, including a Master of Public Health, Master of Midwifery, Bachelor of Nursing and Graduate Certificate in Legal Medicine.  Ms Wheeler is also an active member of the Consumer Health Forum of Australia.  Ms Wheeler provides expertise in consumer health issues.