Our Team

Based primarily at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, the SHP Secretariat is responsible for grant and project management, communications, administrative and financial support to facilitate activity across the program of work

Executive Director

Professor Don Nutbeam

Don Nutbeam is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney and, prior to his appointment at Executive Director in 2020, served Sydney Health Partners as interim ED (2016-2017) and then Special Advisor.

Over more than 40 years, Professor Nutbeam has made a substantial international impact on the theory, science and practice of health promotion, and contributed to health policy at national and international levels.

Professor Nutbeam has worked as an external advisor and consultant on public health issues to the World Health Organization (WHO) for more than 30 years, and held the positions of Academic Provost at the University of Sydney and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton in the UK.

Don Nutbeam is the editor-in-chief of the Institute’s journal Public Health Research and Practice and he serves on the boards of Western Sydney Local Health District and Suicide Prevention Australia.

Senior Leadership

  • Associate Professor Angela Todd

    Research Director

    Angela leads and oversees work for two of SHP’s operational priority areas.  Enabling Research focuses on supporting operational processes and structures critical to high quality research as well as working to remove barriers that slow down research.

    She also directs our work in Optimising Innovation which includes seed funding opportunities for new research ideas and targeted fellowship and scholarship support.

    Learn Moreof Associate Professor Angela Todd

  • Lena Caruso

    Chief Operating Officer

    In her role as Chief Operating Officer, Lena is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the SHP team including financial, staff, resources, program, project and stakeholder management.

    Along with the Executive Director and the Research Director, Lena works with the SHP team and key stakeholders to achieve SHP deliverables consistent with SHP operational and strategic objectives, ensuring SHP activities deliver the strategic goals of SHP.

    Lena is currently the Chair of the AHRA Operations Group. The Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) is the peak body representing Australia’s network of fourteen Research Translation Centres.

Sydney Health Partners Team

  • Vanessa Williams

    Executive Officer

  • Maria McDougal

    Executive Assistant

  • Andria Ratchford

    Program Manager

  • Chris Pitt

    Program Manager

  • Linda Komarek

    Project Manager

  • Alison Rego

    Project Manager

  • Mark Mathot

    Media & Communications Manager

  • Mim Phillipson

    Media & Communications Officer

Senior Advisory

  • Professor Garry Jennings AO

    Senior Advisor

    Professor Garry Jennings AO was the inaugural Executive Director of Sydney Health Partners 2017 – 2020. Prior to that he was CEO of the National Heart Foundation in 2016, and Director and CEO of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute from 2001-2015, having previously been Director of Cardiovascular Medicine and Chair, Division of Medicine at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. He is currently Chief Medical Advisor to the Heart Foundation.

  • Professor Andrew Milat

    Senior Advisor

    Professor Andrew Milat is an experienced policy maker and researcher and is a leader in program evaluation, ranking in the top 0.2% of global experts in this field. His contributions encompass over 150 published academic papers, along with authorship of multiple international consensus statements focused on implementation, scale-up, and evaluation methodologies.

    Prof. Milat has held senior roles in health organisations at local, state and national levels and most recently was Acting Executive Director and Director, Evidence and Evaluation in the Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence at the NSW Ministry of Health.

    Besides his role as Senior Advisor for Sydney Health Partners, Prof. Milat is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney, working in the Prevention Research Collaboration.

Implementation Science Academy Leadership

The leaders of the Sydney Health Partners Implementation Science Academy combine their extensive clinical and academic experience to help bridge the research-practice gap.

  • Professor Andrew Baillie

    Strategic Adviser

  • Professor Julie Redfern

    Strategic Adviser

  • Associate Professor Leanne Hassett

    Strategic Adviser - Capacity and Capability Initiative

  • Dr Mitchell Sarkies

    Strategic Adviser - Innovation Initiative

  • Dr Heather Shepherd

    Strategic Adviser - Collaboration and Partnerships Initiative