Our people

With over 20 years of expertise in healthcare research, policy development, and strategic leadership, she brings a wealth of knowledge from her work across academic, government, and non-government sectors. In her previous roles, including Director of Partnerships, National Manager of Research, Evaluation, and Insights, and Director of Policy and Research, Sarah successfully bridged the gap between research and policy to drive improvements in regulatory frameworks, workforce development, and healthcare practices.

Sarah holds a PhD in Ergonomics and Human Factors, specialising in workplace injuries, and has an impressive track record in health, disability, and workforce research.

She has facilitated the design and application of collaborative research projects within the areas of occupational health and safety, recovery from injury, return-to-work and compensation. These include evaluations, environmental scans, evidence reviews, and quantitative data analyses.

Prior to joining ISCRR, Janine obtained her PhD from the University of Melbourne. She worked in the Deakin University Metabolic Research Unit Management Team for eight years where her key role was to lead the Gene Discovery Group, identifying novel genes associated with obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, and selecting target proteins to move into a drug development pipeline. A number of genes were discovered and patented, attracting international drug company investment and forming the basis of several high impact publications. She was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research.

Janine was also a tutor at Deakin University’s School of Medicine for seven years, and concurrently a Research Fellow conducting research into the effect of antidepressant and antipsychotic medication on bone cells.

Prior to ISCRR, Sarah was a lecturer at the Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University. Sarah obtained a PhD in Sociology from Victoria University, where she received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Research Training (Research Degree Graduate). Her doctoral research contributed to new knowledge towards understanding how girls’ participation in sport disrupts gender relations. She has a Master of Arts from the University of Bradford (UK) and a Bachelor of Arts from Sewanee: The University of the South (USA). Sarah has published numerous high-quality scientific publications in refereed journals and books.

Having commenced her career in biomedical research management in 2005 and gained further experience in the not-for-profit and higher education sector, Kim has a diverse background in research program management and operations, educational program design and implementation, policy research and proposal development of high-impact initiatives for large organisations. She brings this skillset to promote innovation and strategic thinking between Monash University and WorkSafe Victoria.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) from The University of Melbourne, a PhD in cellular immunology from Swinburne University of Technology and a postgraduate Certificate in Business Development from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Ross brings extensive experience and networks in the workplace health, wellbeing, and safety sector. With a background in physiotherapy, he is passionate about improving outcomes for workers through research that informs both policy and practice.

He previously worked at ISCRR as a Research Fellow, before moving into leadership roles including Deputy Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group at Monash University and Chief Research Officer at SuperFriend. Over his career, Ross has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and secured over $5 million in research funding focused on work disability and income support systems.

Previously as ISCRR’s Research Communications and Translation Manager, Jimmy has extensive experience in the research and communication fields since 2001, complemented with a diverse skill set which includes product development, web design, creative writing, event management, scientific editing and the development of database systems.

Prior to joining ISCRR, Jimmy held research translation roles with the Gastroenterological Society of Australia and headspace, coming from a postdoctoral research position at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. There he carried out research in the fields of infectious disease and sexual health while being an Associate Editor for scientific journal BMC Infectious Diseases. Jimmy has a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Tasmania, and a Master of Communication degree from Deakin University.

Since 2010, Carmen has worked with government, academic, not-for-profit and community organisations to evaluate and strengthen services, systems and policy. Motivated by social justice, Carmen has a keen interest in systems improvement and capacity building solutions. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science, Psychology (Hons.) from RMIT University.

Previously she has worked in research and evaluation in academic and non-government organisational settings. Faye completed her PhD on “Male Partner Involvement In Perinatal Healthcare: A Multiple Method Exploration In Sub-Saharan Africa And Among Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Families In Australia”.

Amanda also supports the Research Program and Operations Team in financial management and has been involved in various continuous process improvements within the Institute over the years. She holds a Masters in Information Systems and a Bachelor in Management from the Queensland University of Technology.

Previously, Magdaline worked in research communications and grant development. It is during this time that she gained a true appreciation of the value of research across the different disciplines and importance of effective research communication. Magdaline holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons), Bachelor of Arts and a PhD in organometallic chemistry from Monash University.

Before joining ISCRR, she was a research assistant with Cochrane Musculoskeletal, where she worked on Cochrane reviews and evidence synthesis. She also worked as a teaching faculty member in public health at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. Pramila recently completed her PhD at Monash University, focusing on “Improving Healthcare System Sustainability in Nepal.”

Tesfaye received a Masters of Public Health (MPH) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Health and Safety from University of Gondar, Ethiopia. He possesses solid skills in designing and implementing research projects, managing and analysing large-scale quantitative datasets, and conducting evidence synthesis, including scoping reviews, systematic reviews, and metanalysis.

Tesfaye’s work is driven by a strong commitment to improving healthcare service utilisation for individuals seeking workers’ compensation benefits for common musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain in Australia. By employing a data-driven approach, Tesfaye seeks to enhance recovery, expedite return-to-work, and reduce the burden of work disability.

Before joining ISCRR, Ashleigh worked in a range of positions within government (UK) and not-for-profit organisations, primarily within the mental health sector. She has a Bachelor of Science, Psychology (Hons) and a Masters in Forensic Behaviour Science.

Olivia started with ISCRR in August 2021, securing a student placement during her Bachelor of Health Science from Monash University. She continued the partnership, choosing to do her Honours year at ISCRR in 2022, where she achieved 1st Class Honours on her thesis on the topic of vicarious trauma burden in teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Olivia now works two days per week as a Research Fellow with ISCRR, while spending the rest of her week studying her PhD investigating the relationship between safety and retention for female firefighters in Australia, and how physical and psychological injuries impact their return to work and long-term careers.

Following her graduation in 2006 (Bachelor Physiotherapy with Honours), Edwina commenced her clinical career at The Alfred before joining Barwon Health. She has worked closely with people affected by compensable injuries in a number of contexts.  Since 2012, Edwina has gained experience working within Victoria’s State Government injury compensation schemes.  Drawing upon the insights gleaned throughout her career, Edwina is excited by the opportunity for her research to ultimately contribute to improved recovery outcomes following injury.

Prior to joining ISCRR, she worked at Marnoo Primary School as a Classroom teacher. Prior to this, Kathryn was a clinical education administrator for Ambulance Victoria and has spent some time working in the tertiary sector at NMIT. She has a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Diploma in Education.

With over 15 years’ experience in science communication and education, Blaire brings a broad skillset spanning writing and storytelling, video and podcast production, digital design, newsletter production, website management, and webinar and event planning. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons), and Master’s degrees in Science Communication and Teaching.