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Leadership

Burnet’s leadership team are committed to achieving our purpose - to create and translate knowledge into better health so no-one is left behind. The team is comprised of highly qualified individuals who have rich and diverse skillsets spanning medical research, public health, medicine, business development, advocacy, finance, marketing and communications, quality management and innovation.

Brendan Allen

EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS

Brendan Allen is an experienced executive and clinical and public health professional with...
Jennifer Barnes

DIRECTOR, OFFICE FOR RESEARCH TRANSLATION; DIRECTOR, BURNET DIAGNOSTICS INITIATIVE

Jen joined Burnet to lead the Burnet Diagnostics Initiative (BDI), an ambitious initiative...
Professor James Beeson

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, RESEARCH STRATEGY; HEAD, MALARIA IMMUNITY AND VACCINES GROUP; ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, MONASH UNIVERSITY

James is a medical researcher and Public Health Physician (registered in Australia). He completed hi...
Doctor Fredrick Charles

HEALTH SECURITY AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS LEAD (PAPUA NEW GUINEA); TB CLINICAL MENTOR TEAM LEAD

Dr Charles is a TB public health physician working with Burnet Institute in Papua New Guinea (PNG). ...
Professor Brendan Crabb AC

DIRECTOR AND CEO; CO-HEAD, MALARIA VIRULENCE AND DRUG DISCOVERY GROUP; CHAIR AUSTRALIAN GLOBAL HEALTH ALLIANCE AND CHAIR PACIFIC FRIENDS OF GLOBAL HEALTH

Professor Brendan Crabb AC PhD FAA FAHMS FASM is an infectious disease researcher with a special int...
Milena Dalton

DEPUTY DISCIPLINE HEAD, INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, IMMUNISATION AND HEALTH SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING

Milena has a decade of experience in health systems strengthening and public health research and pro...
Professor Paul Dietze

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DISEASE ELIMINATION; PROFESSOR AND PROGRAM LEADER, NATIONAL DRUG RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NDRI)

Professor Paul Dietze is one of Australia's leading alcohol and other drug epidemiologists...
Professor Joseph (Joe) Doyle

DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DISEASE ELIMINATION; CO-HEAD, INFECTIOUS DISEASES CLINICAL RESEARCH; PRESIDENT, HEPATITIS AUSTRALIA; NHMRC CLINICAL RESEARCH FELLOW

Professor Doyle is a clinician-researcher and dual-trained infectious diseases and public health phy...
Geoff Drenkhahn

DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC FUNDING, PARTNERSHIPS, INNOVATION AND COMMUNICATIONS (SF PIC)

Geoff Drenkhahn is an executive with 20+ years of experience in the R+D sector with...
Professor Heidi Drummer

SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH TRANSLATION; SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, BURNET DIAGNOSTICS INITIATIVE; PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, BURNET VACCINE INITIATIVE; CO-HEAD, VIRAL ENTRY AND VACCINES GROUP

Professor Heidi Drummer is Scientific Director for Research Translation and co-Head of the Viral Ent...
Professor Freya J.I. Fowkes

DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WOMEN’S, CHILDREN’S AND ADOLESCENTS’ HEALTH; HEAD, MALARIA AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY

Professor Freya Fowkes is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Head of the Malaria and Infectious Disease ...
Associate Professor Paul Gilson

DEPUTY DISCIPLINE HEAD, LIFE SCIENCES; CO-HEAD, MALARIA VIRULENCE AND DRUG DISCOVERY GROUP; HEAD OF BURNET CELL IMAGING FACILITY

Paul Gilson is a molecular biologist primarily interested in how malaria parasites invade...
Doctor David Harrison

HEAD OF LABORATORIES AND FACILITIES

David heads the Support Services group: Laboratory Operations and Facilities Support...
Doctor Anna Hearps

DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DISEASE ELIMINATION; HEAD, INFECTION, INFLAMMATION AND INNATE IMMUNITY GROUP

Dr Anna Hearps works at Burnet as a Deputy Program Director for the Disease Elimination program...
Professor Margaret Hellard AM

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PROGRAMS; ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, MONASH UNIVERSITY, DEPM.

For almost two decades Margaret's work has centred around infectious diseases, preventing...
Professor Caroline Homer AO

DEPUTY DIRECTOR – GENDER EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION; CO-HEAD, GLOBAL WOMEN'S AND NEWBORN HEALTH GROUP

Professor Caroline Homer AO is the leading midwifery researcher in Australia and has an internationa...
Chad Hughes

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS; HEAD, INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

A public health practitioner, Chad has specific expertise in strategic planning for responding to th...
Doctor Elissa Kennedy

CO-PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WOMEN’S, CHILDREN’S AND ADOLESCENTS’ HEALTH; CO-HEAD GLOBAL ADOLESCENT HEALTH

Elissa is a medical doctor with a Master of Public Health specialising in international health...
Leanne Lawrence

CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

Leanne is an accomplished senior executive leader and has held a number of senior roles in high prof...
Jessica Lightfoot

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND DIRECTOR CORPORATE SERVICES

Jessica started life as a lawyer and practised in both private and public sector. In the late 1990s ...
Associate Professor Bruce Loveland

HEAD, INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Bruce Loveland is a cellular immunologist interested in the immune repertoire and...
Professor Kelly Menzel

DIRECTOR, ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER INITIATIVE

Kelly is a proud Ngadjuri woman from mid north South Australia with ancestral connections to Bundjal...
Mary-Ann Nicholas

CO-HEAD, STRATEGY INSIGHTS AND IMPACT; HEAD, DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS

Mary-Ann joined Burnet in 2009 with a proven track record in international program...
Associate Professor Alisa Pedrana

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW; DEPUTY DISCIPLINE HEAD, PUBLIC HEALTH; ELIMINATE HEPATITIS C AUSTRALIA COORDINATOR

Associate Professor Alisa Pedrana BBmedSc (hons), PhD (Public Health) is a senior research fellow an...
Professor Leanne Robinson

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, HEALTH SECURITY AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS; SENIOR PRINCIPAL RESEARCH FELLOW, GROUP LEADER, VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES AND TROPICAL PUBLIC HEALTH

Professor Leanne Robinson BSc Adv (Hons) PhD MPHTM is a leading vector-borne diseases...
Associate Professor Megan SC Lim

DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DISEASE ELIMINATION; HEAD, YOUNG PEOPLE’S HEALTH

Megan is Deputy Program Director (Behaviours and Health Risks) at Burnet Institute...
Professor Mark A Stoové

HEAD OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Professor Stoové is Head of Public Health at Burnet Institute where he also heads research groups in...
Professor Gilda Tachedjian

HEAD, LIFE SCIENCES DISCIPLINE; HEAD, RETROVIRAL BIOLOGY AND ANTIVIRALS LABORATORY

Awarded her PhD at Monash University, Professor Tachedjian received an NHMRC...
Professor Joshua Vogel

CO-PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WOMEN’S, CHILDREN’S AND ADOLESCENTS’ HEALTH; CO-HEAD, GLOBAL WOMEN’S AND NEWBORN’S HEALTH GROUP; SENIOR PRINCIPAL RESEARCH FELLOW

Joshua is a perinatal epidemiologist and public health researcher. He is a Senior Principal Research...
Doctor Margarete White

HEAD, OHS AND COMPLIANCE

Margarete’s background is in organisational psychology, specialising in occupational, health and saf...