The Women's Health Program Staff

Program Director

Professor Susan Davis, MBBS, FRACP, PhD is an National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia  Principal Research Fellow and Professor of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine, Alfred Hospital Campus of Monash University . She has published extensively in the field of women’s health with specific focus on the consequences of sex steroid depletion and sex steroid therapy in women and identifying modifiable factors that will improve the health and wellbeing of women in middle and later life.   Professor Davis was a member of Monash University Council 2005-2007 and is past President of the Australasian Menopause Society. She has published over 200 peer reviewed manuscripts and has been an invited lecturer at over 100 international conferences and presented 20 distinguished international plenary lectures. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Robert Greenblatt Prize of the International Menopause Society 1993, the Glenn Aging Award of the US Endocrine Society 2000, the Glaxo-Welcome Diabetes Education Award 2000, the Barbara Gross Award of the Australasian Menopause Society 2002, the inaugural North American Menopause Society Androgen Research Award 2003 and the Australasian Menopause Society Annual Scientific Award 2006.

Program Deputy Director

A/Professor Robin Bell MBBS, PhD, MPH, FAFPHM, Cert Health Econ is a medical epidemiologist with a long-standing interest in women's health and has broad based experience in women's health epidemiology having previously worked in the Research Unit of the Jean Hailes Foundation, the Royal Women's Hospital, the Centre for the Study of Mothers' and Children's Health and the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit. A/Prof Bell is a Deputy Director of the Women's Health Program at Monash University and has achieved over 60 peer reviewed manuscripts in women's heath. A/Prof Bell also holds an honorary appointment in Public Health at the Alfred Hospital and has an appointment in the Monash University Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine where she teaches both in the undergraduate medical course and the Master of Public Health program.

Research Fellows

Dr Sonia Davison MBBS, FRACP, PhD is a National Health and Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow currenlty undertaking a study of the effects of testosterone on cognition in postmenopausal women.  Dr Davison completed her PhD in the Department of Biochemistry, Monash University in 2006. Her PhD research involved the reporting of normal levels of androgens in Australian women, changes with age and the effects of a number of factors on hormone levels.  Dr Davison was awarded the 2007 Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Fellowship in conjunction with the Research and Education Foundation of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, to further her research.  Dr Davison has presented her research nationally and internationally. She is an Endocrinologist in private practice at the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health in Clayton, Victoria. 

Dr Fiona Jane MBBS is a Research Fellow with the Women’s Health Program and also a general practitioner currently practicing in a family general practice. She graduated from Melbourne University and after postgraduate training was appointed Director of the Occupational Health Program at Peter MacCallum Institute for 5 years. Dr Jane then lived in the USA for 5 years where she was President of the National Institute of Health International Women’s Group in Washington DC. On returning to Australia she recommenced in general practice and has had 25 years of clinical experience with a special interest in women’s health.

Research Coordinators

Ms Jenny Adams RN, RM is a registered nurse, having graduated from St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne. Following graduation she worked in women's health in the areas of midwifery, family planning, infertility and IVF. Jenny has worked in clinical research for many years at The Jean Hailes Foundation and has been involved in a variety of clinical studies. Jenny joined the Women's Health Program in 2005 and is involved in studies with a special focus on women's health and wellbeing in midlife.

Ms Jo Bradbury trained as a Cardiac Technologist at the Alfred Hospital. She worked in the Cardiology Department there for 5 years and then went on to work in the cardiology units of several major Melbourne hospitals. Her particular areas of interest were congenital heart disease, coronary heart disease, cardiac surgery monitoring, cardiac arrhythmias and pacemakers. Jo left the field for a period of time, returning in 1992 to work in cardiology research at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre. Over the following 8 years she was involved with many cardiovascular studies, particularly in the area of coronary heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. Jo then joined the Research Unit of The Jean Hailes Foundation in 2000. This move was to assist Dr Susan Davis in establishing a centre for the international ‘breast cancer and tamoxifen duration study, ATLAS, to increase the recruitment of Australian women. This involved reaching out to breast physicians and eligible women Australia-wide, to inform them about the study. The Jean Hailes ATLAS Centre became the highest enrolment centre in Australia & New Zealand. In 2005 Jo moved to the Women's Health Program, where she is continuing her work in the field of breast cancer.

Ms Angeline Ferdinand, BS graduated from Cornell University in 2003 and is currently completing her Master of Public Health degree at La Trobe University.  She has worked in the area of cancer research for four years, having previously worked at Brigham and Women's Hospital Urology Laboratory in Boston, US focusing on the use of proteomics approaches to understand various urologic diseases such as prostate cancer, benign prostate hyperplasia, and bladder disorders such as interstitial cystitis.  Angeline is currently involved in two studies at the Women's Health Program--one assessing knee joint articular cartilage volume change in women treated with aromatase inhibitors and the other investigating the long term effects of testosterone use in women.

Ms Corallee Morrow, RN, OHNC (UK), Grad Diploma in Education (Health), is a registered nurse with experience in Australia and the UK. Corallee has had a variety of work experiences in the private and public sector with a focus on Occupational Health and Health Education. She joined the Women's Health Program in 2006.

Health and Wellbeing after Breast Cancer Study Staff

Dr Marijana Lijovic , BSc(Hons) PhD, has worked in the area of cancer research over the last six years. She has extensive experience in scientific/laboratory-based research relating to cancer, having completed her PhD studies in 2004, which involved the investigation of a potential new prognostic marker for prostate cancer. Previously, she has explored particular mechanisms, which lead to multidrug resistance in leukaemia. As an extension of her ongoing interest in issues that affect the clinical treatment of cancer patients, her current role involves the coordination of the Health and Wellbeing after Breast Cancer Study.

Ms Maria La China obtained an Associate Diploma of Private Medical Secretarial Practice from Caulfield Institute of Technology and, since then, has worked in various medical disciplines. Maria's association with women's health started in 1997 when she commenced working for Professor Susan Davis in her endocrinology practice. She later joined The Jean Hailes Foundation Medical Centre as a medical secretary. Maria became a member of The Jean Hailes Research Unit from 2003-2004, working in administration and assisting researchers with various clinical studies. Maria joined the Women's Health Program in 2005 and is the Project Administrator for the CCRE Health & Wellbeing After Breast Cancer Study

Dr Pam Fradkin MBBS, Dip Micro was involved in the development of the Health and Wellbeing after Breast Cancer Study, in partnership with the Chief Investigators. She left her position as the Study Director in February 2005 and is currently involved on a part time basis. Prior to joining the CCRE for the Study of Women’s Health at Monash University, Pam had worked in General Practice, with a special interest in women’s health, for over 30 years.

PhD Students

Ms Mary Panjari BSc GradDipEd GradDip Women's Health MWH is a PhD Student in the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Clinical Research Excellence for the Study of Women's Health. Mary completed a Masters of Women's Health at the University of Melbourne / Royal Women's Hospital. Her research project investigated women who spontaneously quit smoking during pregnancy. For this work, she was awarded a Young Investigators Award, Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand , 1st Annual Congress, Fremantle , WA in 1997 and Victorian Public Health Award for Excellence and Innovation (Commended) in 1999. Mary continued working in women's health research before moving to opiate addiction research at Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Centre. Her PhD project is a study of the efficacy of DHEA therapy for improved sexual function and wellbeing in postmenopausal women.

Ms Sonal Shah is a PhD Scholar in the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Clinical Research Excellence for the Study of Women's Health. In 2003 she was the recipient of a PhD scholarship within the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence. She has a double major in Psychology. She then obtained her Honours degree from the University of Western Australia in the field of cognition. Her honours project was the first to investigate the efficiency of language switching and speaking in Trilinguals. Sonal has received an academic award for the presentation of her work. Her PhD project is specifically investigating “Cognition in healthy Australian women and factors affecting change in cognition over time.

Women's Health Program Administrator

Ms Sharon Gurry has worked in administration in the field of women's health and medical research for several years joining the Women's Health Program, Monash University in 2005 as PA to Prof Davis and to provide general administration for the research group and the CCRE.