Chair, Community Advisory Committee

Professor Mary-Louise Fleming is the former Head, Corporate Education and the former Head, School of Public Health in the Faculty of Health at the Queensland University of Technology. She has experience in teaching and research in higher education, public health and health promotion for over 30 years. Her research activity focuses on evaluation research and translational research for the World Health Organization, both Commonwealth and Queensland Governments, as well as consultancy projects for Queensland Health and the not-for-profit sector.

Professor Fleming has co-authored four editions of two text books on health promotion and public health, and contributed to several other books. Professor Fleming is a Board member of Wesley Medical Research Institute and Chairs the Research Committee. Her appointments have included Health Promotion Queensland, Board of the Wesley Research Institute, Board of Governors St Andrew’s Hospital, National Heart Foundation, the Queensland Cancer Fund and Chair of the Quality Management Committee for BreastScreen Queensland. She was also a member of the Queensland Government Ministerial Oversight Committee, Advancing Health 2026.

She has an active consultancy practice involving reports on policy and practice for single health issues, policy development and implementation, and reviews and evaluation of numerous projects and programs.

MBBS FRACGP
Member
Appointed: 1 April 2022
Current term: 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026

Dr Melissa (Meg) Cairns has been a Specialist General Practitioner in Ashgrove for over 25 years. Prior to that, she worked in Queensland Health Hospitals in Brisbane and Maryborough and in General Practice in Brisbane and Toowoomba.

She is currently a GP Liaison Officer with Metro North Health, Chair of the Brisbane North Primary Health Network (PHN) Clinicians’ Advisory Group and a Member of Brisbane North PHN Clinical Council.

Meg is a member of a number of Metro North Health and Queensland Health committees including Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council, Queensland Paediatric Quality Council and Queensland Health Planned Care Reform Group.

Meg is passionate about improving patient care through collaboration across health sectors and through effective communication and education.

Co-Founder, World Wellness Group

Ms Nera Komaric has worked in the community and health sectors nationally and internationally for 25 years. Ms Komaric is an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the School of Clinical Medicine – Primary Care Clinical Unit, at The University of Queensland. Her former roles have included Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Chronic Disease statewide program manager during which she has been instrumental in developing new and innovative strategies in chronic disease management for CALD population.

Recently she was a Croatian Government Focal Point in the European Migration Network. Before that Ms Komaric was researching and consulting with international and national authorities on combating trafficking in human beings especially for sexual exploitation for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She also spent many years working with newly arrived migrants and refugees.

Ms Komaric has a background in law and public health research. In her 25 year career she has been involved in the design and delivery of research and evaluation projects in areas covering CALD health, integrated CALD models of health care, chronic disease prevention and management, and health services research.

Her main interests are in translating evidence into practice with a special focus on vulnerable populations.

Dr Heena Akbar is an academic leading the Advocacy and Public Health for Year 1 MD program with the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland. Heena has worked in higher education for more than 30 years with expertise in community health, women’s health and gender equity, chronic conditions prevention and management, community development research and training including capacity building & monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), contributing both nationally and internationally.

As a Fijian woman and co-founding member of the Pasifika Women’s Alliance Inc. (PWA) in Queensland, Heena has worked very closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse communities including Māori and Pasifika peoples, promoting and advocating for cultural identity, health equity and health and wellbeing. Heena is passionate about building community capacity through co-designed solutions, and integrating participatory action research, Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems with social justice principles to promote equitable health. She currently leads the Pasifika Women’s Diabetes Wellness Program trial and the ‘Feeding Our Mana- Household Food Security for Māori and Pasifika communities in Queensland.

Heena is a blessed with a loving family and community. She is a mother of twins and have a supportive husband. On a personal note, she is a keen long-distance runner, having completed several half and full marathons.

Wayne is a Torres Strait Islander whose family heritage is from the islands of Mabuiag and Iama (Yam). He was born in Brisbane, has a Bachelor of Business degree (Accounting) and has been a Commissioner for Declarations for over 25 years. Wayne is proud to be part of the Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community as demonstrated by his 35 years’ experience working in Indigenous Affairs throughout Queensland.  This has included a decade of work in the Commonwealth Government with agencies such as the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the Public Service Commission and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.

He also has over 18 years senior executive experience within the Queensland Government, including roles with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing, Social Housing, the Public Sector Management Commission, and Indigenous Education.

His government experience has been complimented by working in the community-controlled health sector over the past decade.  This included roles as the CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane Limited (ATSICHS), the General Manager, Sector Development with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), and the General Manager, Corporate Services at the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH).  More recently his role at IUIH expanded to include the CEO of the Moreton Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (MATSICHS), which has responsibility for the five primary health care clinics in Moreton Bay and the local program delivery of Family Wellbeing Services, Social Health, Youth Services and Deadly Choices.

Wayne’s career has been focussed on Indigenous health, housing, education, and employment.  He is a strong advocate for community-controlled services and the benefits it can achieve in terms of both improved service delivery and outcomes, but also the employment and career development opportunities that it can provide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Sarah joined Carers Queensland as an Area Manager in August 2018, after relocating from Darwin, transitioning to Carer Program Manager in June 2020.

After graduating from Paisley University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business in 2003, Sarah has worked in the community sector with over 15 years’ experience managing teams across a number of community sectors dealing with Homelessness, Domestic Violence, Alcohol and Drugs, Mental Health & Disability in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

Sarah is driven by her passion to make a difference, focusing on helping individuals to live better lives, whilst promoting inclusive communities and opportunities for all.

Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything Sarah does both personally and professionally.

Tim Cudmore is a lived experience disability and trauma consultant. Having lived with a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury for over 25 years, he now specialises in advocacy for people living with long-term disabilities and impairments caused by physical, psychological, and emotional trauma. Tim brings a wealth of experience in consumer representation, research, and personal recovery mentoring.

Tim currently sits on multiple statewide steering committees, including the Queensland Brain and Spinal Cord Injury (BaSci) Project and the Clinical Trauma Network, and has had an active hand in creating and framing strategic policy to better serve consumers in Queensland’s hospital and health services. He also has experience in research, both as a participant and associate investigator and has worked on grant request and approval committees.

With a practice strongly informed by his own lived experience, Tim strives to always provide a well-rounded, reasonable and realistic perspective on the issues at hand.

John is a third-year public health student currently enrolled at the University of Queensland. He started his degree with a view to study medicine, but soon came to realise that a career in public health was the place for him. He plans to undertake his master’s in public health next year.

John is passionate about equity and justice within the health care system and is especially interested in health policy. He has joined the committee to gain hands-on experience in community consultation, improving population health outcomes and working with like-minded health professionals.

Outside of study, John volunteers at his local Lifeline charity shop and tutors human biology at the University of Queensland. He also enjoys origami, socialising, and going to the movies.

Melissa leads Health Consumers Queensland supporting consumers and health providers to collaborate to improve the safety and quality of health services. Melissa believes that consumers being involved in decision-making at all levels is essential to achieve consumer-centred care and to improve health services. She is an organisational representative on the Queensland Clinical Senate, Chair of the Partnering with Consumers, Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Healthcare and an Advisory Group member of the Australian Centre for Value-based Health Care.

Melissa has been a part of the journey of Health Consumers Queensland from its early stages. She was an original member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee that later became the independent organisation that is now Health Consumers Queensland. Melissa is a mother of two gorgeous girls and has previously worked in documentary and reality television.

Petrina brings to Cystic Fibrosis Queensland a wealth of experience leading and shaping community services organisations globally. She is a strategic executive with a proven ability to deliver strong financial outcomes through transformational business. With a background in fundraising, management, operations, public relations, and communications, Petrina has a passion for the sector and understands the value of building robust communities.

Her focus remains on profit for purpose. Petrina is the current Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Cystic Fibrosis Queensland –the peak community not for profit benevolent community charity working with and for the increasing number of people living with cystic fibrosis.

Petrina is a tenacious truth seeker – always looking for unique solutions to solve complex problems. With the continued growth in community need, she is building a sustainable model to ensure that Cystic Fibrosis Queensland continues to provide value for members and deliver support and services to cystic fibrosis people. To this end Petrina has launched a national home care subsidiary, Trusted Care, a provider of support services and plan management under the NDIS.

Petrina enjoys shaking up the status quo and putting her own twist on branding and business development campaigns to achieve both advocacy and financial outcomes for the charity she represents.

Executive Manager, Health Systems Improvement, Brisbane North PHN

Rachelle is a highly motivated and experienced executive with a passion for improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. She has worked in health and social services for over 20 years in the ‘for purpose’ and public sectors.

Rachelle is an allied health professional with a Masters of Philosophy (Research) in population health and a clinical Masters of Scientific Studies from The University of Queensland. She is an experienced board director with a focus on good corporate governance and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Women on Boards.

As Executive Manager, Health Systems Improvement at Brisbane North Primary Health Network, she works with a great team to develop strategic and collaborative approaches to support a more integrated system of care, with a particular focus on primary care, allied health and the hospital interface. She is extremely passionate about the consumer voice being front and centre in developing models and systems of healthcare and is a board director of Health Consumers Queensland.

Desley is Adjunct Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Adelaide and is a registered nurse with experience in research in the areas of: nursing workforce models; resilience, self-care, well-being, end-of-life and bereavement, and rural health. She was the Inaugural Editor of the Australian Journal of Rural Health. She is currently supervising two research higher degree students at the University of Adelaide. Funding bodies for her research teams include: the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, Commonwealth, Queensland and Western Australian governments as well as consultancies in the not-for-profit sector.

She has held Professor of Nursing positions at the University of Southern Queensland, University of Queensland, National University of Singapore, University of Western Australia, Curtin University and Central Queensland University. Over her 53 years as a nurse – 30 as a nurse researcher academic, she has published 23 research reports, 18 systematic reviews, 17 book chapters and 180 peer-reviewed journal articles. She is a Fellow, Australian College of Nursing.

She is a volunteer for Asthma Australia (Champion) and Guide Dogs Queensland. She currently is a consumer involved in the End-of-life sub-committee and Co-chair of the Innovation, Research and Education Committee in Community and Oral Health. She has also recently been involved as a consumer in the Metro North Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Implementation Steering Committee.

Imeleta Lia-Norris is an artist, musician, entrepreneur, mental health and youth advocate, and a mother of 4.

Imeleta grew up in South Auckland, New Zealand, but has been living in Brisbane for more than 25 years.

Having emerged from her childhood with a yearning for independence, like many Polynesian females, and a mission to help and serve others, Imeleta ultimately discovered her calling – her passion to work with young people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, with whom she has a natural affinity.

Imeleta brings an immense level of skill and experience in assisting young people achieve things that they never at first thought were possible. Imeleta has helped many young people to increase levels of confidence, resilience and self- belief, and seen them succeed in their own business.

Drawing on her ability to play a range of musical instruments (piano, ukulele and guitar), her exploration of various art mediums and her experimentation with sensory media, Imeleta helps young people to increase their emotional regulation skills, improve their social skills, and express difficult and complex feelings non-verbally.

Imeleta sees herself as a strong advocate for CALD young people and those who are struggling with their mental health.

As a parent of a young person who developed a mental illness during COVID, Imeleta hopes to grow and bring awareness to mental health and to ensure young people’s voices are heard, society understands their value, and to stay connected with what’s happening on the ground.

Imeleta also founded Hula Hips which is a cultural dance school, which her daughter now runs, and Women of Culture in Business which runs regular meetups for women of culture in business to connect, collaborate, empower each other, and if they’re not in business, to have someone’s story inspire them to start something of their own.

Kim Rayner is a senior healthcare manager, company director and clinical leader with over 25 years’ experience in the community, government and not-for-profit sectors within Victoria and Queensland.

Kim has held senior leadership positions across health and social portfolios leading large and complex cross sectorial programs of work. Kim currently holds the position of Clinical Lead (Innovation) and Nurse Practitioner at Micah Projects – a not for profit organisation committed to delivering social support and health services to people experiencing homelessness, significant disadvantage ,social isolation, children and families and to women and families experiencing domestic and family violence.

Kim was a founding board member of the Inclusive Health and Wellbeing Hub in Brisbane and is a current Commissioner on Anglicare South East Queensland’s Board and subsequent board member of Anglicare’s Clinical and Care Governance committee. Kim is also a board member of disability services – Help Enterprises.

Kim is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her qualifications include nursing, Masters of Science (Primary Healthcare) and Masters of Nurse Practitioner. Kim holds post graduate qualifications in tertiary education; research, community development, community nursing and AOD.

Kim is committed to the delivery of evidence based, trauma informed person centred healthcare that is responsive to community needs and focussed on addressing health inequality.

A/Prof Glen Kennedy is a Haematologist who specialises in the treatment of malignant haematological disorders including bone marrow / stem cell transplantation.

A/Prof Kennedy began his specialty training in combined clinical haematology and haematology pathology in 1999, and was admitted to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in late 2002 and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in early 2003.

In 2003 A/Prof Kennedy undertook a Clinical Fellowship at the Peter McCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne, Victoria, in areas of malignant and transplant haematology. To date, A/Prof Kennedy has authored or co-authored over 60 peer reviewed publications, over 100 abstracts at national and international meetings, and developed and managed several local investigator initiated studies in haematology and bone marrow transplantation.

Executive Director, Strategy, Planning, Assets and Infrastructure

Kate has more than 25 years’ experience in the health infrastructure sector, including statewide health services planning and leading major projects in high profile and complex health infrastructure projects within the public sector. With an oversight of $3B capital assets and $2B capital projects, her portfolio includes Strategy and Planning, Consumer and Community Engagement, Building Engineering and Maintenance Services (BEMS), Property Services, Asset management, Infrastructure Planning and Capital Projects (IPCP), across six hospitals and multiple community facilities.
Kate was recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday awards as a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division (AM) ‘for significant services to the health infrastructure planning and management.