Research fellows
Dr Jody Church
Dr Jody Church is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Dr Sharon James
Dr Sharon James works as a Research Fellow and Project Manager on the Australian Contraception and Abortion Primary Care Practitioner Support (AusCAPPS) Network.
Dr Jessica Botfield
Dr Jessica Botfield is a Senior Research Fellow at SPHERE and provides research support to the Family Planning Australia Research Centre.
Dr Anisa Assifi
Dr Anisa Assifi is a Research Fellow and Project Manager of the MRFF-funded ALLIANCE trial.
Dr Satish Melwani
Dr Satish Melwani is a dentist and a public health researcher with a keen interest and experience in non-communicable disease prevention, health literacy research, maternal and child health, and health system strengthening.
Dr Alissia Kost
Dr Alissia Kost is a SPHERE Research Fellow for the Endometriosis Management Plan and Australian Contraception and Abortion Primary Care Practitioner Support (AusCAPPS) Network projects.
Dr Sharinne Crawford
Dr Sharinne Crawford is a Research Fellow and Project Manager of the Endometriosis Management Plan (Endo-MP) project.
Dr Kailash Thapaliya
Dr Kailash Thapaliya is a postdoctoral research fellow at SAHMRI Women and Kids, SAHMRI.
Dr Vera Camões-Costa
Dr Vera Camões-Costa is an implementation scientist, mixed-methods researcher and former mental health practitioner, with experience in designing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based health innovations in primary care.
Dr Karen Nolidin
Dr Karen Nolidin joined the Department of General Practice at Monash University in 2022 and currently works as a Research Fellow and providing administrative support for the AusCAPPS Network.
Tahlee Stevenson
Tahlee is a Registered Nurse and researcher, working at the SA Pregnancy Advisory Centre, and across the Adelaide University’s Health and Medical Science Faculty.
Dr Karin Stanzel
Dr Karin Stanzel is a registered nurse/midwife who worked for more than 20 years in community health, mainly focusing on young people and women’s health.
Dr Natasha Davidson
Natasha joined SPHERE, the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care, in April 2020.
Isabella Papadopoulos
Isabella Papadopoulos joined SPHERE in 2024 as a research fellow on the ALLIANCE Trial.
Dr Maira Sohail
Dr Maira Sohail joined SPHERE in October 2024 as a research fellow. Dr Sohail completed their PhD in Epidemiology in 2021 from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, United States
Research affiliates
Dr Melissa Harris
Dr Melissa is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Women’s Health Research at the University of Newcastle.
Dr Leesa Hooker
Dr Leesa Hooker is a nurse/midwife academic and Senior Research Fellow at the La Trobe Rural Health School and the Judith Lumley Centre.
Dr Shelly Makleff
Dr Shelly Makleff is a Research Fellow in the Global and Women's Health Unit in the School Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University and a Research Affiliate with SPHERE.
Anna Fragkoudi
Anna has a midwifery background and is a holder of a Master of Applied Sciences.
Project Support
Mae Rilloraza
Mae is the Clinical Trial Coordinator of the ORIENT study. Mae is a Registered Nurse and a researcher.
Catriona Rowe
Catriona is a senior research officer who joined the Department in 2016 as a clinical trial coordinator on the ACCORd Trial.
Claudia Morando-Stokoe
Claudia is the administrative support officer at SPHERE and is also involved in the ORIENT study and the EXTEND PREFER project as a trial support officer.
Sangita Chakraborty
Sangita joined SPHERE in 2023 as a research officer on the Endo-MP Project.
Elizabeth Lehman
Elizabeth joined SPHERE in 2023 as the Project Officer for the ALLIANCE Trial.
Management
Dr Maria De Leon-Santiago
Dr Maria de Leon-Santiago is the Manager of the SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence and is based at the Department of General Practice, Monash University.
Claudia Morando-Stokoe
Claudia is the administrative support officer at SPHERE and is also involved in the ORIENT study and the EXTEND PREFER project as a trial support officer.
Ella Healy
Ella Healy is the Senior Policy and Impact Officer for the SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence. Ella holds a Bachelor of Health Science and a Master of International Relations.
Anna Goldstein
Anna has more then three decades experience working across government and community sectors to address social issues including support for women.
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