Professor Emeritus of Physical Therapy, Clarkson University Leslie Russek, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, is Professor Emeritus in the Clarkson University Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist with a sub-specialization in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, headaches, fibromyalgia, and other causes of chronic pain. She has published in the areas of hypermobility, fibromyalgia and chronic pain, and was one of the first physical therapists to publish on hypermobility syndrome in the United States. Her current research is looking at prevalence and management of hypermobility. She continues to treat patients in her specialty areas through the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Physical Rehabilitation clinic. She frequently gives professional and patient lectures on hypermobility and contributes to several international committees striving to improve knowledge about and management of hypermobility related health problems.
Professor in Fatigue Management and Sleep Health/Associate Dean, Research, Massey University Dr. Leigh Signal is a Professor of Fatigue Management and Sleep Health at the Sleep/Wake Research Centre, Massey University, Wellington. Leigh trained as a Commercial Pilot and then completed a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology before completing her PhD in Public Health at the Sleep/Wake Research Centre. Leigh is involved in both basic and applied sleep and circadian research, postgraduate supervision and teaching. Her work spans two main areas. The first is focused on identifying, managing and mitigating fatigue in applied settings, particularly for the aviation industry. She has worked with aircraft manufacturers, national and international airlines and regulators and has conducted studies onboard aircraft and in the laboratory environment. Leigh provides scientific advice to industry groups and regulators on the management of fatigue and has been an invited member of International Civil Aviation Organisation Fatigue Risk Management Task Forces. She is also often asked to provide expert evidence on the possible role of fatigue in workplace incidents and accidents. Leigh’s second stream of research is focused on the sleep health of women and children. She is interested in understanding the sleep of women across the perinatal period, the relationship between sleep and mental health across the lifespan, and ways we can support people to maintain good sleep health and mental health. She also has an interest in understanding inequities in sleep for women and children and the sociodemographic factors that drive these differences.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Dr Lucas Calais Ferreira is a Suicide Prevention Australia Postdoctoral Fellow in the Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, and the Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. His research focuses on social determinants and their impact on people's lives, particularly for young people involved in the justice system.
Executive Manager, Indigenous Engagement, CSIRO Louisa Warren is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with over twenty years’ experience in community engagement, strategy and policy development. She has delivered a range of social and economic development projects in remote, regional and urban Indigenous communities. Louisa is an experienced Reconciliation Action Plan Manager and is the Executive Manager of the Indigenous Engagement team at the CSIRO. Louisa sits on a number of Indigenous Advisory Panels to provide strategic advice to organisations to support their Indigenous Engagement Strategies.
Associate professor, Medical Education, Research and Evaluation, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University Lise Mogensen is a senior lecturer and researcher in the School of Medicine. Leading the award winning 'Community Research Teaching Team', she convenes the ‘Community Research Projects’, a core program in the MBBS course, in which medical students learn applied research skills by completing real world projects on health issues in urban and rural communities. She is also the academic lead of program evaluation in the School of Medicine, and Chairs the School’s Evaluation Committee. Lise is a qualitative and mixed methods researcher with a keen interest in developing inclusive research approaches with vulnerable populations. She leads an international research network focused on participatory methodologies to include vulnerable and marginalised children. Her research interests are comprised in three inter-related research programs with several active projects: Child and youth well-being research Multinational research on children’s understandings of well-being across nations and regions. Well-being and quality of life, children and young people living with disability and chronic illness. Approaches to inclusive research with marginalised and vulnerable children Living with disability, mental illness, and chronic illness Diagnosis and identity. Children with autism, children with intellectual disability – access to health care and services. Transition from school to adult services for young people with intellectual disability. Experiences with and perspectives on the NDIS. Medical education research Medical student well-being Experiences of medical students with disability or mental health problems Disability and mental health issues in medical education and practice Structures of support in medical education, and transition to medical practice. Medical program evaluation
