About Us

Dr Adrian Charles
MA, MB, B Chir, MD, MRCP, MRCPCH, FRCPath, FRCPA
Associate Professor: Schools of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Women and Infants Health, Paediatrics, UWA

Dr Charles is a paediatric and perinatal pathologist based at the Princess Margaret and King Edward Memorial Hospitals, Perth, Western Australia. He trained in Medicine at Cambridge University, UK. After some training in adult medicine and clinical paediatrics, he then trained in anatomical pathology, also based at Cambridge. He trained in Paediatric pathology with Professor Jem Berry in Bristol, also taking time out for full time molecular research into Wilms tumours leading to an MD from Cambridge. After a period as a senior lecturer, developing a diagnostic molecular laboratory and helping to organise the undergraduate pathology teaching, he moved to Perth. Currently he is co-supervising two PhD students in the epidemiology of stillbirths and placental development, which are his main areas of research interest. Another PhD student has just been awarded his PhD with work on caspase 14 in the placenta and another PhD student is working on Wilms tumour.

He is one of three trained paediatric/perinatal pathologists in Perth who undertake around 450 autopsies a year on fetuses and perinatal deaths providing a State wide service, and also examine the histological specimens at Princess Margaret Hospital, WAs tertiary children’s hospital. He attends the perinatal loss clinic, and is involved in the state perinatal and infant mortality committee.
 

Prof David Ellwood
FRANZCOG, MBBChir (Cantab), MA,DPhil (Oxon), DDU.
Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Deputy Dean at the Australian National University Medical School in Canberra, ACT.

Prof Ellwood is based at the School of Clinical Medicine at The Canberra Hospital and is a sub-specialist in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He is also the current President of Womens Hospitals Australasia (WHA), and the Secretary-General of the Federation of Asia-Oceania Perinatal Societies (FAOPS). Prof Ellwood is also Editor-In-Chief of the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ANZJOG).

His interests are broadly across the range of clinical practice and research in maternal-fetal medicine, with a major focus on ultrasound in the management of high-risk pregnancy, monitoring of adverse outcomes, perinatal loss, and physical and emotional recovery after pregnancy. Current research interests include the Australian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS), placental sonography in the detection of pathology, and treatment of postnatal depression.

He is currently ANZSA Chair, and a member of the Clinical Practice & Education and Research Committees. Professor Ellwood’s main reason for being involved in ANZSA is a long-standing clinical involvement in perinatal loss, and a desire to see collaborative efforts made to reduce the burden of stillbirth in our community, both in terms of numbers of cases and how perinatal loss is managed by our health services. His plans to stay healthy enough to continue playing football until well after he retires.
 

A/Prof Vicki Flenady
MMedSc (ClinEpi), RN, EM
Perinatal epidemiologist, Mater Mothers’ Hospital, Brisbane QLD; Chair, International Stillbirth Alliance.

Vicki is perinatal epidemiologist and currently is the Acting Director of the Mater Mothers' Research Centre, Brisbane. Vicki has a midwifery background and since completing a masters of medical science in clinical epidemiology and statistics, has become increasingly involved in perinatal research and audit with a focus on stillbirth and is currently finalising her PhD in unexplained stillbirth. Vicki is also active in perinatal randomised trials and translation of quality research evidence into maternity care through the Cochrane Collaboration and in the development of clinical practice guidelines including the PSANZ Perinatal Mortality Guidelines. As the Chair of ISA and a founding director of the ANZSA, Vicki works collaboratively with national and international organisations in addressing the public health problem of stillbirth and is collaborating in a series of epidemiological and clinical studies into stillbirth in Australia as part of ANZSA.

A/Prof. Vicki Flenady, Mater Mother's Research Centre and University of Queensland, Mater Health Services, Brisbane. Phone: 61 7 3163 1591. Mobile: 0419 664956. email: vicki.flenady@mater.org.au
 

Dr Adrienne Gordon
MBChB, MRCP (UK), FRACP, MPH (Hons)

Adrienne is a full time Neonatal Staff Specialist in the RPA centre for newborn care and a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She has completed a Masters of Public Health and is currently enrolled in a PhD on risk factors for stillbirth for which she received an NHMRC Public Health Scholarship. She is particularly interested in Perinatal topics with a public health impact. Stillbirth is second only to preterm birth in terms of an unsolved Perinatal problem. Her other research area of interest is perinatal infection. She is a strong advocate of interactive education to address gaps in clinical practice and is experienced both locally and internationally with the SCORPIO method of teaching piloted for the implementation of the perinatal mortality audit guidelines. Adrienne is a member of the ANZSA Board and the ANZSA research committee and feels excited to be involved with an organisation who have the potential to really make a difference in the area of stillbirth. ANZSA should provide a central, committed forum to stimulate and produce high quality research in this area and to direct improvements in clinical practice.
 

Prof Jonathan Morris
MBChB, MM, FRANZCOG, CMFM, DDU, PhD
Head of the Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology at the University of Sydney

As a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Prof Morris has a broad research interest investigating complications of pregnancy including pre-eclampsia, growth restriction, preterm labour and stillbirth. I am a Board Member and am very anxious to help facilitate quality of research to try and find answers for parents who have experienced the pain of stillbirth. My plans for the future are to oversee collaborative research to help provide answers, and also to participate in education of healthcare professionals to enable them to best support families who have experienced pregnancy loss.
 

Ms Tomasina Stacey
RN, RM, MPH

Tomasina is a clinical midwifery educator in South Auckland. Tomasina has had a long interest in stillbirth and perinatal loss and is currently undertaking research into third trimester stillbirth as part of her PhD at the University of Auckland. The focus of her study is on modifiable lifestyle risk factors and unexplained stillbirth. Stillbirth rates have not improved over the last 15 years, and it remains under-researched and relatively unspoken of. Tomasina has been keen to be involved in ANZSA, as a midwife and as a perinatal researcher, as ANZSA provides an essential opportunity to focus on stillbirth and perinatal loss across Australia and New Zealand and work towards reducing the incidence of death and improving services
 

Prof Elizabeth Sullivan

Associate Professor Elizabeth Sullivan is a highly experienced medical epidemiologist and public health physician with 18 years national and international experience in perinatal, reproductive and infectious disease epidemiology. A/Prof Sullivan is Director of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Perinatal Statistics Unit (NPSU). The NPSU maintains and develops Australian national data collections on perinatal and reproductive health; produces national statistical reports on perinatal and reproductive health; and undertakes data development to enhance national data systems. A/Prof Sullivan is also Director of the Perinatal and Reproductive Epidemiology and Research Unit (PRERU), a population based research unit of The University of New South Wales, Faculty of Medicine, School of Women’s and Children’s Health. PRERU maintains and reports on two Australian and New Zealand data collections on reproduction and admission to neonatal intensive care and is implementing the Australian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS). A/Prof Sullivan research interests are in maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. She is a member of a number of national committees and advisory groups and has published widely in the perinatal field with over one hundred peer review articles and published reports.