Governance
Sydney Health Partners is a collaboration between 16 partner organisations.
Led by an Independent Chair, Professor Mary O’Kane AC, the Sydney Health Partners Board provides clear direction to the management team, while the Research Development Committee, and Consumer Advisory Panel provide expert advice to inform the agenda of the Board.
This structure encourages connectivity and collaboration from top to bottom to achieve our vision of transforming the way research improves patient care and public health.
Our Board
Professor Mary O’Kane AC
Independent Board Chair
Professor O’Kane has an exceptional breadth and depth of experience in innovation, research and public policy. As a computer engineer Professor O’Kane undertook pioneering work in artificial intelligence and was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1996-2001. Professor O’Kane is currently Chancellor of The University of Queensland, Interim Chair of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission, and Chair of the Australian Energy Market Operator. She was Chair of the Universities Accord Review, released in early 2024, the most wide-ranging review of the Australian higher education sector in the last 15 years. Between 2008-18 Professor O’Kane served as New South Wales’ first Chief Scientist and Engineer, during which she was instrumental in establishing the NSW Medical Devices Fund.
Assoc Prof Anthony Schembri AM
Chief Executive
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Alison Zecchin
Chief Executive
Western Sydney Local Health District
Brad Astill
Chief Executive
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Cathryn Cox PSM
Chief Executive
Sydney Childrens’ Hospitals Network
Deb Willcox AM
Chief Executive
Sydney Local Health District
Prof John Prins
Dean Faculty of Medicine and Health
University of Sydney
Prof Phil O’Connell
Executive Director
The Westmead Institute for Medical Research and Research Development Committee Chair
Prof James Elliott
Executive Director
Kolling Institute
Prof Roger Reddel
Director
Children’s Medical Research Institute
Diana Trickett
Consumer Advisory Panel Co-Chair
Sydney Health Partners
Prof Don Nutbeam AO
Executive Director
Sydney Health Partners
How to reach the group
If you’d like further information, please get in touch!
Research Development Committee
The Research Development Committee is a sub-committee of the SHP Board, established to provide support and advice to Sydney Health Partners. With representation from across our Health Service, University and Medical Research Institute partners, the Committee will also consider the health and research priorities of SHP’s partner organisations.
Chair: Professor Phillip O’Connell
Executive Director
Westmead Institute for Medical Research
Professor Stephen Alexander
Professor, Paediatrics & Child Health
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
Dr Karen Arblaster
Director Allied Health, Research and Strategic Partnerships
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Professor Andrew Baillie
Chair, SHP Implementation Science Steering Committee
Professor Allied Health
Sydney Local Health District
Lani Attwood
Acting Research Director
Kids Research
Professor Clara Chow AM
Director, Westmead Applied Research Centre
Western Sydney Local Health District
Associate Professor Anthony Delaney
Senior Staff Specialist, Malcolm Fisher Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Royal
North Shore Hospital; Professorial Fellow, Critical Care Program, The George Institute for Global Health
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Associate Professor Mark Douglas
Research Academic Director – Clinical Science
Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health
University of Sydney
Associate Professor Naomi Hammond
Executive Director, Research
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Professor Meg Jardine
Director, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health
University of Sydney
Professor Mark McLean
Executive Director Research
Western Sydney Local Health District
Professor Don Nutbeam AO
Executive Director
Sydney Health Partners
Dr Faraz Pathan
Head of Cardiac Imaging and Cardiac Research
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Professor Camille Raynes-Greenow
Deputy Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Medicine and Health
University of Sydney
Professor Emeritus Bruce Robinson AM
Chair of Research
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Associate Professor Angela Todd
Research Director (ex officio)
Sydney Health Partners
Professor Lisa Horvath
Chief Clinical Officer and Director of Research
Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
Professor Kate White
Chair, Cancer Nursing, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery
University of Sydney
Professor Paul Haber
Research Director
Sydney Local Health District
Associate Professor Chris Williams
Rural Health Research Observer
Centre for Rural Health, Northern Rivers; Research Development Manager, Mid North Coast Local Health District
Dr Alexandre Stephens
Rural Health Research Observer
Research Director
Northern NSW Local Health District
Consumer Advisory Panel
The Consumer Advisory Panel is a sub-committee of the SHP Board that provides advice to Sydney Health Partners reflecting consumer perspectives on translational research. It recognises the diversity of the communities that it works alongside and values their different and unique perspectives. The panel includes representatives from across our Partnership.
Co-Chair and SHP Board Representative 2026: Diana Trickett
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Co-Chair: Dr Stephen Poole
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Dr Alan McPhail
Sydney Local Health District (Concord)
Erron Palmer
Western Sydney Local Health District
Gayatri Talla
Western Sydney Local Health District
Grace McGowan
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
Matt Roger
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Professor Jane Mears
Health Consumers NSW nominee
Scott Thrift
University of Sydney
Sonia Dixon
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Tony Maxwell
Sydney Health Partners nominee
Ex-Officio Members of the Consumer Advisory Panel
Anthony Brown
Health Consumers NSW
Don Nutbeam AO
Sydney Health Partners
Angela Todd
Sydney Health Partners
Supporting Groups
Reporting to the Research Development Committee is the HeSANDA Steering Committee which supports the SHP-CTC Node that is part of the Health Studies Australian National Data Asset (HeSANDA) program. HeSANDA is a program of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) that aims to build coordinated infrastructure across Australia to support the sharing and reuse of health research data. The Steering Committee is chaired by Professor Angela Webster, SHP-CTC Node Leader.
Related Pages
