OUR BOARD

Dr Pamela Williams (Chair) has a background in education, consumer advocacy and health promotion. She is Chair of Southern Health Community Advisory Committee and a member of Southern Health Breast Services Consumer Reference Group. She is Chair of the steering committee for a consumer participation project that is working towards selecting, training and supporting appropriate consumers for the Southern Metropolitan Integrated Cancer Services especially for the tumour streams. Pamela has taken a number of roles as a consumer advocate for Breast Cancer Network of Australia and is a Acting Chair of the Executive of the Breast Cancer Action Group. Pam is the Hon. Secretary for the National Council of Women Victoria - an advocacy avenue for women's groups. Her major aim is to help gain the best outcomes in health care for consumers and clinicians.

Ivan Kayne (Deputy-chair) has a background in Audio Engineering and Industrial Relations with the ABC. He is a member of the Eastern Health Community Advisory Committee, a member of the Management Committee of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (VASM) Victorian Audit into Surgical Mortality Committee, Consumer Member Medical Technology Association of Australia Code of Practice Complaints Committee, a former Board member of Heart Support Australia and Foundation President of the Knox Branch of Heart Support, he has served as a member of several MSAC committees, a former member of the Rehabilitation Committee of the Heart Foundation, he is a member of Lions Clubs International with a strong commitment to health issues in the community.

Lisa Allwell is a health professional with a background in research, education and policy analysis. She currently works as the Research Manager for beyondblue: the national depression initiative. She is interested in advocacy and ensuring that consumers have meaningful representation and voice across the health sector. Lisa previously worked as the Primary Care Project Manager with the National Resource Centre for Consumer Participation in Health.

Demos Krouskos has had more than 25 years experience working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Since 1985 he has held a number of positions in health care including six years as Executive Officer with the health consumer organisation Preston/Northcote District Health Council. He is presently the Chief Executive Officer of North Richmond Community Health Centre and Director for the Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health (CEH). His health interests include health and cultural diversity and the development of innovative social health programs to address health inequalities.

Iva Steinke has always been interested in health issues from a consumer perspective, especially as they relate to migrants and to chronic illness in young people. She is a member of the Chronic Illness Alliance, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Friedreich's Ataxia Association of Victoria. Iva is also a member of Consumer Advisory Committees at two hospitals. She hopes to influence hospital administrative routines to promote understanding of and minimise adverse effects on young people who live with chronic illness. She is also interested in promoting more general use of complementary therapies and ideally sees them included on the PBS. Iva has worked as a teacher/librarian for most of her life and holds a post-graduate degree in Adolescent Health and Welfare.

Eleanor Sumner has had extensive experience as a consumer representative for both Health Issues Centre and the Consumers' Federation of Australia, and is currently serving on several committees at Standards Australia for Access for the Disabled. She was Manager of a Medical, Dental and Allied Health Centre for some 30 years. A former member of the Ministerial Advisory Council for Senior Victorians she has been a member of a number of community-based organisations including many years as an active member of the National Council of Women and most recently as Vice President of the International Council of Women. Eleanor has been appointed to the Department of Human Services' Care in Your Community Advisory Group as a consumer advocate and is also a member of the Consumer Advisory Committee Bundoora Extended Care.

Joe Wilder had 15 years' experience working in a diverse range of policy roles within the Victorian Department of Human Services, with a primary focus on mental health. In this capacity he undertook a review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and participated as a member of the Executive of the Victorian Premier's Taskforce on Suicide Prevention. Prior to retirement in 2002, he assisted in the establishment of Beyondblue: the National Depression Initiative. He remains a consultant to the Centre of Excellence in Depression and Related Disorders, established by the state government under the aegis of Beyondblue. He has also been Head of Department in the School of Communication and Social Science at RMIT and holds degrees in Economics, Arts and Education.