Leadership

Sue takes on the role as the BDHP Chairperson following three years as the CEO of Brisbane South Primary Health Network. She has over 20 years’ experience as a CEO, having worked in the areas of primary health care, mental health, homelessness, youth and families and education.  Sue is a community board member for the Parole Board Queensland, a member of the Queensland Mental Health Commission – Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council and a board member of West Moreton Health.

Sue has held numerous advisory and policy development roles and government appointments in the community services and regional development sectors.

Sue holds degrees in teaching and education and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  She has won multiple awards as a business and community leader including the 2009 Queensland Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award.

Professor Scott Bell is Executive Director – Research, MNHHS and a Senior Physician of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre at TPCH (>300 patients) where he has worked since 1996. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. He leads the Lung Bacteria Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane. Scott has over 180 peer reviewed publications and has received grant support in excess of $10 million over the past 10 years.

His research interests include the CF microbiology, acquisition pathways for human infection and has a long history of supporting multi-disciplinary research.

Professor Frank Gannon is the Director and CEO of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. He joined QIMR Berghofer in January 2011, having been Director General and board member of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) since 2007. He obtained his PhD from the University of Leicester, England in 1973 and worked subsequently in the USA, France, Ireland and Germany where he was Executive Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) from 1994–2007.

Peter was appointed Mater Group Chief Executive Officer in January 2019 and he brings with him a wealth of healthcare administration experience and clinical expertise.

Previously, Peter was the Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) in London.

He commenced his medical career at Mater Brisbane in 1982 after graduating from The University of Queensland, and worked at Mater in Adults and Children’s Hospitals until 1987.

After a few years in New Zealand and Canada with further training in Neonatology, Peter returned to Mater Mothers’ and Children’s Hospitals in 1991 and continued until 2001.

Peter then spent further time at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada before coming back to Brisbane where he was involved in the merger of Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s Hospitals as CEO of Children’s Health Queensland.

Fionnagh has a long and successful history in leading change in complex healthcare environments and a lifelong commitment to improving childrens health. She was appointed Chief Executive of Childrens Health Queensland in January 2015. Prior to this, she had overarching responsibility for all hospital, clinical support and community services, including paediatric and mental health services, in her role as Director of Provider Services, Auckland District Health Board (ADHB). She is also a former General Manager of Aucklands Starship Childrens Hospital and Child Health Services. Fionnagh began her career in nursing at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and has postgraduate qualifications in health management, an honours degree in communication and media, and has held dual registration and experience as both a mental health and a general nurse.

Professor Mountford is co-inventor of the diagnostic protocol to monitor women at high risk for breast cancer identifying metabolic deregulations in their breast tissue that precede tumour growth. The same technology is shown to identify changes to the brain associated with learning, memory, PTSD and injury from blast and impact. Her team is under contract to the USA and Australian military to develop this approach to improve the health of soldiers.

Prior to her appointment at TRI, Professor Mountford was Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Centre for Clinical Spectroscopy at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  She was also Professor of Radiology and Director of the Centre for MR in Health at the University of Newcastle.

Her team has been a worldwide development site for Siemens since 1999. She has led multidisciplinary programs interfacing these teams with industry; translating the technology; and making it available worldwide.

Mr Walsh is the Director-General Queensland Health where he leads a public health and hospital system for a population of 4.7million people.  Prior to this role, Mr Walsh was the inaugural Chief Executive / CIO of eHealth NSW, providing eHealth and ICT services to the NSW Health System.  Michael has also worked as Chief Executive of HealthShare NSW, the NSW Health shared service provider. Michael has extensive experience at the Government Senior Executive level in both NSW and Queensland and has worked in the private sector including for a leading consulting firm.

Mr Walsh has led large organisational strategy and change programs including major departmental integrations; significant ICT programs; and, large hospital infrastructure programs such as the $10 billion Queensland Hospital rebuilding program including the Gold Coast University Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Mr Walsh has a strong background in public sector governance and leadership. He also has strong experience in portfolio, program and project management, business case development and implementation of major government initiatives.