NEWBORN SCREENING OF INFANTS AND NEWBORNS WITH CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM
Associate Professor Michelle Jack
Clinical Practice & Co-Lead Doctor of Medicine
Bond University, Queensland, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Robina, Queensland | July 2024
Michelle Jack is Associate Professor of Clinical Practice, Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine at Bond University, QLD and co-Head of Paediatrics and a Paediatric Endocrinologist at Lismore Base Hospital in NSW. She graduated from Medicine at the University of Queensland with first class honours and the University Gold Medal and has a PhD in hyperinsulinism from the University of QLD. She has postgraduate qualifications in higher education and is a fellow of the higher education academy.
Assoc Prof Jack is an experienced leader and practitioner in the healthcare, research and higher education sectors. Career highlights include: Head of Department Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal North Shore Hospital; Academic Lead Education & Partnerships, University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney; Head of the Beta Cell Laboratory, Kolling Institute; Chair Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group scientific program organising committee and Co-Chair international scientific program organising committees; Chair Northern Sydney Adolescent Committee; International Research Fellowship, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Head of Research, Impact Institute.
Assoc Prof Jack is passionate about the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, with diverse research areas including the impacts of family friendly workplace initiatives, screening and management of thyroid disorders in infants and children. She supports her First Nations colleagues on Indigenous-led research projects funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, aiming to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of First Nations Children. Through her clinical and academic roles, Assoc Prof Jack hopes to make a positive difference to the health and well-being of children and their families.
-
Biostatistics in Clinical Trials
As a biostatistician working in research and clinical settings, Kate Francis plays a vital role in ensuring all projects adhere to best practice guidelines and are transparently reported. She has served as the lead statistician for the analysis of clinical trials across a broad range of subject areas, including neonatal resuscitation, BCG for allergy and infection, convulsive status epilepticus and her work has been published in the top journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and The Lancet. Most recently she was awarded the 2025 Excellence in Trial Statistics Award for her work on the PLUSS trial.
-
Medically Complex Pregnancies
A/Prof Shelley Wilkinson is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, Fellow of Dietitians Australia, and a leading Australian researcher in maternal health and implementation science.
She has over 30 years of experience in the field and holds a PhD in Psychology. Her passion is in health service redesign through co-creation and combining the ‘know-what’ of nutrition with the ‘know-how’ of innovative behaviour change techniques.
-
Non-invasive tools for CVD screening and monitoring
Dr Hadi Afsharan is a Research Fellow Cardiovascular Science & Diabetes at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research; is a translational research and innovation fellow in medical technologies at The University of Western Australia, holding dual titles as Translational Fellow and Innovation Fellow within UWA’s Medical School and the FHRI (Future Health Research and Innovation) program.
