Clinical and Practice Council

Associate Professor Dr Caroline Johnson

Board Member
Strategy & Risk Committee (Chair)
Clinical & Practice Council (Chair)

Caroline Johnson is a General Practitioner who has worked in EMPHN’s catchment for over 25 years. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Melbourne, with current roles as Director of Teaching and Learning, membership of the Primary Care Mental Health research team and Associate Investigator with the Alive National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation. Caroline is also co-director of Clinician-Educator Pathways for the Melbourne Medical School and is actively involved in mental health advocacy via the RACGP. 

Dr Stephen Duckett AM

Board Chair
Nomination, Remuneration & People Committee (Chair)
Strategy & Risk Committee (Member)
Clinical & Practice Council (Member)
Community & Consumer Council (Member)

Stephen Duckett has a reputation for creativity, evidence-based innovation and reform in health care. An economist, he is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is an Honorary Enterprise Professor in the School of Population and Global Health and in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care in The University of Melbourne. In 2023 he was a member of the Strengthening Medicare Task Force and the Mental Health Reform Group (both chaired by Minister Mark Butler). He is currently a member of the Expert Advisory Panel for the Review of General Practice Incentives.

Dr Kelly Huang

Board Member
Strategy & Risk Committee (Member)
Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Kelly Huang is a practising General Practitioner, who has extensive experience working with diverse communities across both primary and tertiary health care services. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as a Medical Educator for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She is passionate about advancing the future of primary care and driving positive change for our wider community.

Dr Malcolm Clark

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Malcolm is a GP at Camberwell Road Medical Practice. His special interests include: aged care, acupuncture, men’s health, skin checks, heart health, diabetes and complex medical problems.

Dr Penny Gaskell

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Dr Gaskell is the GP Liaison Medical Officer at Eastern Health with 14 years’ experience as a GP.

Dr Pallavi Prathivadi

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Dr Prathivadi is a general practitioner, fortnightly columnist at The Medical Republic newspaper, RACGP Mentor, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer (Practice) at the Equity, Primary Care, Implementation and Community (EPIC) research unit, Monash University. She completed her PhD at Monash University in 2021 studying Australian GP opioid prescribing practices and has an interest in national and international safe pharmaceutical opioid prescribing and policy. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine in 2020-2021, the 2019 RACGP National Registrar of the Year, and 2018 EVGP (co) Registrar of the Year.

Dr Sunny Krishna

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Dr Sudheendra (Sunny) Krishna is a practicing general practitioner in Hawthorn. He has broad medical experience across Australia including in emergency departments, surgery, paediatrics and regional healthcare. Sunny is also a medical educator with the RACGP and University of Melbourne and has a passion for educating the future medical workforce. Prior to his career in medicine, Sunny worked as a physiotherapist in aged care and with sporting clubs. He is committed to enhancing primary health care and the broader health of the community.

Dr. Tamsin Short

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Dr. Tamsin Short has worked in a variety of clinical and leadership roles in the health sector, having originally trained as a clinical and forensic psychologist. Spending most of her career in community health within the EMPHN catchment, Tamsin has also previously worked in forensic mental health, AOD and research settings. In her current role as Executive Lead of Mental Health and AOD Services for Access Health and Community (AccessHC), Tamsin oversees a large portfolio of mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) services in a community health setting. Over the past decade, she has led the establishment of several new and innovative AOD and mental health services at AccessHC, including the Northeast Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect service. She is passionate about working collaboratively to ensure health services deliver accessible and high-quality services to the community.

Cass Quilty

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Cass Quilty has extensive experience and diverse background in many facets of healthcare. With over 30 years of nursing experience in both the public and private sectors, including over two decades of working in primary healthcare, she has gained a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare system. Her roles as a nurse, various management positions and now practice owner for over seven years has provided her with a unique vantage point. This diverse career journey has given her insights into the intricacies of healthcare delivery, resource management, quality improvement, and the importance of patient-centred care. She is committed to improving access to primary healthcare services and enhancing the quality of care to ensure people receive the right care, in the right place and the right time.

Cathy Ngo

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Cathy is a clinical pharmacist with over 20 years professional experience, specialising in mental health pharmacy services. She has worked in Australian public hospitals and the UK National Health Service, in both inpatient and community based mental health teams. As a clinical educator, she supports the development of early career mental health clinicians to ensure safe and quality use of medicines, whilst prioritising the patient experience and applying a recovery focused lens. She encourages interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure multiple and systems wide perspective when approaching a challenge. Cathy also has expertise in hospital eHealth systems, working on projects that utilised integration of information across different platforms, and harnessing clinical data for improving patient care, clinical workflows, and organisational performance. She holds a Master of Public Health (Research Methods) from University of Sydney and has co-published several peer reviewed research articles. Her speciality skills in Mental Health and Research are recognised at Consultant level by the Australian and New Zealand College of Advanced Pharmacy (ANZCAP).

Lauren Barker

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Lauren is an innovative, dynamic and customer focused health care leader. She is a registered Physiotherapist with a Masters in Health Service Management and is currently the Program Director of Primary Care at EACH. Lauren has more than 25 years’ experience leading teams of medical, allied health and nursing staff within the public and private health, social and community care sectors; and an established reputation for developing and implementing new services and models of care capable of delivering quality, evidence-based care while achieving financial independence. Lauren aims to ensure that all people have access to best practice, innovative and customer focused care that empowers them to achieve their highest possible quality of life, mental and physical well-being – the drive to exceed customer expectations in relation to their experience and health and wellbeing outcomes makes for a rewarding and fulfilling career. Through strategic and operational leadership Lauren is able to actively contribute to the long-term sustainable development of an organisation. She holds expertise in building strong and lasting strategic relationships, collaborations and partnerships that grow the business and service profile and is passionate about developing and mentoring staff to optimise their success and establish a collaborative and engaging team culture.

Kylie Payne

Clinical & Practice Council (Member)

Kylie Payne is the CEO and Founder of Interconnect Healthcare and Interconnect Imaging. They operate 9 clinics across Melbourne. She is also a member of the Monash University Animal Ethics Committee, OC Connections Board Director and President of Wesley College Parents Group. Kylie holds a Bachelor of Law (Flinders University). With a robust skill set that includes account management, business strategy and communications, her role oversees radiology practices, GP practices, federal government’s Urgent Care Centres, medical administrators, nurses and contract general practitioners, Kylie believes in equitable access and quality healthcare for all.