Our leadership team

Dr Stephen Duckett AM

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

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. He was a member of the Strengthening Medicare Task Force and the Mental Health Reform Group (both chaired by Minister Mark Butler) as well as of the Expert Advisory Panel for the Review of General Practice Incentives. In 2024 he was appointed to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing‘s National Early Intervention Service (NEIS) Expert Advisory Group. He is currently also a Board director of Healthdirect Australia.

Robyn Batten AM

Deputy Board Chair
Nomination, Remuneration & People Committee (Member)
Finance, Audit & Value Committee (Member)

Robyn Batten has held CEO and executive director positions in health, local government, community and aged care in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Robyn served as the Chair of Western Health and as a non-executive director of Uniting Victoria and Tasmania. Currently Robyn is the Chair of the Windana Board of Directors, Executive Chair of Leap in! and the Vice-Chair of MIM China Pty Ltd. Robyn has a Bachelor and Masters of Social Work, a Masters of Business Administration and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Chris Altis

Board Member
Strategy & Risk Committee (Member)
Community & Consumer Council (Chair)
Aboriginal Consultative Council (Member)

Chris Altis holds Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Arts (Public Policy) degrees from the University of Melbourne and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has worked in the health sector for thirty years in a policy, advisory and non-executive capacity at Victorian and national levels.

As Chair of the North Richmond Community Health Service he oversaw the establishment of Melbourne’s first medically supervised injecting facility, and he was formerly a director of the Northern Melbourne Medicare Local. 
Chris is also a non-executive director at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and is the Chair of the William Angliss Institute.

Lisa Briggs

Board Member
Aboriginal Consultative Council (Member)

Lisa Briggs holds a Masters of Public Health (Public Policy) degree and Masters of Health Economics policy units from Deakin University and is a graduate from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Lisa has worked in Aboriginal Affairs for over 40 years at the national, state and local level within the Aboriginal Community Controlled Sector. Lisa holds a Metropolitan seat for First Peoples Assembly of Victoria.

Lisa is the current CEO of Ngaweeyan Maar-oo, the official Victorian government partner for the National Agreement of Closing the Gap.

Dr Kelly Huang

Board Member
Strategy & Risk Committee (Member)
Clinical & Practice Council (Member)
Community & Consumer 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.

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 actively involved in mental health advocacy via the RACGP.

Justine Radcliffe-Thatcher

Board Member
Finance, Audit & Value Committee (Member)

Justine Radcliffe-Thatcher is a senior lawyer with over 25 years legal experience. She is currently a Principal at Health Law Partners Pty Ltd where she manages a team of lawyers advising public and private healthcare organisations, ranging from large metro health services to family run practices. Prior to Health Law Partners, Justine held General Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel roles at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Zenitas Healthcare and Healthscope, and also read at the Victorian Bar with Dr Ian Freckleton AO KC. With a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Arts/Laws from Monash University, Justine is passionate about supporting the delivery of world-class healthcare for all Victorians and has a particular interest in children’s health, mental health, healthcare innovation and problem solving.

Taryn Rulton

Board Member
Finance, Audit & Value Committee (Chair)

Taryn Rulton is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ and CPA Australia. Her executive career includes CFO and COO roles in the health sector, emergency services, State Treasury and education. Taryn is an experienced non-executive director and serves as the Deputy President of the International Federation of Accountants as well as Chairing the Audit and Risk Committees for the Victorian Electoral Commission and Integrity Oversight Victoria. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable people through ensuring effective use of public funding.

Gabrielle Bell

Nomination, Remuneration & People Committee (Independent Member)

Gabrielle is a corporate lawyer with broad experience working in Australia and Southeast Asia. During her legal career, she has specialised in corporate advisory, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets. She is an experienced non-executive Director and Company Secretary, and is currently also serving on the boards of Yarra Valley Water Corporation, BCI Minerals Ltd and Aware Real Estate Management Pty Ltd. Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Anne Heyes

Nomination, Remuneration & People Committee (Independent Member)

Anne Heyes has over 35 years of experience in human resources having worked in Private Enterprise (Bank of Melbourne/Westpac, Coles Myer), Public Enterprise (Telecom, OTC, Sydney Waterboard, the City of Melbourne and the Victorian Workcover Authority) and more recently in the NFP sector heading up the People and Culture function for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. She has led HR functions and been part of the Executive team for the last 20 years, guiding organisations through transformational and cultural change in response to ever-changing market conditions. More recently Anne has transitioned from full-time employment to a portfolio career including consultancy services.  Anne holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Commerce from UNSW.

Andrew Saunders

Strategy & Risk Committee (Independent Member)
Finance, Audit & Value Committee (Independent Member)

Andrew Saunders has a background in leading major business transformations leveraging digital technology in the Health, Government and the Financial Services sectors, and has a professional background in strategic planning, corporate governance, digital enablement, change management, risk management and benefits realisation. He was previously the Health Chief Information Officer and Director of Digital Health for the Victorian Department of Health & Human Services, and a Board Director for Eastern Health and Chair of its Community Advisory Committee. Andrew is currently a Board Director for Victorian Legal Aid and Chair of its Audit & Risk Committee and a Board Director for Care Connect and Chair of its ICT Committee.

Janine Wilson

Chief Executive Officer

Janine is an accomplished executive with 25 years’ experience in the health sector, where she has held strategic, operational, marketing and general management roles. Prior to joining EMPHN on 1 June 2020, she oversaw the establishment and ongoing operation of Telstra Health’s National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR), operated on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Health and supporting screening for cervical and bowel cancer. Prior to her tenure with Telstra Health, Janine held a number of executive roles with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (now “Lifeblood”) and in the American healthcare system as Director of Strategy for the New York Blood Center. Janine holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School, where she was the recipient of the Helen McPherson-Smith Scholarship.

Jane London

Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Executive Director Strategy and Service Design

Jane is a behavioural scientist with over 20 years’ experience in guideline development and delivering complex multi-faceted behaviour change programs in healthcare. Experienced in designing and delivering focused change programs to both clinicians and healthcare consumers in over 17 therapeutic areas, Jane has designed programs that have resulted in over $120M YOY in medicines adoption. Jane’s areas of expertise are using applied behavioural models in healthcare, and the design and implementation of data driven interventions. She is a Board member of the Audit and Feedback MetaLab an international group of researchers who seek to build the science around use of data to change clinical behaviour, and is a published author in the area. Having previously held senior management positions at the Royal Australian College of GPs, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and NPS MedicineWise, Jane understands the real-world barriers faced by different players in the health system when trying to create sustained change.

Manuel Escudero

Executive Director Corporate Services

Manuel is an experienced Finance professional with over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, financial management and corporate governance. Manuel holds a CPA designation and has a strong background in audit, accounting and finance. His experience spans multi-national accounting firms as well as responsibility for the ANZ Corporate Services for an international pharmaceutical subsidiary based in Melbourne prior to joining Eastern Melbourne PHN. He plays a pivotal role in overseeing the organisation’s corporate services, ensuring operational efficiency, and driving strategic initiatives. Manuel is responsible for key functions including Finance, Procurement, IT, Quality and Transformation Projects ensuring that the organisation meets its strategic goals and regulatory requirements. Manuel has extensive experience in continuous improvement and operational excellence demonstrated through his proactive approach to managing corporate services and his dedication to fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment. His dedication to the organisation and its mission is reflected in his strategic vision and ability to lead cross-functional teams effectively.

Natasha Levy

Executive Director Communications and Engagement

Natasha brings 25 years of experience working across the full spectrum of marketing, communications and engagement with a focus on behaviour change in the health sector. Prior to her most recent stint in the corporate world, Natasha spent 10 years leading marketing, communication and engagement functions in the health sector, including five years on the agency side, as Group Account Director, Health for Fenton Communications, with clients in Federal and State government, hospitals, diabetes, cancer screening and not for profits. She has led marketing and communication functions at BreastScreen Victoria, VicHealth and Red Cross Blood Service before joining Specsavers where she led the marketing strategy and implementation for audiology, launching it into the Australian market. She also held global and general business management roles in her six years with Specsavers. Natasha started her working life as a writer and is passionate about work that makes a difference to the health and wellbeing of our community.

Narelle Quinn

Executive Director Primary Care Innovation and Development

Narelle is a senior program manager with extensive experience in the primary care sector. She is known for her ability to strategically plan, lead, support and develop capacity with teams and the health care sector.Narelle successfully engages stakeholders across organisational types and all levels of staffing. Her comprehensive project management skills include planning, implementing and evaluating. Over nine years in the Medicare Local/PHN sector Narelle has gained experience in beginning to end commissioning, including implementation and ongoing performance management to realise optimum outcomes for the community.