Program Office
Role of the Program Office
The PHRN Program Office is hosted by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and is located in Perth, Western Australia. The Program Office plays a central role in leading and coordinating the development of the new data linkage infrastructure and is also responsible for overseeing the administration of national projects. The various arms of the Program Office include policy development, client services, contracts and finance and a privacy consultancy. The Program Office is also involved in the coordination and implementation of a national training program covering all aspects of data linkage relevant to technical data linkers, researchers, funding bodies and ethics committees.
Program Office Organisational Structure
Meet the Team
Dr Merran Smith - Chief
Executive
Dr Smith commenced as the inaugural Chief Executive of
Australia's Population Health Research Network (PHRN) in April
2009. Prior to joining the PHRN, Dr Smith was a Director in the
Western Australian Department of Health. She was in charge of the
Department's Health Information Centre for more than 10 years and
was responsible for establishing data linkage as a core Department
of Health service during this period. She also participated in a
number of significant nationally funded population health research
projects. Dr Smith has served as Chair or Member of a number of
Australia's peak national health information committees.
Jacqui Wong - Manager,
Contracts and Finance
Jacqui joined the Population Health Research Network Program Office
in November 2009 and manages the contractual and financial
arrangements for PHRN and the Program Office.
Jacqui is a Certified Practising Accountant and has an extensive
professional background with experience in areas such as business
and financial management, auditing, process improvement and
management reporting.
Dr Felicity Flack - Manager,
Policy and Client Services
Dr Flack joined the Program Office in July 2009. Prior to joining
the PHRN, Dr Flack was the Manager, Research Governance and Ethics
at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and the Executive Officer,
Division of Clinical Sciences, Telethon Institute for Child Health
Research. She has a PhD in Microbiology and an ongoing interest in
research ethics.
Dr Angela Rate - Coordinator,
Policy and Client Services
Angela completed her PhD in asthma immunology at the Telethon
Institute for Child Health Research. In 2009, she joined the
Program Office of the Population Health Research Network in the
position of Coordinator of Policy and Client Services. Her role is
focused on the development and implementation of policies and
procedures to facilitate access to linkable data for approved
projects and purposes. In association with her role at the PHRN,
Angela is member of the Telethon Institute for Child Health
Research's Community Advisory Council.
Kate Tan - Coordinator,
Training and Development
Kate joined the Population Health Research Network Program
Office in October 2010 as the Coordinator for Training and
Development. Her role is to coordinate and implement a national
training program covering all aspects of data linkage relevant to
technical data linkers, researchers, funding bodies and ethics
committees. Kate has a Masters of Health Promotion and several
years experience in developing and providing training. She joins
PHRN from the Western Australian Ministerial Council for Suicide
Prevention where she was the Manager of the Gatekeeper Training
Unit.
A/Prof Judy Allen -
Legal/Privacy Consultant
Judy is a consultant in health privacy and an Assistant
Professor at the Law School of the University of Western Australia.
She teaches torts and health law and her current research focuses
on privacy and consent in health research. Judy is the Chair of the
WA Department of Health, Human Research Ethics Committee and has
served as a member of the NHMRC HREC training subcommittee and the
UWA HREC. She also sits on the board of the Mental Health Law
Centre and the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Health Law
and Ethics. She is a member of the Ethics Committee of the WA
Genetics Council. In the past Judy has taught at the University of
Melbourne and University of Auckland. She has also worked in the
Department of Health WA providing policy advice on privacy.
Currently Advertised Positions
Two positions within the
Program Office team are currently being advertised:
* Coordinator, Metadata
* Administrative and Communications Support Officer
The closing date for applications is Friday 3rd February 2012. Please click here for more details.
