Day 2: Keynote Address - Ainslie Cahill AM
Tuesday 28th October 2025
11:00am to 12:30pm
Lecture Theatre, Innovation and Education Hub. Online also available.
Consumer and community involvement (CCI) is increasingly recognised as essential for high-quality, impactful health research.
But how do you engage consumers early, and in ways that feel genuine and sustainable?
We’re delighted to have Ms Ainslie Cahill OAM deliver our keynote address. She will provide practical tips on how and when to involve consumers effectively and insights into getting your research funded.
Ms Cahill is the Chair of the NHMRC MRFF Consumer Advisory Group.
At a time when consumer involvement in research is critical, come along, take notes, and enjoy this valuable opportunity to hear from Ms Cahill.
The keynote address will be followed by an interactive panel discussion, which will be led by Prof Sophia Zoungas, Monash University’s Head of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Joining Prof Zoungas and Ms Cahill on the panel are:
Daniel Olasoji
Daniel leads community engagement at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, connecting peoples lived experiences with world-class research. Daniel works closely with patients, donors, and communities to highlight the human impact of heart and diabetes research.
Melissa Lewry
A double lung transplant recipient at The Alfred, Melissa has participated in four research projects and clinical trials. Since 2023, she has been an Alfred Health Consumer, and is currently a member of the Digital Health and Reference Group, Clinical Trials Research Support Advisory, Alfred Health Emergency Quality and Risk Committee.
Justine Philips
Justine is a survivor of an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) in 2020. Justine shares her miraculous story of survival to help raise awareness on Sudden Cardiac Arrest and arm individuals with the knowledge on what they can do to help save lives. She is the founder of Heart Matters Australia and aims to make Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) more accessible, increase CPR participation & education, stress awareness and more importantly, an increase in the survival rate of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.