Executive Committee

Dr Jason Ong – Sexual Health Society of Victoria

Jason is a sexual health physician based at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and an academic with joint appointments at Monash University, University of Melbourne and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His passion is to ensure access to comprehensive sexual health services to all who need it (in Australia and through his research in China and sub-Saharan Africa). 

He is the current Vice-President of the Sexual Health Society of Victoria. He has previously been a part of national (RACGP National Standing Committee on Education 2007-2008, Chair of New Fellows Committee 2010-2012, Board Director of General Practice Registrars Australia 2007-2008) and state (RACGP Victorian Faculty Board Member 2010-2015) committees. He was based in London during 2017-2018 for his postdoctoral training in health economics. 

He is the Special Issues Editor for Sexual Health and Associate Editor for BMJ’s Sexually Transmitted Infections and BMC Infectious Diseases.

Prof Amy Mullens – Clinical & Health Psychologist, University of Southern Queensland; Management Committee, Sexual Health Society of Queensland

Dr Amy Mullens is a practicing Clinical & Health Psychologist and a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society.  Amy is also a Professor within the School of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), where she leads the ‘Health Equity’ theme within the UniSQ Centre for Health Research.  Amy has been working in the Sexual Health and HIV sector in Australia since 2002.

Amy is invested in improving health outcomes in partnership with priority communities (e.g., LGBTIQA+, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people living with HIV) in an affirming and culturally-responsive manner; including currently co-leading externally funded research projects in Sexual Health in the areas of gender-affirming care, enhancing health/wellbeing for trans and gender diverse people in prisons, POCT HIV/STI testing in correctional settings, holistic models of care for people living with intersex variations, suicide prevention for LGBTIQA+ communities, and endometriosis and pelvic pain-among others.

Rochelle Avasalu – NSW STI Programs Unit

Rochelle is the Manager of the NSW STI Programs Unit. In this role Rochelle turns policy and strategy into programs with the aim to improve sexual health outcomes for people in NSW. An important element is combining behaviour change and system change models with health promotion and clinical engagement. During her time at STIPU Rochelle led the reorientation of sexual health services during COVID-19, coordinated the mpox vaccine role out in NSW and oversaw the development of the HIV Self-test vending machine project, MyTest. Prior to her time with NSW health Rochelle worked at Yfoundations, the peak body for youth homelessness where she delivered sexual health training across NSW. This training focused on educating youth workers who work with some of the most vulnerable young people in NSW. Rochelle has also worked in private practice as a sexual health counsellor. Rochelle has a background in sociology, holds and Master of Business Administration and a Master in HIV, STI and Sexual health (Counselling).

Angela Dawson – The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)

Angela is the convenor of the Public Health Association of Australia’s  Women’s Health Special Interest Group and an Associate Professor in Public Health at the The Australian Centre for Public and Population Health Research at the University of Technology Sydney. Angela is a public health social scientist with expertise in maternal and reproductive health service delivery to priority populations. She has undertaken research into to the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services in humanitarian contexts as well as access to abortion and emergency contraceptive pills in Australian and internationally. She is also interested in the management and referral of women who have experienced domestic violence and care of women with FGM.

Professor Peter Aggleton – Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia

Peter Aggleton works in the Centre for Social Research in Health at UNSW Australia. He has a background in sociology, psychology, policy studies, education, and international health. A UNSW Scientia Professor, he is well known internationally for his analytic work on the social aspects of HIV, sexuality and gender, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Peter is the editor-in-chief of 3 international peer reviewed journals: Culture, Health & Sexuality, Health Education Journal and Sex Education, and an associate editor of the journals AIDS Education and Prevention, Global Public Health and Health Education Research. He has worked closely with national, international and UN system agencies for over twenty-five years to strengthen responses to HIV and sexual health. Within Arts and Social Sciences at UNSW more generally, he directs a major new strategic initiative on Practical Justice.

Dr Julia Scott – New Zealand Sexual Health Society

Dr Julia Scott is a sexual health and public health physician. She works at the Tū Ora Wellington Sexual Health Service as a sexual health physician, and at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) where she provides clinical and public health advice on national STI surveillance. Julia is immediate past president of the New Zealand Sexual Health Society, co-authored and chaired the working group for New Zealand’s first STI and blood borne virus strategy, and has consulted for the WHO Regional Office of the Western Pacific HIV hepatitis and STI Unit, with a particular focus on Pacific Islands and Territories. She was the recipient of the ASRHA Young Leader award in 2021

Emma Knowland – Australasian Sexual Health & HIV Nurses Association

Emma Knowland (she/her) is an endorsed Nurse Practitioner. She currently works for the Metro North Sexual Health & HIV Service in Brisbane and is the President of the Australasian Sexual Health & HIV Nurses Association. Emma holds a Master of Nurse Practitioner, a Masters in Cancer Nursing and certificates in Sexual and Reproductive Health. She is currently working towards her S100 prescriber status to prescribe HIV and Hepatitis B specialised medicines. Emma has over 20 years’ experience in Healthcare and has held several clinical and teaching roles, predominantly in the public sector and for non-government organisations.

Dr Gemma Halliday – President of Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Clinicans Australia (FAMSACA)

Dr Gemma Halliday is the current President of Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Clinicans Australia (FAMSACA). FAMSACA is a professional organisation for nurses and medical practitioners who practice in or have an interest in the area of sexual assault with a focus on providing education in the field of sexual assault and provides a forum in which clinicians can network and collaborate.

Gemma currently works as the medical lead for the Newcastle Sexual Assault Service and the Northern Sexual Assault Service for Hunter New England LHD along with being a medical educator for the NSW Education Centre Against Violence. She has specialised training in providing trauma informed care and responding to domestic family violence. Gemma also works as a Specialist GP at Brightwell Health and has a special interest in reproductive and sexual health and with over 15 years clinical experience in managing sexually transmitted infections, sexual dysfunction, menstrual cycle issues and menopause along with offering tailored contraceptive advice. Gemma is also skilled in pregnancy options counselling and preconception counselling along with providing shared antenatal care. 

A/Professor Catherine O’Connor – Australian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine (AChSHM)

A/Prof Catherine O’Connor is a is STI/HIV clinical consultant working in Australia, PNG, Timor-Leste and the Pacific Nations. She is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Kirby Institute UNSW. She was Director of Sexual Health, Sydney Local Health District 1996-2019. She has a broad interest in the field of sexual health medicine, with a focus on the clinical medicine & epidemiology of HIV, Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections in international health, Aboriginal people, sex workers and gay men.

She is President, Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine (Royal Australasian College of Physicians), Board Member-Australasian Society for HIV Medicine 2012-18, Fellow Australian College of General Practitioners, Chair Medical Staff Council RPAH.2016-2018. Oceania Vice Chairperson- IUSTI-Asia Pacific- 2012-2020.

Daile Kelleher – CEO of Family Planning Alliance Australia

Daile Kelleher (she/her) is the CEO of Family Planning Alliance Australia working nationally to uphold, strengthen and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2023 to investigate abortion advocacy models to increase access to abortion in Australia. The Fellowship researched abortion advocacy and access in Mexico, Canada, the USA, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and New Zealand. She is passionate about access to intersectional and culturally safe and responsive healthcare services close to people’s local communities and listening to people with lived experience about their needs. Daile is a Board Director for the Gold Coast Health and Hospital Board, a non-executive for the Australian Breastfeeding Association and is the Queensland board representative on the Australian Women’s Health Alliance. 

Dr Beth Messenger – Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa

Dr Beth Messenger is a family planning and reproductive health specialist based in Wellington with over 15 years of experience. She is the Medical Director of Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa and has worked at the Lower Hutt clinic since 2018. She is currently treasurer for the Trust that runs the New Zealand College of Sexual and Reproductive Health, the current chair of their educational committee, and immediate past chairperson.