Members

Delyse Hutchinson is a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor in the Strategic Research Centre for Lifespan Research, in the School of Psychology, at Deakin University, Melbourne. She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and the Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, at the Melbourne Royal Childrens Hospital. Delyse is also a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Delyse’s major research interest is in understanding the developmental origins of mental and behavioural disorders. She works as a Clinical Psychologist specialising in perinatal psychology, child development, and the treatment of mental health and behavioural disorders. She has a particular interest in understanding the causes and consequences of mental health and substance use exposure on development

Expertise: Clinical/Perinatal Psychology, Epidemiology, Public Health, Child Development, Evidence Synthesis, Guideline Development

Affiliations: Deakin University, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, University of Melbourne & University of New South Wales

Billie Bradford is a midwife and a lecturer at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

Affiliations: Monash University

Dr Jutta van den Boom is a neonatal paediatrician at the neonatal unit at Waikato Hospital and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. With a diverse background in anaesthesia, general paediatrics, and neonatology, Jutta has gained valuable experience working across multiple centres in Germany, Canada, and New Zealand. Jutta’s special interests are neonatal nutrition, quality improvement and recently the establishment of an Aotearoa NZ neonatal formulary. She is a principle investigator for COSI-2 and Protect research trials. She is also a member of the Aotearoa Nutrition Guidelines for Preterm Babies Project, National Maternity Clinical Network Governance Group, and ANZNN CPI committee. She is the current President of the Perinatal Society of New Zealand (PSNZ). Collaboration and research in perinatology have been at the heart of her professional journey, driving her commitment to advancing care in the field.

Affiliations: Te Whatu Ora Waikato Health New Zealand

Dr Keeth Mayakaduwage is a doctor, researcher, and advocate dedicated to advancing perinatal health through clinical care, research, and health policy. He works in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit at Monash Health and is an adjunct lecturer at Monash University. Keeth’s passion for stillbirth prevention, perinatal bereavement education, and equitable maternity care has led to collaborative research with Safer Care Victoria, the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, and the International Stillbirth Alliance. Through his involvement with the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), he has contributed to policy discussions and led the development of policy and position statements in areas such as pregnancy loss. His contributions have been recognised with multiple prestigious awards including the Australian Medical Association Women’s Health Award and the PHAA Emerging Leader Award. As part of the PSANZ Policy and Endorsement Review Executive Team, he brings a strong commitment to evidence-informed policy and improving perinatal health outcomes.

Expertise: Obstetrics, Public Health, Stillbirth

Affiliations: Monash University

Dr Annie McDougall is a public health researcher and scientist, and an emerging leader in global maternal health. She currently holds the prestigious Lady Potter Emerging Leader Fellowship (2025-2026). She is Team leader in Medicines in Pregnancy Research, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Global Women’s and Newborn’s Health group at Burnet Institute. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for pregnant women and newborns, particularly in resource-constrained settings. She collaborates globally on projects with the World Health Organisation, Concept Foundation, Policy Cures Research and Monash University, including on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Accelerating Innovation for Mothers project and PEARLS studies. Prior to her public health career, she had a decade of experience as a biomedical scientist investigating the cellular and molecular factors involved neonatal lung and brain injury. In 2019 she transitioned from the bench to applied public health research. Her areas of professional interest include global health, maternal medicine development, maternal mortality, pre-eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhage, fetal growth restriction and preterm birth.

Affiliations: Burnet Institute

Dr. Phyllis Ohene-Agyei is a medical doctor and public health researcher with expertise in maternal and child health, with a focus on gestational diabetes and perinatal mental health. Currently completing her PhD at the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute, her research integrates clinical outcomes with epidemiological data insights to inform evidence-based practice. She brings over a decade of interdisciplinary experience spanning academia, clinical practice, policy analysis, and health program management across Australasia, West Africa, and Europe. She has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on perinatal health and has led and supported several policy-relevant research initiatives, including systematic reviews of clinical practice guidelines and nutrition policy reviews.

Expertise: Epidemiology, Public Health

Affilitations: Liggins Institute

Dr. Melvin Marzan is an epidemiologist and biostatistician with expertise in perinatal and reproductive health. He is based at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Melbourne Medical School, and Generation Victoria (GenV), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He also holds a research fellowship secondment with the Office of Clinical Chiefs at Safer Care Victoria, and honorary appointments at Mercy Perinatal, Northern Health, and the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Melvin is a committee member of Victoria’s Maternity and Newborn Learning Health Network Data Group, contributing to statewide efforts to improve maternal and newborn outcomes through data-driven insight. He completed a PhD in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Econometrics at La Trobe University, supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program. His research focuses on life-course epidemiology, with methodological interests in geospatial health analysis, time series forecasting, multilevel modelling, causal inference from observational data, and data visualisation.

Expertise: Epidemiology, Public Health

Affiliations: University of Melbourne & Murdoch Children's Research Institute