Our People

inda is an experienced Clinical Nurse and Clinical Trials Coordinator at the Wesley Research Institute, with almost ten years of experience in cardiac catheterisation laboratories and emergency departments across Tasmania, New South Wales, and Queensland. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing with First Class Honours and a Master of Clinical Nursing (Cardiovascular Nursing). Her research interests include structural heart interventions, cardiac devices, and the advancement of evidence-based cardiovascular care through clinical research. Linda is passionate about supporting patients throughout their research journey and enabling access to innovative, life-saving therapies.

Venita is a registered nurse who works as a Clinical Trials Coordinator at the Wesley Research Institute. She has a Bachelor of Nursing from QUT. She has worked in clinical trials over the last 10 years in various therapeutic areas including rare diseases, immunology and coeliac disease. She enjoys being part of a team that endeavours to promote a positive experience to study participants engaged in clinical trials.

Chris is of a nursing background and has a number of years’ experience across an array of clinical areas within The Wesley Hospital, including Neuroscience, acute stroke and surgical Urology. He has joined Wesley Research Institute as a Clinical Trial Coordinator.

Jessica is an experienced Clinical Trial Coordinator and Registered Nurse with over 16 years of nursing and 8 years of clinical trials experience specialising in Oncology, Haematology and Stem Cell Transplant and Immunology/Immunotherapy.  She has experience working in Brisbane, Melbourne, and the UK, in both the public and private health sectors.  She has a Bachelor of Nursing from the Queensland University of Technology.  She is passionate about providing compassionate patient centred care and contributing toward enhanced treatment options and symptom management for patients.  Her current focus is on early phase trials for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and Coeliac disease.    

Merin is a dedicated Clinical Research Coordinator with over 13 years of experience as a Registered Nurse across hospitals in New Zealand and Australia. She earned her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Auckland and has since worked in multiple clinical research organisations, contributing to trials across various therapeutic areas. Now part of the Coeliac Research program, Merin is passionate about bridging cutting-edge research with compassionate patient care, ensuring patients receive the best possible support and guidance.

Ravi is a Registered Nurse and Clinical Trials Coordinator at the Wesley Research Institute. She has nearly a decade of nursing experience, including extensive clinical practice in cardiac catheterisation laboratories across the United Kingdom and Australia. Ravi holds a postgraduate qualification in Nursing and is passionate about advancing cardiovascular research while delivering high-quality patient care. She is committed to supporting clinical trial participants and improving access to innovative therapies through evidence-based research.

Haofan has joined the Biobank team and Clinical Trials Centre, where she works with biological samples to support clinical trials, ensuring their proper handling and collection, and assisting in incorporating samples into trial protocols to advance research. She holds a Master of Pharmaceutical Industry Practice from the University of Queensland and has been working in clinical trials since 2021, specialising in optimising patient care and research outcomes. As a Clinical Research Assistant at Wesley Research Institute, she plays a pivotal role in supporting clinical trials and laboratory operations, ensuring precision and quality at every stage. 

Kelly commenced her PhD at Charles Darwin University within the Health Services Research Team at Wesley Research Institute in 2025, combining her biomedical and health services research experience to examine factors which lead to hard-to-heal or chronic wounds. Her proposed research aims to investigate the microbiology of delayed wound healing, the disparate health outcomes for people with chronic wounds living in rural and remote areas, and explore opportunities to make effective changes to chronic wound care, thereby improving treatment, outcomes and quality of life for those affected.

Kelly McGrath is a health services and biomedical researcher with a background in tertiary education and over 25 years of experience in the health sector. In 2021, Kelly was appointed to implement and evaluate a new model of mental health care in the rural and remote Isaac region of Central Queensland and has contributed to Wesley Research Institute’s Virtual Hospital and Healthcare Research Program. Currently focusing on health services and implementation research, Kelly’s previous research focused on discovery biology. Her research has directly impacted private virtual hospital design, access to mental health services, mental health service operations, and development of new knowledge regarding the etiology of Parkinson’s Disease and several types of cancer.

The Catalano Family Foundation supports Kelly McGrath’s PhD scholarship, and we are grateful to the Catalano family for their generosity.

Yena has joined the Clinical Trials Centre as a Clinical Research Assistant. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Oregon State University and a Master of Pharmaceutical Industry Practice from the University of Queensland. Yena brings several years of pharmacy experience and a strong interest in advancing clinical research and patient outcomes.

Dr Allie Lam is a Research Assistant at the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC) with expertise in immunology and cancer immunotherapy. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at the University of Melbourne, specialising in immunology and microbiology, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences at The University of Queensland, where her research focused on immune modulation for cancer immunotherapy.

At the QSBC, Dr Lam supports collaborative projects using advanced spatial and tissue-based profiling approaches to characterise cellular heterogeneity and biomarker expression in complex tissues. Her work aligns with the centre’s mission to enable high-quality spatial biology research and to support translational outcomes across cancer and other disease areas.

David Cullen is a Research Assistant at the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC) with expertise in cancer biology, DNA replication, and cell cycle regulation. He completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) and is a PhD candidate at the Frazer Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland. His doctoral research used quantitative immunofluorescence imaging to investigate kinase regulation, DNA replication, and cell cycle dynamics in healthy and cancer cell populations.

At QSBC, David applies spatial biology approaches to investigate the tumour microenvironment and the cellular interactions that influence cancer progression and treatment response.