Keynote Speakers

Kate Dunn
Assistant Professor, York University Faculty of Health, Canada

Dr Kate Dunn is a member of Mississaugi First Nation in what is now Ontario Canada and is Assistant Professor at York University Faculty of Health where she combines Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being Doing and Connecting with experience in Nursing, Public Health and Social Sciences. Engaging Indigenous community perspectives to co-create culturally connected awareness resources on liver wellness and hepatitis C.
Charles Henderson
Community Engagement Coordinator, Burnet Institute, Australia

Charles is with the Burnet Institute in Melbourne as a community engagement coordinator contributing in community-research partnerships on national efforts in hepatitis C elimination. He is undertaking PhD qualitative research on service user experiences on long-acting injectable buprenorphine. He is one half of the harm reduction and drug policy consultancy 2SqPegs. Over the past 30 years, he has held several roles in Australia and New Zealand in peer-led drug user organisations with the objective of harm reduction, health rights and well being for people who inject and use drugs. Central in this work has been leadership and advocacy roles from a living experience perspective and he remains committed to the mission of improving the lives and rights of people who inject/use illicit drugs. 
Kate Seear
Professor, Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Lawyer, Deakin Law School, Deakin University, Australia

Kate Seear is a Professor, Australian Research Council Future Fellow and lawyer, based in the Deakin Law School, Deakin University. She is a leading expert on alcohol and other drug law and policy, and has written extensively about issues including harm reduction and the law; stigma and the law; and human rights and drug policy. She is the author of five books, including Law, drugs and the making of addiction: Just habits, which won the UK Socio-Legal Studies Association’s history and theory book prize. Kate is also the Deputy Chair of Victoria’s landmark Inquiry into Women’s Pain, and an invited member of the Victorian Women’s Health Advisory Council.
Su Wang, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Center for Asian Health and Viral Hepatitis Programs, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center & Associate Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, United States

Dr. Wang is the Medical Director for the Center for Asian Health and Viral Hepatitis Programs at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and an associate professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in the US. She is living with hepatitis B and serves as Senior Advisor for Global Health for the Hepatitis B Foundation and was president of the World Hepatitis Alliance, a patient led NGO dedicated to harnessing the power of people living with hepatitis to achieve its elimination. Dr. Wang is a practicing internist and has led primary care–based hepatitis programs, outreach efforts and community-based research initiatives. Dr. Wang has served on several World Health Organization (WHO) guideline development committees. She received her Medical Degree from the University of Miami and her Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She completed her Internal Medicine and Pediatric residencies at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC and was a fellow in the Epidemic Intelligence Service program at the US CDC. 

Panellists

Cong An
Community Member, Hepatitis B Voices Australia, Australia

Former chef, now a disability support worker in Australia. Living with hepatitis B since childhood, I faced many challenges as a new migrant. With community support, I found strength and now advocate for hepatitis B awareness, aiming to support and empower others living with the condition in Australia.

Lucy Clynes
CEO, Hepatitis Australia, Australia

Lucy Clynes is the CEO of Hepatitis Australia - the peak community organisation to progress national action on issues of importance to people affected by hepatitis B and hepatitis C.  Lucy has extensive peak body governance experience and a track record of building strategic partnerships to achieve policy and funding outcomes. She was previously a practicing lawyer and held key policy positions in both state and federal government, including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to a government minister.

Joseph Croke
Assistant Director, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Australia

Joseph Croke is an Assistant Director of the Communicable Diseases Programs Section at the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. With a Bachelor of Medical Science and a Master of International Security Studies, he also brings 15 years of expertise in public health policy, which is currently focussed on viral hepatitis policy in Australia.

Jane Davies
Co-Director Infectious Diseases, Royal Darwin Hospital & Principal Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research, Australia

Prof Jane DaviesMBBS MRCP(UK) DTM&H FRACP PhDCo-Director Infectious Diseases Royal Darwin HospitalPrincipal Research Fellow Menzies School of Health Research Prof Jane Davies is a Senior Principal Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research and Co-Director of Infectious Diseases at Royal Darwin Hospital. Her research focuses on Hepatitis B spanning molecular and clinical epidemiology as well as implementation of holistic and sustainable clinical care.

Alvin Edney
Clinical Govern, Derbal Yerrigan Health Service, Australia

Alvin Edney is a dedicated healthcare professional with over 20 years of nursing experience and a strong commitment to improving community health outcomes. He holds a Bachelor of Nursing from Curtin University and a Diploma of Practice Management from the AMA, equipping him with both clinical expertise and leadership skills. For the past seven years, Alvin has been an integral part of the team at Derbarl, where he currently serves as the Clinical Governance Manager. In this role, he oversees the quality and safety of clinical services, ensuring best practices and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Sal-Amanda Endemann
Peer Worker/HepLink Support Officer, NTAHC, Australia

Sal-Amanda Endemann is a Peer Worker and HepLink Support Officer with the Northern Territory AIDS and Hepatitis Council (NTAHC), where she’s worked since 2021. She draws on over 30 years of lived experience as an IV drug user to support community members navigating hepatitis C through a harm reduction lens. Sal is passionate about quality of life, dignity, and connection — regardless of lifestyle or stage of use. She also works as an After-Hours Supervisor at an Indigenous-specific residential rehab where she was once a resident, mirroring her journey at NTAHC where she was once a client. Now in recovery, she remains deeply connected to the community, advocating for support without judgement or agenda. People who use drugs are her loved ones, friends, and family — and her work is rooted in that love and loyalty. Sal is proud to represent the NT and the lived/living experience community at Viral Hepatitis 2025.


Peta Gava
Lived Experience Peer Worker, Harm Reduction WA, Australia

Peta is a lived experience peer worker at Peer Based Harm Reduction WA, where she has worked in a variety of roles for about 9 years. Peta is one of two AIVL delegates representing people who use drugs in WA. In her time at PBHR WA, Peta has designed and implemented peer education projects with a focus on HCV, worked in mobile health clinics providing testing and treatment for STIs and BBVs, and provides HCV work force development training with a peer perspective to other agencies in WA as a part of WANADA’s HCV Care Capability Project. Currently, Peta’s main role is Overdose Prevention and Peer Naloxone Project Officer, however she continues to work in peer education projects and to deliver workforce development, and she manages PBHR WA Communications and Social Media.

Tina Goodwin
Statewide AoD Coordinator, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Australia

Tina Goodwin is a strong Pakana Women and has been working for her Palawa Community for the past 25 years as an AHW in many roles and in the past 2 years has been the Statewide AOD Coordinator for the Aboriginal Community in Lutruwita. Tina comes from the Burgess, Maynard, Mansell, Brown Family from Cape Barren Island and family impacted from the stolen generation. Tina prides herself as a strong trusted community member, born and raised in the Palawa Community. Tina supports the Aboriginal Community in their pathways to address AOD addictions, with Culturally Safe options and supports statewide, Tina is based in Nipaluna at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, with AOD supports across Lutruwita. Tina also supports many Palawa Community in the prison system, with already build and trusteed relationships that she can support with accessing AOD programs. Tina is extremely passionate and uses her voice to advocate and improve the lives of all her community. Tina is a mother of 3 adult children and a grandmother to 4 strong robust grandsons, and love getting away on country with her husband Snowy.

Nicky Guivarra
Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Lead, Hepatitis Queensland, Australia

Nicky Newley-Guivarra (Nigooli) was born in 1967 and is a proud Wuthathi woman and a gifted artist. Nicky’s family heritage on her Grandmother’s side is from Shelburn Bay, Cape York Peninsula and from her Grandfather’s side from Darnley Island in the Torres Strait. Nicky currently resides in Brisbane, Meanjin with her family. Nicky possesses a natural strength in her desire to paint and the themes within her work reflect culture, spirituality and life experiences.

George Garambaka Gurruwiwi
Community Based Researcher, Menzies School of Health Research, Australia

George Garambaka Gurruwiwi is a Yolngu man and clan leader and has been a Community Based Researcher for 15 years.

Elena Jeffreys
Advocacy and Policy Manager, Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association, Australia

Dr Elena Jeffreys (She/Her) is the advocacy manager at Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association. acquired Hep C in 1997, was treated with DAA’s in 2016 and has maintained a Sustained Virological Response since. Treatment changed her life, world politics stayed the same. Today Elena addresses proposed government regulation of the internet and argues our sector must protect health promotion falling foul of anti-porn sentiment.

Nafisa Yussf
Board Chair, Co-Founder, Hepatitis B Voices Australia, Australia

Nafisa Yussf is Co-Founder and Board Chair of Hepatitis B Voices Australia. Living with hepatitis B, she advocates for culturally safe, community-led approaches to health equity. With experience across policy, research, and community engagement, she’s committed to reshaping the hepatitis B narrative by centring the voices of affected communities.

We acknowledge that the conference is being held on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' continuing connection to land, water, and community and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. ASHM acknowledges Sovereignty in this country has never been ceded. It always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.