9th Annual Immunisation Forum 2025

Speaker: Dr Archana Koirala

Speaker: Prof Paul Griffin

An Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, Professor Paul Griffin was appointed as the Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Health Services in 2013, and most recently, to his conjoint role as Head of the Mater Clinical Unit for the University of Queensland School of Medicine. Paul is an accomplished clinical trial investigator, having fulfilled the role of Principal Investigator in over 150 clinical trials, particularly in Infectious Diseases including 8 COVID-19 vaccines. Despite an already demanding role at the Mater, Paul continues as a member of the AMA Queensland Council 2023-2024, and as board member and scientific advisory board member of the Immunisation Coalition, with active interest in vaccine education and advocacy, becoming a trusted media authority and spokesperson across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaker: Dr Rod Pearce AM

Dr Rodney Pearce AM is a country and city GP and Medical Officer of Health for the Eastern Health Authority (HA), Adelaide. Dr Pearce became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on Australia Day 2012. He received the award for his long-standing service to medicine as a General Practitioner, through contributions to national medical organisations and to education. 

Speaker: Dr Lisa Beecham

Dr Lisa Beecham spent 5 years working at Royal Children’s Hospital as a Registrar and witnessed the devastating effects of infections that vaccines can protect against. This has led to a lifelong interest in promoting, communicating and using systems to ensure immunisations are given to all who need them. She is Chair of GCPHN ( Gold Coast Primary Health network who first developed the data tool Primary Sense) and the National Clinical Advisory group for Primary Sense ( Data and population tool)  and the RACGP representative on the Qld Immunisation Partnership group.

Speaker: Dr Rama Kandasamy

Dr Kandasamy is a paediatrician and immunisation specialist at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, and holds an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellowship grant. He has a particular interest in severe acute respiratory illness in children and prevention of them through vaccination. He is active in leading vaccine trials and studies of respiratory illness epidemiology among children. As part of his NHMRC Investigator grant he is exploring the host-pathogen genetic factors which are associated with infectious respiratory disease in children.

Speaker: Georgina Lewis

Speaker: Dr Sarah McGuiness

Sarah McGuinness is an infectious diseases clinician and researcher based at Alfred Health and Monash University in Melbourne. Her research focuses on improving ways to prevent infectious diseases in at-risk populations. She has a special interest in travel and tropical medicine and leads the hospital-based travel clinic at the Alfred Hospital. 

She is a co-author of the Manual of Travel Medicine (4th edition) and co-facilitates an annual Travel Medicine Masterclass for Australasian travel health providers. She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Travel Medicine and an active member of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine and International Society of Travel Medicine, serving on various committees and frequently presenting on travel medicine topics.

Speaker: Prof Gulam Khandaker