Organising Committee
The Conference Organising Committee is chaired by Dr Darren Russell. Membership includes a range of people from Queensland Health, the community, Queensland Association of Healthy Communities, and the University of Queensland School Of Medicine. The Committee works in consultation with 2 Spirits.
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Dr Darren Russell, Organising Committee Chairperson
Darren Russell is the Director of Sexual Health at the Cairns Sexual Health Service and also holds academic appointments at James Cook University and the University of Melbourne. He has worked with trans clients for over 20 years and has written text book chapters on the topic of transgender medicine. He is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Professional Association for Transgender Health (ANZPATH) and is interested in models of care for working with trans clients and in the hormonal treatment of those who require it. His opinion on transgender health issues is regularly sought from other clinicians around Australia. He has lived in Cairns for the last 6 years after relocating from Melbourne.
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Susan Davies
Susan Davies is a Psychologist at the Cairns Sexual Health Service and has worked there for the past 8 years. She began her studies when JCU first opened their campus in Cairns and later moved to Brisbane to complete her Bachelor of Arts, Honors Psychology at the University of Queensland. Whilst studying she did volunteer work with the Queensland AIDS Council, and after gaining her qualifications has worked in Corrective Services, Child Safety and Disability Services.
Her work at Sexual Health has allowed her to grow and develop as a clinician, and has ignited a special interest in Transgender Health. She adopts a non-judgemental, empathic attitude and her philosophy is to act as a catalyst to help her clients reach their full potential and live meaningful lives in whatever form that may take.
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Her work at Sexual Health has allowed her to grow and develop as a clinician, and has ignited a special interest in Transgender Health. She adopts a non-judgemental, empathic attitude and her philosophy is to act as a catalyst to help her clients reach their full potential and live meaningful lives in whatever form that may take.
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Evie Ryder
Evie (previously Amanda Dean), has been working with the LGBT community for the last 6 years, after completing her Bachelor of Social Work at JCU Cairns in 2007.
During her Social Work degree, Evie completed a student placement at Open Doors - an LGBT youth organisation. Amanda now works for Healthy Communities as a Health Promotion Officer and has worked with communities in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane and Toowoomba.
Evie gives presentations on transgender issues and trans-phobia at conferences at both statewide and nationally, including Health in Differences 2010 and the Queensland Clinician's Meeting 2011.
Having lived as a trans woman for the past 10 years, Evie underwent Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) last year in Thailand. A founding member of the Lesbian Health Action Group, Evie is also a current member of Many Genders One Voice; a trans and gender diverse action group promoting healthy communities. She also enjoys holding skateboarding classes for LGBT people.
Evie has exhibited pro-trans photography in collaboration with Transforming Pixels, which has received national and international exposure. Currently, Evie's short film about her SRS experience is being screened at the Brisbane and Melbourne Queer Film Festivals.
Evie is very passionate about trans healthcare and improving acceptance within the community.
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During her Social Work degree, Evie completed a student placement at Open Doors - an LGBT youth organisation. Amanda now works for Healthy Communities as a Health Promotion Officer and has worked with communities in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane and Toowoomba.
Evie gives presentations on transgender issues and trans-phobia at conferences at both statewide and nationally, including Health in Differences 2010 and the Queensland Clinician's Meeting 2011.
Having lived as a trans woman for the past 10 years, Evie underwent Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) last year in Thailand. A founding member of the Lesbian Health Action Group, Evie is also a current member of Many Genders One Voice; a trans and gender diverse action group promoting healthy communities. She also enjoys holding skateboarding classes for LGBT people.
Evie has exhibited pro-trans photography in collaboration with Transforming Pixels, which has received national and international exposure. Currently, Evie's short film about her SRS experience is being screened at the Brisbane and Melbourne Queer Film Festivals.
Evie is very passionate about trans healthcare and improving acceptance within the community.
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Bernard Gardiner
Bernard Gardiner is Clinical Liaison Co-ordinator with Healthy Communities, is completing a Masters in Health Promotion, and has recently undertaken international consultancy work in Africa and Papua New Guinea. For seven years he was Manager of the Global HIV Programme of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies based in Geneva, which built on five years of Red Cross work in East and South East Asia. In Geneva he managed the UNAIDS Collaborating Centre Against HIV Related Stigma, and supervised the Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV Project.
Bernard was a member of the International Organising Committee of LIVING 2008, the PLHIV conference that preceded the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, and he was a member of the Rapporteur team of the Vienna 2010 International AIDS Conference. After years of volunteering in the late 80/90's he was General Manager of the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men's Health Centre for three years.
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Bernard was a member of the International Organising Committee of LIVING 2008, the PLHIV conference that preceded the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, and he was a member of the Rapporteur team of the Vienna 2010 International AIDS Conference. After years of volunteering in the late 80/90's he was General Manager of the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men's Health Centre for three years.
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Carla Gorton
Carla commenced working in the sexual health field in 1998 at Livingstone Road Sexual Health service in Sydney's Inner West. However her interest in health and sexuality issues commenced in the late 1980's through her involvement with feminist and LGBT community campaigns. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and completed a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in Sociology and Women's Studies in 1990 and a certificate course in HIV/AIDS Community Education in 1992. From 2000 to 2006 she worked for the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine and completed a Masters in Public Health at the University of Sydney.
Carla returned home to Far North Queensland in late 2006 and since early 2007 has worked for Cairns Sexual Health Service in a senior public health officer role of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Coordinator for the 3 Far Northern health service districts - Cairns and Hinterland, Cape York and the Torres Strait.
Throughout this time Carla has continued her commitment to community development and activism and is likely to be found at local events supporting women's, LGBT, anti-racism and other human rights campaigns. Carla has also worked with prisoner and refugee advocacy groups and is interested in the rights of gay, lesbian and trans* people in detention or custodial settings.
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Carla returned home to Far North Queensland in late 2006 and since early 2007 has worked for Cairns Sexual Health Service in a senior public health officer role of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Coordinator for the 3 Far Northern health service districts - Cairns and Hinterland, Cape York and the Torres Strait.
Throughout this time Carla has continued her commitment to community development and activism and is likely to be found at local events supporting women's, LGBT, anti-racism and other human rights campaigns. Carla has also worked with prisoner and refugee advocacy groups and is interested in the rights of gay, lesbian and trans* people in detention or custodial settings.
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Nyah Harwood
Nyah Harwood currently lives in Cairns and studies externally as an undergraduate student in Writing and Cultural Studies at Southern Cross University. She is also a co-researcher in the "Trans voices" project, at James Cook University, which deals with trans experiences of transition and aims to re instate a voice for trans people. She is active in the transgender community. Her interests are strongly focused on gender theory, queer theory, trans feminism, as well as anti-oppression, sex work, and trans politics. Her current research focuses on cisnormativity and the erasure of trans bodies.
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Rhondda Lewis
Rhondda Lewis is a health promotion officer for Viral Hepatitis at Cairns Sexual Health Service. Her voluntary work includes: member of the Hepatitis Queensland Board of Directors, a member of Cairns Tropical Pride Inc, and supporting Cairns LGBT Alliance and Bras For Uganda.
Ricki Menzies
Ricki has been working in the health and community sector for the past 5 years after completing her Bachelor in Social Science as a mature age distance education student. But her passion for sexual health and the health of the LGBT community was first ignited almost 10 years ago when she came out at the ripe age of 40.
Prior to becoming the Training and Development Coordinator at Healthy Communities (QAHC) Ricki worked as a trainer for QuIHN delivering education on sexual health, BBV and drugs, a sexuality educator for FPQ and as a student health promotion officer at Gympie Women’s Health. In her current role Ricki designs and delivers professional development on LGBT health issues and working with LGBT clients to health and community workers in QLD.
Ricki has previously been a board director of QAHC and a director on the QuIHN Board and a member of the organising working party for Health In Difference 6 and Health In Difference 7 conferences.
For the last 3 years she has been a member of the unfunded and volunteer QAHC Lesbian Health Action Group (LHAG) who provide health promotion about lesbian health in QLD.
Ricki was awarded the QLD LGBT Volunteer of the year at the 2010 Pride Festival Queen’s Birthday Community Awards and was a nominee for the 2011 Lesbian Logies at the recent Lesbians in the House event at the Opera House in Sydney.
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Prior to becoming the Training and Development Coordinator at Healthy Communities (QAHC) Ricki worked as a trainer for QuIHN delivering education on sexual health, BBV and drugs, a sexuality educator for FPQ and as a student health promotion officer at Gympie Women’s Health. In her current role Ricki designs and delivers professional development on LGBT health issues and working with LGBT clients to health and community workers in QLD.
Ricki has previously been a board director of QAHC and a director on the QuIHN Board and a member of the organising working party for Health In Difference 6 and Health In Difference 7 conferences.
For the last 3 years she has been a member of the unfunded and volunteer QAHC Lesbian Health Action Group (LHAG) who provide health promotion about lesbian health in QLD.
Ricki was awarded the QLD LGBT Volunteer of the year at the 2010 Pride Festival Queen’s Birthday Community Awards and was a nominee for the 2011 Lesbian Logies at the recent Lesbians in the House event at the Opera House in Sydney.
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Debbie Penney
I am a clinical nurse at Cairns Sexual Health Service. I have a keen
interest in the transgender community and I am looking forward to increasing my
knowledge and skills to provide best practice care for transgender clients at
the sexual health service.
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Brad Reuter
Brad Reuter has worked for the School of Medicine, The University of Queensland since 2002, originally contracted as the webmaster for HIV & HCV Education Projects, he now works full-time expanding his role to include course management for HIV & HCV Education Projects. His main focus is on conferences & clinical meetings for Queensland heath care professionals in the areas of child health & safety, indigenous health, maternity, sexual health HIV/AIDS & viral hepatitis.
Brad has run the Secretariat for the Sexual Health Society of Queensland for the last two years, managing clinical meetings and general administration for the Society. He has had a long history with the Non-Government Organisations and community support services in Brisbane going back to the 1990s.
The key to running a great event is in the detail; the ability to pre-empt the needs of your participants and exceed their expectations, and this is a skill that Brad executes exceptionally well.
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Brad has run the Secretariat for the Sexual Health Society of Queensland for the last two years, managing clinical meetings and general administration for the Society. He has had a long history with the Non-Government Organisations and community support services in Brisbane going back to the 1990s.
The key to running a great event is in the detail; the ability to pre-empt the needs of your participants and exceed their expectations, and this is a skill that Brad executes exceptionally well.
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Lyn Roubos
Lyn works as a Cairns - based psychologist. She currently divides her work commitments between Cairns Sexual Health Service and a small but busy private practice. Lyn brings considerable experience in working with people from marginalised groups and holds a long standing interest in the health and well-being of the LGBT community. In addition, she maintains an interest in the benefits of mindfulness related practices, both personally and in her therapeutic work.
Prior to her current role in health, Lyn has worked in the University sector for the past 18 years (JCU, Griffith and Monash), predominantly as a psychologist, but also serving in equity, research and teaching roles. Lyn holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, an Arts degree (History, Politics), and a Diploma in Welfare Studies.
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Prior to her current role in health, Lyn has worked in the University sector for the past 18 years (JCU, Griffith and Monash), predominantly as a psychologist, but also serving in equity, research and teaching roles. Lyn holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, an Arts degree (History, Politics), and a Diploma in Welfare Studies.
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Kevin Scott
My name is Kevin Scott and I am a Health Promotion Officer for Healthy Communities in North Queensland. Based in the Cairns office I also coordinate the Lesbian ,Gay, Bisexual and Transgender resource centre. We see over 1000 people through the office and centre each year. Cairns has always had a large LGBT community and they are very engaged in the community.
I am actively involved in the LGBT community with my work and also out of work being the President of the Cairns Tropical Pride Festival. l am also presently conducting the Cairns Out loud Gay and Lesbian Choir. I am a strong believer in strong communities supporting the health and wellbeing of its participants and am always fighting for our rights.
Being on the committee I hope to offer the Resource Centre and our volunteers to assist in the planning, preparation, and running of the conference and as President of Pride pledge the support of the Pride Committee to enable the transgender conference participants to enjoy what the Cairns Tropical Pride Festival has to offer them while they are in Cairns.
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I am actively involved in the LGBT community with my work and also out of work being the President of the Cairns Tropical Pride Festival. l am also presently conducting the Cairns Out loud Gay and Lesbian Choir. I am a strong believer in strong communities supporting the health and wellbeing of its participants and am always fighting for our rights.
Being on the committee I hope to offer the Resource Centre and our volunteers to assist in the planning, preparation, and running of the conference and as President of Pride pledge the support of the Pride Committee to enable the transgender conference participants to enjoy what the Cairns Tropical Pride Festival has to offer them while they are in Cairns.
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Melissa Vick
I am an Associate Professor in the School of Education at James Cook University. My current research interests are in gender transition and in theories and practices of gender more broadly; however, I have published extensively in history, sociology, policy and philosophy of education. In addition, I have been active in road safety, in particular Indigenous road safety, as a researcher and member of a number of government and other committees.
I also happen to be a trans* woman. I began transition in my early 60s, in the institution where I had worked for 25 years and have a high institutional profile. I regard myself as a trans* activist, bringing my extensive research knowledge, and skills and my experience in government and other public work to bear on the issues that affect us as trans* people.
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I also happen to be a trans* woman. I began transition in my early 60s, in the institution where I had worked for 25 years and have a high institutional profile. I regard myself as a trans* activist, bringing my extensive research knowledge, and skills and my experience in government and other public work to bear on the issues that affect us as trans* people.
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David Wells
Dave Wells has worked extensively in the areas of health and well-being with the LGBT community over the past 18 years and currently performs the role of group work and counselling coordinator for Healthy Communities as well as lecturing at TAFE in community health with a focus on drugs and alcohol and sexual health .
Dave holds a Bachelor of social Science degree in Human Services and a Masters in Sexology (Sexual Therapy) with a major in intersex and gender-diversity. His professional passions include; sexual and gender diversity, relationships, self esteem, sexual dysfunction and Human Rights. Dave is currently in the early stages of forming his own practice: Holistic Sexual Therapy.
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Dave holds a Bachelor of social Science degree in Human Services and a Masters in Sexology (Sexual Therapy) with a major in intersex and gender-diversity. His professional passions include; sexual and gender diversity, relationships, self esteem, sexual dysfunction and Human Rights. Dave is currently in the early stages of forming his own practice: Holistic Sexual Therapy.
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Samantha White
Sam White is a project officer with the HIV & HCV Education Projects, School of Medicine, The University of QLD. For the past eleven years she has been involved in the design, delivery, facilitation and evaluation of education courses in HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health across QLD and Australia. Other areas of expertise include technical writing of course curriculums, designing training packages, monitoring and evaluation and evidence based research.
