Board of Directors & Subcommittees
Board
The TSANZ Board consists of highly experienced and knowledgeable leaders in their areas of specialisation.
In consultation with members of the Society, the Board plays a pivotal role in the following key areas:
- determining the strategic directions for the Society
- representing the best interests of the Society
- ensuring compliance to governance best practises
- guiding the Society to accomplish its mission
The Board holds a Board Meeting once every two months at the TSANZ Office in Sydney where key areas, issues and opportunities are discussed and resolved.
Our current TSANZ Board Members are:

Professor Anne Holland PT, BAppSc, PhD
President
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Professor Anne Holland is Professor of Physiotherapy and Head of Respiratory Research at Alfred Health and Monash University, Melbourne. She leads a research program investigating non-drug treatments for respiratory disease, with >340 publications cited more than 19 000 times. Anne has led development of clinical practice guidelines for TSANZ, European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society. In 2021 Anne was awarded the TSANZ Society Medal for advancing the practice of respiratory medicine.
Anne brings respiratory-specific corporate governance expertise as a recent Board Director for both the TSANZ (2015-2019) and the American Thoracic Society (2019-2021). As TSANZ president, Anne would build on increased community awareness of respiratory health during the COVID-19 pandemic to advocate for best respiratory care, enhanced funding for respiratory research, and support for the professional needs of all our members. Anne believes that the diversity of our membership is a TSANZ strength and has a strong commitment to inclusivity.

Professor John Upham MBBS (HONS), PHD
Past President
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John Upham is a clinical scientist and respiratory physician with longstanding research interests in the immunological basis of airway inflammation, and the development of novel approaches to treatment. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, has been cited over 5400 times and has an ‘H index’ of 39. The majority of his publications are in the higher impact journals in the field.
He is a previous recipient of an NHMRC Neil Hamilton Fairley Fellowship, and the Young Investigator Award, Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand (TSANZ). He has been a long term recipient of funding from the NHMRC,inclduing Practitioner Fellowships, Program & Project Grants, a Development Grant and a CRE for Indigenous Lung Health.
After specialist training in Brisbane, John completed a PhD at the University of Western Australia, and spent 2 years in Canada, before moving back to Perth in 1998. In 2007, he moved to Brisbane to take up a position as Professor of Respiratory Medicine. He is based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Translational Research Institute, and is the academic head of the Discipline of Medicine within PA/Southside School of Medicine, University of Queensland, and the Chair of Metro South Research.

Dr James FingletonBM, PhD, FRACP
New Zealand Branch President, Chair of the Registries and Clinical Trials Sub-Committee
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Dr Fingleton also serves as Medical Director of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand and teaches as a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Otago, Wellington.

Associate Professor Cecilia Prele BSc (Hons), PhD
Chair of the Research Subcommittee
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Over the course of her career A/Prof Prêle has held a number of leadership positions including; Staff-elected Board member for the Institute for Respiratory Health, Steering Committee for the Australian Rare Lung Disease Short Course, Leadership Committee for the International Colloquium on Lung and Airway Fibrosis, Executive committee for the UWA-Helmholtz Zentrum Munich-University College London Research Network. She was Deputy Section Editor for Fibrogenesis and Tissue Repair, Guest Editor for Clinical Translational Immunology and for Biomedicines. A/Prof Prele is Deputy Editor for Respirology and Associate Editor for Frontiers Pharmacoloy; Respiratory Pharmacology. She has previously served the TSANZ community as a member of the TSANZ Education and Training Sub-committee and more recently as a member of TSANZ Research Committee.

Professor Vanessa McDonaldDipHlthScien (Nurs), BNurs, PhD, FThorSoc
Chair of the Education and Training Subcommittee
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Vanessa McDonald is a Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Newcastle, Australia and an honorary clinical nurse consultant in the Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at John Hunter Hospital. She is Director of the Centres of Excellence in Treatable Traits, and the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s Asthma and Breathing Programme.
Her research interests are centred around the development of innovative approaches to the management of chronic airway diseases. She is passionate about the development and implementation of personalised medicine strategies that place the person at the centre of health care delivery.
Over >25 years Vanessa has developed expertise in respiratory clinical nursing practice and education, has contributed extensively to respiratory health advocacy and health policy and, has developed as an internationally recognised respiratory researcher. She is committed to committed to improving the health and quality of life of people with lung disease in our region and internationally, and to the mission of lung health.

Dr Tracy LeongMBBS (Hons), FRACP, MPH, PhD, CCPU
Australian Branch Director
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Associate Professor Natasha SmallwoodBMedSci, MBBS, MEpi, PhD, FRACP
Board Secretary
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Professor Ross Vlahos....
Chair of the TSANZSRS Conference Committee
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ASSOCIATE PROFESSORYET H KHORMBBS, FRACP, PhD
Chair of the Clinical Care and Resources Subcommittee
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ProfessorHubertus PA JersmannMBBS, MD, PhD, FRACP, FThorSoc, AMA(M)
Chair of the Professional Standards Subcommitee
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Professor Hubertus Jersmann is a Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Specialist. He was born in Germany and after specialist qualification in Australia he completed a PhD and spent many years in laboratory based immune system research. He now practices at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital.
At the University of Adelaide, he lectures across all six years of the undergraduate course and was instrumental in introducing climate change into the medical curriculum. He lectures on the topic at both, Flinders and Adelaide Universities. As a Respiratory Physician Professor Jersmann has a special interest in the effects of air pollution on respiratory health. Improving air quality and Australian fuel standards is one of his keen objectives as one of the Directors of the Board of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ).

Dr Stuart JonesMBChB, PhD, FRACP
Treasurer
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Dr Jones is a full-time clinical respiratory and sleep physician. He works at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, as Clinical Head of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine and has a particular interest in home ventilation. Over the years he has been highly involved in physician training and was the Director of Physician Education at Middlemore Hospital for eight years. He is currently also Medical Director of the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory Foundation. He has a research background with an interest in airways diseases and is currently involved in local research projects in bronchiectasis and asthma.

Ms. Kerry-Ann PlantMBA(Exec), ACMA, CGMA
Company Secretary
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Kerry-Ann has over 25 years’ experience in accounting and finance and has worked across a diverse range of industries and roles in both the private and not for profit sectors in both the UK, Europe and Australia.
Bringing her passion for process improvement, technology transformation and keen interest in staff development and mentoring, Kerry-Ann is looking forward to leveraging her experience to help deliver sound governance and financial sustainability practices at TSANZ.
A keen traveller, Kerry-Ann started her career in the UK Government, before moving into the private sector, working in Italy and France as an accountant in the hospitality sector before moving to Australia in 2004. In Australia, she has worked in the IT, Hospitality and Mining sectors in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
Kerry-Ann is a Chartered Management Accountant and completed her Executive MBA in 2016. In 2020 she completed the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.
Away from work, Kerry-Ann is passionate about helping others and is training to be a personal development and career coach. In her free time, she volunteers at Greyhound Rescue and has previously volunteered on the planning committee for the Mother’s Day Classic, supporting women and families affected by Breast Cancer.
Subcommittees
The Subcommittees report through their Chairperson to the Board.
The Subcommittee activities are governed by Terms of Reference.
education and training
Chair: | Sukhwinder Sohal |
Members: | Isuru Seneviratne, Subash Srikantha, Maitri Munsif, Sandra Chuang, Lauren Ng, Greg Frazer, Hubertus Jersmann, Robert Carroll, Alan Shaw, Patricia Hullah, Jo Harrison, Vikas Goyal |
Terms of Reference: | Download PDF |
CLINICAL CARE AND RESOURCES
Chair: | Yet Hong Khor |
Members: | Paul Leong, Christopher Lim, Ajay Kevat, Annemarie Lee, Josephine McCabe, Arwel Jones |
Terms of Reference: | Download PDF |
Finance, Risk and Governance
Chair: | John Upham |
Members: | Stuart Jones, Anne Holland, James Fingleton, Natasha Smallwood |
Terms of Reference: | Download PDF |
Professional Standards
Chair: | Hubertus Jersmann |
Members: | Christiaan Yu, Pamela Laird, Nathan Ward, Himanshu Gard, Roland Meyer, Catherine Buchan, Monica Hatch, Vikas Goyal, Christopher Chew |
Terms of Reference: | Download PDF |
Research
Chair: | Cecilia Prele |
Members: | Rebecca Disler, Patricia Agudelo-Romero, Maria Sukkar, Shafagh Waters, Conroy Wong, Kimberley Wang, Narelle Cox, Eugene Roscioli, Edward Fysh, Arwel Jones |
Terms of Reference: | Download PDF |
Registries and Clinical Trials
Chairs: | Gary Anderson (Co-Chair) and James Fingleton (Co-Chair) |
Members: | Kristin Carson-Chahhoud, Peter Gibson, Peter Middleton, Hayley See |
Terms of Reference: | Download PDF |
Enquiries
If you would like to get involved or if you wish to send a message to any of the Board Members or Subcommittees please email your inquiry to TSANZOffice@thoracic.org.au. Or,