Meet The ADS Council
Stephen Twigg - President
Associate Professor Stephen Twigg graduated in Medicine with first class honours from The University of Sydney in 1988. After undertaking medical specialist RACP training in Endocrinology at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, he then completed a PhD studying growth factors in 1998 at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, RNSH. In 1999, he commenced a NHMRC sponsored Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oregon Health Sciences University, USA, studying the role of growth factors in diabetes complications. At that site he also attended clinics managing children and adolescents who had diabetes. Following his return in 2001, he held a Senior Lecturer position in the Discipline of Medicine, The University of Sydney, being promoted to Associate Professor in 2006, and in 2003 he commenced as a senior staff endocrinologist at the Diabetes Centre and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
Steve’s main research focus is in diabetes complications, in particular the role played by blood glucose and growth factors in the development of diabetes complications, and in regulating these factors to improve clinical outcomes. As a physician scientist with over 80 peer reviewed publications, he has competitive basic and clinical research funding from NHMRC, Diabetes Australia Research Trust, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. He provides leadership to the diabetes community and profession in his functions as Vice-President of the Australian Diabetes Society, and is an honorary Board Member of Diabetes Australia Ltd, and Chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee in Endocrinology of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He also provides service on a NHMRC and a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International grant review panel, and he chaired the Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting Program Organising Committee from 2004-2006. He has delivered invited talks on diabetes in China, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as at the American Diabetes Association and the International Diabetes Federation triennial meeting, in South Africa. Editorial roles include Diabetes Management JournalClinical Endocrinology, and the Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling.
Wah Cheung - Vice President
A/Prof N Wah Cheung is a practising Endocrinologist, who is also involved in basic, clinical and public health research. His main areas of interest are diabetes in pregnancy, the prevention of diabetes, and the management of diabetes and hyperglycaemia in hospital. He is currently the Chairperson of the National Association of Diabetes Centres, and a Director of Diabetes Australia. He works as an Endocrinologist at Westmead and Nepean Hospitals, in Sydney, NSW.
Jenny Gunton - Honorary Secretay and POC Chair
Dr Jenny Gunton is head of the Diabetes and Transcription Factors Group at the Garvan Institute in Sydney, and is an Endocrinologist with a 20% Staff Specialist appointment at Westmead Hospital. The primary research focus of her laboratory is beta-cell function, in Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. She was elected to Council of the Australian Diabetes Society in 2006.
Alicia Jenkins - Honorary Treasurer
After completing her medical degree (University of Melbourne, 1983)
Alicia undertook endocrinology training in Australia and the UK and
Ireland, and an MD related to diabetes complications. After seven years
full time research in the USA she returned to the University of
Melbourne in 2000, where she is now an Associate Professor in the
Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s. Her group’s research interests
relate to the prediction, prevention and underlying mechanisms of the
vascular complications of diabetes. She also does clinical work in the
Diabetes Clinics at St Vincent’s Hospital and the Royal Children’s
Hospital (Melbourne), in the Department of Medicine insulin pump clinic
and the Lipid and Vascular Disease Risk Factor Clinic. Her clinical
practice and research interests include the use of diabetes-related
technologies. She is also actively involved in endeavours to improve
diabetes care in developing countries through Insulin For Life
(www.insulinforlife.org).
Ashim Sinha
Ashim Sinha is the Director of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Cairns Base Hospital and Diabetes Centre, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at James Cook University. Member of the Queensland Health Statewide Steering Committee on Diabetes. He is the Director Of Physician training in Cairns, Member of the Expert Advisory Group of the RACP ATSI Health Committee and Member of the QLD Statewide Diabetes Steering Comm His major clinical and research interests are in Diabetes and Indigenous health. He has previously been on the organising committee of the ADS meeting in Cairns in 2000 and joined the ADS Council in 2006.
Sof Andrikopoulos
Sof is head of the Islet Biology Research Group at the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine (Austin Health) to investigate the genetic susceptibility of islet dysfunction using animal models of diabetes. This research has lead to the hypothesis that increased insulin secretory demand may be a mechanism that contributes to diabetes. This has clinical implications since a common class of drug used to treat patients with Type 2 diabetes causes increased insulin secretion and in fact may be detrimental in the long term. Sof has had grant support from the NH&MRC since 1998, is on the editorial board of Journal of Endocrinology, on the JDRF/Australia Islet Transplantation Program Advisory Committee, has served on NH&MRC Grant Review Panels and regularly reviews manuscripts for leading journals in the field including Diabetes and Diabetologia.
Michael d'Emden
Dr Michael d'Emden graduated from Uni of Tasmania in 1978. He was a resident and registrar at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane before moving to Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1983. He obtained his fellowship in 1985 and completed a PhD at University of Melbourne in 1988. He undertook post-doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, USA for two years before taking up his current position at the Royal Brisbane & Womens Hospital in 1990, where he is now a Senior Staff Endocrinologist. He was appointed the Clinical Chair of the Queensland state-wide clinical network in January 2008.
His major clinical interests are diabetes and lipid metabolism. He is an active clinical trialist. He serves on several national advisory boards has been on the International Management committees of the several studies, including the FIELD and ASPEN studies. He also has a major interest in computers and their use to enhance medical practice. He has been appointed the Medical Director of Extensia Pty Ltd, a leading developer of shared electronic health records and interactive health services directories.
Jennifer Conn
Jennifer Conn was elected to ADS Council on 26 August 2008.
Suzie Neylon
Suzie Neylon is the Executive Officer, Senior Project Officer and Company Secretary for the Australian Diabetes Society. Suzie joined the ADS in 1992 with a background in nursing, travel, advertising, promotions and public relations. She completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours in 2004 and is currently utilising her research skills on ADS projects as well as running the administration of the busy ADS Secretariat.
Past Council Members
View past council members.
