Capital Health Network

Members as at 30 June 2021

Ms Julie Blackburn

RM, RN, GAICD

Chair, as elected by the Board November 2020
Primary Health Care Clinician Director, appointed 2019 AGM

Ms Julie Blackburn brings over 25 years combined experience as a Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife, with currency in both roles through employment with the Discipline of Nursing at University of Canberra and at Calvary Public Hospital Bruce. Julie is an experienced non-executive director. She is currently Deputy Chair of Karralika Programs, and spent eight years prior to joining CHN on the Board of Directors with Defence Health and the Defence Health Foundation. Julie has direct experience in reporting to Ministers at both local and federal levels, including as a member of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Women 2014-2018.

Professor Peter Radoll

BIT, MIT, PhD

Deputy Chair, as elected by the Board November 2020
Appointed Board Director, appointed 14/11/19

Professor Peter Radoll is Professor of Information Technology and the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, and Director of the Ngunnawal Centre at the University of Canberra. Peter is a descendant of the Anaiwan People of northern New South Wales. Before taking up his current position, Peter held various roles in the university sector including Inaugural Dean and Director of the Wollotuka Institute at the University of Newcastle where among other duties supported the MBBS, Director of the Tjabal Centre where he worked with the ANU Medical School with the Indigenous students in the MBBS and associate lecturer in Information Systems at the ANU. He is Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre of Economic Policy Research at the ANU and a director on the board of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre and the Smith Family.

Ms Darlene Cox

BA Dip Ed, Grad Dip AppEc, B Ed

Consumer Director, appointed to fill a casual vacancy 22/8/2017, subsequently elected 2017 AGM.

Darlene has been involved in the consumer movement since the late 1990s. She is an eminent advocate for health consumers with an excellent knowledge of the health system, both locally and nationally. Darlene has a strong, practical understanding of community engagement principles. She has been the Executive Director of Health Care Consumers’ Association Incorporated since 2008. She is also a board member of the ACT Council of Social Services and Meridian. She has had a long standing interest in improving the quality and safety of heath care and has longstanding connections with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Australian Medical Council, Australian Commission for the Safety and Quality of Health Care and the NPS.

Dr Mel Deery

MBBS (UNSW)

General Practice Director, elected 2017 AGM.

Along with her husband John, Mel is a GP and practice owner at YourGP. She is passionate about developing YourGP to better fulfil the vision of ‘genuine care, clinical excellence’. She enjoys all areas of general practice with special interests in paediatrics, women’s health, pregnancy care and mental health.

Dr Niral Shah

MBBS, MS(Orthopaedic), MHSM, DCH, FRACGP

General Practice Director, appointed 2019 AGM

Dr Niral Shah is an overseas-trained doctor, obtaining his primary medical degree and specialist qualifications in Orthopedic Surgery from India. After six year of hospital experience in Australia, he joined general practice training in 2012. He completed his GP training in 2016 by working in rural as well urban general practice and extended skills academic position at the ANU.

Niral is working part-time as a GP in a group practice in Gungahlin. He also is a senior medical educator with GP Synergy and has been actively involved in GP registrar training. He is also an ACT representative on the RACGP Faculty Board representing the ACT’s voice, advocating for local issues at the Federal and State level and developing various quality improvement continuing professional development programs.

Professor Mark Cormack

MHM, BAppSc, GAICD

Appointed Board Director January 2021

Professor Mark Cormack was appointed Honorary Professor at the ANU College of Health and Medicine in 2020, following a long career in the Commonwealth, ACT and NSW Government services. His professional background covers early work as an allied health professional and health services manager. Mark has served as a Chief Executive (ACT Health and Health Workforce Australia) and Deputy Secretary (Commonwealth Departments of Health, Veterans’ Affairs and Home Affairs) and has had portfolio responsibilities covering a wide spectrum of public policy. These included national health policy on mental health, health financing, primary health care, public hospitals, health technology assessment, health and medical research, health provider compliance, health analytics and digital health.

Steven Baker

BComm (Acctg), ICAA, MIIA, GAICD

Appointed Board Director March 2021

Steve has served on numerous Boards, Committees, Audit and Finance Committees as a member and/or Chairperson, in addition to participating in many as an observer as either the internal or external audit provider. Steve has over 25 years in professional services delivery in Australia and has worked for Ernst & Young, WalterTurnbull Pty Ltd, PricewaterhouseCoopers and currently for global consulting business Protiviti Pty Ltd. Steve has many years’ experience providing professional consulting services, as well as board and committee experience within the health and education sectors.

Previous members 2019/20