Our People

Naomi Berrell is a Research Assistant at the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre. She graduated with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science First Class Honours from the Frazer Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland. Naomi has extensive experience applying spatial biology approaches across a number of solid malignancies to identify predictive tissue-based signatures for the development of predictive biomarkers. She has presented her findings at national and spatial user group meetings across Australia.

Paula is working as a Research Administration Assistant at Wesley Research Institute. She has a background in the Fast Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG) industry and the Health and Fitness industry. Paula has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) and a Bachelor of Business (Marketing). Paula has played an important role in supporting the Ataxia-Telangiectasia research team.

Prof John Fraser is the Queensland Spatial Biology (QSBC) Clinical Director, Founder and Director of the Critical Care Research Group, Director of the Intensive Care Unit at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of De Motu Cordis Pty Ltd and Immediate Past President of the Asia Pacific ELSO Chapter. John has five professorships across major Australian universities, has published over 580 peer-reviewed publications; and has received more than $41 million in competitive grants. In 2018, John was awarded the Australian Society of Medical Research Clinical Research Award.

Sarah is a Registered Nurse who works as a Clinical Trials Coordinator at Wesley Research Institute and on the Paediatric and Adolescent Ward at The Wesley Hospital. Sarah also volunteers as a peer support worker for bereaved parents at Children’s Health Queensland. She has a Bachelor of Nursing from ACU. Sarah then completed a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing (Child and Adolescent Health) and was awarded The Australian College of Children & Young People’s Nurses Award. Her current research interests include paediatrics, rare diseases, dermatology, food allergies, and immunology.

Venita is a registered nurse who works as a Clinical Trials Coordinator at the Wesley Research Institute. She has a Bachelor or Nursing from QUT. She has worked in clinical trials over the last 10 years in various therapeutic areas including rare diseases, immunology and coeliac disease. She enjoys being part of a team that endeavours to promote a positive experience to study participants engaged in clinical trials.

Bronwen Field is a registered nurse with 20 years’ experience, working in both rural and metropolitan hospitals across 4 different states. She has been working as a clinical trial coordinator since 2019, primarily in cardiac and respiratory trials. Bronwen currently focuses on pulmonary artery hypertension trials and is passionate about bringing better treatment options to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for our patients. 

Dr John Feenstra is a Thoracic and Pulmonary Hypertension Physician.  He is the Director of the Wesley Pulmonary Hypertension Unit and the lead physician for pulmonary hypertension in the Queensland Lung Transplant Service at the Prince Charles Hospital.  He is the current president of the Pulmonary Hypertension Society of Australia and New Zealand.  Dr Feenstra holds the titles of Senior Lecturer with the University of Queensland and Honorary Fellow of the Wesley Research Institute.  Dr Feenstra is actively involved in research, teaching and clinical trials in pulmonary hypertension. He is the Clinical Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Research Program at the Wesley Research Institute.

Chris is of a nursing background and has a number of years’ experience across an array of clinical areas within The Wesley Hospital, including Neuroscience, acute stroke and surgical Urology. He has joined Wesley Research Institute as a Clinical Research Assistant and is currently focusing on several clinical trials pertaining to Coeliac Disease.

Shayma is a Research Fellow in the Health Services Research Team at Wesley Research Institute. Shayma has a research background in health economics and implementation science. Having recently completed her PhD, Shayma’s doctoral research explored how digital health systems could help mitigate patient non-attendance at scheduled outpatient healthcare appointments.

Shayma brings a diverse skill set to her role, including project management, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and the preparation of ethics and governance applications for health services research. Her work is driven by a passion for contributing to research that fosters effective, efficient, and equitable healthcare. In addition to her research background, Shayma has extensive experience in graphic design. She is passionate about helping translate complex research findings into accessible graphics, making important information easily understandable for a wider audience.

Dr Aaron Kilgallon is a Data Scientist at the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC) at the Wesley Research Institute. Aaron has research backgrounds in particle physics and in the application of data science techniques in biophysics and neuroscience. His doctoral research at the University of Oregon was on the application of machine learning techniques to search for undiscovered and novel signatures of dark matter produced at the Large Hadron Collider. He then gained further research experience as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute, where he worked on applying machine learning and data science techniques to understand the motion of GABA neuroreceptors near neuronal synapses when affected by epilepsy-associated mutations.

Aaron brings many technical skills to his role at the QSBC, including machine learning, the development of image analysis algorithms, mathematical modelling, and data science. He is passionate about research in data-driven techniques to revolutionise medicine and improve treatment outcomes for patients, particularly those with degenerative diseases, and believes that next-generation medicine will rely on these methods to address the complexity of modern healthcare.

Dr Aaron Kilgallon is supported by the Harding Family Fellowship, and we are grateful to the Harding family for their generosity.

Caitlin is a Senior Research Assistant within the Health Services Research team at Wesley Research Institute. She has a breadth of experience,  having spent 16 years working in various roles within hospitals and health care, including implementing and running of COVID-19 drive-through swabbing clinics, hotel quarantine, vaccination clinics,  as well as staff recruitment and training. Caitlin began transitioning into research when she joined as the Research Governance Officer for the Queensland Ambulance Service. Caitlin is currently undertaking her Bachelor in Paramedic Science/Health Science at the University of Sunshine Coast. Her research interests span mental health, particularly focusing on first responders, as well as child and adolescent mental health, pre-hospital care and preventative healthcare. 

Brinda is a Clinical Trials Start Up Assistant at the Wesley Research Institute who holds a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science and Public Health), and a Master of Pharmaceutical Industry Practice from the University of Queensland. In her current role, she provides support in all operational aspects of clinical trial start-up activity while ensuring regulatory compliance. Passionate about driving medical innovation, she leverages her scientific expertise and industry knowledge to facilitate efficient study initiation and compliant trial processes. 

Jessica is an experienced Clinical Trial Coordinator and Registered Nurse with over 16 years of nursing and 8 years of clinical trials experience specialising in Oncology, Haematology and Stem Cell Transplant and Immunology/Immunotherapy.  She has experience working in Brisbane, Melbourne, and the UK, in both the public and private health sectors.  She has a Bachelor of Nursing from the Queensland University of Technology.  She is passionate about providing compassionate patient centred care and contributing toward enhanced treatment options and symptom management for patients.  Her current focus is on early phase trials for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and Coeliac disease.    

Merin is a dedicated Clinical Research Coordinator with over 13 years of experience as a Registered Nurse across hospitals in New Zealand and Australia. She earned her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Auckland and has since worked in multiple clinical research organisations, contributing to trials across various therapeutic areas. Now part of the Coeliac Research program, Merin is passionate about bridging cutting-edge research with compassionate patient care, ensuring patients receive the best possible support and guidance.

Haofan has joined the Biobank team and Clinical Trials Centre, where she works with biological samples to support clinical trials, ensuring their proper handling and collection, and assisting in incorporating samples into trial protocols to advance research. She holds a Master of Pharmaceutical Industry Practice from the University of Queensland and has been working in clinical trials since 2021, specialising in optimising patient care and research outcomes. As a Clinical Research Assistant at Wesley Research Institute, she plays a pivotal role in supporting clinical trials and laboratory operations, ensuring precision and quality at every stage. 

Kelly commenced her PhD at Charles Darwin University within the Health Services Research Team at Wesley Research Institute in 2025, combining her biomedical and health services research experience to examine factors which lead hard-to-heal or chronic wounds. Her proposed research aims to investigate the pathophysiology and microbiology of delayed wound healing, the disparate health outcomes for people with chronic wounds living in rural and remote areas, and explore opportunities to make effective changes to chronic wound care, thereby improving treatment, outcomes and quality of life for those affected.

Kelly McGrath is a health services and biomedical researcher with a background in tertiary education and over 25 years of experience in the health sector. In 2021, Kelly was appointed to implement and evaluate a new model of mental health care in the rural and remote Isaac region of Central Queensland and has contributed to Wesley Research Institute’s Virtual Hospital and Healthcare Research Program. Currently focusing on health services and implementation research, Kelly’s previous research focused on discovery biology. Her research has directly impacted private virtual hospital design, access to mental health services, mental health service operations, and development of new knowledge regarding the etiology of Parkinson’s Disease and several types of cancer.

The Catalano Family Foundation supports Kelly McGrath’s Ph.D. scholarship, and we are grateful to the Catalano family for their generosity.