Board of Directors

President – ​​A/Prof Mark Bloch (NSW)

Mark has been working in the field of HIV medicine since 1983; he was a doctor at Sydney Hospital and Albion St AIDS clinic prior to being a director at Holdsworth House. He has completed his Masters in Medicine, HIV and Sexual Health from University of Sydney, and he is a past President of the Sexual Health Society of NSW. 

Mark is the director of Clinical Research at Holdsworth House and actively involved in clinical research in HIV and STIs, co-joint Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of NSW, and a member of medical advisory boards.

Vice President – ​Dr Nicholas Medland (VIC)

Nicholas is a Sexual Health Physician at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital.  He has 20 years of clinical experience in HIV medicine and HIV program delivery, oversight and management, including international aid programs in Vietnam as Care and Treatment Program Chief US CDC Vietnam. 

In research, he has been the Assistant Director for clinical research at HIVNAT and is currently a NHMRC research fellow at the Kirby Institute, University of NSW.

Nicholas sits on the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Sub-Committee of the ASHM Board.

​Vice President – ​Clinical A/Prof Louise Owen (TAS)

Louise is a Sexual Health Physician who has been working in the area of sexual health for many years.  She is currently the Director of the Statewide Sexual Health Service in Tasmania.  Louise is raising the profile of Sexual Health in Tasmania, managing the service, running clinics and educating clinicians and encouraging GPs to be involved in HIV shared care.

Louise lectures to Tertiary, Post Graduate and Undergraduate students around HIV, Hepatitis, sexual health and related topics.  Louise is a member of MACBBVS on HIV and Viral Hepatitis and is on a number of steering committees covering matters such as transgender health, Syphilis and STIs, and HIV.

Conj. A/Prof Michael Burke (NSW)

Michael has worked in partnership with patients and communities responding to the many challenges related to HIV in east Africa, east Sydney and more recently western Sydney. 

He works primarily in general practice and also part-time in a hospital sexual health and HIV Clinic in Penrith. He is a senior member of the RACGP Specific Interest Group in Sexual Health Medicine. He has recently been appointed as Conjoint Associate Professor (Western Sydney University).

Dr Elizabeth Crock (VIC)

Liz has worked in HIV nursing since 1990.  She is an HIV Clinical Nurse Consultant and Nurse Practitioner at Bolton Clarke (formerly RDNS) in Melbourne and Honorary Fellow of the Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science at the University of Melbourne.

She has a PhD in Nursing ethics and HIV and Master of Public Health. She is the editor of the Nursing and Midwifery chapter of HIV Management in Australasia: A Guide for Clinical Care and a member of the Nursing, International and HIV ASHM board sub-committees. She is current Vice President of ANZANAC, an HIV Nursing ANMF Special Interest Group in Victoria.

Dr Sam Elliott (SA)

Sam is a principal GP with 28 years of rural and urban General Practice experience incorporating 19 years of HIV and Viral Hepatitis management.

He is a GP training supervisor and is actively involved in providing educational sessions to General Practitioners and various other professional groups.

He has been involved in the Monash HealthMap Study and PrEPX SA study.

A/Prof Bradley Forssman (NSW)

Bradley is a Public Health Physician, a GP and a Director of Public Health at Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.  He has skills and knowledge in population health and clinical aspects of HIV/STIs, adult education, population health policy and research. 

He is a Chair of the STIPU GP & Sexual Health Working Group and sits on NSW Health’s HIV & STI Strategies Implementation Committee and Blood-borne Advisory Panel and the Clinical Council of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network.

​Dr Joan Ingram (NZ)

Joan is an Infectious Diseases Physician working at Auckland City Hospital, responsible for care of all HIV positive patients in the northern region of New Zealand.  She has been involved in the care of HIV patients since 1987.

She is a clinician primarily but has been involved in clinical studies.  Joan attended the University of Auckland and completed her Physician training in Auckland, Duke University in North Carolina and then as an HIV Fellow at the University of Maryland. ​

Dr David Iser (VIC)

Dr David Iser is a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist in Melbourne, affiliated with the Department of Gastroenterology at St. Vincent’s Hospital and the Infectious Diseases Unit at The Alfred Hospital

David has a broad experience treating people living with viral hepatitis in a variety of settings, including those living with advanced cirrhosis, HIV-viral hepatitis co-infection, Rural Australia, Clinical Trials, Opiate Substitution Services and as part of the Statewide Hepatitis Program across Victorian Prisons.

David works closely with colleagues to help improve access to care and simplify treatment pathways for people living with viral hepatitis.

Penny Kenchington (QLD)

Penny has been working in the Sexual Health, HIV and Hepatitis health sector as a specialist nurse since 1995 and is currently the Nurse Practitioner at the Townsville Sexual Health Service. She has extensive knowledge and skills in sexual health, women’s health, reproductive health, genital dermatology and forensic nursing

Penny sits on ASHM’s nurses subcommittee and ASHM’s (QLD) Expert Reference Committee for the HIV, Viral Hepatitis, Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Workforce Development Program and the QLD Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (OCNMO) Nurse Practitioner Reference Group.

Penny has experience in all aspects of HIV case management and is the QPrEPd site coordinator for Townsville.  In addition, Penny is an HCV prescriber and supports the sexual health program in this large Aboriginal Community which includes monitoring and managing patients with chronic Hepatitis B.   

Penny sits on the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Sub-Committee of the ASHM Board.

Dr James McMahon (VIC)

Dr McMahon is an Infectious Diseases clinician researcher, Head of Clinical Research at the Alfred Hospital and ID physician at Monash Medical Centre. He completed his PhD from Monash University on HIV treatment outcomes and an ID fellowship and Masters of Public Health at Tufts in Boston.

Dr McMahon Chairs the ASHM Antiretroviral Guidelines Committee providing guidance for Australian HIV providers. Dr McMahon is currently an NHMRC Early Career Fellow with research interests in the fields of HIV Cure and ART, has over 35 publications and been principal investigator for over 20 clinical trials of ART and cure-focused interventions.

​A/Prof Gail Matthews (NSW)

Gail is an ID physician with a strong background in HIV and hepatitis.  She has extensive clinical and research experience in both areas and holds an academic appointment in the Viral Hepatitis program at Kirby Institute as well as a Consultant post in HIV and Infectious Diseases at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. 

She has been involved in many prior ASHM led initiatives and teaching programs including HCV S100 programs, B positive and ASHM Conferences.

​Dr Belinda Wozencroft (WA)

Dr Belinda Wozencroft is a General Practitioner with a special interest in women’s health, sexual health and HIV medicine. Originally trained as a Registered Nurse and worked in remote Aboriginal communities, before studying Medicine at UWA. Belinda has completed further post-graduate studies, which include Diploma of Obstetrics, Graduate Certificate in Women’s Health and Diploma of Child Health. Belinda is registered as an S-100 prescriber for antiretroviral medications. She considers herself as a medium case-load GP in terms of PLWHIV. Belinda is the Principal at View Street Medical in North Perth. She undertakes additional relief work in remote Aboriginal communities, with a focus on women's health.