Our People

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 submitted her PhD thesis for examination, 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.