SPEAKERS

Dr Betsou is the Chief Scientific Officer at IBBL (Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg), where she has directed the activity of the Biorefinery and Biospecimen Research laboratory since 2010. She is a molecular biologist with 25 years of experience in molecular diagnostics, disease-oriented biobanking and biospecimen research, and 18 years of experience in ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 application to biobanks.

Dr. Betsou holds 3 patents and is the author of more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, including many fundamental and experimental works on biospecimen research. After her PhD, Dr Betsou worked in the diagnostics industry on the development of molecular and immunological diagnostic tests in microbiology. She then became Head Laboratory Manager at a European biobank where she led the work bringing the biobank to ISO certification for all biobanking activities, including Quality Control and methods validation.

She is an active member of ISBER (International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories), acting as the chair of the ISBER Biospecimen Science Working Group and of the Proficiency Testing Advisory Group.

She is also Luxembourg national delegate in ISO REMCO and ISO TC276, and teaches biospecimen science and quality control in several biobanking training courses in Europe.

Peter Watson is Professor of Pathology at University of British Columbia and Staff Pathologist and Senior Scientist at the BC Cancer Victoria, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology University of Victoria. He is the Director of Biobanking and Biospecimen Research Services (BBRS) which is a research infrastructure group that encompasses an active biobank (Tumour Tissue Repository) and a biobanking support unit (Office of Biobank Education and Research).

He also leads the Canadian Tissue Repository Network (CTRNet) that maintains and operates biobank quality platforms including the CTRNet biobank certification program that is accessible nationally and internationally with over 250 biobanks enrolled. This program has also been adapted by stakeholders in other regions to support biobank quality including implementation as part of the NSW Health Statewide Biobanking Framework. He is also deputy editor for the international journal Biopreservation and Biobanking.

Over the past 30 years he has maintained an active clinical pathology practice and a research laboratory program focused on the molecular pathology and biomarkers of progression and response to treatment in breast cancer. He is author of over 190 research publications including 46 articles on biobank classification, standards, sustainability, and utilization.

Lynn Woodward is a senior lecturer in the College of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University.  She teaches ethics into the medical degree and runs an Introductory Bioethics course.  Lynn has a laboratory based background, with a Master’s degree in Applied Immunology and completed her PhD in a project developing a genetically modified subunit vaccine for botulism.  More recently she has been interested in the field of Bioethics and completed a Masters of Bioethics at Monash University. She was awarded the Monash WHO Bioethics Fellowship which allowed her to undertake work in the Ethics in Health Unit of the World Health Organization in Geneva.

Lynn’s work at JCU includes a role with the Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine (AITHM), where she developed the AITHM Biobank. Her recent research interests includes various ethical issues around patient care and, in the field of biobanking, the involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in biobanks.  She currently sits on the JCU and Townsville Hospital Human Research Ethics Committees.

Gillian is the Deputy Sector Manager for Legal and Clinical services at NATA. The role involves liaising with stakeholders including government regulators and accredited facilities on issues related to compliance and Quality Management Systems. Prior to joining NATA Gillian had over 30 years experience in research and pathology and experienced significant changes in the regulatory and accreditation environments as well as been part of the introduction of automation in testing and the development of Laboratory Information Systems.  ISO 20387 Biotechnology  - Biobanking  - General requirements for biobanking was published in 2018. This document recognises the  importance of biobanks around the world for research and the exchange of knowledge. NATA is seeking to offer accreditation for biobanks with the objective of promoting confidence and cooperation between researchers and other parties.

Dr Sonu Bhaskar is an award-winning clinician-scientist, academic neurologist and healthcare executive with a specialisation in vascular neurology and neuroradiology and a researcher with a strong focus on neurovascular imaging, (neuro)-epidemiology and health-systems. Dr Bhaskar is the Founding Director and Chair of Governance Board of NSW Brain Clot Bank – a flagship world’s first initiative established with the funding from the NSW Ministry of Health in partnership with NSW Health Pathology, local health districts (LHDs), comprehensive stroke centres, NSW State-wide Biobank and medical research institutes in NSW. Dr Bhaskar leads the Neurovascular Imaging Laboratory and holds conjoint affiliations at the Department of Neurology & Neurophysiology, Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney.

Prior to moving to South Western Sydney, Dr Bhaskar has worked at world's leading university hospitals and research institutes in Australia, Europe and Asia. He has successfully led many novel initiatives with broader policy implications. Dr Bhaskar has attracted substantial funding through competitive fellowships and project grants. He has been the recipient of prestigious national and international awards including EU Marie Curie fellowship, Spanish Ministry of Health fellowship, Dutch Ministry Top Talent Award in Biomedical Sciences and Medical Innovation and Prof AR Rao Young Scientist Award. Dr Bhaskar is a member of distinguished societies including the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), American Neurological Association (ANA) and International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (ISCBFM). Dr Bhaskar's work has been published in several prestigious journals including Nature Scientific Reports, Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, BMC Neurology, Clinical Science and Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. Dr Bhaskar founded Neurology Talkies – a novel program dedicated to improving awareness of neurological diseases through community engagement. In 2019, Dr Bhaskar was selected to deliver two Neurology Talkies talks at Liverpool and Carnes Hill Library, for Inspiring Australia’s Talking Science Series, as part of Sydney Science Festival in National Science Week. Dr Bhaskar is passionate about compassionate & inclusive healthcare leadership, humane and ethical innovation and patient-centered care.

Dr. Georget Reaiche-Miller received her B.S with honours in Microbiology and Immunology from The University of Adelaide in 2003. In 2008 she completed her Ph.D. in Virology at the same university, joining the Hepatitis Research Group as a postdoctoral researcher from 2008 to 2014. Her work resulted in the publication of 2 book chapter, 5 articles in peer review journals with 2 more currently in preparation. In March 2014, Dr. Reaiche-Miller was appointed as the full-time manager of The University of Adelaide Biobank. The Biobank is a PC2 biorepository purpose built to securely house valuable research material, ranging from basic science to clinical research, that would normally be stored in ultra-cold (-80 degrees) freezers throughout the university. It houses archival material, back-up material and material for long-term studies. As well as managing The University of Adelaide Biobank, Georget has developed and introduced a Freezer Management Policy to safely manage local cold storage facilities and further protect research material, including ultra-cold freezers and cryo-storage facilities. Georget oversees the implementation of this university policy as well as the management of local cold storage facilities.

Dr Lee is a medical oncologist at the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, research fellow at Melanoma Institute Australia and clinical lead at the Precision Cancer Therapy Laboratory at Macquarie University, led by Professor Helen Rizos. Her research is predominantly translational, with a special interest in circulating biomarkers and immunotherapy response. 

Helen has been involved in biobanking since 2000 in her role as curator of the Cancer Society Tissue Bank at the University of Otago Christchurch, New Zealand and has a background in cancer research and diagnostic pathology. This role has required the development of all aspects of biobanking including cultural consultation for the collection, processing, storage and use of human tissue for future unspecified research, at a time when there were no roadmaps.

Her special interest is ethics, legislation & social issues (ELSI), arising from the desire for practical regulatory oversight that meets the needs of all stakeholders and particularly those of New Zealand’s indigenous people.

Helen currently serves on the International Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Vice Chair of the Science Policy advisory committee, member of the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (Health) and editorial board of the journal Biopreservation and Biobanking.  She still remains research active with an interest in colorectal, breast and brain tumours.

Anna deFazio heads the Gynaecological Oncology Research Laboratory at the Centre for Cancer Research, the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Anna holds the Sydney-West Chair in Translational Cancer Research, University of Sydney, at Westmead Hospital, and has a long-standing commitment to translational research with an emphasis on improving treatment outcomes for women with ovarian cancer. She completed her PhD at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Sydney, undertook postdoctoral studies at the Garvan Institute and established a program of ovarian cancer research at Westmead in 1995. Anna is on the Executive of the Sydney-West Translational Cancer Research Centre and is an investigator on a number of national and international collaborative consortia including the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS), the Australasian Biospecimen Network (ABN-Oncology), the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) and the NSW PRIMe (Pharmacogenomics Research for Individualised Medicine) consortium.

Sze holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons) and a PhD in Reproductive Medicine from the University of Newcastle. She is currently employed by the Royal College of Pathologists Quality Assurance Program (RCPAQAP) as a scientist in the Molecular Genetics discipline. Since taking on this role in 2014 she has been responsible for the planning, preparation, distribution and data analysis of the molecular genetics External Quality Assurance (EQA) programs.

Professor Byrne is conjoint Professor of Molecular Oncology and Academic Leader within the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health and until recently, was Head of the Children’s Cancer Research Unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. She has extensive experience in biobanking, from both the perspective of a researcher who has employed biospecimens throughout her research career, and through establishing, overseeing and networking cancer biobanks. Professor Byrne is the founding Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology/Oncology Group network of tumour banks, and is also a member of the Steering Committee of Brain Cancer Biobanking Australia, the NSW Health Statewide Biobank Scientific Review Group, and the Victoria Cancer Biobank Scientific Advisory Board. She has led several Cancer Institute NSW-funded projects across all cancer biobanks in NSW, including a collaboration to adapt and implement the first biobank certification programme to be introduced to Australia. Professor Byrne has recently commenced a new position as Director of Biobanking with NSW Health Pathology, where she will lead the NSW Health biobanking programme.

Dr Tan Soo Yong MBBS, DipRCPath, FRCPath, DMJ, DPhil (Oxon)
Associate Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
Senior Consultant, Department of Pathology, NUH
Group Director for Pathology, NUHS
Senior Principal Investigator, IMCB, A*STAR
Senior Consultant, Manpower Standards and Professional Development, Ministry of Health
Head, Advanced Molecular Pathology Laboratory, IMCB
International Advisor (West Pacific), Royal College of Pathologists

Dr Tan Soo Yong obtained his medical qualifications from the National University of Singapore and thereafter underwent postgraduate training in Forensic Pathology and Histopathology in Singapore and in the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Qualifying in both forensic and histopathology, he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) and a Diplomate of the Society of Apothecaries of London. Dr Tan obtained his PhD from Oxford University, working in the field of haematopathology.
His current research interest is in the pathology of NK/T cell lymphoma and Type II Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (Type II EATL). He is a member of the International Lymphoma Study Group (ILSG) and a member of the team responsible for updating the WHO Classification of haematolymphoid neoplasms. Dr Tan sits on the Editorial Board of two pathology journals (Journal of Clinical Pathology, Biobanking and Biopreservation). He is currently Head of Pathology and Associate Professor in the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Chief and Senior Consultant in the Department of Pathology, National University Hospital.
Dr Tan holds multiple concurrent appointments as Senior Consultant to the Ministry of Health Singapore, Visiting Consultant to the National Skin Centre, Head of the Advanced Molecular Pathology Laboratory (AMPL) and Senior Principal Investigator at the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology (IMCB). An educator at heart, he is also Chief Examiner in Pathology, Chairman of the Residency Advisory Committee for Pathology, Visiting Professor to University Malaya, Guangdong General Hospital and the Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, China.
Dr Tan has multiple advisory roles including Consultant to Johnson & Johnson, Inc., member of the Diagnostic Hotspot Advisory Panel and the microRNA Project Selection Committee, Exploit Technologies; Singapore’s representative to the Advisory Board of the IAEA, Member of Advisory Board, Roche Ventana, Chairman of the Biobanking Committee, Asian Network of Research Resource Centres (ANRRC) and International Advisor (West Pacific) of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK).

Anjali is the Human Studies Manager for the Program in Complex Trait Genomics at the University of Queensland. She is also the Senior Project Manager for the SALSA System Genomics Consortium which is a research program in coordinating 8 ALS Research Clinics nationwide.

Anjali has specialist expertise in managing large-scale multi-disciplinary research programs with a specific focus in mental health disorders and human genomics. She is also involved in developing and managing research governance in the genomics space with particular attention to the increasing use of genomic information in the clinical setting.