AIVC members

The following are independent 'voting' members:

• Professor Katherine Kedzierska is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. She is the Laboratory Head in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne. Her research interests include human T cell immunity to pandemic, seasonal and emerging influenza viruses. She also studies anti-viral immunity in the young, the elderly and Indigenous Australians, viral escape and immunological memory in human influenza infection.
• Professor Helen Marshall is a Professor in Vaccinology, in the School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health and Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide. She is the Medical Director of VIRTU, the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, at the Women's and Children's Hospital. She has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Doctorate of Medicine, Master in Public Health and Diploma in Child Health. She also is a graduate of the Advanced Vaccinology Course, Pasteur Merieux Institute, France.
• Professor Paul Van Buynder is a Public Health Physician and Professor in the School of Medicine at Griffith University. His major research interests are in effectiveness of new influenza vaccines in target groups. Influenza vaccine in pregnancy and influenza vaccine hesitancy in low coverage groups are study areas of interest. He led the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) committee advising on anti-viral use in aged care influenza outbreaks. He has been on the Influenza subcommittees of the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
• Dr Kiran Shah is a Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Laboratories Operation at Magellan Stem Cells Pty Ltd. She is an adjunct research fellow at the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University. During her PhD, she worked on molecular epidemiology of Rotavirus at Royal Children's hospital, Melbourne in collaboration with Swinburne University. This led to postdoc work investigating novel methods to co-culture different strains of influenza virus with stem cells and assessing virus titre in the culture. Dr Shah has worked in influenza vaccine manufacturing facilities gaining a deep understanding of the seasonal influenza strains emergence and the influenza vaccine manufacturing process.

The following Directors of the WHO National Influenza Centres in Australia are ex-officio 'voting' members:

• Professor Dominic Dwyer is a medical virologist and infectious diseases physician based at Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney. He is Director of Public Health Pathology in New South Wales Health Pathology. He is also the Director of New South Wales Health Pathology's Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research. He leads the WHO National Influenza Centre located at the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR). He has a clinical and research interest in viral diseases of public health importance. This includes COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses, HIV, antiviral drug resistance and arboviruses. Professor Dwyer also investigates outbreaks of viral infections, including at mass gatherings and closed environments.
• Dr Thomas Tran is the Section Head of the Virus Identification Laboratory at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), with extensive expertise in virology and public health surveillance. He leads a team responsible for detecting and characterising a wide range of viruses affecting human health, including respiratory viruses, herpesviruses, enteroviruses, flaviviruses, alphaviruses, poxviruses, and other pathogens of public health importance. The laboratory also hosts both the National and Regional WHO Measles and Rubella Reference Laboratory for genotyping, as well as the WHO National Influenza Centre (NIC). In addition to his diagnostic and surveillance work, Thomas holds a senior leadership role in high-containment facilities at both PC-3 and PC-4 levels, ensuring the safe handling and research of high-risk pathogens.
• Dr David Speers is a Medical Microbiologist/Infectious Diseases Physician at PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA and a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Western Australia. PathWest provides diagnostic testing to the community and hospitals, reference testing, and public health services. Dr Speers has served on a number of state and national committees and advisory groups and is currently a member of the national Public Health Laboratory Network. He has interests in public health issues, including influenza and other respiratory viruses, hepatitis viruses, mosquito-borne viruses, diagnostics and infection control for emerging infections, new diagnostic technologies including point of care tests, and laboratory-based surveillance.

Non-voting ex-officio members are:

• the Director and Deputy Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza;
• the Directors of the WHO National Influenza Centres in New Zealand and South Africa;
• four officers of the Department of Health. The Deputy Secretary of the Health Products Regulation Group nominates these officers, with one assigned the role as the Chairperson.