Contacts and expert comment
Media contact
For media enquiries call:
Jane Gardner, Senior Media Officer: 03 9667 1319 / 0435 761 732
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Expert comment
VicHealth experts can provide media comment on alcohol, preventing violence against women, race-based discrimination, physical activity, nutrition, smoking, workplace health, UV harms, health inequalities and the economics of health promotion and illness prevention. See full list of topics.
Jerril Rechter - CEO
Jerril Rechter
Jerril has extensive experience in leadership across the areas of government and not-for-profit sectors. She comes to VicHealth from Leadership Victoria where she held the position of Executive Director. Before this, she was CEO of Footscray Community Arts Centre, CEO/Founder of Stompin Youth Dance Company, and Artistic Associate at the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts. Most recently, Jerril has worked as a World Health Organization Advisor and has joined the International Network of Health Promotion Foundations as a board member.
Jerril is a recipient of a Centenary Medal, Tasmania Day Award, and Fellowships from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Australia Council, Harvard Club of Australia, the Australian Davos Forum-Future Summit, and Williamson Community Leadership Program (Leadership Victoria). Jerril holds a Master of Business Leadership from RMIT University and is available for comment on all of VicHealth’s areas of work.
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Dr Bruce Bolam - Executive Manager, Knowledge and Environments for Health
Dr Bruce Bolam
Bruce has extensive experience in health promotion policy and programs having led initiatives in Australia, including the development of tobacco control strategies for the Victorian Government. He is currently the President of the Victorian Branch of the Public Health Association of Australia.
He joins VicHealth from the National Stroke Foundation where he was Divisional Director of Prevention Awareness in charge of national policy and programs. Bruce holds a PhD in addition to master degrees in Public Health and Science. He is an Honorary Senior Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne, and a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom.
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Monica Kelly - (Acting) Executive Manager, Participation and Equity for Health
Monica Kelly
Monica has worked as a public health and community nutritionist in Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory since 1991. She then moved into public health management. In addition to experience of direct service delivery, Monica has significant policy experience having worked in senior roles in both the Northern Territory and Victorian Government Health Departments.
Much of Monica’s career has been spent working with disadvantaged populations such as Aboriginal people and people with disabilities. Monica’s particular interest is on reducing health inequalities in disadvantaged populations.
Monica is an experienced trainer and facilitator provided training in a range of settings in most of her professional roles. She has a long association with Aboriginal Health Worker training and has lectured and tutored in public health at Deakin University in 2007. In addition to a Bachelor of Science and Graduate Diploma of Dietetics, Monica has undertaken further studies in Health Promotion and Psychology and also has a Masters of Public Health, completing her thesis on the Public Health responses to health inequalities.
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Cameron McLeod - Manager of Physical Activity
Cameron McLeod
Cameron has a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Management and a Masters of Business Administration. A keen sports fan, Cameron is Vice President of the Melton South Football and Netball Club and sits on a number of sporting and health advisory boards.
He started his career as a project officer in the umpire’s department at the AFL and then moved on to the Ballarat Football League. Cameron worked at Sport and Recreation Victoria for six years and as the Manager of Rural Community Facilities he led a range of multi-million dollar community facility planning and development initiatives which aim to increase accessible participation in sport and active recreation. He has extensive experience in governance, strategic planning and policy development.
Cameron has been with VicHealth for two years and is passionate about increasing physical activity throughout the community and tackling health inequalities through sport.
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Sue McGill - Manager of Healthy Environments
Sue McGill
Sue has a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Management, a Masters in Public Policy and Management from Melbourne University and is a member of the YMCA Victoria Board of Directors.
Sue has over 15 years experience in sport management across government and the community sector. She most recently worked at Sport and Recreation Victoria as the Manager Sport Programs and was responsible for managing relationships and funding with more than 80 State Sporting Associations, the Victorian Institute of Sport and the Australian Sports Commission. Sue is committed to working with sports to drive positive social change and create more opportunities for participation for diverse members of the community.
Sue is the Manager of the Healthy Environments program at VicHealth. This role includes strategically coordinating VicHealth’s work in sport, working with local government and the planning sector to create healthier places and spaces, partnering with key agencies to create healthier communities outcomes and through this work ensuring the healthy choice becomes the easy choice.
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Irene Verins - Manager of Economic Participation and Workforce Development
Irene Verins
Irene Verins has a 20-year background in the program design and management of community based initiatives within education, local government, the arts, health and workplace.
Irene is also responsible for the workforce development program at VicHealth which has designed and delivered training across Australia and internationally.
Irene has presented and published in the areas of mental health promotion, social determinants of health and workforce development.
Irene is a member of the Asia-Australia Mental Health Advisory Council and supports the activity of a range of state committees and working parties.
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Renee Imbesi, Manager of VicHealth’s Preventing Violence Against Women program
Renee Imbesi
Renee has a Bachelor of Arts and Science, Diploma of Community Development and is currently completing a Master of Communication.
She previously worked at CASA House, the Centre Against Sexual Assault, coordinating a range of primary prevention programs, notably, the design and implementation of the Sexual Assault Prevention Program in Secondary Schools. This program is recognised as current best practice at both State and Federal level.
Renee has also worked at the Office of Women's Policy on the development of A Right to Respect – Victoria’s Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women.
She has a particular interest in preventing violence before it occurs by encouraging respectful relationships and positive attitudes towards women in schools, workplaces, sporting clubs and community organisations.
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Kellie Horton - Manager, Health Inequalities
Kellie Horton
Kellie has been working in public health for the past 11 years and has qualifications in health science and public health. She is currently undertaking a Doctor of Public Health at Flinders University. Kellie’s role involves working to reduce health inequalities across the spectrum of health promotion areas, including Indigenous health.
Kellie’s experience includes program and policy development in the community sector, local and state government, and non-government organisations. She joined VicHealth in September 2009, motivated by the organisation’s commitment to an equity-focused approach to health promotion.
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Dr Peter Streker - Manager Social Connection and Race-based Discrimination
Dr Peter Streker
Peter manages VicHealth’s Reducing Race-Based Discrimination and Social Connection programs. These programs aim to reduce the negative health impacts of social exclusion and racial discrimination by developing pragmatic community interventions in areas such as the arts, sports clubs, workplaces and local government.
Peter is a community psychologist who has a long history of working in the not-for-profit sector and local government on a wide range of complex community issues, such as family violence, street sex work, drugs and alcohol, community building, homelessness, food security, social cohesion, Aboriginal health and grass roots community leadership.
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Plus a range of VicHealth Research Fellows and academics and members of the VicHealth board.