Australian Indigenous Doctors Association [AIDA]

AIDA Secretariat

The AIDA Secretariat implements the strategies and plans, of the AIDA Board. The AIDA Secretariat share a commitment to honesty, transparency, ethics, trust, mutual respect and excellence with a focus on the best interests of AIDA and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Secretariat comprises of professional and committed staff with experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, including health, education and health workforce, as well as management and administration, finance and other relevant qualifications and experience. We believe in and practice cultural safety in the workplace, work as a team committed to workplace diversity and participation, professional development, and the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We also strongly encourage the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander capacity and participation in the health policy workforce.

The AIDA Secretariat is based in Canberra, ACT.

The AIDA Secretariat Values can be read here.

	Romlie Mokak - Chief Executive Officer
	I was born in Darwin, NT, my people are Djugun from Western Australia and I’ve lived in Canberra over the recent past. I have experience working at community, State and Commonwealth levels in a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy areas including disability, ageing, population health, financing and substance use. My role in AIDA is to implement the Board and members Vision in a way that strengthens our mob now and builds the framework for our kids in the future. I have a Bachelor of Social Science degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education. I have also completed the Australian and New Zealand Health Leadership Program.

	Mary Guthrie - Policy and Projects Manager
	I belong to the Wiradjuri people of Central Western NSW. I was born in Cowra but have lived in Canberra for over 30 years. I have had a varied working life, having worked in private industry, a number of government departments and agencies and in the non-government health sector. I have worked in Aboriginal affairs for the last 15 years. My experience during that time has been in strategic development, public affairs, Aboriginal arts industry and the Link Up program in (then) ATSIC in both program and policy roles, and in social and emotional wellbeing policy in the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH), Australian Department of Health and Ageing. My most recent role was as the National Aboriginal Issues Coordinator with Auseinet, a national project regarding promotion, prevention, early intervention and suicide prevention. My position in AIDA is the Policy and Projects Manager. That role includes supporting Romlie Mokak to implement the Strategic Plan, managing a team which includes Hardy Lohse, Silvia Liertz and Dewi Zulkefli on policy and project work and other strategic activity. I completed my Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University in 2000, majoring in economic history, Australian history and American history.

	Susan Granger - Administration Manager
	I was born in central NSW and enjoyed growing up and working in the bush before moving to Canberra in 1996. I have worked in the health industry for nearly 25 years and during this time gained valuable experience by supporting the delivery of primary health care in small country hospitals, community health centres and palliative care units. My position at AIDA is Administration Manager. I manage the Administration Team which consists of the ITC Officer, Activities Officer, Finance Officer and Executive Assistant. However my position allows me to work closely with all staff and Board Members supporting and implementing effective governance and administrative systems, including the development and review of policies and procedures. I am also responsible for managing the administrative aspects of human resources and provide secretariat support to the Board and coordinate quarterly Board Meetings. The other exciting role I play within the Secretariat is managing the coordination of the AIDA Annual Symposium and Annual General Meeting. I enjoy the diversity and challenging nature of this role and find working with the AIDA Board, Membership, staff, partners and stakeholders very rewarding. I have qualifications in business administration and am currently studying a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Canberra. My professional interests are in quality improvement, events management and governance.

	Dr Marlene Kong - Medical Officer
	My name is Marlene Kong. I am originally from Port Stephens, Worimi clan, on the North coast of NSW. I have recently joined AIDA as the part-time Medical Officer. As a Medical Officer I provide medical and technical expertise to AIDA’s policy work and provide advice on how AIDA can better support its graduate members. In addition to my role at AIDA, I also work as a GP in the Newcastle region; and in Emergency Medicine at Port Stephens. I gained my medical degree at the University of Sydney; then entered the public hospital system for four years of clinical experience. It was during this time that I decided to enter General Practice. During the years of GP training, I obtained my Family Planning Certificate, EMST (Early Management of Severe Trauma) Certificate, and Diploma in Obstetrics & Gynaecology. I also spent one year working for the Danila Dilba Aboriginal Medical Service in Darwin, Northern Territory. After achieving my Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, I decided to work overseas with a humanitarian organisation - Medicin Sans Frontiers, which took me to South Sudan and Sierra Leone. I found the experience very life enriching and rewarding. Upon return from Africa, I continued work as a GP in the Hunter region of NSW, which included working part-time at the Awabakal Aboriginal Medical Service and as a Lecturer in Aboriginal Health for the Newcastle University. It was during my time spent overseas in Africa that I decided that studying a Masters of Public Health was necessary to continue work in such a crucial and much needed area. Luckily for me, I heard of the Braun School of Public Health in Jerusalem, Israel, through a previous graduate - Dr Alex Brown. And with the financial support of the Victorian Friends of the Hebrew University society, I am happy to say that, 12 months later, I successfully completed my Masters of Public Health. But I have come back with so much more than just a degree - I feel like a changed person, from the life experience of living in Jerusalem itself. Outside of work, I love to swim, read books, travel, in particular, meet people of different backgrounds and cultures.

	Hardy Lohse - Medical Education Officer
	I am the Medical Education Officer at AIDA and my role has a particular focus on curriculum development, student recruitment and retention, student advocacy and support and I also assist the AIDA Student Representative Committee. Recently with AIDA, I have been involved in the development of the Critical Reflection Tool (CRT) which is a document designed to assist medical schools in implementing, monitoring and sustaining the AMC endorsed Indigenous Health Curriculum Framework. The CRT is also designed to assist medical schools to meet new AMC standards around Indigenous health content and the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students. Prior to coming to AIDA, I was working with the Australian Medical Council and was involved in accreditation of specialist medical courses (postgraduate) and medical courses (undergraduate). I have also worked in Cairns for an Indigenous organisation and as a primary school teacher in Australia and overseas. I hold a Bachelor of Teaching, and will one day rekindle my Masters degree. Outside of work I like to spend time on just about anything with two wheels that can go around corners, play sport or hang out with friends.

	Glen Carswell - Information Technology and Communications Officer
	I am the Information Technology and Communications officer at AIDA. I will be responsible for the management of the AIDA Information Technology and Communication infrastructure including our network, servers, computers, web page and application development. Most recently I was working with the Australian Medical Council. I was involved in many Information Technology projects, both nationally and internationally. Prior to this I have worked at IDP Education Australia, primarily in the English Language department. I provided IT support and database development, along with Publications production. I have completed a Diploma of Software Development and I have obtained a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MSCE). I also have certificates in Project Management and Staff Management. In my spare time, you will most likely find me fishing or attempting to play golf!

	Kym Bryce - Activities Officer
	I began my new career with AIDA on 3 May 2007, and have found it challenging, but really enjoyable. I am responsible for administration processing of AIDA activities and managing emails to aida@aida.org.au. Often there are requests for staff and Board members to participate in conferences, seminars, workshops, etc, as well as requests for AIDA merchandise. And it is my job to start the ball rolling on these activities. When a request has been approved, I then arrange any travel/accommodation associated with it. All my working life I have participated in diverse secretarial positions; including working for solicitors, different levels of government, and most recently as a medical secretary. These positions have mostly been with large organisations, so I am really enjoying working with the small team at the AIDA Secretariat. I have three wonderful adult children, and up until just a few months ago, two of them still lived at home. As you can imagine, my husband (Graeme) and I are now enjoying the freedom that comes with this! Our daughter is now living with her partner in Darwin, our middle son still lives in Canberra, and our youngest son has been living and working in the UK for a few months. One of my regular pastimes is rehearsing and singing with a local women’s choir (“The Cyrenes”).

	Laura Wong - Receptionist and Administrative Assistant
	Hi, I am Laura and I have recently joined the team at AIDA as the Receptionist and Administrative Assistant. As the title implies, I assist with the administration of the office and am usually the one you talk to on the phone before you are forwarded to others in the office. I am from Hong Kong, but my great great grandpa actually came out here in the 19th Century during the Gold Rush and moved back to Hong Kong in the 1930s. I have therefore always thought of Australia as a second home. I lived in Sydney for five years during my days at university and have now lived in Canberra for 16 years. I used to love the hustle and bustle of a big city but I have to say I am a total convert now. Before I began working here, I worked as a music education officer, piano teacher, accompanist, full time mum and for the past year as a volunteer for the ACT Arthritis Foundation. I have two kids - a boy and a girl. I enjoy camping, bush walking, a good movie and, most of all, tucking myself in bed for a good read and a doze on a rainy day.

	Dewi Zulkefli (D) - Health Workforce Officer
	As the Health Workforce Officer, one of my duties is to provide strategic advice and policy support on Indigenous workforce issues. I am also responsible for developing and progressing AIDA’s communication strategy, which includes Blackchat, the Annual Report and other publications. In the past few months, my main focus has been on coordinating AIDA’s response to the government’s Northern Territory measures. This involves performing the Secretariat role to AIDA’s NT Working Group, developing policy documents and media statements, as well as coordinating our engagement with key stakeholders within government, the health sector and the media. I previously worked for Queensland Health as a Senior Project Officer in the medical workforce strategic policy area. It’s lovely to be back in Canberra again, after living in Brisbane for a few years. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking (well, more like slowly walking up a small hill) and finding new places to eat.

	Jian Li (JJ) - Finance Officer
	I am the Finance Officer of AIDA. My main duties are processing all the accounts including payroll, managing the assets & inventory of AIDA, and providing the financial reports to the CEO, the Administration Manager and the Policy & Project Manager. I have been working in the financial area for non-profit organizations over ten years. I have gained a lot of experience in BAS, FBT, payroll, financial reports, accounts and budgeting. I have obtained a Bachelor degree in Science, a Certificate in Computerized Bookkeeping and a Certificate in Computing & Information Technology. I am currently studying towards a Master degree in Accountancy. Ten years ago, I moved to Canberra and was impressed by this beautiful city. Here, I changed from fearing dogs to loving my four legged son Jack, a fox terrier. I like bowling, badminton, skiing and traveling.

	Donisha Duff - Policy Officer
	I was born on Thursday Island, Torres Strait. I am of both Aboriginal (Yadhaigana, Cape York) and Torres Strait Islander (Moa Island) descent. I have worked in mainly health policy and program roles with a range of government and non-government organisations including; Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, Queensland Health, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and more recently General Practice QLD. I have a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and am currently studying for a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). I work in the Policy and Projects team on a range of projects. My other interests include travelling overseas, playing sport and like any prapa ilan girl, fishing!