Professor James Ward is a Pitjantjatjara and Nukunu man, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and a national leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research. He is currently the Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at The University of Queensland. Holding various roles over the last 25 years in Aboriginal public health policy for both government and non-government organisations, in urban regional and remote communities he has built a national program of research in the epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases, with a particular focus on STIs, HIV and viral hepatitis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Associate Professor Lisa Whop is a Goemulgal woman from the Wagadagam tribe of Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait and is Australia’s leading authority on cervical cancer control in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. She holds a National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leadership level 2 Investigator Grant.

Heather is a Wiradjuri woman who has worked in sexual health for fifteen years. She is a Senior Program Manager at the NSW STI Programs Unit and a PhD candidate at Kirby Institute, with particular focus on STI/HIV testing in routine primary care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Jackie Thomas is a proud Kamilaroi woman who is passionate about giving Aboriginal people a voice by listening and working with and alongside Aboriginal communities and local services to develop strategies to improve sexual health and wellbeing of community members. Jackie is a Research Officer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program and Surveillance Evaluation and Research Program at the Kirby Institute.