Board of Directors
Prof Lena Sanci
President, Board Director
Professor Lena Sanci (PhD, FRACGP, MBBS) Heads the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at The University of Melbourne, where she is also the Director of Teaching and Learning and Lead of the Children and Young People’s Research Stream. Prof Sanci was the Medical Advisor to the Victorian Department of Education and Training for the Doctors in Secondary Schools Program (2015-2019), and works as a sessional GP at Family Planning Victoria’s Action Centre.
For over 20 years, Prof Sanci has researched the potential of primary care to improve the health of young people through quality youth-focused, system-based interventions designed to re-orientate primary care toward prevention of harms from mental health disorders and risk-taking behavior. She is an expert in the co-design of interventions, implementation and evaluation in primary care as well as online settings with expertise in the design, conduct and analysis of cluster randomised controlled trials. Her work has led to a greater understanding of barriers and enablers for primary care clinicians in caring for young people, effective interventions for lasting improvement in their clinical approach to youth and methods to enhance young people’s help seeking behavior including the use of technology.
Dr Corin Miller
Vice President, Board Director
Dr Corin Miller is a Rural Generalist with advanced skills in paediatrics and child health and the 2023 winner of the National “Rural and Remote Health Practitioner of the Year Award”. Her additional training includes a Bachelor of Science (Exercise Science) and a Diploma in Child Health. Corin’s clinical background includes emergency medicine, paediatrics and general practice. She is passionate about improving health equity for rural children.
In response to significant local need, Corin developed and implemented a school-based multidisciplinary paediatric clinic in Eden NSW. Djing.gii Gudjaagalali (Children Stars) School Clinic focusses on school-aged children with behavioural, mental health and developmental concerns. This project sparked an interest in research, prompting Corin to begin her PhD studies in 2023 at the University of NSW in the topic of “Strengthening Paediatric Primary Care in Rural Australia”. With her doctoral research Corin aims to improve integration of the health system for the benefit of priority populations, particularly in rural areas.
In addition to her PhD studies, Corin is a member of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation Paediatric Network Executive Committee, Vice President of the Australasian School Based Health Alliance and Deputy Chair of the RACGP Neurodiversity Special Interest Group. Clinically, she works as a GP in Merimbula and an RG-Paediatrics in the Paediatric Outpatient Department in Bega as well as being the GP Clinical Lead at Djing.gii Gudjaagalali School Clinic in Eden.
Jon Lituri
Secretary, Board Director
As the Principal at Atlantis Beach Baptist College, Jon is committed to seeing students flourish in every way possible. With 20 years of teaching and pastoral care experience, Jon has led various initiatives to support student wellbeing and academic growth. Recently, Jon completed the Master of Educational Leadership course at the University of Western Australia, winning the Australian Council for Educational Leaders Award for the being the highest performing student. In his dissertation, Jon examined various models of school-based health care, investigating their theoretical basis, history and effectiveness in order to propose principles of development. This has led him to work with like-minded colleagues and professionals to establish the concept at South Coast Baptist and establish the Australasian School Based Health Alliance.
Finally, Jon is completing a PhD at the University of Western Australia on Conceptualising and Measuring Children’s Wellbeing, demonstrating a desire to see health and education priorities come together for student benefit.
Dr Ian Williams
Treasurer, Board Director
Dr Ian Williams is a Research Fellow with the Children and Young People’s Research Program at the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, within The University of Melbourne, and an Honorary Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He also works in private clinical practice as a registered psychologist specialising in high-prevalence disorders, personality disorders, self-harm and suicidality. Ian has extensive experience in adolescent health research, working for over 15 years in a research capacity at the Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute prior to commencing with The University of Melbourne in 2019. He has worked on a wide variety of adolescent health research projects, including those focusing on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, school connectedness, social networks and substance use.
Ian has a particular interest in social and emotional learning, psychosocial wellbeing, and prevention and early intervention in relation to mental health among young people. As a qualified psychologist and teacher (secondary education), much of Ian’s work has focused on mental health and wellbeing with young people in educational settings.
Dr Santuri Rungan
Board Director
Dr Rungan works in paediatric assessments and management of children with developmental and/or behavioural issues and those who are at risk of such issues. She is currently involved in running a school-based integrated care program called Kalgal Burnbona – a partnership between health, education, social care and community. She is a PhD candidate currently evaluating this initiative with the aim of replicating a similar model in other schools.