Prasanthi is an injury epidemiologist focusing on monitoring and evaluation of child road safety projects in 6 countries through the Botnar Foundation and working with longitudinal data to analyse gender differences and injuries amongst a large cohort of adolescents from Vietnam, Peru, Ethiopia and India.

Prasanthi obtained her medical degree from Cambridge University (UK), and then spent over a decade working within the field of injury prevention at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, US). With a young family and move back to the UK, she wanted to be part of a dynamic and innovative team slightly closer to home and was therefore thrilled to have the opportunity to join the George Institute, UK, helping to further develop the injury research portfolio.

Bronwyn Graham is the Director of the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine at the George Institute for Global Health, and a Professor in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney.

Bronwyn is a behavioural neuroscientist, a clinical psychologist, and a globally recognised expert in women’s mental health. Bronwyn leads an interdisciplinary research team that examines how female-unique factors, like fluctuating sex hormones over the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, impact the development of anxiety and other affective disorders. She employs a bench-to-bedside translational methodology, in which she investigates endocrine regulation of the brain and behaviour in preclinical studies, and then tests the application of these findings in clinical populations. Her work has led to new practice guidelines for treating anxiety disorders in women, and RACGP accredited training programs for mental health care professionals.

Bronwyn has held numerous fellowships, including an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award, a UK-based MQ Fellowship, and an American Australian Association Neurological Fellowship. She is Chief Investigator on multiple Australian Research Council Discovery Projects, and an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and has supervised over 40 honours and postgraduate students. 

Bronwyn serves on the MQ Foundation and Lancet Psychiatry Standing Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health, as well as the Editorial Board of multiple journals spanning different disciplines, including Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, and Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Bronwyn’s awards include a Psychological Science ‘rising star’, a NSW Young Tall Poppy, and the Biological Psychiatry Aubrey Lewis Award. Bronwyn regularly appears in the media (ABC Lateline, Catalyst, and radio), and she disseminates her findings to health professionals and people with mental health conditions through collaborations with organisations including AnxietyUK.

Alexandra Jones is a public health lawyer and researcher leading a program of work on regulatory strategies to promote healthier, more sustainable diets. Her work uses an innovative mix of law and science to generate evidence that supports policymakers to design and implement policies with maximum public health impact. She works closely with UN agencies, national and state governments, public health and consumer organizations, and academic collaborators to translate evidence into effective action.

Ali’s current research interests include food labelling, composition, pricing and marketing policies. She also supports the Institute’s growing work on the commercial determinants of health. Her PhD explored Australia’s Health Star Rating system and similar front-of-pack nutrition labels used worldwide. Its impact can be seen in important reforms to the Health Star Rating system, and in the terms of international food standards being developed in this area.

Ali has previously worked on global tobacco control, and in health and human rights. She holds a PhD in Medicine and Health from the University of Sydney, a Master of Laws in Global Health Law from Georgetown Law (Washington, D.C.), and a Bachelor of Arts/Law from the University of Sydney. Ali is currently supported by an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellowship.

Damian Maganja is a Research Fellow in the Food Policy Division. His work looks at policies and processes to improve the healthiness of food environments, with a focus on better regulation and governance of harmful products and industries.

Damian joined the academic sector after working in health policy and programs with various government and non-government organisations. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine) from the University of New South Wales and a Master of International Public Health and a Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences (Political Economy), both from the University of Sydney.