Meet our Staff
Director:
Assoc. Prof. Robert (Bob) Davis PhD, MB,BS, FRACGP, Dip (Obst) RACOG, GDEB
Bob started his professional life as rural general practitioner for 12 years in the Riverland in South Australia where his work as chair of a local community organisation developing services for people with disability led to his career as a leading medical practitioner in the field. He has been the director of the Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria, at Monash University, since its inception in 1998. He works as a clinician, teacher and researcher. His interests include the management of medical issues for people with developmental disability and in particular those issues which impact on challenging behaviours. Bob's PhD thesis looked at self-injurious behaviour in people with intellectual disability. He co-authored two chapters on challenging behaviours and the use of medication for challenging behaviours in both the first and second editions of the Management Guidelines Book; People with Developmental and Intellectual Disability. He recently chaired the Disability Working group for the new RACGP curriculum. Bob is the foundation President of the Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine and the secretary of the Health Issues Special Interest Research Group of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability.
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Robert.Davis@med.monash.edu.au
Administrative Manager
Mrs Faye Alphonso (ExeCert Mgmt / GradDip BusMgmt)
Faye commenced with the CDDHV in August 2002 with a career background in a variety of senior administrative positions with particular skills in the management of budgets and personnel, events, projects, facilities and resources, marketing and business development. Faye brings to the CDDHV many years of experience in administrative roles in the Faculties of Business Economics and Arts, where she spent 10 years as Senior Administrator of Monash University School of Music – Conservatorium.
Telephone: (03) 8575 2210
Faye.Alphonso@med.monash.edu.au
Educational Director
Dr Jane Tracy MBBS (Hon), DipRACOG, GCHE
Dr Tracy is a general practitioner who has been with the Centre since its inception in 1998. Prior to the Centre's formation she worked in the Monash Developmental Disability Unit and the Developmental Disability Clinic and Spina Bifida Clinics at Monash Medical Centre. She has an adult son with developmental disabilities and so has both a professional and personal understanding of and commitment to the field. Dr Tracy is Educational Director of the Centre and has worked with her colleagues to develop an undergraduate curriculum in Developmental Disability Medicine and teaching resources for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. During her time at the Centre she has completed a postgraduate degree in higher education to enhance her teaching knowledge and skills. In 2005 Dr Tracy and her colleague Dr Mary Burbidge produced the Centre's new teaching resource, Healthcare Scenarios in Developmental Disability Medicine.
Read more about Healthcare Scenarios in Developmental Disability Medicine
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Clinical Director
Dr Mary Burbidge (MBBS)
Mary has a personal as well as a professional interest in developmental disability. Mary initiated, designed and implemented a process for recording of Personal Health Records for people with developmental disability. Mary coordinates the clinical activities of the CDDHV, including Registrar training.
Mary has developed 2 significant products: The Personal Health Record (PHR) is available for free, please contact the CDDHV to place an order, or you can make your own by downloading the PHR pages from our web site.
Mary's book ‘Forever Baby' is based on the actual diary entries of a mother coping with the tragic loss of her profoundly disabled daughter, Jenny. Read more about this book
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Mary.Burbidge@med.monash.edu.au
Research Director
Dr Teresa Iacono (PhD, MappSci, BappSci - Speech Pathology)
Teresa coordinates the research activities of the Centre. Her areas of interest include complex communication needs, augmentative and alternative communication, reading assessment and intervention, and ethical issues of involving people with developmental disability in research.
Teresa's research profile (82K pdf)
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Teresa.Iacono@med.monash.edu.au
Senior Lecturer and Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Jenny Torr (MBBS, Mmed – Psychiatry, FRANZCP, member Faculty Psychiatry of Old Age)
Jenny's interests include mood disorders, behavioural phenotypes and psychiatric disorders and dementia in older people with developmental disability. Jenny plays a key role in promoting programs that address issues relating to psychiatric disorder in persons with developmental disability.
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Lecturer, Health Educator and Human Relations Consultant
Ms Jenny Butler (CertFEEH, CertEIH, GradCertHE)
Jenny specialises in human relations and health education in areas such as sexuality, sexual health issues, epilepsy and menstrual management. She has extensive experience in service delivery and systems review. Jenny currently provides resource development, educational counselling and service consultancy on health, human relations and sexuality issues for people with developmental disabilities, professionals, service providers and carers. Incorporated into her position is the provision of services to people with a developmental disability who are involved in the criminal justice system through Statewide Forensic Services.
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Jenny.Butler@med.monash.edu.au
Research Fellow / Human Relations Consultant
Ms Jenny Galea (BAppSc (Intellectual Disability) (Hons))
Jennifer's research interests include sexuality and disability, mental health in people with an intellectual disability and health inequalities. Jennifer also has a role at the CDDHV as a human relations consultant providing educational services to people with an intellectual disability, their families and support staff. Jennifer is currently completing her final year in the Bachelor of Social Work at Monash University in order to further develop the counselling skills needed for direct service provision and as the basis for a higher degree. Jennifer is also completing Monash University's Graduate Certificate in Higher Education to develop the teaching skills required at a tertiary level.
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Jennifer.Galea@med.monash.edu.au
Primary Health Care Research Education and Development Fellow
Dr Patricia (Sandra) Macgibbon (MBBS)
Dr Sandra McGibbon is a general practitioner who has worked for 20 years in country Victoria. She commenced working at CDDHV in 2005 and is currently seeing patients referred to the CDDHV. She works one day per week at the CDDHV and continues general practice in the country the rest of the week. Sandra is working on a research project titled: “Developing a health screening tool for adults with developmental disability and testing the ease of use by General Practitioners.”
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Patricia.MacGibbon@med.monash.edu.au
Masters Student / Research Assistant
Ms Sheridan Forster (MBiomedSc (part 1) GradDip SpecEd, B Speech Pathology)
Sheridan is a speech pathologist working as a research assistant at the Centre. Her areas of interest include complex communication needs and people with profound intellectual disability. Sheridan completed her Masters in Biomedical Science (Part 1) in 2006 under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Iacono. She is now enrolled in Masters of Philosophy (Research). Sheridan's research is exploring interactions between disability support workers and people with profound intellectual disability.
Telephone: (03) 9501 2400
Sheridan.Forster@med.monash.edu.au
Research Fellow and PhD Candidate
Stella Koritsas (BSc, GradDipDisStud, PostGradDipPsych)
Stella's research interests and experience is diverse and includes depression, particularly as it relates to the elderly, those with developmental disability and people who support them. Stella interests also include work-related violence towards primary care professionals, and carer stress and burnout. Stella is also enrolled in a PhD at the Centre, under the supervision of Dr Teresa Iacono. Her PhD will examine the extent to which factors such as mental and physical health, communication, environmental factors and life stressors contribute to challenging behaviour.
Telephone: 9501 2400
Stella.Koritsas@med.monash.edu.au
Psychiatrist
Dr Jean Graham, (MBBS (Hons), FRACGP, DRACOG, Grad Dip Mental Health Sciences, FRANZCP, MPM)
Dr Jean Graham is a psychiatrist as well as having had extensive experience in general practice. Her presence on the team has increased our ability to assist members of the community. She has added valuable expertise to assisting general practitioners manage complex presentations She has been involved in research into depression in people with and intellectual disability and is developing an interest in the management of people with autism.
Telephone:9501 2400
Margaret.Graham@med.monash.edu.au
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Carlos d’Abrera BSc, MBBS, MMed (Psychiatry) FRANZCP
Dr Carlos d'Abrera is a psychiatrist who works at the CDDHV. He is involved in the Down Syndrome research project, teaching medical students and clinical assessments across a range of mental health problems in intellectual disability.
Telephone:9501 2400
Carlos.D’Abrera@med.monash.edu.au
Finance and HR Officer
Terri Mathias
Telephone:8575 2209
Terri.Mathias@med.monash.edu.au
Secretary
Caroline Menara (BAppSci (Health Promotion))
Caroline works part time and provides administrative support for the CDDHV. Caroline has worked for Monash since 1993 and has had valuable experience in organising undergraduate and postgraduate education activities.
Telephone:9501 2400
Caroline.Menara@med.monash.edu.au
Administrative Assistant / Receptionist
Deanne De Kretser
Telephone:9501 2400
deanne.dekretser@med.monash.edu.au
