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Wildlife Health Australia (Formerly Australian Wildlife Health Network) aims to develop strong partnerships in order to better manage the adverse effects of wildlife diseases on Australia’s biodiversity, animal and human health, trade and tourism.
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Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) staff at Head Office.

Rupert Woods
		Rupe is CEO of WHA. His main activity is supporting the WHA Management Committee, staff and a diversity of stakeholders in their efforts to further develop and improve Australia’s animal health system with an emphasis on the wildlife component. Rupe is a member of the International Association for Public Participation, Governance Institute of Australia, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Rupe is interested in Australia, people and how good decisions are made. View Rupe’s profile on LinkedIn.

Karen Magee
			Karen is the Public Officer for WHA and has been with the organisation since 2008. As public officer, Karen occupies the most senior administrative role in the organisation and also acts as Administration Manager. Her role includes: Providing advice to the directors and officers in relation to corporate law regulations, the organisation’s constitution (rules, regulations, bylaws etc.). Advising the Management Committee, and individual directors, on corporate governance principles and plans, and the implementation of corporate governance programs. Acting as the chief administrative officer of WHA. Communicating the instructions of the Management Committee, assisting in the implementation of corporate strategies and giving practical effect to the board’s decisions. Communicating with WHA members and the public at large, as appropriate. Karen has a background in administration and real estate, enjoys assisting the staff and CEO in the daily running of WHA, and is always a helpful first point of contact for WHA subscribers and public enquiries.

Trish Hennessy-Hawks
			Trish has joined WHA as a part-time Administration Manager. After moving from Jindabyne to Sydney, she completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at ICMS (Macquarie University). In 2014, Trish became an Administration Assistant within the media industry, at an Australian captioning company called Ai Media. Since then, she developed to become Live Scheduling Manager and was responsible for all the company’s live captioning requirements, both in broadcast and the education/government sector. Trish’s passion of wanting to make a difference in the work she does helped pave her path to WHA. Trish assists the WHA CEO and team in the daily running of WHA, and is always a helpful first point of contact for WHA subscribers and public enquiries.

Tiggy Grillo
		Tiggy has been working for Wildlife Health Australia since May 2009. Tiggy obtained her veterinary degree in Glasgow, Scotland in 1999. She returned to Glasgow to complete a PhD in molecular parasitology in 2006. In 2006, Tiggy moved to Australia to work at the then new School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences where she lectured in parasitology and communication skills into the new veterinary course at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, NSW. Previously, Tiggy has been involved in population field surveys in the U.S.A. on raptors, compiling a sea turtle rehabilitation manual for the U.K., and reviewing sewage effects of harbour porpoise in Scotland. In 2016, Tiggy was the recipient of the Wildlife Diseases Association Australasian Section Barry Munday Award for her outstanding services to wildlife health in Australia. Tiggy is Australia's World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Focal Point for Wildlife Health.

Keren Cox-Witton
		Keren is a veterinarian who has been working for Wildlife Health Australia since September 2010. She is a University of Sydney graduate and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Wildlife Health & Population Management) and study units in veterinary & wildlife epidemiology. Keren started her career as a small animal veterinarian in Canberra and Sydney. After 6 years in private practice, she moved into the animal health industry where she worked in a variety of technical roles. In 2010 she followed her interest in wildlife health when she began working for WHA. In 2018, Keren's tireless work was recognised with an Australian Biosecurity Award. Thanks to a team effort coordinated Keren, Australian bats are better protected against a fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome.

Andrea Reiss
		Andrea is a veterinarian who joined Wildlife Health Australia as a part time project officer in January 2016. After graduating from Sydney University, Andrea completed a veterinary residency at Melbourne Zoo, gaining a Masters in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. Andrea has over 17 years experience working as a clinical vet in Australia’s major zoos, including Perth, Taronga and Melbourne Zoos and is a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Medicine of Australasian Wildlife. She has been involved in a wide variety of wildlife and conservation programs both within Australia and overseas, including in situ conservation programs for the endangered northern hairy nosed wombat, brush-tailed bettong, eastern barred bandicoot and African painted dog. Andrea recently lead a collaborative research project to investigate the potential role of disease in small mammal population declines in Northern Australia.

Silvia Ban
		Silvia is a veterinarian from Brazil who has joined Wildlife Health Australia in the end of May 2016. After graduating, she has coordinated an array of database projects and has also a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Following her interest in wildlife health and conservation, she concluded a Masters of Wildlife Health and Population Management at The University of Sydney. Her research project was on coccidiosis in green turtles. Silvia has also consolidated risks and mitigation strategies of feeding wild birds in Australia, and she is thrilled to work in a multi-stakeholder environment that improves wildlife disease management.

Lisa Keen
			Lisa is a communications professional who has worked in public and private practice, for NGOs, not-for-profits and state and federal governments. She has tertiary qualifications in professional communications and Australian history and politics. Her early work with the Australian Defence Force enabled public information activities to be supported from national and overseas deployments, United Nations missions and conflict zones. Her more recent work has highlighted the plight of threatened species in Australia and around the world, and engendered public understanding and support. Lisa has provided services to Wildlife Health Australia for several years, and was proud to join the team officially in August 2019.

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