Our Board
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) is governed by a skills-based, nine-member board with a mix of five appointed and four elected directors. Together, they bring to the organisation many years’ experience and knowledge of both the health sector and communities within our region
Professor Susan Brumby – Chair
Susan was the founding director of the National Centre for Farmer Health, and has practical experience as a rural nurse, midwife, primary care manager and senior health executive. She is committed to achieving improved outcomes for local and regional communities through health reform, education, leadership and advocacy. Previous roles include executive health service roles, lead researcher, agricultural health and medicine course director, managing a beef and wool property, and serving on various state and federal government advisory councils. Susan’s PhD and ongoing work is in the health, wellbeing and safety of agricultural communities. She has published widely and presented nationally and internationally on rural and regional health. She is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, a board director of Wannon Water, life governor of Western District Health Service and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Qualifications: PhD, RN, GCertSciCommun , DipFarm M’ment, GCertHELT, GDipWomensSt, MHM, FAICD, FARL
Jan Milliken – Deputy Chair
Jan is a veteran of the nursing industry having worked predominantly in community health settings over many years in the Grampians and Barwon Southwest regions. She has worked as a clinician in consultancy, nursing management and more recently CEO.
She has post graduate degrees in cancer/palliative care, clinical nursing and nurse practitioner at Masters level. Jan has held senior leadership positions both in nursing and on boards (Palliative Care Victoria, Grampians Pyrenees Primary Care Partnership (PCP) and more recently Western Victoria Primary Heath Network. She is a nurse with a passion for all things nursing and this has led her to take up positions that require independent decision making…most notably remote area nursing emergency response. Jan is excited about the reforms taking place in the primary care setting and hopes to be part of the changes.
Dr Bernard Shiu- Director
Bernard is the owner and Clinical Director of Banksia Medical Centre in Newcomb. He was awarded the RACGP Victorian GP of the Year Award in 2020. Bernard is Deputy Chair of the RACGP Victoria Faculty and serves as an examiner for the college, as well as a supervisor and medical educator of almost 10 years. Bernard regularly lectures at Deakin University’s School of Medicine and serves as an expert member for numerous official scientific and research organisations. He has been invited to multiple DHHS committees as a medical expert and has also been a Director of the Australian GP Alliance since 2019.
Karen Foster – Director
Karen is a communications professional with many years experience in journalism, public relations and marketing. A Port Fairy resident, she is also the current Mayor of Moyne Shire Council. Karen has been an active Board Director for more than a decade. She is previous Chair of Moyne Health Services and Leadership Great South Coast Inc. and current Chair of the Let’s Talk Foundation. She has been a Director of the WVPHN Board for seven years. In recent years, Karen has combined her love of communications and governance to establish a consulting firm specialising in strategic planning. However, one of her greatest passions is supporting other women to step into their leadership potential. During Covid she retrained as a Life and Leadership Coach and now acts as a mentor and coach for a number of women. She is putting the final touches to a book focusing on women and leadership which has the current working title Leading with Love!
Dr Jane Opie – Director
Jane has worked as a General Practitioner since the early 1990s including roles as a practice owner, GP subcontractor and Clinical Director overseeing clinical governance.
She supervises GP Registrars and medical students, holds the position of senior clinical lecturer with Deakin University’s School of Medicine and holds a Masters Degree in Public Health. Jane was previously the medical advisor for WVPHN. She is passionate about improving health, wellbeing and health care services to the community and continues to work to reduce inequity and champion quality preventive health care.
Tyrone McCuskey – Director
Tyrone is currently Chief Executive Officer of McCallum Disability Services and has over 25 years commercial management experience across a number of industries, in particular the health sector. His most recent roles include General Manager Corporate Services Ambulance Victoria and CFO UFS Dispensaries Ltd plus several Directorships with specific proficiency within disability organisations. Tyrone is a CPA and AICD member and Williamson Fellow.
Marie-Louise Aitken – Director
An experienced psychologist and health board director, Marie worked as a psychologist in rural private practice in Horsham and Warracknabeal for over 20 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge concerning the mental health issues faced by rural people. She is a life governor and past president of Rural Northwest Health and is a board member of Wimmera Health Care Group. Marie is a link graduate of the AICD.
Karen Heap – Director
In 2004, Karen, a proud Yorta Yorta woman and a well-respected leader within the Victorian Aboriginal community, was appointed CEO of Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC). Since then, Karen has been responsible for the strategic vision and significant expansion of the organisation. Over the past 15 years, she has utilised her vast knowledge, skillset and extensive experience within the Aboriginal service sector to successfully grow the organisation. Karen has introduced a full health unit and a wide range of family support services, including family violence programs, social and emotional wellbeing, kinship care, mental health, drug and alcohol, housing and justice. Family service programs include home and community care for Elders and people with disabilities, maternal and child health and Stolen Generation support workers. Since becoming CEO in 2004, her staff has increased from 15 to 112 and is still growing, while BADAC has become a thriving community space.
Professor Gary Rogers – Director
Gary is a health professions educational leader, public health researcher and GP with a focus on HIV medicine. He commenced as Professor and Dean of the School of Medicine at Deakin University in June 2020 after working as Professor of Medical Education and Deputy Head of School (Learning & Teaching) at the Griffith University School of Medicine, as well as undertaking clinical work in the Infectious Diseases Unit at Gold Coast University Hospital. Gary has a deep understanding of the history of primary health care policy in Australia, as well as the considerable challenges that currently fact the sector. He also has considerable financial management experience through the multiple leadership roles he has fulfilled in primary health care, not for profit and education sectors.
Our Executive team
Chief Executive Officer – currently vacant.
Andrew Giddy, Executive Director Strategy and Engagement is currently Acting Chief Executive Officer.
Andrew Giddy: Executive Director Strategy and Engagement
Andy’s role aims to ensure alignment between the strategic directions of WVPHN and the work that we undertake to support better health outcomes across our region. The role works with all of the teams across WVPHN to support engagement with our stakeholders to make sure their voices are heard in the development of programs. The role also combines feedback from stakeholders with the diverse data sets that are available to WVPHN to tailor our activities to our regional needs. This new portfolio includes Engagement, Communications, First Nations health, Health Intelligence, Population Health, Research and Strategy.
Prior to joining WVPHN in March 2021, Andy worked in the University, TAFE and Clinical Research sectors and sometimes works as a veterinarian in Emergency Animal Disease outbreaks, wildlife and bushfire response.
Janelle Jakowenko: Executive Director Operations
Janelle has 25 years experience in the health sector, starting out in one of the more obscure allied health professions as a medical photographer. Building on an early career based on medical artefacts, in 2008 she completed a Masters in eHealthcare with high distinction. She was one of only a handful of telehealth experts at the time, long before a pandemic turned it into business as usual.
From 2010 to 2012, Janelle was a subject matter expert for the RACGP in telehealth and eHealth. She then went on to lead national programs for the Australian Medicare Local Alliance in telehealth and cross-sector collaboration. After AML Alliance was defunded she moved into the acute sector leading complex, whole-of-organisation projects; firstly to Barwon Health, then to the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service. In Cairns she successfully led a $50 million organisational turnaround strategy that had high-quality care as the core principle. Janelle is passionate about continuous improvement of complex systems so the people within can focus on their driving purpose. Her driving force is to enable equitable and meaningful care to ensure it is delivered to the people of Western Victoria as close to home as possible.
Nigel Jarvis: Executive Director Finance and Corporate Services
Nigel has 11 years of finance and corporate services experience in the health sector, with the past 5.5 years in executive roles within the private acute setting. Nigel also has public health experience through previous employment and board director role. He holds a degree in Commerce and is a Certificate Practicing Accountant. Currently serving on the Ballarat Foundation board as Treasurer and Chair on the Finance Committee plus Beaufort and Skipton Health Services board as Treasurer and Chair on the Finance and Audit Risk Management sub-committee.
Organisation Chart
