Individual Staff Contact Details
Also see Contact Us for VICNISS Coordinating Centre details.
Prof Michael Richards
Director
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Mike has been Director of the VICNISS Coordinating Centre since it's commencement in April 2002.
Mike is an ID Physician with an interest in healthcare associated infections and infection prevention.
He was previously Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre and worked as
a guest researcher at the Hospital Infections Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Mike
is also Director of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service (VIDS) and is in private practice. Mike is a member of
the Victorian Advisory Committee of Infection Control (VACIC), and his recent publications include papers relating
to healthcare associated infections, surveillance and antibiotic use.
TBA
Operations Director
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Dr Ann Bull
Epidemiologist / Acting Operations Director
Phone: 61 3 9342 2638
Ann has been at VICNISS since 2002. Ann completed a PhD in molecular biology before working for 8 years with the Commonwealth Environment
Department in Canberra and then in Kakadu National Park. She has since completed a Masters in Applied Epidemiology. Ann is particularly
interested in surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and other process indicators for infection prevention.
Dr Noleen Bennett
CNC Infection Control
Phone: 61 3 9342 3906
Noleen has been with VICNISS since 2002 as a Senior Infection Control Consultant and is the primary contact for the Type 2 (smaller hospitals) program.
Prior to this she was employed as a Senior Infection Control Consultant at Monash Medical Centre. Noleen obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in 2011.
The title of her thesis was 'The development and evaluation of the Victorian hospital acquired infection surveillance program for smaller public acute care hospitals'.
Jennifer Bradford
CNC Infection Control
Phone: 61 3 9342 3905
Jenny joined VICNISS in 2010 in the role of Victorian Hand Hygiene Coordinator and a primary contact for the Type 1
(larger hospitals) program.
Jenny is a registered nurse and midwife, and also holds certificates in Adult Critical Care, Neonatal Intensive Care and
Sterilisation and Infection Control. She has completed a Diploma of Business and is an accredited nurse vaccinator.
Prior to joining VICNISS Jenny was Infection Control Manager at Monash Medical Centre, Southern Health.
Judy Brett
CNC Infection Control
Phone: 61 3 9342 3905
Judy joined VICNISS in 2007 and is a primary contact for the Type 1 (larger hospitals) program. Judy has been working in
infection control since 2000. Her post graduate qualifications include midwifery, neonatal intensive care, infection control and
sterilisation, nurse immunisation and business management. Judy is the current President of the Victorian Infection
Control Professionals Association (VICPA) and is a member of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcares,
healthcare associated infection implementation advisory committee.
Simon Burrell
Database Manager
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Simon has been with VICNISS since 2002, and is a Microsoft certified Database Administrator and has qualifications in electronics,
with experience in the public, community and private business sectors.
Ling Wang
.NET / SQL Programmer
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Kylie Berry
Administrative Officer
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Kylie has been with VICNISS since 2002, supporting the team as required. Her major roles include maintaining the VICNISS website
and facilitating the reports process. She has previously worked in a number of administration related roles,
specifically in the medical industry.
Megan Ward
Administrative Officer / Data Entry
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Megan joined VICNISS in 2007 in an administrative role, whilst on leave from her Bachelor of Nursing, having had some previous
working experience in basic nursing with The Royal Melbourne, Infectious Disease and St Vincent’s outpatients.
Thomas Aitken
VICNISS Secretary/Data Entry Clerk
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Dr Leon Worth
Infectious Diseases Physician
Phone: 61 3 9342 2605
Leon joined VICNISS in 2007. He is an infectious diseases physician with experience in infection control, epidemiology,
biostatistics and public health. In 2011 he completed his PhD evaluating surveillance strategies for catheter-related bloodstream
infections in immunocompromised patients. Leon is also a member of the Healthcare Associated Infection Technical Working Group of
the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare.