Meet the Team

		Professor Bernie Tuch Bernie Tuch is the (Founding) Chairman of the NSW Stem Cell Network, a practising endocrinologist, and a Professor of Medicine. Previously, he and colleagues at the Prince of Wales Hospital conducted a clinical trial with encapsulated pancreatic islets as a possible therapy for type 1 diabetes. He is now wishing to carry out a similar trial using insulin-producing cells derived from human embryonic stem cells, that are seeded into a bioengineered device before implantation to overcome the need for recipients to take anti-rejection drugs. To achieve this goal, he works in both academia and industry, with both not-for-profit and for-profit companies. Separately, he is the Acting Chairman of the ASX listed biotechnology company Living Cell Technologies Ltd.
		Joanna Knott Joanna Knott is a co-founder (25 years ago) and the Chair of national research charity, SpinalCure Australia. She has a 30-year career in Communications/PR. Her work was a major contributor to Federal Parliamentarians voting in favour of this research in a conscience vote in 2006. In 2008, she was awarded an OAM for her work in this sector.
		Prof Ian Kerridge Ian Kerridge is Professor of Bioethics and Medicine at Sydney health Ethics in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and Staff Haematologist/Bone Marrow Transplant physician at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney. He is Chair of the South Eastern Sydney LHD Clinical Ethics Committee and a member of the NSW Health Department's Health Ethics Advisory Panel. In 2005 Ian was a member of the Legislation Review Committee (Lockhart Committee) which reviewed the Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 and the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002.
		Dr Michael Morris Michael Morris specialises in research on embryonic stem cells and embryology, with a view to understanding normal and abnormal nervous system development and developing assisted reproduction technologies for use in humans and livestock. He has worked in embryonic stem-cell R&D in the biotech industry and the Australian Stem Cell Centre before moving to an academic position at Sydney University. He is a founding member of the NSW Reproduction Forum and the Sydney Centre for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine.
		Dr Rachel Shparberg Rachel completed her PhD at The University of Sydney in 2018; her research focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying mammalian nervous system development using mouse embryonic stem cells. During her PhD, Rachel worked as the part-time Manager of The NSW Stem Cell Network (2015), and following the completion of her PhD, she worked as a Research Scientist at Western Sydney University where she used human pluripotent stem cells to understand lens development, disease and regeneration. Rachel currently works as a Medical Writer in the pharma and medical affairs industry.
		Dr Margret Schuller Margret has worked in the field of medical research for many years, has co-authored numerous life science research publications and editor of PCR in clinical Microbiology: An Australian and International Perspective, (Springer, 2010). Margret also runs her own company, Profitable Business Development, which specialises in business development, demand marketing, market analysis, corporate image, brand strength and knowledge management. The company recently expanded to include corporate events and portrait photography. Since 2012, Margret has been an active committee member and chair of Sponsorship and Industry for the Australian Society of Stem Cell Research (ASSCR).
	Past Board Members	Dr Kelvin Hopper It is with great sadness we write to announce the passing of longtime Board Member, Dr Kelvin Hopper, on 22 December 2021. Kelvin was a member of the Board of the Network since 2008 and his extensive commercial background and involvement in the biotech and medtech industries, was invaluable to the success of the Network. Dr Daniella Goldberg Daniella is on the advisory board of the NSW Stem Cell Network and was the initial manager and co-founder of the NSW Stem Cell Network over 15 years ago. She is passionate about health & life sciences, innovation, commercialisation, business & start-ups. Daniella has been working with start up biotechnology companies specialising in stem cell therapeutics and is currently an MBA candidate. Prior to this, she worked in science communication and marketing, in TV, radio and print media, turning science into a compelling story for a wide range of audiences including executives, investors, scientific peers, school students, Government and the general public. To balance her professional career in life science start-ups, Daniella created her own boutique wellness business that facilitates high performers to de stress through mindfulness & yoga in nature.

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Meet the Team

Past Board Members