We regularly hold information nights in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth & Melbourne.

 

Click here for our list of events

Corporations are encouraged to partner with the AMDF, to benefit the entire mito community.

Read more about corporate partnership opportunities.

Board & Team

 

The AMDF has only one part-time employee and is heavily reliant on a team of committed volunteers who have generously taken on specific roles.
 
The Board includes business people, doctors, scientists, a lawyer and state representatives who are committed to the successful establishment of the Foundation and its goals.

 

Board of Directors

 

Penny Andrews

 

Penny is a retail entrepreneur having worked in the retail industry for over 20 years. She is owner and director of one of Perth's largest furniture retailer/importers that has been in business for over 35 years.


Penny and her husband Steven are the parents of four children, two of whom have the mitochondrial disorder Juvenile Leigh's Disease.


Penny heads the WA branch of the AMDF.

 

 

Prof John Christodoulou

MB BS PhD FRACP FRCPA FHGSA

 

Prof Christodoulou is currently Director, Western Sydney Genetics Program at The Children’s Hospital, Westmead in Sydney, and Professor, Disciplines of Paediatrics and Child Health and Genetic Medicine, in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney. His formal training includes paediatrics and clinical genetics, with his major clinical focus being the investigation and management of individuals with inborn errors of metabolism.
He is the former President (2005-2007) of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia, and has also been a recent RCPA Examiner in Genetics.


Prof Christodoulou’s current research interests include the biology of Rett syndrome and related disorders, the molecular pathogenesis of mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders and the development of new therapies for phenylketonuria (PKU).


He has published over 100 peer reviewed papers and is regularly called upon for lectures on a range of genetics subjects.


John is a member of the AMDF Medical & Scientific Advisory Panel.

 

 

Don Coulthard

 

Don Coulthard is currently the CEO of National Credit Management Limited a leading receivables management and distressed asset purchaser.

 

Don has lobbied extensively to government in support of medical research funding and assisted Research Australia in the development of its Philanthropy initiative.

Originally from Canada, Don moved to Melbourne with his family in 1994 and holds a BA from York University in Toronto.


Don heads the Victorian branch of the AMDF.

 

 

Graeme Crampton - Deputy Chairman

 

Graeme is a Chartered Accountant with farming & agribusiness interests in Northern NSW. He recently retired from PwC after 29 years as a Tax partner including terms on the Management Executive & Board of Partners.


He has extensive professional & commercial experience particularly in buying & selling businesses. Other interests are property & investment. He also enjoys tennis, fishing & travel.


Graeme is a member of the AMDF Finance & Legal Committee.

 

 

Ross Grant

BSc(Hons) MCom(Hons) MBA

 

Ross Grant is Chairman of Grant Samuel Group, an independent investment banking firm which he established in 1988.

 

Ross Grant was previously an Executive Director of Macquarie Bank Limited having joined Hill Samuel Australia Limited (the predecessor of Macquarie Bank Limited) in 1975. Ross Grant holds degrees in Mathematics (B.Sc (Hons) - Otago University), Economics (M.Com - Canterbury University) and Business Administration (MBA - University of NSW).


Ross is a member of the AMDF Finance & Legal Committee.

 

 

Dr Phillipa Lamont

MB PhD FRACP

 

Dr Phillipa Lamont is the Director of the Neurogenetic Unit at Royal Perth Hospital, and also is a paediatric neurologist at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. Her formal training includes both paediatric and adult neurology.

 

She completed her post-doctoral studies at the Centre for Neurological and Neurosurgical Diseases at Queen Square, London, in the laboratory of Professor Anita Harding. This led to a continuing interest in mitochondrial disorders, among other neurogenetic disorders. The Neurogenetic Unit was set up in 2000 and continues, in collaboration with Professor Nigel Laing of WA Institute for Medical Research, to identify the genetic basis of neuromuscular disorders.


Phillipa is a member of the AMDF Medical & Scientific Advisory Panel.

 

 

Dr Doug Lingard - President & Chairman

MB ChB FRANZCR

 

Doug is a Radiologist & Nuclear Physician who has been active in both public and private medicine in Australia for over 30 years. He is a cofounder of the largest Diagnostic Imaging practice in Australia, Pittwater Radiology & Medical Imaging Australasia Ltd. He and his wife Margie are the parents of two children with mitochondrial disease.


Doug is the AMDF Chairman and a member of the AMDF Medical & Scientific Advisory Panel.

 

 

Sean Murray

 

Sean Murray is presently an Engagement Manager with global business technology solution provider Professional Advantage Pty Ltd.


Sean’s background includes software development, business consulting and general management. His career now focuses on organisational change and project/programme management. Sean has lived and worked in Australia, the UK and the US with broad industry experience in both private and government sectors. Sean holds a degree in Computer Science and Pure Mathematics (BSc) from Sydney University.


Sean is the AMDF CEO and a member of the Fundraising Committee.

 

 

Alister Robinson


Alister is presently an executive with the boutique funds management company Clime Investment Management Ltd.


Alister’s career as a banker spans over 40 years and has encompassed most aspects of banking in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Australia. He was a senior executive with Lloyds Bank and ABN Amro in Sydney and has resided in Sydney for 25 years. This experience included a considerable period in Private Banking with Lloyds Bank.


He is Managing Director of Wickliffe Bay Consultants and Coordinator of the University of Otago Alumni in NSW. In 2009 he was awarded the University Medal for services to the University.


Alister is the AMDF Public Officer and a member of the Finance & Legal Committee.

 

 

Prof Carolyn Sue

MBBS, PhD, FRACP


Prof Carolyn Sue has been trained as a neurologist as well as a research scientist. She has been running Australia’s largest specialised clinic dedicated to the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of adult patients with mitochondrial disease since 1994. In 2003, she set-up Australia’s first exercise laboratory dedicated to the treatment of mitochondrial muscle disease and showed that aerobic exercise training improved muscle performance in Australian patients with mitochondrial disease. It was her vision, combined with the actions of Dr Doug Lingard, which led to the establishment of the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (AMDF) in 2009.


Prof Sue is currently appointed as Professor at the University of Sydney, the Director of the Department of Neurogenetics at Royal North Shore Hospital and the Director of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research (Sydney Node). She completed her post-doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York, and returned to Australia in 2000 to establish her own research team, currently located at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, at Royal North Shore Hospital. She has a major interest in understanding the disease processes involved in mitochondrial disorders, with an emphasis on developing new treatment options for affected patients. She is also using stem cells as a cellular model to investigate mitochondrial disease.


Carolyn is a member of the AMDF Medical & Scientific Advisory Panel.

 

 

Prof David Thorburn

BSc(Hons) PhD FHGSA FFS(RCPA)


Prof David Thorburn received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Sydney in 1987 before completing a Fulbright Fellowship with Prof Ernie Beutler at Scripps Clinic, La Jolla (San Diego), California. David returned to Australia in 1990, and is currently an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, located in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. He holds honorary appointments in the Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne and with Genetic Health Services Victoria. David is a former President of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia and a former member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (USA).


David’s Mitochondrial Research Laboratory is primarily involved in research but also acts as the Australasian referral centre for diagnosis of mitochondrial disease in children. His lab has diagnosed more than 400 patients with mitochondrial disease and published over 100 scientific journal articles and reviews. David’s research focuses on the genetic basis of mitochondrial energy generation diseases. He has had a particular interest in understanding how mitochondrial DNA mutations are passed on from mothers to their children, and translating this knowledge into approaches for genetic counselling, prenatal diagnosis and prevention. He also studies the roles of nuclear genes, which are inherited from both parents. His lab has identified several novel “disease” genes using a range of gene mapping and molecular cell biology approaches. Recently, his lab has developed two mouse models of mitochondrial disease, which are being used to study the precise disease mechanisms and to trial treatment strategies.


David is a member of the AMDF Medical & Scientific Advisory Panel.

 

AMDF Teams

 

 

Other Personnel

 

Chris Wilkinson - Secretary

BBus LLM

 

Chris has been Company Secretary of the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation since September 2010 and been a member of the fundraising committee for Stay In Bed Day, a national initiative of the Foundation since July 2010. 

 

Chris is an Associate at Brown Wright Stein Lawyers, a boutique commercial law firm in Sydney, NSW.  He has business degree from the University of Technology Sydney and a Masters of Laws from Sydney University.  When not at work, he enjoys scuba diving, trying to hit golf balls and relaxing. 


Chris is a member of both the AMDF Finance & Legal and Fundraising Committees as well as the AMDF Volunteer Coordinator.

 

 

Michael Pilcher BEc. CPA - Treasurer

BEc. CPA

 

Treasurer of the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation since 2009.  Director and Company Secretary of the Mawson’s Huts Foundation since 2006.

 

Michael has 25 years experience as a finance executive working in Australasia. General Manager Finance, Crone Partners Architecture 2005-09; General Manager, Holman Webb Lawyers 2003-05; Finance Manager & Company Secretary, Freehills Lawyers 1998-2003. He has worked for Arthur Andersen and PWC in Sydney, London and Africa.

 

  • CEO: Sean Murray
  • Helpline Coordinator: Karen Crawley
  • Membership Coordinator: Cathy Prendergast
  • Public Officer: Alister Robinson
  • Public Relations: Carol Moore
  • QLD Coordinator: Brenton Siedl
  • Volunteer Coordinator: Chris Wilkinson