Our Board
We are led by a highly qualified Board who have a wealth of knowledge with demonstrated hands-on experience working within our region.

Dr Tony Bayliss
Chair
GP
Dr Tony Bayliss has been practising as a GP in the Ipswich area since 2012. He has served on the Darling Downs and West Moreton Board since November 2017 and as Chair since 2019. He brings real-world skills and experience in clinical matters, corporate and clinical governance, finance and strategy. He has been a practice owner in the region since 2015 and retains a passion for improving the health of the Darling Downs and West Moreton communities. He is an active member of the RACGP Queensland Faculty Council and the West Moreton Local Medical Association.

Dr Andy Mellis
GP
Dr Andy Mellis has worked in General Practice since 2003 and has been based in Toowoomba since 2005. Andy currently works at both James Neil Medical and Rangeside Medical, in the People First Health Group. Andy trained at Nottingham University and completed his specialist general practice training in the UK, before emigrating to Toowoomba in 2005. Andy is an accredited GP trainer and is a senior lecturer with the UQ school of medicine. Andy is a founding member of the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN Board and is committed to keeping quality general practice accessible to all.

Professor Lauren Ball
Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing at the University of Queensland
Professor Lauren Ball is a Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing at the University of Queensland. Lauren brings over 15 years' experience as a clinician and researcher in primary care as a qualified dietitian, exercise physiologist and primary health care researcher.

Elizabeth Adams
Chief Executive Officer - Goolburri Aboriginal Health
Elizabeth Adams is currently the CEO Goolburri Aboriginal Health. She is a proud Aboriginal woman of the Mardigan people from Southwest Queensland with over 30 years’ experience in primary health care.

Dr Vladislav Matic
GP
Dr Vladislav (Vlad) Matic is a GP with more than twenty-five years of remote, rural, regional and urban General Practice experience. Vlad is passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, chronic and complex disease management, data, and clinical governance. In addition to contributing to GP and primary care Boards over the past twenty years, Vlad has also been very involved in the teaching of medical students and GP Registrars aiming for either an FRACGP and / or FACRRM.

Megan O’Shannessy
Chief Executive Officer of Rural Medical Education Australia
Megan is the Chief Executive Officer of Rural Medical Education Australia, a local NFP rural health education company that delivers the Griffith University Rural Medical program on the Darling Downs and Maranoa. She is a Registered Nurse and Midwife with extensive clinical and leadership experience in rural health across the Darling Downs region. Megan is a member of the Medical Board of Queensland and the Platinum Health Group. She is an Adj Associate Professor at the Griffith University School of Medicine, has a Master of Public Health, a Bachelor of Nursing and is a GAICD.

David Cosgrave
Lawyer
David Cosgrave is a Toowoomba-based lawyer with extensive Australian and international legal, business, and management experience. David has served in a variety of executive level and Board roles across investment banking, telemedicine, health care, education, information technology and security. He has previously worked at the former Northern Sydney Area Health Service (NSAHS), Crosby Asset Management, CSIRO, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and his own businesses. David joined the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN Board in November 2018 and brings to the role his experience in corporate governance, solving problems and strategic thinking.

Deanne Minniecon
National Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement at Diabetes Australia
Deanne Minniecon is an Aboriginal (Goreng Goreng) and Torres Strait Islander (Erub) woman with over 25 years’ experience working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education. Deanne is currently the National Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement at Diabetes Australia.
Our Clinical Council
Our Clinical Council provides the Board with clinical recommendations and advice on the unique health needs of communities in regional, rural and remote areas. This helps us to make the best possible decisions when funding programs and services.
Clinical Council Members
Dr Antony Bayliss |
PHN Chair and GP |
Andy Mellis |
Clinical Council Chair and GP |
Tamika Campbell |
Deputy CEO - Carbal |
Dene Creegan |
Practice Manager |
Dr Meech Freeman |
A/Clinical Director Rural Health – West Moreton Health |
Dadirai Gara |
Psychologist |
Simone Karandrews |
Sonographer and Community Advisory Council Representative |
Rica Lacey |
Director Indigenous Health – Darling Downs Health |
Wendy Owen |
Speech Pathologist |
Judith Pasco (France) |
Podiatrist |
Dr Vishwas Raghunath |
Nephrologist/Obstetric Physician |
Elise Stevenson |
Registered Nurse |
Darling Downs Health GPLO |
Ex officio |
West Moreton Health GPLO |
Ex officio |
Community Advisory Committees
Our Community Advisory Committees provide the Board with local and relevant perspectives on health issues from a community and consumer perspective.
Darling Downs Community Advisory Committee Members
Dr Graham McAllister |
Chair |
Elizabeth Adams |
Co-chair |
Anya Smith |
Community Representative |
Bradley Jones |
Community Representative |
Bree Manning |
Community Representative |
Elizabeth Kerrison |
Community Representative |
Louise Judge |
Community Representative |
Rochelle Jesser |
Community Representative |
West Moreton Community Advisory Committtee Members
Lauren Ball |
Chair |
Ellisha Freeman |
Community Representative |
Kim Stanton |
Community Representative |
Leonie Short |
Community Representative |
Michael Winton |
Community Representative |
Simone Karandrews |
Community Representative |
Uncle Milton Walit |
Community Representative |
Our Members
Our PHN was originally formed in 2015 under a partnership between Darling Downs Health and GP Connections.
To support primary health service integration, foundational changes to the organisational structure have been undertaken with the following organisations also approved for membership:
Membership
Membership is open to all primary health organisations who live and work in the Darling Downs and West Moreton region. For more information, and to apply for membership, read our:
The Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN is operated as an independent non-government, private entity.