PSANZ ECR Committee Executive Members

Chair

Dr Dimple Goel

Dr Dimple Goel is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia and a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the UWA Medical School. A Neonatologist and Paediatric Sleep Specialist, she has a strong clinical and academic focus on perinatal and neonatal medicine. She also holds master’s in health management and master’s in public Health from UNSW, equipping her with expertise in both clinical practice and healthcare leadership.
Her doctoral research investigates sleep health in early life, with a focus on innovative approaches to diagnosing and managing sleep-disordered breathing and its impact on quality of life and long-term outcomes. She integrates clinical expertise with translational research to advance evidence-based, family-centered care.
Dr Goel has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications, presented at national and international conferences, and serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals. She is also an invited speaker at scientific and professional forums. In addition, she contributes to medical education and mentors early career researchers through her roles with RACP and UWA. Her work has been recognized with the ISWA Personal Excellence Award (2022) awarded by education minister of WA and the Stars of CAHS Consumer Award (2022), alongside multiple competitive research and service development grants.
As PSANZ Early Career Research (ECR) Chair, she is committed to strengthening opportunities for emerging researchers and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Deputy Chair

Dr Steph Boyd

Dr Stephanie Boyd is a Staff Specialist Neonatologist at the Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, and PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. Her doctoral research focuses on neonatal haemodynamics and cerebral hypoxia in high-risk newborns, with a particular interest in congenital diaphragmatic hernia, neonatal pulmonary hypertension, and strategies to reduce neonatal brain injury. Her broader research interests focus on neonatal neuroprotection, precision medicine approaches to reducing brain injury, and improving long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for high-risk newborns.

She has undertaken advanced training in targeted neonatal echocardiography and haemodynamics, including at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and is actively involved in neonatal haemodynamics education and international research collaborations. Dr Boyd is also the medical lead for high-risk neurodevelopmental follow-up at The Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care. Her work spans clinical research and advancing neuroprotective and precision medicine approaches for high-risk infants in neonatal intensive care.

Dr Boyd has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and presented her work at national and international conferences. She serves as a peer reviewer for leading neonatal and paediatric journals and has been invited to speak at scientific and professional meetings. She is also involved in developing and delivering educational workshops focused on the management of newborns with hypoxia in early life. Dr Boyd is an Associate Investigator on a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Clinical Trials Activity Grant and has received competitive research funding through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and philanthropic funding to support neonatal haemodynamics and congenital diaphragmatic hernia research. Her work has been recognised through several awards, including winning the 2025 Faculty of Medicine and Health Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition at the University of Sydney, the 2025–2028 Executive Dean’s Scholarship for PhD research at the University of Sydney, the 2024 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence, the team-based 2023 NSW Health Award for neonatal research, and the 2018 Staff Neonatologist Award at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

As Deputy Chair of the PSANZ Early Career Researcher (ECR) Committee, she is passionate about fostering collaboration, mentorship, and research opportunities for emerging researchers across perinatal and neonatal medicine.

Secretary

Cristal Salatas

PhD candidate

Cristal Salatas is a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland Liggins Institute, specialising in Perinatal Sciences. Her research utilises Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyse the spatial, nutritional, environmental, and socioeconomic determinants of preterm birth risk across New Zealand. By integrating large-scale health and environmental datasets, she develops predictive models that inform targeted, location-based maternal health interventions. Cristal’s research bridges spatial epidemiology, AI-driven risk modelling, and public health policy, ensuring that geospatial insights translate into actionable healthcare solutions. Cristal has been an active member of PSANZ since 2023 and has been the recipient of a PSANZ Early Research Career Travel Award, PSNZ New Investigator Award, and DOHaD Award for her oral presentation in GIS for preterm birth policy and resource management. Cristal represents the Epidemiology and Public Health ECR members of PSANZ.

Treasurer

Dr Tegan White

Dr Tegan White is an Early Career Postdoctoral Researcher within the Neurodevelopment and Neuroprotection Group at The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University. After completing her PhD in 2024, she has focused her research on understanding how complications during pregnancy affect a baby’s brain development. Her work centres on fetal growth restriction (FGR), a condition that affects up to 1 in 10 pregnancies and can have lifelong impacts on children. Using innovative preclinical models, Dr White explores new therapies to protect and repair the developing brain.
Throughout her career, Dr White has received multiple national and international awards for her research, delivered invited talks across Australia and the UK, and published in leading scientific journals. Dr White has been an active member of the PSANZ community since 2022 and is dedicated to strengthening the ECR network.

Member

Jianing Xu

Jianing Xu is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne and the Burnet Institute. Her research focuses on the impact of different definitions of pre-eclampsia on diagnosis, prediction, outcomes, and health system implications, conducted in collaboration with multi-country research teams. She holds Master of Public Health from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China, where she received multiple national scholarships and academic awards. In her previous academic work, Jianing has led and contributed to several national research projects in areas including postpartum depression and child vaccination. Through these experiences, she is committed to advancing innovative approaches to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes globally.
Jianing joined the PSANZ community in 2026 and is committed to strengthening connections and collaboration within the ECR network.

Member

Kate Mills

Past Executive Members

Dr. Rosemarie Boland
Dr. Calum Roberts
Dr. Tanya Nippita
Dr. Charlotte Oyston
Dr. Christine Andrews
Dr. Nasrin Javid
Dr. Ashley Meakin
Dr. Teena Gammage
Dr. Siobhan Loughnan
Dr. Roshan Salvaratnam
Dr. Ishmael (Mikee) Inocencio
Dr Benjamin Amberg

2026 Committee