President
Amy Curran - QLD
Amy is an English trained nurse who worked in Leicester and London before moving to Australia in 2004. Amy worked as a transport nurse for
NETS, Victoria before moving to Townsville in 2007 and undertaking her Nurse Practitioner training, becoming endorsed in 2010. Amy
has been an active member within ACNN and is involved in the NNP and LRC special interest groups. She is the chair of the NNP Methods
group within COINN, looking to explore the diversity of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) role globally.
E-mail: president@acnn.org.au
Vice President and Conference Chair
Melissah Burnett - VIC
Melissah is a long standing active member of ACNN and has held a variety of positions with ACNN, the Victorian Branch and LRC SIG. She has volunteered with ACNN in PNG four times and regularly attends the ACNN conferences and education activities. She is personally and professionally engaged with many ACNN members across Australia. Qualified with a Masters of Nursing and Certificate IV in Training assessment she has worked in the Mercy Hospital for Women NICU for 26 years but with a real passion for education and leadership has also worked in the higher education sector, as a Nurse Unit Manager and more recently as a senior clinical application specialist with a targeted focus on neonatal ventilation. Her current role is with Safer Care Victoria (Department of Health) leading an expert working group to review and update the Neonatal eHandbook Clinical Guidelines. She regularly works casual clinical shifts on the weekends and enjoys guest lecturing and supporting new and ongoing learners in the NICU/SCN. Email: vicepresident@acnn.org.au OR conference@acnn.org.au.
Acting Interim Secretary and Executive Support Officer
Karen New - QLD
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Karen joined the Neonatal Nurses Association of Qld (NNAQ) in 1997 and has been active within NNAQ - now the Qld Branch, ANNA - now ACNN and the LRC SIG since its inception. Karen served in numerous roles on the ACNN executive before taking on the ESO role in 2019. The role of the ESO is to provide administrative support and mentorship to the executive and subcommittees. Being a part of a professional organisation that seeks to enhance the role of the neonatal nurse in education, research, scholarship and clinical care, to ultimately improve the outcomes for sick and preterm neonates is immensely rewarding and professionally stimulating. This has occurred the state (QLd), national (ACNN) and international levels (Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN) - past president). For those who have a passion for neonatal nursing and care, then I strongly encourage you to become involved in ACNN and its branches and special interest groups. Email:secretary@acnn.org.au OR eso@acnn.org.au.
Treasurer
Samantha Lannan - TAS
Samantha is a registered nurse and midwife who has worked as a neonatal nurse for over twenty years. She has worked in several
neonatal units around Australia and has held clinical nurse, clinical facilitator and nurse unit manager positions. Samantha is currently
working as a neonatal nurse in Hobart and maintains her passion for family centred care. She was an active member of the Queensland Branch
of ACNN before taking on the role of assistant treasurer and then treasurer on the ACNN national executive committee.
E-mail: treasurer@acnn.org.au
Social Media (Ordinary Member)
Sarah Neale - ACT
Sarah has worked in neonatal units around Australia and currently calls Canberra home. Sarah is passionate about supporting new and
innovative ways of improving clinical care and compassionate teamwork, and has completed a Masters in Nursing – Clinical Teaching and
Leadership. Sarah manages the ACNN social media accounts, and hopes to increase awareness of the work and research Australian
neonatal nurses achieve, and to raise the profile of our profession.
E-mail: socialmedia@acnn.org.au
Memberships Secretary (Ordinary Member)
Nicol Franz - QLD
Nicol has over 18 years of experience in neonatal care in both NICU and SCN. After completing her Masters in Clinical Nursing, specialising in Special Care of the Newborn, Nicol took an academic position working for the University of Tasmania and recently appointed as Post Graduate Neonatal Stream Lead, as well as coordinator, teaching the Post Graduate Neonatal theory and practice units. Nicol has a passion for driving evidence-based practice also working with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) as the Chair of the Neonatal Expert Reference Group. Nicol’s passion and publication interests involve neonatal abstinence syndrome. Nicol is also an active member of the Scholarships Committee and Conference Committee. Nicol is committed to improving neonatal care across Australia, working to develop novice neonatal nurses into confident clinicians through implementation of research and education. Email: memberships@acnn.org.au
Acting Professional Officer (Ordinary Member)
Margaret Broom - ACT
Adjunct
Associate Professor Broom was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy undertaken at Australian Catholic University in April 2017. She has over 30
years of experience in all aspects of neonatology with 20 years clinical experience.
Over the past 10 years in the role of the Neonatal Research Coordinator at the Centenary Hospital Women, Youth and Children in Canberra, she has translated her clinical experience into researching many topics to improve outcomes for neonates, families, and staff. She has led many research and quality improvement projects considering topics such as impact of NICU redesign, reducing pressure injuries, pain management, parents attending clinical rounds, Family Integrated Care, as well as the impact of visiting restrictions on families due to COVID19. She is an active member of the Research SIG Committee. In 2021 Margaret was presented the Australian College of Neonatal Nurses, Nurse Excellence Award. Email: professionalofficer@acnn.org.au
Public Officer and Editor-in-Chief
Shelley Reid - NSW
Shelley
has a background in neonatal nursing since 1985, including as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical Nurse Educator in various
hospitals. From 1997 to 2024 she was the Clinical Audit and Research Officer at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Newborn Care in Sydney.
She was founding editor from 1998 and for the first six years of
the Neonatal, Paediatric and Child Health Nursing journal and
gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Editing and Publishing from Macquarie University. Her particular interests revolve around developmentally
supportive care for the preterm neonate, the psychological aspects of preterm infants within families, family centred care and professional
aspects of neonatal nursing. Shelley is currently a PhD candidate at the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of
Sydney. E-mail:
editor@acnn.org.au
Ordinary Member
Justine Parsons - NSW
With over 25 years neonatal nursing experience, Justine has worked in education and clinical consultancy roles in neonatal care units; and holds a Masters in Neonatal Nursing, Grad Dip in Education (Leadership & Management), and Cert IV in Training and Assessment. Justine's interests include quality improvement, practice development and adult learning, neonatal pain, neonatal organ and tissue donation, as well as environmental impacts of healthcare. Justine has been an active member of ACNN as Chair of the ACNN NSW Branch and as an ordinary committee member of the Education Special Interest Group. Justine is the Chair for the ACNN Standards Review working party and jointed the National Executive in September 2024.
Ordinary Member
Laura Briguglio - NSW
Laura has 15 years experience as a neonatal nurse, having worked in various roles; currently the A/NICU
Clinical Nurse Manager in Canberra. With a keen interest for leadership and workforce development, Laura is dedicated to improving
nursing practices and supporting professional growth. Laura is also a research member of the ACNN Neonatal Nursing Outcomes Measures
project and is chair of the ACNN ACT Branch. Laura joined the National Executive in September 2024.
Ordinary Member
Jennifer Middleton - NSW
Jennifer
completed her nursing training in Los Angeles, California in 2004 and after an intensive 6-month preceptorship in Neonatal Nursing she
spent the next 5 years working in neonatal and special care units across the United States. In 2009, she began a short 6-month position in
the Newborn Care department at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital which subsequently turned into 15 years and counting. In this time Jennifer has
worked in discharge support and education roles and is currently working as the research nurse for the department. Over her years with
ACNN, Jennifer most recently joined the NSW Branch as an ordinary member and has served, in the past, as an ordinary member on the Research
SIG. Jennifer joined the National Executive in September 2024.