Governance Structure
Meet the members of the PLATIPUS teams and sub-committees who work with doctors, midwives, nurses, people with lived/living experience and Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Trial Steering Committee (TSC) is the key decision-making body for PLATIPUS. This committee is responsible for trial design, conduct and reporting. TSC membership includes clinical and scientific content experts, experts in biostatistics, and representatives from other PLATIPUS sub-committees, including the Trial Management Committee, Pregnancy and Neonatal Domain Committees, Cultural Leadership Committees, and the Lived Experience Committee. The TSC consists of a combination of independent and non-independent members.
The Trial Management Committee (TMC) is responsible for trial conduct and management on a day-to-day basis. TMC membership includes lead and associate investigators, including biostatistician(s), the program manager, the data manager and representatives from the Lived Experience Committee.
Prof. Brett Manley
Professor of Neonatal Medicine, Neonatal Lead (AUS)
A/Prof. Clare Whitehead
A/Prof. of Maternal and Perinatal Health; Pregnancy Lead (AUS)
A/Prof. Chris McKinlay
A/Prof. of Neonatal Medicine; Neonatal Lead (NZ)
Prof. Katie Groom
Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Health; Pregnancy Lead (NZ)
Prof. Katherine Lee
Professor of Biostatistics
Dr Robert Mahar
Biostatistician
Ms Melinda Cruz
Lived Experience Expert
A single PLATIPUS-Data Safety and Monitoring Committee (DSMC) will review the progress of the trial and monitor adherence to the protocol, participant recruitment, outcomes, complications, accuracy and completeness of data capture, and other issues related to participant safety across all regions.
Prof. Barbara Schmidt
Professor of Neonatal Medicine (Canada)
Prof. Leonid Churilov Professor of Biostatistics (AU)
Prof. Anna David
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (UK)
Prof. William Grobman
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (USA)
Vacant
The PLATIPUS Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) will be a group of scientific and content experts with geographic and multidisciplinary representation. The EAP will provide advice and feedback to the TSC about trial conduct, plus domain and intervention prioritisation. They will review trial documents and will have a significant role in site engagement and the dissemination of trial information.
TBA
TBA
The Statistical Advisory Committee will oversee the statistics side of PLATIPUS. The Committee consists of experts in adaptive platform trials and Bayesian statistician modelling.
Prof. Katherine Lee
Chair, Professor of Biostatistics
Dr Robert Mahar
Biostatistician
Dr Chris Selman
Biostatistician
Dr Melissa Middleton
Biostatistician
A/Prof. Chris McKinlay
A/Prof. of Neonatal Medicine; Neonatal Lead (NZ)
Prof. Julie Marsh
Professor of Biostatistics
Prof. Thomas Lumley
Professor of Biostatistics
Prof. Steven Webb
Adaptive Platform Trial Methodology Expert
Dr James Totterdell
Biostatistician
The Lived Experience committee will include members who have lived experience of pregnancy/ies at risk of preterm birth, are the parent of a baby born preterm, or were born preterm themselves. The committee will have an active role in all aspects of trial design, prioritisation and implementation.
Australia:
Melinda Cruz
Chair, Lived Experience Expert
Gabriella Lowe
Natalie Merida
Frances Pellegrini
Valli Coleman
Sophie Smith
Aotearoa New Zealand:
April Reece
Emma Forrest
Rebecca Streith
Kate Hicks
Erin Pellow
Jessica Berry
The Cultural Leadership Committees will provide cultural leadership that will inform and contribute to all PLATIPUS trial design and conduct components.
TBA
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Frances Pellegrini
Co-Chair
Karyn Ferguson
Member
Marilyn Morgan
Member
The Pregnancy Domain Committee will develop and respond to priorities for pregnancy research, select and develop pregnancy domains and interventions for the platform, and guide the practical implementation of this research.
A/Prof. Clare Whitehead
Co-Chair, A/Prof. of Maternal and Perinatal Health; Prgenancy Lead (AUS)
Prof. Katie Groom
Co-Chair, Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Health; Pregnancy Lead (NZ)
A/Prof. Miranda Davies-Tuck
A/Prof. of Perinatal Epidemiology
Prof. Adrienne Gordon
Professor of Neonatal Medicine
Prof. Della Forster
Professor of Midwifery and Maternity Services Research
Prof. Kirsten Palmer
Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Health
Dr Billie Bradford
Academic Midwife
Prof. Joshua Vogel
Professor of Perinatal Epidemiology
Dr Lisa Dawes
Maternal Fetal Subspecialist
Prof. Amanda Henry
Professor in Women's Health; Obstetrician
Emma Forrest
Lived Experience Consultant
Gabriella Lowe
Lived Experience Consultant
The Neonatal Domain Committee will develop and respond to priorities for neonatal research, select and develop neonatal domains and interventions for the platform, and guide the practical implementation of this research.
A/Prof. Chris McKinlay
Co-Chair, A/Prof. of Neonatal Medicine; Neonatal Lead (NZ)
Prof. Brett Manley
Co-Chair, Professor of Neonatal Medicine, Neonatal Lead (AUS)
Dr Elizabeth Baker
Neonatologist
Rebecca Streith
Lived Experience Consultant
Natalie Merida
Lived Experience Consultant
The Consent and Ethics Working Group investigates ethical issues and guidance for PLATIPUS recruitment processes, including consent.
Dr Amir Muhammad Zayegh
Chair, Neonatologist and PhD candidate
Prof. Angela Ballantyne
Professor of Bioethics (NZ)
Dr Trisha Prentice
Neonatologist
Sophie Gatenby
Ethics Advisor
Kate Hicks
Lived Experience Consultant
Valli Coleman
Lived Experience Consultant
This working group will design, develop and maintain database systems where information will be stored. The working group will oversee data and database monitoring, security and regulatory compliance.
Madeleine Foreman
Database Manager
Dr Elizabeth Baker
Neonatologist
A/Prof. Chris McKinlay
A/Prof. of Neonatal Medicine; Neonatal Lead (NZ)
Dr Melissa Middleton
Biostatistician
Dr Lisa Kremer
Senior Lecturer of Pharmacy
The Follow-up Working Group investigates how participants in this research will be followed up as they age; i.e. which assessments are helpful, when assessments should take place, etc.
Prof. Jeanie Cheong
Chair, Professor of Neonatal Medicine
A/Prof. Chris McKinlay
A/Prof. of Neonatal Medicine; Neonatal Lead (NZ)
Prof. Trecia Wouldes
Professor of Psychological Medicine (NZ)
Prof. Alicia Spittle
Professor of Physiotherapy
Dr Elizabeth Hurrion
Neonatologist and Content Expert
Erin Pellow
Lived Experience Consultant
The Health Economics Working Group looks into the health economics component of PLATIPUS, including the cost of pregnancy or special baby care, as well as the benefit to families (quality of life) and the health care system that a change in care might offer.
Prof. Kim Dalziel
Chair, Professor of Health Economics
Dr Li Huang
Senior Research Fellow
Xinyang Hua
Research Assistant
Regional Management Committees oversee PLATIPUS domains and activity in their region (or Country).
Prof. Katie Groom
co-Chair, Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Health; Pregnancy Lead
A/Prof. Chris McKinlay
co-Chair, A/Prof. of Neonatal Medicine; Neonatal Lead
Dr Felicity Ware
Māori Health Researcher
Dr Lisa Kremer
Māori Health Researcher and Senior Lecturer of Pharmacy
Stephanie Shanker
Māori Health Researcher and Clinician
Prof. Jane Alsweiler
Professor of Neonatal Medicine
Prof. Thomas Lumley
Professor of Biostatistics
Prof. Angela Ballantyne
Professor of Bioethics
Dr Lisa Dawes
Maternal Fetal Subspecialist
April Reece
Lived Experience Consultant
Kate Hicks
Lived Experience Consultant
The Pharmacy Working Group is an advisory subcommittee for PLATIPUS. The group provides expert oversight and recommendations regarding investigational medicinal product (IMP) management, pharmacy operations, blinding procedures, regulatory compliance and quality management to ensure the safe and efficient conduct of domains run across the platform.
PhWG membership will consist of a combination of independent and non-independent members.
Dr Elizabeth Oliphant
Co-Chair, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy (NZ)
Mr Wirawan Jeong
Co-Chair, Clinical Trials and Research Pharmacist
Dr Maureen Makama
Maternal Health Researcher
Ms Jessica Soo
Biomedicine Consultant
Ms Stefania Capra
Lived Experience Consultant
Prof. Steven Webb
Director of Empiric Health
Ms Sophie Smith
Founder of Running for Premature Babies
