Naveena Nekkalapudi (she/her)
Naveena has lived experience of difficult, chronic health conditions, both through her own cancer diagnosis and as a carer for her parents for several years. Naveena is passionate about improving the experience of future individuals who utilise the health system, through both her lived and work experience to influence change across numerous health organisations.
Naveena has over seven years of experience as a consumer representative with various health, medical and research organisations. Unable to return to work post cancer treatment due to continued side effects, Naveena has undertaken extensive consumer training through Breast Cancer Network Australia’s Seat at the Table program and involvement at the state and national level. These organisations include Eastern Health, Safer Care Victoria, Breast Cancer Network Australia, Breast Cancer Trials, Cancer Council Victoria, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Monash Cancer Registry Program and Biobank India Foundation to name a few.
Naveena brings a little extra to her understanding of the biology of cancer through her background in Applied Science. Professionally, Naveena has worked as Head of Strategy at Medibank Private, utilising strong writing, editing and problem-solving skills, and developed her passion for seeing the larger holistic picture.
Bill Bennett
A member of the Community Advisory Committee since 2022. I am retired and have a strong interest in ensuring that Eastern Health provides the best possible health care to our community. I have lived in Vermont South & East Burwood for over 50 years and have been involved with numerous community organisations during that time. I served as a Whitehorse Councilor for 8 years and was Mayor in 2019. My professional career included over 20 years as an industrial chemist and over 10 years as a small business owner. My other current community interests are with the South Vermont Lions Club and the Vermont Men’s Shed.
I have been married to Carol for over 50 years and we have 2 adult sons living abroad.
My interests are gardening, current affairs & environmental issues and following the fortunes or otherwise of the mighty Blues!
Roberta Styles-Wood (she/her)
Roberta has extensive experience understanding and engaging communities and amplifying voices on the issues she works with.
She has worked across campaigns and advocacy at national, state and local levels for issues like cancer research, tourism and small business, road projects, sustainability and more recently social issues such as mental health and family violence.
She has also studied cultural heritage and creative therapies and believes in the power of the arts and storytelling to build community and heal.
She advocates for trauma-informed, holistic responses across health, education and social services. She has a heart condition and autoimmune disorder and supports a husband with a neurological disorder while raising 2 teens.
Irene Toh
Irene Toh is an experienced product manager who combines her strategic acumen with a passion for community health. She firmly believes that health and wellbeing are not only essential for a fulfilling life but also a basic human right. Understanding that access to healthcare is a necessity everyone will encounter, she emphasizes the importance of diverse voices in shaping the health ecosystem.
As a migrant and a proud member and volunteer of the LGBTIQA+ multicultural community, Irene understands the unique challenges and perspectives of these intersecting identities. Her lived experiences provide her with a unique lens through which she approaches her work, ensuring that the needs and concerns of all community members are considered.
Zoe Simmons (She/Her)
Zoe Simmons is an award-winning journalist, editor, copywriter, author, speaker and disability advocate who fights to make a difference in the world–especially for the underrepresented disability community.
Having been published hundreds of times around the globe–including by ABC, News.com.au, Daily Mail, Mamamia, Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, New York Post, New Idea and That’s Life–Zoe knows how to capture audiences through the raw power of storytelling.
She speaks and writes candidly about her experiences with disability, mental illness, autism and chronic pain to smash stigma, create change and help others know they aren’t alone.
Passionate about accessibility, lived experience and genuine inclusion, Zoe also works as a lived experience advisor for a number of disability, health and research organisations, providing trauma-informed, neuro-affirming and LGBTQIA+-friendly views to clinicians, senior leadership and government.
When not advocating for change, Zoe can be found writing books, including a project about her experiences as a disabled journalist in the now-forgotten Black Summer Bushfires.
You can follow Zoe online on LinkedIn, Facebook (@ZoeSimmonsJournalist), Twitter (@ItBeginsWithZ), Instagram, Tik Tok and Threads (@SomethingBeginningWithZ), or check out her website www.ZoeSimmons.com.au for more.