Staff Profiles

ProScribe has thirteen employees. Their profiles are provided below:

  
Associate Professor Karen Woolley
BHMS (Ed) Hons PhD
Chief Executive Officer, ProScribe
Assoc. Professor, University of Queensland

Karen has spent the last 22 years immersed in clinical research and medical writing, in academia and industry, in Australia and North America. Before working in the international pharmaceutical sector (Clinical Research Manager for two international pharmaceutical companies), Karen was studying and working in academia (BHMS, Education, Honours First Class, PhD Medical Science, Post-Doctoral Fellowship).

Since 2000, Karen has been CEO of ProScribe Medical Communications with staff based in Noosa, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Tokyo. ProScribe was the first Australian company recognised internationally as complying with Good Publication Practice. Karen leads a team of PhD Medical Writers who service leading academic, biotech and pharma clients. Karen lectures in Medical Writing and Drug Development at two Universities and serves as a Director on the Board of the Association of Regulatory and Clinical Scientists. Karen’s business ethics and acumen have been recognised with Karen winning a 2004/2005 Telstra Business Women of the Year Award (Queensland, Business Owner). Karen was the 2003/2004 Sunshine Coast Business Woman of the Year (Business). Karen has featured in the mainstream media, including BRW, The Bulletin, The Courier Mail, ABC radio. ProScribe was also profiled in an SBS Documentary on successful, innovative Australian businesses.

 

 

Dr Serina Stretton

BSc Hons PhD

Senior Medical Writer

 

Serina, a Senior Medical Writer at ProScribe, has more than 20 years of experience in medical writing, as well as clinical and nonclinical research.

 

Her professional experience extends from microbiology and biotechnology through to ophthalmic research, materials science, clinical trials, and public health.  As a medical writer, she has been involved closely in the preparation of manuscripts and regulatory documents across a broad range of therapeutic areas.  Serina has conducted annual workshops and writing seminars for almost a decade for numerous organisations.  In particular, the medical writing workshops that Serina has conducted for national and international audiences have been rated consistently as very relevant and of the highest quality. 

 

Serina is an active member of the Medical Writing Education Sub-commitee of ARCS Australia Ltd, an organisation dedicated to professional development for the therapeutics industry.  She is also a member of the Australian and American Medical Writing Associations.

 

 

 

 

Dr Rebecca Lew

BA (Distinction) PhD

Senior Medical Writer

 

Rebecca has over 20 years’ experience in basic medical research, with more than 50 publications in leading international journals. Her scientific expertise spans from the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying disease processes, through to whole animal research and clinical studies.  Her specific interests include the hormones, receptors and enzymes involved in cellular communication, particularly those which regulate the cardiovascular and nervous systems.  She has collaborated widely both within Australia and internationally, and her work has been supported primarily by competitive, peer-reviewed funding from the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia.

 

Rebecca completed her PhD in Physiology at the University of Virginia in the USA, and migrated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1990. She has since worked at Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research, the Baker Heart Research Institute, and most recently, at Monash University, where she continues to hold a part-time undergraduate lecturing position in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.  During this time, she has presented her research at numerous conferences, both in lecture and poster display formats.

 

Rebecca joined ProScribe in 2006, bringing not only her academic and research experience, but also highly developed writing skills and an enthusiasm for scientific communication.  This is reflected in her current position as Editor of Australian Biochemist, the magazine of the Australian Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, as well as experience in editing issues of specialist research journals such as International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics, Protein and Peptide Letters, and Letters in Peptide Science.

 

 

 

 

Dr Narelle Bramich

BSc Hons PhD

Medical Writer

 

After completing her PhD in physiology at the University of Melbourne, in 1991, Narelle took up an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) fellowship at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK.  She subsequently returned to Australia where she was awarded a prestigious NHMRC RD Wright Fellowship at the University of Melbourne, allowing her to continue her research interest in the control of cardiac and smooth muscle by the autonomic nervous system. 

 

Before joining ProScribe, Narelle was the Clinical Research Manager at an Australian medical device company developing a technology for the treatment of urinary incontinence.  This gave her the unique opportunity to be involved with the non-clinical and early phase clinical research required for the development of a medical technology from the concept stage to its clinical application.   During this time, Narelle gained extensive experience in the many aspects of medical writing for industry including non-clinical study reports, regulatory and ethics-related submissions, labelling documentation and training materials.   Narelle has also published more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts and review articles and has presented numerous papers at both national and international conferences. 

 

 

 

 

Dr Cassandra Haley

BSc Hons Grad Cert Bus PhD

Medical Writer

 

After completing her Bachelor of Science (with Honours), Cassandra was encouraged to continue her studies and, in 2007, completed her PhD. During her doctoral studies, Cassandra published in national and international peer-reviewed journals, presented at international conferences, taught undergraduate students, and completed a graduate certificate in business management.

 

Cassandra then sought industry experience and was first employed as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) within a contract research organisation. Cassandra monitored trials across multiple therapeutic areas and gained an in-depth understanding of clinical trial documentation.  During her time as a CRA, Cassandra pursued the opportunity to write and soon found herself making the successful transition from a CRA to a medical writer. 

 

Cassandra has written clinical study reports, safety narratives, protocols, ethics applications, consent documents, training manuals, and guidelines.  Cassandra welcomed the opportunity to join a specialist medical writing company and is focusing on her career as a full-time medical writer with ProScribe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jane McDonald

B.Pharm, Dip Hosp Pharm, MBA

Business Development Manager, Asia

 

Jane has 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, predominantly in early phase clinical research. Prior to her industry experience, Jane worked as a hospital based clinical pharmacist in both Sydney and London. Jane holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy and Graduate Diploma in Hospital Pharmacy from Sydney University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Technology, Sydney.

 

Whilst in Australia, Jane worked for a global pharmaceutical company as Director of Clinical Research.  She was responsible for establishing and leading their international, early phase clinical research unit.  Jane was involved in Federal Government initiatives to increase R&D investment and to develop strategic alliances between industry and academia in Australia. She also served as an elected Councillor and Education convener for the Association of Regulatory and Clinical Sciences. Jane was a frequently invited speaker on industry issues.

 

Based in Japan, Jane has participated in the Queensland Industry Development Scheme as a pharmaceutical business development consultant.  She brings a combination of academic and business skills to her role as Business Development Manager for ProScribe throughout the Asian region. Jane has a particular interest in the development and delivery of medical writing courses in countries with English as a second language.

 

 

 

Maureen LeFanue

Operations Coordinator

 

Maureen has a long history of Executive Assistant roles with such companies as Smith Kline Beecham, Ricoh, Nortel Networks, APNAP and SCV Group (public companies). She worked as Assistant to the Director, South East Asia, for Smith Kline Beecham; Communications Manager, Ricoh; General Manager and President of Nortel Networks, Australia (for a period of   7 years), with a staff of 40,000 worldwide and revenue of approx 7 billion); the General Manager of APNAP (14 daily newspapers from Cairns to the Gold Coast) and the CEO of SCV Group (Managers of 300 retirement villages throughout Australia). Five years ago, Maureen moved from Sydney, NSW to Queensland. She joined ProScribe in February 2010 and now plays an integral role in the operational side of the company.

Dr Mark Woolley
BSc BHMS Hons PhD Grad Cert Marketing
Managing Director

Dr Julie Ely
BA Biol Sci MA Cell Biol PhD
Senior Medical Writer

After completing her doctorate in 1987 at the University of California, Julie began her career in academic research as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  Julie’s interest in pharmaceutical research led to a post-doctoral research position with Johnson & Johnson and then as a research scientist in a biotechnology company in San Diego, California.

 

Dr Julie Monk

BA BSc Hons PhD

Medical Writer

 

While writing her honours thesis in 2000, Julie realised her enthusiasm for science lay in its communication.  Her ambition to pursue a career in medical writing was born.

 

On advice from a medical writing mentor, Julie commenced her PhD in 2002.  During her PhD, Julie’s endeavour lead to freelance work within the pharmaceutical industry, writing and editing numerous Phase I clinical study reports and manuscripts based on the findings from nonclinical and clinical trials.  In addition, she edited academic manuscripts on research in the soil, animal and plant sciences for CSIRO Publishing and in the molecular and biochemical sciences for international collaborators.

 

On completion of her PhD in 2006, Julie accepted a role as medical writer with a medical communications agency that specialised in medical education.  There she worked on and wrote medical education programs and marketing documents for pharmaceutical clients that encompassed a variety of therapeutic areas.  One of her key achievements included an instructional compilation of regional anaesthesia techniques for anaesthetists.

 

In her current role as medical writer at ProScribe, Julie relishes the many challenges that writing documents from the different stages of drug development provides.  She is continually inspired by the dedication and commitment of her Proscribe colleagues.  Julie has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science (with Honours) degree and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Melbourne in Victoria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Janelle Keys

BSc Agr Hons PhD

Medical Writer

 

Janelle has more than 15 years experience in agricultural and medical science research and medical writing. After finishing her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at The University of Sydney she joined CSIRO Division of Animal Production to complete her PhD.

 

Janelle moved to Duke University, North Carolina, USA, for 6 successful years of postdoctoral study in cardiac signaling and gene therapy.  She then took up a position as a Senior Research Officer at The University of Queensland, Australia, where she studied genetic diseases.  

 

Janelle has authored over 20 international peer-reviewed manuscripts, patents and successful grant applications, and brings a broad range of writing experience to ProScribe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Rachel Cameron

BSc Hons PhD

Business Development Manager

 

Rachel’s awareness of the ethical, scientific, and commercial importance of medical communications, as well as her business acumen and strong academic credentials, positions her well for the business development role at ProScribe.

 

Rachel has authored more than 20 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. She completed her Bachelor of Science (First Class) followed by a joint PhD (Medicine) within the University of Sydney and Stanford University in the USA.  Subsequently, Rachel was employed by CSL Ltd and made manufacturing changes and then associated regulatory recommendations on behalf of CSL to the TGA.  Rachel then spent almost five years working in new drug development at Biota Holdings Limited where she commissioned and ran the virology facility in infectious diseases, specialising in a range of anti-infectives, including anti-virals and anti-inflammatories.  This facility was based at Monash University, where Rachel also lectured. Rachel has also taught at University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and the Southern School of Natural Therapies.

 

Testament to her interest in the growth of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, Rachel made a successful transition into executive recruitment.  In this role, Rachel developed new business relationships with clients and coached, mentored, and sourced international calibre candidates for CEO and other executive positions.  She soon developed a reputation for leading recruitment practices within the sector.   Recognising the increasing importance of medical communications, Rachel then became a medical science liaison manager at Bristol Myers Squibb, providing expert medical communications in HIV and hepatitis medicine.  These scientific communications provided critical support to the commercial aims of the Australian and Asian affiliates.

Rachel’s extensive involvement in the therapeutic sector, coupled with her ability to understand client needs, allows her to understand the challenges faced by clients and to offer guidance on ethical medical communication solutions.

 

 

 

Sue de Chastel

Administrative Associate

Sue has many years experience as an Administrative Officer in both Local Government as well as the University sector.  Sue worked at Ipswich City Council for many years including stints in the Mayor's office and was responsible for the Council's official minutes and correspondence.  She also worked as a legal secretary within the Council where she was solely responsible to two in-house Solicitors.  In this position she was responsible for a wide range of duties including preparation of Court documents, complex briefs and conveyancing.  Sue left after 12 years and then took up a position as Personal Assistant to the Head of the Department of Animal Production at the University of Queensland Gatton College.  Sue found working in the University both interesting and challenging, as she dealt with a wide range of overseas lecturers and students.  Sue left the University in 1995 to pursue a more difficult challenge, namely becoming a mother.

Sue joined ProScribe in 2005 as an Administrative Associate and now plays a crucial role in the operational side of the company.