Associate Professor Ahmad Saedisomeolia currently holds a position at the Higher Education College of Health Sciences, Education Centre of Australia (Higher Education). Additionally, he serves on the Academic Promotion Committee, ECA Academic Board, and CHS Course Advisory Committee. Moreover, the School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, Canada, has appointed Dr. Saedisomeolia to “Research Scientist Affiliate” since 2024.
Previously, Ahmad worked as a Senior Researcher/Lecturer at the School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, from 2021 to 2023. He earned his PhD in Nutrition from the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2008, with Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in “Nutrition in Public Health” and “Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics”, respectively.
Between 2008 and 2020, Dr. Saedisomeolia held various faculty positions at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, including Full-Professor and head of Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, and Vice-Dean for Education. During this time, he also worked as a Research Fellow at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, and as a Research Affiliate with the University of Sydney from 2014 to 2015.
Dr. Ahmad Saedisomeolia has an impressive professional portfolio with 98 publications primarily featured in leading journals, maintaining an H-index of 29 and accumulating over 3500 hours of lecturing experience. He has also collaborated with industry organizations, serving as a Nutrition Expert for the European Union and Scientific Chair for International Conferences on “Functional Foods and Healthy Supplements,” hosted by Merck Company in Dubai in 2017 and 2018.
DHSM, MHM, BNurs, DipAppSc (Nursing Mgt), RN, EM, FCHSE, FGLF
Professor Day graduated as a Registered Nurse and Midwife. He obtained a post registration Bachelor of Nursing degree in 1991. Following a clinical career that included midwifery, operating theatre, acute surgical and aged care, he moved into acute hospital management and worked in both Queensland and New South Wales. He obtained his Master of Health Management degree from the University of New England in 1999.
From 2005 – 2008, Professor Day was responsible for leading the development of innovative health leadership programs for both middle managers and executives for Queensland Health. Professor Day has had diverse operational roles both in Australia and internationally. He has worked as a Chief Executive Officer, Director of Clinical Services, Director of Nursing, Major Projects Manager, Director of Workforce Development in the South Australian Department of Health, Director of Leadership and Development in the South Australian Department for Education and Child Development, Director of Clinical Education, Training and Research, and Chief Quality and Safety Officer.
From an academic perspective, he has been Discipline Lead for Health Services Management at Griffith University, Deputy Head of School – Academic and International in the Griffith University School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor of Health Services Management in the Griffith University School of Medicine and Visiting Professor in the College of Health Management and Economics at Gulf Medical University.
Internationally, Professor Day has taught in Singapore, Hong Kong and in the UAE. He has conducted health consultancies in Australia, China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.
Professor Day obtained his Doctor of Health Services Management Degree from the University of New England in 2005. His research focused on the morale of Registered Nurses in Queensland. He has a track record of over 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. He is currently updating the 2nd edition of his co-authored text “Leading and Managing Health Services- An Australasian Perspective. Professor Day has co-authored the text “Healthcare in the Arabian Gulf and Greater Middle East – A Guide for Healthcare Professionals” which is due out in late 2023.
Away from work, Professor Day loves traveling with his wife, working on his 54-year old wooden boat and playing guitar.
Mr Farago is the General Manager, Higher Education Quality at ECA Higher Education.
Mr Farago leads the development and implementation of governance, quality assurance, and compliance frameworks that underpin academic excellence across APIC, HELI, and CHS. With more than two decades of leadership experience in higher education and related sectors, he brings deep expertise in regulatory compliance, risk management, and institutional strategy.
Mr Farago’s career reflects a commitment to fostering transparent, collaborative governance and continuous quality improvement. He holds an MBA from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics – Social Sciences) from the University of Sydney. His regulatory expertise and strategic leadership strongly align with ECA’s mission to deliver innovative, high-quality education and its aspiration to achieve self-accrediting authority status.
Ms Goebel is a former teacher and has worked in the Higher Education industry for almost 20 years. She has held a variety of different roles including Faculty Management, Student Engagement, Course Coordination and Academic Operations at Navitas, Kaplan and APIC. Ms Goebel has a Master of Education with Merit (Educational Leadership) from the University of Sydney and is currently completing a Doctor of Education at UNSW where she is looking at supporting gifted students with ADHD in the classroom. She is passionate about students’ wellbeing and engagement and helping them achieve their goals.
Ms Lovece has worked in the education sector for over 35 years both locally and internationally. She has experience in teaching, teacher training, coursebook writing and curriculum development, including large-scale education solutions. She has led teams as a manager and Academic Director and has over 15 years experience in the development of digital learning environments and the digital transformation of education providers.
As a lifelong learner, Ms Taylor has cultivated her experience in libraries with several degrees over several decades. She has held positions at a variety of institutions, from the Art Gallery of NSW to TAFE, National Parks & Wildlife, and the Federal Court of Australia. This broad experience ensures her knowledge is forever expanding, allowing her to give ECA-HE Staff and students the best possible Library experience for every possible scenario. Every day is a challenge, and Ms Taylor always tries anything once to meet that challenge and grow from it.
Dr Shay Abed is a nursing academic and researcher with a PhD of Nursing Leadership Education from the University of Southern Queensland. She holds a Master and Bachelor of Nursing Science and is a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. She has held academic and leadership roles across Australia and internationally, including Nursing Course Coordinator, Lecturer at universities in Australia, and Associate professor at University in Saudi Arabia. Her research focuses on nursing leadership, healthcare quality improvement, and interdisciplinary health sciences, with publications in leading international journals. She has supervised PhD candidates and developed an innovative Professional Nursing Leadership Education framework implemented across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Her work integrates leadership theory, clinical practice, and educational innovation to strengthen nursing performance and improve patient outcomes globally.
Dr. Muhammad Shuaib Khan has over 22 years of experience working in the education industry. Khan earned his doctorate in Statistics from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and designed and teaches many health statistics and Epidemiology, business analytics, and statistics courses. Khan has taught all levels of undergraduate Statistics courses and postgraduate program courses in statistics/data science and MBA programs, both on-campus and online and enjoys working with students. Khan’s primary research focuses on statistical modelling in covariates regression analysis, distribution theory, reliability/survival analysis, and computational statistical modeling. He has published papers in scholarly peer-reviewed journals including the Internal Journal and published more than 70 research papers.
Dr Sylvester is a global public health expert with focus on social and behavioural aspects of BBVs, STIs and emerging infectious diseases. Also, he has expertise in evidence-based interventions and policies, migrant health, health equity, implementation science/program evaluation and behaviour change. Dr Sylvester obtained a bachelor’s degree (First Class Hons.) in Health Education from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. His exceptional academic performance earned him a Postgraduate Studies Scholarship from the university to complete a master’s degree (First Class/Higher Distinction) in Health Education Curriculum Studies and Program Evaluation. He was awarded the prestigious and highly competitive Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship through which he bagged an award-winning PhD from UNSW Sydney.
Using the local engagement and global impact approach, Dr Sylvester conducts cutting-edge research that extends the frontiers of knowledge and addresses pressing and complex societal challenges. He is committed to strengthening institutional frameworks, and mobilising community efforts in protecting, improving and promoting health. Sylvester has worked in UNICEF, MacArthur Foundation, and NSW Health funded projects on sexual and reproductive health and HIV/STIs prevention. His research papers are disseminated and cited in international top-rated peer academic journals and have also been presented at reputable national, regional and international conferences. Dr Sylvester is an expert at the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab, where along other leading global researchers and development experts, he contributes to knowledge co-creation and translation to solving pressing societal issues. Sylvester is also a member of the prestigious Global Burden of Disease Collaborators Network. He is a Section Editor (Health Services Research) with Archives of Public Health, a top-rated international journal. Sylvester is a member of the International Epidemiological Association, the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine and Public Health Association of Australia.
Dr Ana Paula de Moura Campos Carvalho e Silva is a clinical and public health researcher specialising in musculoskeletal pain, compensable injury systems, and implementation science. She is a Lecturer in Health Management at the College of Health Sciences (ECA Group) and a Research Fellow at the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research.
Her research focuses on improving outcomes for people with low back pain and whiplash associated disorders through epidemiology, large cohort studies, digital health implementation, and translation of evidence into clinical and insurer settings. She has led national implementation projects—including the My Whiplash Navigator—and contributes as a chief investigator on MRFF funded research. She also served as the lead author of the assessment chapter in the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Whiplash-Associated Disorders (Fourth Edition).
Dr Carvalho e Silva has secured more than $738,000 in competitive grants and funding, published 36 peer-reviewed papers, and contributed to international collaborations, such as the Global Burden of Disease Study and WHO. Her work has been recognised through multiple awards, including best presentation prizes and the Australian Government Global Talent Visa.
She is actively engaged in teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, coordinating and lecturing in postgraduate units on governance, safety, digital health, and information management in CHS ECA. She also delivers physiotherapy tutorials, simulation-based learning, and curriculum-aligned content on whiplash management. She supervises master’s and honours students across musculoskeletal and digital health topics and contributes to research leadership through committee roles, mentoring, and editorial work.
Professor Mary Cruickshank joined ECA College of Health Sciences in August 2021. Dr Cruickshank studied at La Trobe University where she gained a Bachelor of Applied Science. She continued studying at Monash University for her Masters in Educational Studies degree and completed her PhD at the University of Western Sydney.n
Dr Cruickshank has held academic positions at five universities in Australia and has served as Professor and Head of School at three of those universities. She recently finished her term as Professor and Head of School of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare in the Faculty of Health at Federation University. Prior to that Dr Cruickshank held positions as Professor and Head of School of Nursing & Midwifery at the University of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, and Professor and Head of School of Nursing at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory. Dr Cruickshank was a board member of Anglicare in Canberra and more recently she served as a director on a rural health service board in Victoria. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the ASEAN Institute for Health Development at Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.n
Dr Cruickshank is an experienced researcher in the healthcare field and has conducted numerous national and international projects with a focus on building capacity and leadership roles in health. She has published widely in areas including health workforce and capacity-building, clinical health, organisational culture, evidence-based practice, nursing, health education and rural health. Mary has supervised many PhD and Masters candidates to successful completion, and she has been a peer reviewer for several national and international journals throughout her academic career.