Leadership - ECA College of Heath Sciences - CHS

Leadership

CHS Leadership Team

Dr Scott Dickson

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Scott_Dickson.webp

Dr Scott Dickson

CEO | ECA Higher Education

PhD Education (UNE), MEd (UOW), BEd (UOW) 

Dr Dickson commenced his professional career as a physical education teacher, then further education led him to an academic role at the University of New England in Armidale (1991-2004) where he completed his PhD in the development and assessment of occupational competencies and used elite soccer referees as a case study. Dr Dickson assumed the role of Dean at the Australian College of Physical Education in 2004 where he facilitated an expansion of their program offerings, diversifying delivery methods and improved the quality of the institution through numerous academic initiatives.

In 2012 Dr Dickson was appointed as Dean at The Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) and was responsible for leading multiple business units that comprised of Navitas Professional Institutes such as ACAP, the Navitas College of Public Safety and Health Skills Australia. During his tenure at Navitas, Dr Dickson led a series of successful course accreditation and registration processes culminating in NPI being awarded self-accrediting authority in March 2017.

During his academic career, he has led research projects for many national sporting organisations and departments of education; served on numerous national and state-based committees, and most recently served on a Federal Government’s QILT committee charged with overseeing the introduction of quality indicators in high education. Beyond his work, Scott is an avid sportsman. Whilst having been active in soccer and cricket for many years, he now is a keen cyclist. He regularly commutes to work by bike and regularly participates in annual Gran Fondos such as L’Étape du Tour in the Snowy Mountains and the Bupa Challenge in Adelaide.

Mr Matthew Farago

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Matthew Fra

Mr Matthew Farago

General Manager Higher Education Quality | ECA Higher Education

MBA, BA (Economics – Social Sciences)

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.

Lena Shifrina

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Elena Shifrina

Lena Shifrina

General Manager | ECA Higher Education

B.Ling. & CCC, Grad Dip IHM, Grad Cert Couns

Elena (Lena) Shifrina is the General Manager, Higher Education Operations.

Lena is an experienced education leader, having worked in private Higher Education in Australia for the last 15 years. Her main areas of expertise lie in student recruitment (both domestic and international), admissions, compliance, student experience and service, and overall student journey from enquiry until graduation. Lena is passionate about providing outstanding service and support for international students, with a particular interest in student wellbeing.

At ECA, Lena is involved in all operational areas supporting and promoting student experience, and student engagement.

Assoc Prof Michelle Cavaleri

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Michelle Cavaleri

Associate Professor Michelle Cavaleri

Dean, Academic/Chair, Learning and Teaching Committee

BA Hons (Languages and Linguistics); MA (TESOL); PhD (Applied Linguistics)

Dr Cavaleri has a background in languages, linguistics, academic literacy and TESOL and she has worked in both teaching and specialist learning support roles. Prior to joining ECA, Dr Cavaleri worked as a lecturer in teaching methodology and curriculum design at Western Sydney University and as the Manager of English Language Proficiency and Learning Support at Navitas. She has taught a range of students including undergraduate, postgraduate, domestic, international and online students and is passionate about helping students develop their academic skills and reach their educational goals.

Dr Cavaleri’s teaching experience ignited her interest in feedback and academic writing development, which led to her PhD research examining technology-mediated feedback. Her research investigated the effect of different modes of feedback given to first-year undergraduate students and the variables that affect students’ uptake of teachers’ feedback, such as level of English language proficiency. She completed her PhD at western Sydney University and was awarded the Australian Postgraduate Award. Dr Cavaleri has presented her research at national and international conferences and has been invited to facilitate faculty development sessions at a number of Australian universities. Michelle’s current research areas of interest include feedback literacy, academic writing development and supporting first-year students.

Dr Cavaleri holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics, a Masters in TESOL and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Languages and Linguistics from Western Sydney University.

Professor Gary Day

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Gary

Professor
Gary Day

Deputy Dean, Programs/Chair, Board of Examiners

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. 

Associate Professor Ahmad Saedisomeolia

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Ahmad Saedisomeolia

Associate Professor
Ahmad Saedisomeolia

Dean, Research and Scholarship/ Chair, Scholarship and Research Committee

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.