Community Reference Council
The formation of the Turner Institute Community Reference Council is the first step towards achieving the Turner Institute's vision to make long-lasting and sustainable impacts on the lives and mental well-being of all people in our communities.
Members of the Council represent key leaders in mental health across many sectors of the Australian community. The Council will provide a diverse voice to The Turner around our strategic research and clinical goals and ensure that they are sensitive to the needs and goals of the community. The Council will also support the development of specific, local community partnerships for each of The Turner’s research and clinical activities. The Council will help shape the mental health landscape in Australia and help realise our vision of a more inclusive, engaged and shared partnership in maximising the mental health of all Australians.
Jan Donovan, Chair 
Jan currently chairs the Community Reference Council at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University.
Jan's experience includes public policy, strategy, and governance at Board level. She served for nine years (1998- 2007) as a member of the Board of the National Prescribing Service (NPS Medicinewise) and five years (2005-2009) as a member of the Board of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute at ANU. Jan has recently completed four terms on the Consumers Health Forum Board. She chaired the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (FARM) during this time. She has recently been appointed to the board of the Friends of St Teresa Nzara Hospital in South Sudan (STTN.org).
Jan participates in National Policy Forums at the strategic level and has done so for four decades including eight years with Council on the Ageing and six years in the role of National Policy Officer. She was appointed by the Minister for Health to the Review of the National Medicines Policy in 2021 and 2022. Jan is a passionate advocate for addressing health equity and the social determinants of health with a focus on people with chronic illness and disability. She has a strong interest in access to primary health care, the national medicines policy, health literacy, mental health and women's health, indigenous health and ageing. She is currently a member of the MBS Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) and the Health Technology Assessment Consumer Consultative Committee (HTACCC) of the Commonwealth Depart of Health and Ageing.
Jan is also a consumer member of the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare’s Primary Health Care Committee.
She has recently completed her role as Chair of the Project Steering Committee for the NSW Government-Sponsored Clinical Trial: Management of Urinary Tract Infections, Oral Contraceptives and Dermatological conditions by Community Pharmacists at the University of Newcastle.
Jan has secondary teaching qualifications and her experience in education includes teaching in Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste. She has a graduate diploma in public policy.
Melinda Jackson 
Associate Professor Melinda Jackson is Deputy Director of the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University. Melinda's research sits at the intersection of sleep science and human experience. She leads the Sleep & Brain Health Research Group, which investigates how sleep disorders shape cognition, mood, and brain health, and tests innovative treatment approaches to help both community members and clinical patients thrive in daily life. She works in close partnership with people with lived experience, ensuring their voices actively shape every stage of her research - from ideation through to dissemination.
Emma Antonetti
Emma has worked across diverse and multi-disciplinary settings with over 20 years of leadership experience in the community service sector. Some of this work has included the development of health justice partnerships with a focus on family violence, place-based initiatives, social cohesion projects and youth engagement. But it was Emma’s first role as a settlement support worker that developed a deep appreciation of the strength and resilience of multicultural communities.
Emma holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Management, served as a Community Fellow at The University of Melbourne and is experienced in service design, impact measurement and community research.
Rebecca Challoner 
As well as being the Founder of the National PEKE Centres and My Spirited Child, Rebecca Challoner is also a Writer, Presenter and Trainer on disability, neurodiversity and mental health. Most importantly Rebecca is Mum to two neurodivergent boys. Rebecca herself is also neurodivergent as is her husband.
Rebecca is currently a member of the Community Reference Council at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University. Rebecca has also worked alongside many organisations, including consulting to Special Olympics Australia, the Victorian Institute of Teaching, and the Department of Health as well as many schools, organisations and industry bodies across Australia and beyond.
Rebecca has written hundreds of articles, resources and books. And has provided support to parents and educators all over the world.
Rebecca has featured in countless Magazines, Newspapers, Podcasts, TV and radio shows as well as presenting a full length DVD Documentary and appearing on an Amazon Prime TV show in America.
Rebecca is a multi-award winner including in 2024 receiving an award at the Women Changing the World Awards in London presented by the Duchess of York.
Rebecca has numerous qualifications including Sociology and Psychology. As well as a Law degree with Honours. Rebecca has also attended countless courses on disability, mental health, trauma and psychological challenges and conditions.
David L Wright
Jacob Thomas
Jacob Thomas (they/them) is an internationally recognised human rights advocate and multi-published researcher, specialising in LGBTIQA+ youth. Their research is broadly in the areas of queer health with a particular focus on queering psychology through their PhD at La Trobe University.
Jacob is particularly passionate about applying the strengths of queer people into spaces and places such as methodologies, governments, and health spaces to ensure practitioners are equipped with the necessary skills to work with and for LGBTIQA+ people.
Jacob has a human rights award from the late Her Majesty the Queen for their work in queer youth suicide prevention, and is also (albeit briefly) in the Harry and Meghan documentary on Netflix. They are the Deputy Chair and Secretary of Transgender Victoria, the state’s peak body for the rights of all trans, gender diverse and nonbinary.
Closer to home, Jacob is also the co-founder of Queer Lab, a novel initiative in the Turner Institute focused on supporting LGBTIQA+ academics and students, while also promoting positive research design to benefit LGBTIQA+ people and their mental wellbeing.
In their spare time Jacob is a baker, clothing designer, and drag artist.
Stefanie Perri 
Stefanie is a strategic leader with over 20 years’ experience across government, health, education and community sectors. Her career spans all levels of government: two terms as Mayor and Councillor at the City of Monash, advisory roles to state and federal Members of Parliament and candidacy at local, state and federal elections. These experiences give her a rare 360‑degree perspective, deep insight into government processes, public administration and community needs and longstanding relationships across all levels of government.
Across the health sector, Stefanie has led major reform‑driven initiatives in mental health, community health and disability, delivering national programs, cross‑sector engagement and multidisciplinary projects that improve services and system outcomes. Her experience also includes policy development, strategic engagement, proposal strategy and interdisciplinary research and program development. At Monash University’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Stefanie shapes strategic initiatives and organisational positioning, aligning research, education and partnerships with sector priorities and emerging opportunities.
A skilled governance leader, Stefanie’s board and statutory appointments demonstrate her sound judgement and ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments. Having served on boards and reported to boards and executive leadership, she brings a holistic understanding of governance, accountability and strategic decision‑making. She is known for her integrity, strategic insight and commitment to delivering initiatives that create meaningful public value and long‑term impact.
Bree Hartshorn
Bree is a Project Officer at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University, where she leads project coordination and key operational functions that support the Institute’s strategic priorities. She works closely with researchers, professional staff and external partners to ensure the smooth delivery of initiatives, events and collaborative activities, with a focus on clarity, organisation and effective communication.
With three years’ experience coordinating a large‑scale, multimodal research study examining the links between mental health, genetics and people’s environments, Bree brings deep expertise in managing complex workflows, participant engagement and cross‑disciplinary collaboration. She thrives in environments where diverse teams come together to achieve shared goals and is committed to creating well‑structured, supportive processes that enable high‑quality research.
Bree also draws on five years’ experience as a mental health support worker, supporting individuals with complex mental health presentations. This background informs her commitment to research that is grounded in lived experience, ethically delivered, and designed to produce actionable, implementable outcomes for the communities it aims to serve.
A Monash University alumnus, Bree holds a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and is passionate about strengthening collaboration, improving organisational systems and advancing impactful mental health research.