Previous Professional Excellence Recipients

Associate Professor Jessica Kasza
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Associate Professor Jessica Kasza has been developing and implementing approaches for improving the representation of women in the Australian statistical community for many years. Women are under-represented in this field, and Associate Professor Kasza’s work with the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) has led to changes that have made this field more welcoming for women and other under-represented groups. Particular achievements include the development of recommendations for the SSA to prevent and respond to harassment, developing a Code of Conduct for SSA conferences, and establishing and chairing SSA’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee. Her work has helped to ensure that the SSA welcomes all.

Advancing Access to Business Leadership Education for Indigenous Australians (MoIBL)

The contribution of the Advancing Access to Business Leadership Education for Indigenous Australians (MoIBL) development team to advancing people from diverse backgrounds, specifically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, has been instrumental to creating greater access to business leadership education pathways for Indigenous community across Australia. This was achieved by implementing a first-of-its-kind leadership program as a cross-faculty collaboration, led by the William Cooper Institute and Monash Business School.

The 31-member interdisciplinary team championed diversity & inclusion to build a transformational program for Indigenous Australians, that offers a tailored experience, ensuring industry partnership and relevance that strengthens Indigenous workforce across public community & business sectors.

XYX Lab

“YourGround: Mapping a safer Victoria for women and gender-diverse people”, is an interactive map and communication platform designed to enable more inclusive public spaces for everyone to enjoy leisure, sport and play. As the impact of gendered violence reverberates across our communities, Monash University’s XYX Lab, and digital consultancy, CrowdSpot, partnered with 23 local Victorian councils, Respect Victoria and DELWP to crowdsource perceptions of safety in public space. YourGround empowered individuals to critically assess their local streets, parks, trails and recreational spaces in order to expose the often-hidden public safety experiences of women and gender diverse people.

• Associate Professor Gene Bawden (Department of Design, Art, Design and Architecture)
• Dr Nicole Kalms (Department of Design, Art, Design and Architecture)
• Dr Gill Matthewson (Department of Design, Art, Design and Architecture)

Dr Kirsten Ellis, Faculty Of Information Technology

Every Australian deserves the opportunity to participate in science and technology at a level that is meaningful to their needs. Dr Kirsten Ellis is engaging with disability organisations in the community to foster inclusion in electronic-making for people with physical and intellectual disabilities who are under-represented in STEM engagement programs.  Kirsten is working to challenge who can participate in technology engagement activities by redesigning  how the activities are undertaken to make them inclusive for everyone.

Women's Empowerment Network, Monash University Malaysia

The Women's Empowerment Network (WEN), Monash University Malaysia provides a strategic inclusive forum to help women thrive and address issues, challenges and opportunities. WEN helps enhance diverse women's lives, addressing gender equality and ensuring their voices are heard through leadership roles on Campus and beyond. WEN is run by a team of enthusiastic, committed female volunteers drawn from academic/professional staff and postgraduate students - a highly unique collaboration for the Campus and University. WEN is determined to advocate for gender balance, diversity and inclusion.

• Alvin Fernandez
• Anisha Kaur
• Diana Chee
• Assoc Professor Jane Tong
• Assoc Professor Lakshmi Selvaratnam
• Li Fong Siow
• Lilian Sharmini Kesavamani
• Professor Maude Phipps
• Dr Rizwanah Souket Ali
• Shamala K Krishnan

• Assoc Professor Sharon Bong
• Professor Uma Devi Palanisamy
• Dr Yatinesh Kumari
• Yen Jun Wong
• Dr Nirmala Devarajan
• Nur Zawanah Zabidi
• Parveen Kaur Sidhu Didar Singh
• Kogila Ramanathan
• Pei Lynn Foo

Dr Jessica Borger, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences

Dr Jessica Borger, winner of the Margaret Baird Women in STEM Lectureship and veski STEM sidebyside emerging leader, is a passionate women-in-STEM advocate. Representing Monash University nationally, she developed the veski inspiring women career recovery grants, supporting women impacted by the COVID-pandemic. A member of the Equity for Medical Research Alliance, she established the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Central Clinical School (CCS) survey, rolled-out University-wide by the Athena Swan committee. As the chair of the Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the Central Clinical School, Dr Borger authored a seminar checklist facilitating gender equity at all CCS meetings and has published Diversity and Inclusion  articles in the Lens, Women’s Agenda, and Times Higher Education.

Her Research Matters, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Dr Karen Gregory
• Dr Lauren May
• Assoc Professor Michelle Halls

Her Research Matters, launched at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in Oct 2019. It is a grass-roots driven, outcome focused collective that promotes, sponsors and fosters an inclusive and equitable leadership environment to enable women in academia to reach their full potential. Her Research Matters has actively engaged the next generation of scientists, coordinated promotion review for MIPS researchers to address gender inequity at senior levels, and worked together with PharmAlliance to effect change at a global level. Her Research Matters supports and promotes Diversity and Inclusion at Monash to ensure we are valuing different minds to solve complex problems.

Health & Physical Education Team, Faculty Of Education

• Dr Karen Lambert
• Professor Richard Pringle
• Professor Ruth Jeanes
• Dr Laura Alfrey
• Assoc Professor Justen O'connor
• Dr lisahunter

The Health and Physical Education (HPE) team undertook a project that demonstrated to other members in the Faculty and those beyond Monash how to “Decolonise pre-service teacher education”. The lessons learnt from the work undertaken by the outstanding team are like a lighthouse guiding the HPE community in Australia and other countries about how to authentically include Indigenous practices across the teacher education curriculum. The impact of the program is not only evident in the content which is respectful and inclusive of Indigenous
knowledge but also in building the capacity of our graduates to create highly inclusive classrooms.