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About GSNV » Our Team
Our Team
Monica Ferrie
Chief Executive Officer
About Me
I'm inspired by potential and possibility, for individuals,
teams and community. My work is targeted to discover, facilitate
and achieve them both in a number of capacities.
I am the GSNV Chief Executive in a part time capacity which
allows me to also be the Director of Bold and Brave Consulting and
Toilet Training Educators, Treasurer of the Balibo House Trust,
Honorary Fellow of Melbourne University and member of the Central
Queensland University Regional Engagement Committee and the
Institute of Public Administration Australia Asia Capability
Community of Practice.
Experience in senior leadership roles in Government, Education,
the private sector, international projects, education including a
Masters of Business Administration and a commitment to community
provide a foundation for making a difference across a range of
sectors.
What I'm good at
My work has allowed me to develop many skills over the years and
I continue to utilise these and build more:
Business Mentoring
Strategic Planning
Facilitation and Training
Leadership
Learning
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Things I love to do
Spend time with my family - I have two sons and a large
family.
Hiking - I've done part of the Camino, The Overland, Three
Capes, Routeburn, The Heafy…
Scuba Diving - I've dived in Australia, Phillipines, Timor-Leste
and Vanuatu.
Anything to do with the ocean - looking at it, being in it,
under it, on it
All Sports - Love the Bombers, Cricket, Tennis, Soccer - watch a
lot and should play more!
Working in Emerging Countries - I've been involved in Timor
Leste for years and love working with the challenges of emerging
countries.
Travel - So many places to go……
Louisa Di Pietro
Education and Advocacy Consultant
Louisa Di Pietro is the former Group Leader of the Genetic
Support Network of Victoria (GSNV) and currently holds the
education and advocacy strategy advice portfolio. Louisa is an
experienced researcher and educator with a particular interest in
the testing and diagnosis of genetic and rare conditions, the
psychosocial impact of diagnosis on individuals and families and
the delivery of ethical medical services in a genomics era.
Louisa is actively involved in professional and community
engagement and sits on numerous professional boards and advisory
groups within the genetic health space. Louisa also employs
her professional and 'lived' experience/knowledge of managing a
genetic condition to assist in the continuum of care delivered to
Australians and in linking them in with specialised
support/services and assisting advocacy efforts. Her current
work also focuses much on the training and exposure of genetic
health professionals to the 'psychosocial impact and personal
stories' behind a diagnosis and living with a genetic condition,
the understanding of patient needs and expectations in an
increasingly sophisticated genetic services environment, equity of
access and the ethical application of new and emerging health
technologies.
Louisa was in 2017 inducted into the Department of Health and
Human Services Lifetime Achievement Honour Roll for services to the
community.
Role/Affiliations/Awards
Life Time Achievement Honours Roll - DHHS
Honorary Academic - University of Melbourne
Working Group - Genomics Health
Future Mission Steering Committee - Ethics Legal and
Social Issues (ELSI)
Member - Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance (MGHA) Consumer
Advisory Group (CAG)
Carrier Screening Reference Group - Cystic Fibrosis Victoria
Lay Committee Member - Royal College of Pathologists of
Australasia
Honorary Member - Italian Society of Human Genetics (SIGU)
Member - Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA) and
SIG
Former Group Leader - GSNV
Former Coordinator - Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Society of
Victoria
Former member - Human Genetics Society of Australasia, Education
Ethics and Social Issues Committee
Former Committee member - Human Genetics Society of Australasia,
Tas/Vic Branch
Keri Finlay
Genetic Support and Education Coordinator
About me:
I am the Genetic Support and Education Coordinator at the GSNV.
I have been working in this role, part time, for about 4 years now.
I trained as a genetic counsellor and I love how this role allows
to use my skills in different capacities. I am passionate about
helping people understand how genetic health may important to them
and how it may impact their lives. I am a big believer in providing
people with accurate information that they can then take away and
make the right decision for themselves.
As I work part time at the GSNV I also work with the Australian
Genomics Health Alliance as the Victorian Project Coordinator. I
find that I can bring a lot of the skill and knowledge that I have
gained from the GSNV to my Australian Genomics role which is very
beneficial in research.
Things I love to do:
Cooking
Eating- hence the cooking
Spending time with my family and friends
Travelling - I have done quite a bit of travelling over the
years but my list of place I want to go keeps getting longer!
Crafting- I always have a project of some sort on the go.
Going for walk with my dog- She is a black lab and she is
adorable
Watching trashy reality TV shows
Committees:
Australian Genomics Community Advisory Group
Possibly the CF screening group
Kari Klein
Administrative Assistant
About me:
I have worked in the mental health sector internationally, from
not-for-profits in Dublin, Ireland to hospitals in Austin, Texas
for the past 10 years. After beginning my career as a Psychology
PhD Program Coordinator at University of Central Florida in the
United States (where I'm originally from), I commenced my Masters
in Youth and Adolescent Behavioural Health completing it in 2017.
Work with Anglicare in the Eastern Region of Melbourne ignited an
interest in the field of genomic health and its impact on
individuals, families and communities.
I am committed to community engagement, listening and learning
to connect people with the support they need and deserve. I bring
my interest and experience in research and evaluation to inform and
impact services, strategies, communications and delivery of
programs, projects and goals at both the Genetic Support Network of
Victoria as an Administrative Assistant, as well as a Specialist
Trauma Counsellor at Safe Steps Family Violence Centre. I love the
overlap I have between my two roles and have been in each for about
a year. At the Genetic Support Network of Victoria, I get to build
on my ability to create, learn, adapt, and manage between the many
exciting and competing tasks that we have every day as an
organisation.
Things I love to do:
Go to the movies - I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to watching
trailers on IMDB and I am more than happy to see things myself if
no one will go with me
Relax at the National Gallery of Victoria - I'm a member and
it's my happy place to have a cup of tea and read a book in secret
spots!
Travel - I have been fortunate enough to live in a few different
countries to date and travel alone, with my partner, and with my
friends. I have no doubt I can see myself in another country in the
future, although I am enjoying my time in Australia
Eat - I love food a lot, and have a growing list of places I
want to eat at in Melbourne! It's also the first thing I research
for a trip. I enjoy grocery shopping and cooking for myself most of
the time too.