PCOC team
PCOC teams work together to support healthcare professionals, consumers and researchers in improving palliative care quality outcomes and experiences.
- Sabina Clapham, Director & Principal Coordinating Investigator
- Ally Barnaba, Improvement Facilitator
- Dr Animut Alebel Ayalew, Biostatistician - Clinical Outcomes
- Anita Hartati, Improvement Facilitator
- Anna McPherson, Improvement Facilitator
- Dr Arjun Poudel, Senior Research Lead - Outcomes & Implementation
- Emily Beric, Improvement Facilitator
- Dr Jack Thepsourinthone, Clinical Research Officer
- Jesse Rand, Data Scientist and Manager
- Dr Keryn Johnson, Clinical Research Officer
- Kylie Draper, Quality and Innovation Manager
- Le-Tisha Kable, Improvement Facilitator
- Lily Tuivaga, Education and Technical Support Officer
- Linda Foskett, Project Officer
- Martin Kaltner, Improvement Facilitator
- Nicola Howell, Ethics and Governance Manager
- Dr Pippa Burns, Implementation Scientist
- Sankalpa Fonseka, Data and Reporting Analyst
- Stacey Heer, Project Manager
- Sue Heald, Senior Administrative Officer
- Tanya Pidgeon, Improvement Facilitator
- Dr Thomas Futcher, Data and Reporting Analyst
Sabina Clapham is a healthcare clinician and leader specialising in palliative care outcomes, quality improvement, and education. As Director of the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) and Coordinating Investigator for the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) Project, she has led the national implementation of patient outcome measures, enhancing the quality, sustainability and impact of palliative care services across Australia.
Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Wollongong, Sabina’s research focuses on defining health service capabilities in palliative care. Her work has attracted $12.5 million in research funding, with outputs including eight peer-reviewed publications, over 1,000 non-traditional outputs, seven conference presentations, and six keynote addresses across five countries. Sabina’s outcome measurement protocols are implemented in more than 200 Australian palliative care services, benefiting 65,000 patients annually.
Ally joined the PCOC team in 2025 as an Improvement Facilitator for South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, bringing with her over 15 years of clinical experience.
Ally holds a Bachelor of Science (Population Health) and a Bachelor of Nursing. Since graduating, Ally has worked as a Registered nurse in critical care, Generalist Community and Palliative Care settings.
Ally progressed into health leadership and management roles within NSW Health, where she currently works as the Nurse Unit Manager for a Generalist Nursing and Community Palliative care team for the local health district.
Animut received his PhD in Public Health from the University of Technology Sydney in 2023 and joined NPCC at the University of Wollongong in 2024. Before joining this role, Animut gained significant experience as a casual academic and research assistant in the School of Public Health at UTS.
Additionally, he served as a full-time lecturer at Debre Markos University in Ethiopia. Animut has a profound interest in employing advanced statistical analysis across various health domains, including palliative care, infectious diseases, child malnutrition, chronic diseases, neonatal health, and maternal health.
Anita is a Registered Nurse with 14 years of experience in clinical practice and healthcare project management. She is passionate about quality improvement and has successfully implemented numerous projects focused on integrated care, equitable community healthcare, and pressure injury prevention. Anita's strong interest in data analysis has led her team to publish an observational research paper, and her decade-long tenure as an Academic at Western Sydney University's School of Nursing and Midwifery has been instrumental in nurturing the curiosity and growth of countless students. Complementing her extensive experience, Anita holds a Master's in Nursing (Critical Care and Education) and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Recognised for her approachability and engaging facilitation methods, she has shared her expertise at multiple conferences, including the Asia Pacific Conference on Integrated Care 2023. Anita's dedication to lifelong learning and fostering inclusive growth environments makes her a valued facilitator in the field.
Anna has qualifications in biomedical science and public health. She has worked previously in research and program management with a focus on health system development in developing contexts, including research for the Asia Pacific Observatory for Health Systems and Policies and the Health Information Systems Knowledge Hub. This work has focused on the evaluation of health systems and the strengthening of information systems to enable the effective collection and use of data to inform policy and practice. Anna has research interests in areas including: policy development, infectious disease, sexual and reproductive health, disability and rehabilitation. She has also worked as a monitor of clinical pharmaceutical trials and in health promotion.
Dr. Poudel holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Queensland (UQ) and has over 15 years of experience in pharmacy education, research, and practice across Nepal, Canada, and Australia. A recognized expert in aging, pharmacotherapy for frail older adults, and palliative care, he specializes in developing research-driven learning environments that foster academic excellence and innovation
His research has influenced policy changes and earned academic recognition. Beyond academia, he has served on university committees, engaged in community outreach programs, and reviewed for leading journals and funding bodies. He has also supervised PhD and Master's candidates in both academic and industrial settings at multiple institutions and levels of responsibility.
Emily has over 15 years’ experience working in the health sector. Emily has a Bachelor of Speech Pathology and a Post-Graduate Master’s degree in Health Management.
Emily started her career in public hospitals as a speech pathologist working in an advanced and extended scope of practice capacity. Emily worked across all acute hospital caseloads with a focus on palliative care, oncology, intensive care and neurosurgery. During this time Emily worked in both tertiary and regional hospitals in both metropolitan and regional locations.
Emily progressed to management roles within the public health sector including Clinical Education Manager and Project Manager. In these roles Emily led service improvement initiatives at a health service and state-wide level to improve clinical practice and implement new models of care.
Emily joined the PCOC team in 2021 as an Improvement Facilitator for Queensland, bringing together her passion for palliative care and service improvement, to enhance palliative care outcomes for patients and their families.
Dr Jack Thepsourinthone joined the team as a Research Specialist in 2025 and holds a PhD in Health Science, a Master of Research, and a Bachelor of Psychology. They have extensive expertise in designing, conducting, and analysing research within the public health sector, examining various social determinants of health among minority and marginalised populations (e.g., LGBTQIA+, POC, ageing). Their academic outputs include numerous peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and explore topics including mental health, quality of life, and access to health services.
Jesse joined the PCOC team in July 2024 and graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours) in 2019, majoring in Applied Statistics. Since then, he has worked as a Biometrician in the agricultural sector before becoming a Performance Analyst for NSW Health. He has held multiple mathematics, statistics and data science teaching roles and has diverse experience with public health sector data and analytics.
Keryn joined the NPCC project in February 2025 and has a background in Physiotherapy, working throughout the Illawarra and Sydney Health Districts through 1983-2000, mainly in neurological rehabilitation. She completed a Master of Public Health (2005) and PhD (2010) at UOW and has worked on a casual or part-time basis as a researcher at UOW since 2006, as well as working as a Physiotherapist in Aged Care (2016-2019). She has managed or been a co-investigator in a wide range of mixed method research projects over the past 16 years, as well as extensive teaching expertise through working for the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences/Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wollongong. She is interested in the use of mixed method research methodologies, particularly in evaluation, and working with vulnerable populations to improve health and wellbeing.
Kylie joined the Australasian Health Outcomes Consortium (AHOC), specifically the PCOC team, in April 2023. Kylie has worked in the palliative care sector for 32 years and developed extensive skills and knowledge in this space. Kylie has a Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Diploma in Palliative care, Diploma in Dementia Care, Graduate Certificate in Consumer and Community engagement and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Kylie started her career as a palliative care nurse at Caritas Christi Hospice in Melbourne and then moved into the community and worked with Eastern palliative care (EPC) for 24 years. Kylie was the Manager of Nursing and Medical services at EPC for most of this time and part of the senior management team. Kylie is a committee member of the Palliative Care Nurses Australia (PCNA).
Le-Tisha brings diverse experience into her role as an Improvement Facilitator having worked across a range of population and public health roles. Graduating with a Master of Science (Nutrition and Dietetics), Le-Tisha brings skills in assessment, analysis and group facilitation and is committed to the promotion and provision of evidence-based practice. Her most recent experience is in national cancer control, having contributed to a range of initiatives aimed at improving the experiences and outcomes for people affected by lung cancer in Australia. She is passionate about knowledge translation and advancing positive outcomes for all Australians through data-informed action.
Lily Tuivaga joined the PCOC team in August 2024, and graduated with a Bachelor of Communication (Social and Political Sciences) and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation in 2019 at the University of Technology, Sydney. She has since completed a Cert. IV in Floristry at TAFE NSW, and has worked as a senior florist for several years throughout Sydney and the Illawarra. Over time, Lily has acquired many years of diverse experience in event coordinating, floral design and administration.
Linda joined AHOC at UOW in 2009 after extensive experience working in aged and community care program management in both the Commonwealth Government and community sectors. In AHOC, Linda has provided administrative and project support to the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC), the Centre for Health Research Illawarra Shoalhaven Population (CHRISP) and the electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (ePPOC). Linda joined the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) project in November 2024.
Martin joined the PCOC team in October 2019 and has extensive palliative care experience working as a registered nurse in consult, inpatient and community setting since 2009. Prior to joining PCOC, Martin worked as a quality and education clinical nurse consultant in community palliative care. He has a particular interest in developing capability within services and empowering clinicians to get the most out of their PCOC assessments.
Martin is also a current serving member of the Australian Defence Force, receiving his commission as a Nursing Officer in the Army Reserve in 2016.
Nicola joined the PCOC team in November 2024. Nicola brings over 12 years of specialised experience in clinical trial ethics and governance processes, with particular expertise in oncology research. Her multifaceted career encompasses team leadership, business development, project management, and significant contributions to research ethics through her voluntary service on the Monash University Animal Ethics Committee. As a consumer volunteer in oncology research, she brought valuable perspective to the intersection of clinical trials and patient needs.
Drawing on her qualifications in Business, Project Management, and Health Sciences, Nicola demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of both the strategic and practical aspects of clinical research. Her commitment to health equity and ethical research practices is reflected in her varied roles across the healthcare research landscape.
Dr Pippa Burns is an experienced mixed methods researcher with a background in public health.
Pippa has a strong foundation in both practice and research, having had the opportunity to work in health, academic and non-profit settings. She has managed multiple research projects, including Project DARE (Dementia, Art, Research and Education). Pippa is passionate about using evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes. Her research interests are in the social determinants of health, health literacy, social prescribing, and knowledge translation.
Sankalpa joined the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) team in October 2025. He holds a Master of Philosophy in Statistics (2025), along with a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering. He has both industry and teaching experience in data science and statistics.
At PCOC, he is responsible for quantitative data analysis to support national reporting, developing interactive Shiny dashboards, improving data pipelines and automating processes. He also contributes to data quality, user documentation, and aggregates data based on requests from clinicians, both within PCOC and from facilities across Australia.
Stacey has qualifications in psychology and palliative care. She has worked previously in a regional palliative care team as the psychosocial support coordinator and various community health roles. More recently Stacey was the Healthy Ageing and Palliative Care Manager with Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network, where she developed a PCOC model of care for general practice, in collaboration with the PCOC team. Stacey joined the PCOC team as the National Education Lead in 2023 and is now undertaking the role of Project Manager for the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) project. Stacey is particularly interested in improving access to timely, quality palliative care for all Australians.
P: (02) 4239 4632
E: stacey.heer@uow.edu.au
View information about the National Palliative Care Coordination (NPCC) project
Sue Heald joined the Australasian Health Outcomes Consortium (AHOC) in August 2022 as the Senior Administrative Officer, providing support to the PCOC team in both the Sydney and Wollongong offices. Sue has completed a Diploma of Business (Human Resources) and a Diploma in Management at TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute. Sue has extensive administrative experience having worked for a variety of Registered Training Organisations over many years, most recently as a Clinical Placement Officer (WSU Online) in the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Western Sydney.
Tanya has 20 years’ experience in health, including clinical practice (clinical and management, in inpatient, community and telehealth settings), health research and quality improvement. She is a Registered Nurse and recently completed the Master of Public Health at the University of Western Australia. In addition to a Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Tanya has a Cert IV in Training and Assessment and a Bachelor of Creative Industries (graphic design). Tanya joined PCOC in 2010 as a Quality Improvement Facilitator (QIF) for Western Australia, based at the Cancer and Palliative Care Research and Evaluation Unit, UWA. More recently she has become the QIF for the Northern Territory. Tanya works as part of the PCOC team which includes providing support and education for other states and projects with the PCOC national team. Prior to joining PCOC Tanya was employed at the WA Centre for Ageing, UWA, as a Research Officer, and the WA Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care as a Research Assistant on the Liverpool Care Pathway evaluation project. Tanya has been and continues to be involved in a number of palliative care research projects, and has co-authored several journal publications.
Dr Thomas Futcher is a Data Analyst at the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC), and he is responsible for producing the biannual reports using SAS, SQL, and R. He collaborates with Improvement Facilitators to ensure data accuracy and correctness of outcome measures. These reports are distributed to services across Australia for the purpose of helping healthcare providers better understand patients’ needs. Dr Futcher is currently in the process of updating the reports services receive from being static to interactive using R Shiny.