Inside the mind

Mark Butler has been the Labor Member for Port Adelaide and Hindmarsh in the Federal Parliament since 2007. He is the Minister for Health and Aged Care.

Mark served as Minister for Ageing and Australia’s first Minister for Mental Health in the Gillard Government. He has also held the ministries of Housing, Homelessness, Social Inclusion, Climate Change, Water and the Environment.

In 2013, Mark was awarded the Alzheimer’s Disease International Award (ADI) for Extraordinary Contribution to Tackling Dementia.

He served as National President of the Australian Labor Party from 2015 – 2018, and as senior Vice President from 2018-2023.

Mark is the author of Advanced Australia - The Politics of Ageing, published in 2015; and Climate Wars, published in 2017.

Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO is an internationally recognised clinician, researcher and advocate who has dedicated more than four decades to transforming dementia care, research and public understanding.

Based at UNSW Sydney and Prince of Wales Hospital, he is Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) and a senior psychogeriatrician. His pioneering work spans dementia prevention, early diagnosis, carer support and healthy brain ageing, including leadership of the landmark Maintain Your Brain trial—the world’s largest online dementia risk-reduction study.

Professor Brodaty was instrumental in establishing the Alzheimer’s movement in Australia, helping lay the foundations for what is now Dementia Australia, and has contributed to major policy initiatives including the National Dementia Action Plan.

In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to dementia research, care and advocacy, Professor Brodaty was named 2026 NSW Senior Australian of the Year.

Professor Cheryl Jones is a world-renowned paediatric infectious diseases physician, clinician-scientist and health and medical educator. She joined UNSW Medicine & Health as Dean in 2024.

A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Professor Jones has secured more than $35 million in peer-reviewed funding and published over 170 peer-reviewed papers. Her research, particularly in childhood encephalitis, vaccination and mother-to-child transmission of infections, has significantly influenced global health policy and clinical practice.

Professor Jones has held senior executive positions across leading universities, health and medical research institutions, professional societies and statutory authorities, and continues to contribute to government policy and clinical practice guidelines.

She is a Director of the Australian Medical Council, an Executive Member of the AAHMS Council and a Director of the Ramsay Health Care Research Foundation. She is also recognised for her commitment to mentoring and supervising the next generation of health and medical researchers.

Professor Attila Brungs AO is Vice-Chancellor and President of UNSW Sydney, a distinguished academic and higher education leader, and a proud UNSW alumnus. He commenced as Vice-Chancellor in January 2022, following eight years as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Technology Sydney.

A Rhodes Scholar, Professor Brungs graduated from UNSW with a Bachelor of Science and University Medal in Industrial Chemistry before completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Inorganic Chemistry at Oxford University. He has also held senior roles with CSIRO and McKinsey & Company and contributes to several national higher education and research bodies.

Professor Brungs was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2026 for distinguished service to tertiary education leadership, research and innovation, and social justice and equity.

Driven by the belief that universities exist as a public good, he is committed to strengthening partnerships across government, industry and academia to drive innovation, excellence and positive societal impact.

Prof Buchanan is CEO of Dementia Australia. She has held previous CEO roles with Cancer Council Australia, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and Action on Smoking and Health in Wales (UK). Prof Buchanan is an Honorary Professor of Practice in Public Health at the University of Wollongong and is an Adjunct Professor with the Enable Institute at Curtin University. Professor Buchanan studied Nursing at Curtin University of Technology and an MBA at Edith Cowan University. She also holds a PhD and a range of qualifications including governance qualifications from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Professor Buchanan commenced her career as a Registered Nurse, and has worked in health, academia, local government and the voluntary sector. She is active in public health research and practice. In 2011, Professor Buchanan won the Leading Wales Award for the not-for-profit sector and was admitted as a Member of the Faculty of Public Health by Distinction for her contribution to Public Health in the UK. In 2023, she was awarded the University of Wollongong Alumni Award for Social Impact.