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RACE Research Unit
Meet our RACE Research Unit Team
Professor Paul Worley, Executive Director of Clinical Innovation (EDCI)
Emeritus Professor Paul Worley is RMCLHN’s EDCI and Medical Director for ATP SA Professor Worley was the inaugural National Rural Health Commissioner and is a former Dean of the School of Medicine at Flinders University.
He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and his passion is to see a sustainable rural health workforce enabling rural communities to thrive.
Dr Amy Mendham, Senior Researcher
Dr Mendham brings experience and knowledge in human physiology, exercise science and education. Following the completion of her PhD, she spent eight years in Cape Town, South Africa, where she held research fellowship positions at Witwatersrand University and the University of Cape Town.
Her research has primarily focused on working with vulnerable communities in designing and implementing behaviour-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of people living with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and/or HIV.
Dr Mendham has published numerous papers and continues to collaborate with national and international institutions on ongoing research projects.
Dr Kate Bartel, Senior Researcher
Dr Bartel received her PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2017. Her research has predominantly focussed on sleep health, including factors that harm and promote sleep, and the relationship between sleep and mental health. She has worked as a Clinical Psychologist to help people across all ages, in both private and non-government organisation settings.
Carolyn Martin, Research Officer
Carolyn is a former Research Associate at Flinders University where she worked in the Cardiovascular Neuroscience Group on neural pathways involved in blood pressure regulation.
As a qualified Medical Scientist, she then moved to Berri in the Riverland and managed the Gribbles/Healthscope Pathology/Australian Clinical Labs pathology laboratory in Berri before joining RMCLHN in 2020 to work in the Quality Risk and Safety Business Unit. Carolyn is the Research Governance Officer and helps ensure the integrity and quality of research projects conducted at RMCLHN.
Emily Mathews, Nurse Consultant/Registered Midwife, Clinical Research Coordinator, Australian Teletrial
Program - South Australia, RMCLHN
Emily is a Registered Nurse and Midwife who has lived in the Riverland since 2020. She has a range of experience in both nursing and midwifery, providing care from pregnancy and birth, through to the elderly. Emily has developed a strong passion towards clinical research and has a particular interest in rural health. As a clinical trial coordinator working in conjunction with the Australian Teletrial Program SA, Emily coordinates and brings clinical trials closer to home for our RMCLHN community.
Julie Souness, Nurse Consultant, Clinical Research Coordinator, Australian Teletrial Program - South Australia, RMCLHN
Julie Souness is a Registered Nurse with over 30-years’ experience in rural, metropolitan, and international settings, including a significant period in East Timor where she contributed to building the capacity of local healthcare staff. In Australia, she has specialised in cardiovascular nursing and spent the past six years in clinical trials at the CALHN, focusing on research coordination and patient care. In 2025, Julie commenced as a clinical research coordinator based in Murray Bridge, dedicated to strengthening clinical research within the RMCLHN.
Jane Fuller, Nurse Consultant, Clinical Research Coordinator, Australian Teletrial
Program - South Australia, LCLHN
Jane has 16 years' experience as a Registered Nurse, predominantly working in rural and regional healthcare. Jane has experience as a clinical trial coordinator, working in the South East Limestone Coast region. Jane is excited with the opportunity to work with RMCLHN and Australian Teletrial Program SA to support the implementation of teletrials within rural and regional health services in the South East.
Elise Hutley, Nurse Consultant, Clinical Research Coordinator, ATP-SA, Port Pirie
Elise is a Registered Nurse who has worked predominantly in rural and regional healthcare including in FUNLHN, Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network (BHFLHN), RMCLHN, and Yorke and Northern Local Health Network (YNLHN). Her passion for increasing access to clinical trials for people who live in rural and regional areas is driven by having lived and worked in regional areas for most of her nursing career and seeing the health disparities that are caused by reduced access to health services. She is excited to be working with RMCLHN, RACE, and the Australian Teletrial Program SA to support the implementation of teletrials within the Yorke and Northern region.
Asini Siriwardene, Research Officer
Asini Siriwardene is a Research Officer at RMCLHN with Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne. Previously a project coordinator in Melbourne, she relocated to the Riverland in 2024. Her interests lie in digital health research and human-centred design.
Asher Cordy, Administration Officer
Asher Cordy supports the Research Unit staff with administration tasks. Asher has worked for RMLCHN for 3 years in a variety of roles including as a Medical Education Support Officer in the Medical Education Unit.
Contact the RACE Research Unit
To find out more about Research or Clinical Trial opportunities in RMCLHN, please contact the Research Unit by email at health.rmclhnresearchunit@sa.gov.au.