Calvary Health Care Bethlehem is a teaching hospital, and has affiliations with a number of Universities including Monash and Notre Dame Universities that support our specialist role in education, training and research.
We provide education and training opportunities for a range of health disciplines and build capacity in the broader health sector to enable better care.
Calvary Health Care Bethlehem fosters a culture of continuous learning and innovation which results in the development of a highly skilled workforce, essential to deliver our specialised care.
As a leader in our two areas of specialisation, our goal is to be recognised as a centre of excellence for education, training and research.
Commitment to research
Research informs the delivery of best practice care for our patients and their families.
Calvary Health Care Bethlehem play a significant role in international research studies for MND and Huntington’s disease as we strive to find a cure for the diseases we specialise in.
Research assists the design and evaluation of innovative models of care that inform the development of service delivery at state and national level
The Research Ethics and Ethics Committee (REEC) at Calvary Health Care Bethlehem (CHCB) is properly constituted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines, relevant Commonwealth and State legislation and regulations and Catholic Health Australia’s Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia.
To ensure that high ethical standards are maintained in research projects conducted at CHCB, the health service is supported by the Research Ethics and Ethics Committee which meets to ensure the interests of research subjects, investigators and the institution are protected. In carrying out these functions, the REEC, at all times, takes into consideration guidelines issued by the NHMRC together with the teaching of the Catholic Church and local cultural and social attitudes.
The Research Ethics and Ethics Committee (REEC)
The Research Ethics and Ethics Committee (REEC) at Calvary Health Care Bethlehem (CHCB) is properly constituted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines, relevant Commonwealth and State legislation and regulations and Catholic Health Australia’s Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia.
The aim of the REEC is to ensure that high ethical standards are maintained in research projects conducted at CHCB, to protect the interests of research subjects, investigators and the institution. In carrying out these functions, the REEC, at all times, takes into consideration guidelines issued by the NHMRC together with the teaching of the Catholic Church and local cultural and social attitudes.
Research and Ethics Committee meeting dates
12 February 2026 |
9 April 2026 |
11 June 2026 |
13 August 2026 |
8 October 2026 |
10 December 2026 |
Should there be no research applications for consideration at any one meeting, the meeting may be cancelled and a notice sent to Committee members.
Meetings are from 8.00 am to 9.00 am and where possible are held in the Boardroom, 2nd floor of Calvary Health Care Bethlehem at Calvary Kooyong, 476 Kooyong Road, Caufield South 3162 – otherwise online.
Research Ethics & Ethics Committee Members
Philip Rowell - Chair
Philip is a lawyer who has been in private legal practice for 43 years. One of his specialist areas of practice has been health law representing medical practitioners and private hospitals in litigation, at coronial inquiries and at disciplinary hearings.
He also has been a Rotarian for in excess of 20 years serving on his District Board as Governance Director for a number of years.
Shannon Thompson
General Manager, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem
Shannon Thompson joined Calvary Health Care Bethlehem in 2003 as a community palliative care nurse, and commenced in her role as Director of Clinical Services in 2008.
Shannon has extensive experience in health care settings and brings to her role a wide and varied background, as well as a passion and commitment to the development of a skilled and innovative workforce and to the delivery of quality consumer-focused care.
Shannon currently holds a position on the Southern Metropolitan Region Palliative Care Consortium and has recently been appointed as a member of the LCMHC National Palliative Care Collaborative steering group.
Dr Susan Mathers
Clinical Director of Neurology, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem
Consultant Neurologist at Monash Medical Centre
Susan is a member of the Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia, the MND Research Tissue Bank, and a founding member of the Australian MND Register. Her main interests are in the management of chronic progressive neurological diseases and models of care.
Revd Kevin McGovern
Catholic priest Kevin McGovern is the Director of the Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics. He researches and writes on bioethical issues particularly for the Chisholm Health Ethics Bulletin. From 1997 to 2006, he lectured in ethics and moral theology at the Brisbane College of Theology. He has served on six Human Research Ethics Committees, including the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital HREC (2000 to 2006) and the Cabrini HREC (from 2007). In 2011, he was a member of the Heerey Review of Australia’s cloning and embryo research laws. He is a member of the Australian Health Ethics Committee, one of the principal committees of the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Maryanne Lane
Maryanne is a communications manager with more than 30 years experience in the communications industry. Maryanne is highly experienced in media, stakeholder and issues management within the corporate and public sector organisations. Her specialist expertise is in managing issues to resolution, especially in complex political and government environments.
Maryanne has a Masters of Management degree from Monash University.
Garry McDavitt
Garry McDavitt has worked within the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years and has extensive experience in Quality Operations, Manufacturing Operations, GxP Compliance and Regulatory Compliance Auditing.
Garry most recently held the position of Associate Director Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) /Good Distribution Practice (GDP) Audit at Bristol-Myers Squibb, with responsibilities including planning and conducting GMP and GDP, Good Pharmacovigilance Practice (GVP) and computer systems validation compliance audits.
Prior to Bristol-Myers Squibb, Garry worked in other multinational pharmaceutical companies, in roles of increasing responsibility in Production Management, GMP Compliance and Quality Management.
Garry has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Applied Chemistry) from Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia.
Dr Dharshini Kunahlan
Palliative Medicine Specialist, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem
Dr Fiona Fisher
Senior Psychologist, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem
Fiona joined Calvary in 2008.
Karen Bolger
Calvary Regional Director of Mission, Victoria
Applications - research guidelines and appendices
- Download a copy of our research guidelines here:Download
News and profiles
A/Prof Susan Mathers, Director of Neurology at Calvary Health Care Bethlehem is undertaking a research project titled “Identifying and Responding to the Health Literacy Needs of People living with MND/ALS.” The project aims to find out how easy or difficult it is for people with MND to find, understand and make use of information about managing their life with the disease.
We would like to invite you to consider being part of our survey. Your involvement is voluntary. Patients and carers can both complete the survey.
To find out more about this project and to complete the surveys, click here.
For more information, contact Maryanne McPhee:
P: 0411 150 134
Call for expression of interest to contribute to the MND Collective Lived Experience Expert Driving Team
MND Australia is working with the wider MND community as it establishes the National MND Lived Experience Advisory Panel. This panel will be a platform through which any organisation connected to motor neurone disease (MND) can engage with those with lived experience of MND to seek input opinions, guidance and advice across a wide range of initiatives and activities including research, treatment, care, advocacy, and governance.
Establishing the panel will be a multi-stage process bringing together groups from established initiatives as well as new participants who are keen to get involved. For this call we are looking for people with lived experience of MND with a keen interest in how research can contribute to improving the lives of people living with this disease.
The “MND Collective” is a concept co-designed with around 50 experts from lived experience, medicine, healthcare, and research. During the co-design process, the purpose, vision and values were developed from which the collective framework and objectives were developed. The MND Collective is not a new entity or organisation, but rather the coming together of existing groups, organisations and stakeholders under a shared focus and vision, and a common agenda.
From this shared goal and focus, a collective creates a joint approach to solving complex problems. It aims to encourage and facilitate a collective approach to research that enables better outcomes for people living with MND.
A webpage has been established through which People with Lived Experience can register an Expression of Interest to join this group –
If you could share this information to your networks, it would be greatly appreciated.
Postdoctoral research fellow, Dr Camille Paynter (r) from Melbourne University, worked closely with Bethlehem and Bethlehem patients on her PhD thesis on the impact of communication on health care involvement in people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and their family carers. She is pictured at her graduation last month with Bethlehem Director of Neurology, Associate Professor Susan Mathers. One of Camille’s papers was awarded the best article of 2022 in the International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders.
For her PhD thesis, Camille, an experienced Speech Pathologist, carried out a longitudinal, qualitative study of the impact of communication on health care involvement in people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and their family carers. Nineteen people with MND attending the clinic at Bethlehem and 15 family members contributed to the study through a series of interviews over approximately a 20-month period.
The research highlights the extra effort people with MND make to maintain communication and their involvement in health care decisions. Navigating the many parts of the health and social care system without the support and advocacy of a family carer can be difficult, leaving people feeling vulnerable and less autonomous.
Health information delivered in a timely and empathic manner was greatly appreciated and helped people to accept changes and make important decisions. The research outcomes make a number of recommendations to help health care professionals recognize and accommodate the communication needs of their patients, before, during and after appointments. There is an on-going need to raise awareness and provide training and support to health professionals who may be unfamiliar with looking after a person with MND.
Camille has published 4 peer-reviewed manuscripts from this work. One of her papers, published in the International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders has been awarded the Editors’ Prize for best publication by that journal in 2022.
Dr Camille Paynter graduated, Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Melbourne on Saturday 12th August 2023.