Dr Jean-Frédéric Levesque, MD PHD FRCP
Chief Executive
Dr Jean-Frédéric Levesque is the Chief Executive of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, and the Deputy Secretary, Clinical Innovation and Research at the NSW Ministry of Health.
He is an Adjunct Professor at the International Centre for Future Health Systems at the University of New South Wales. He has a Medical Degree, a Masters in Community Health and a Doctorate in Public Health from the Université de Montréal, Canada. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in Preventive Medicine and Public Health.
Jean-Frédéric brings extensive senior leadership in healthcare systems analysis and improvement, combining experience in clinical practice in refugee health and tropical medicine, in clinical governance and in academic research. He is a member of the HealthShare NSW Board and a member of the Strategic Analytic Advisory Committee of the Canadian Institute of Health Information.
As part of his research portfolio, Jean-Frédéric has published more than 160 peer reviewed publications and his seminal research producing a conceptual framework on healthcare access and inequity has been cited more than 4,000 times.
Originally from Canada, Jean-Frédéric has worked in diverse medical, research and public health roles in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Ellen Rawstron
Executive Director
Clinical Engagement and Operational Programs
Ellen Rawstron is the Executive Director, CEOPs at the Agency for Clinical Innovation.
Ellen joined the ACI in 2010 and has worked extensively across clinical networks, project management and in senior leadership roles across the organisation. Her previous experience encompasses supporting clinical training programs at the NSW Institute of Medical Education and Training (now the Health and Education Training Institute) and at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Ellen has worked in health for 14 years and is passionate about partnering with clinicians, consumers and health managers to design programs which deliver meaningful change. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University, and spends her time outside of work in volunteer and community organisations, including active service with the NSW State Emergency Service.
Adjunct Professor Andrew Milat
Executive Director
Intelligence and Support for Innovation, Transformation and Evaluation
Adjunct Professor Andrew Milat (PhD, MPH Hons, BHMS Ed Hons) is the Executive Director, Intelligence and Support for Innovation, Transformation and Evaluation Directorate at the Agency for Clinical Innovation.
Andrew joined the ACI in January 2025, bringing with him a wealth of experience as a public sector leader and academic in implementation science, research, evaluation and system capability building.
He is passionate about connecting researchers, policy makers and clinicians with actionable insights, most recently as a Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney and senior adviser to Sydney Health Partners and its Implementation Science Academy. His prior roles include Acting Executive Director and Director, Evidence and Evaluation in the Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence at the NSW Ministry of Health; Head of the Knowledge Transfer Division at the Sax Institute; Research Manager with the Australian Government Department of Health; and Local Health District Director of Health Promotion.
Andrew is recognised internationally for his research in program evaluation and for developing influential implementation science and scale-up models.
Karen Perini
Associate Director
Strategy, Communications, Planning and Engagement
Karen Perini joined the Agency for Clinical Innovation in May 2018.
She was previously the Director, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at the Bureau of Health Information.
Karen has 20 years’ experience in corporate and internal communications, public relations, media and issues management. She has worked on community campaigns, high profile issues and has provided strategic communications advice to governments, Ministers and clients. Her experience spans across the business, health and environment sectors in Sydney and London. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) from Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.
Melissa Cawley
Acting Associate Director (Shared)
Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing
Melissa Cawley is sharing the role of Acting Associate Director, Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing at the Agency for Clinical Innovation.
Mel is a proud Wiradjuri woman with over 10 years’ experience in Aboriginal Health across frontline care, research and system‑level leadership.
Since joining the ACI in 2023, she has held roles spanning the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Network, and was also seconded to the Office for Health and Medical Research to coordinate the Aboriginal Heart Health Grants.
Mel is passionate about health equity and improving outcomes for Aboriginal communities, informed by lived experience and supported by a Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotion.
David Follent
Acting Associate Director (Shared)
Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing
David Follent is sharing the role of Acting Associate Director, Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing at the Agency for Clinical Innovation.
David is a proud Bundjalung man and a nationally recognised Aboriginal health leader advancing Indigenous-led system transformation. He has spent more than 25 years working across frontline care, public health and statewide reform.
Since joining the ACI in 2016, David has contributed to large-scale reform initiatives that embed culturally safe practice and Aboriginal governance as core standards within mainstream health systems. He is a recognised leader in Indigenous Shared Decision Making, which formed the basis of his Atlantic Fellowship project, completed alongside a Master of Social Change Leadership at the University of Melbourne. Now a Senior Atlantic Fellow, he continues to lead this work, which underpins his current Master of Philosophy candidature at the University of Sydney.
David is Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners Association (NAATSIHWP) and Interim Chair of Gullidala, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health collective and not-for-profit social enterprise.