Board Directors
Based on the 2023 CPPSA Constitution, the CPPSA Board must have three and no more than nine Directors. A Director's term can run for up to three years with one third of Directors positions being available for nomination each year. At least one Director must be an Ordinary Member based in New Zealand.
Current Directors
Dr Alice Johnson
President (WA)
Dr Alice Johnson is a consultant paediatrician in the Child Protection Unit at Perth Children’s Hospital in Western Australia. Originally from the United Kingdom, Alice trained as a Neonatologist at St George’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London before moving to WA with her family in 2006. Along with the change in location, she changed sub-specialty, moving into child protection work for which she developed a passion and completed the Master of Forensic Medicine (Monash University) in 2022. She is the current child protection representative on the Chapter of Community Child Health Committee (Royal Australasian College of Physicians), a member of the Clinical Forensic Medicine Advisory Committee (Royal College of Pathologists of Australia) and was the RACP representative on the board for the 2023 update of the “Purple Book”, the Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, UK). She has set up a research program in the CPU at PCH and is committed to improving the evidence base in child protection as well as supporting those working in this area in Australasia.
Dr Geraldine Goh
Secretary (WA)
Dr Geraldine Goh studied medicine at Leicester University, UK and started her paediatric training at the Royal Shrewsbury and North Staffordshire Hospitals before moving to Australia in 2002. She started her first paediatric registrar post at the Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane for a year and then moved to Perth where she completed her paediatric training at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Perth. Geraldine completed a master's degree in forensic medicine in 2012 and has been working as a consultant paediatrician at the Child Protection Unit, Perth Children’s Hospital (formerly PMH) since 2006. Geraldine also works as a general paediatrician at Fiona Stanley Hospital and has worked in developmental paediatrics.
Dr Anne Smith
Board Member (Vic)
Dr Anne Smith is a general paediatrician who specialised in paediatric forensic medicine after developing an interest in the child abuse field as an advanced trainee. She combined private practice and hospital-based medicine until 2015. She expanded her forensic work after taking on the role of Director, Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service in 2006. Anne has master’s degrees in forensic medicine, public health and health leadership and management. She developed three units for the Master of Forensic Medicine program at Monash University and currently teaches two. She is a past chair of the RACP Chapter of Community Child Health, a Foundation Fellow of the RCPA Faculty of Clinical Forensic Medicine, an Associate Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and a foundation board member of the CPPSA.
Dr Jan Connors
Board Member (Qld)
Dr Jan Connors graduated from the University of Queensland (UQ) in 1980 and worked in Townsville for three years, predominantly in adult medicine. This was followed by 2 years in the UK where a Diploma of Child Health was obtained before returning to Brisbane to commence Paediatric training at the Mater Children’s Hospital (MCH) and Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital (RBWH - neonatology). Jan gained specialist qualification in General Paediatrics in 1990 and developed a special interest in Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics, both publicly and privately, and obtained a Master of Public Health through UQ in 2003. She began child protection work at MCH, which led to the role of Director of the MCH Child Protection Unit in 2006. Following the merger of the two Brisbane children’s hospitals, transitioned to the now Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) in 2014, Jan became the Director of the Child Protection Forensic Medical Service (CPFMS). Jan obtained a Master of Forensic Medicine and gained a Fellowship of the RCPA in 2015. After three years as the Acting Director of the Division on Medicine and Senior Medical Officer (SMO) in CPFMS, Jan is currently appointed as Chief of Medicine, Division of Medicine and SMO CPFMS. Jan was the inaugural Chair of the Statewide Child Protection Clinical Partnership in 2014, returning to that role in 2019.
Dr Jane Edwards
Board Member (SA/NT representative)
Dr Jane Edwards is a forensic paediatrician employed as the Medical Unit Head of the Paediatric Forensic Medical Service at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia since 2002. Jane completed a Masters degree in Forensic Medicine in 2015 and is a Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Forensic Medicine.
Dr Khurram Noori
Board Member (SA/NT representative)
Dr Khurram Noori is a Forensic Paediatrician, employed at the Paediatric Forensic Medical Service at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide in South Australia. Khurram is an Associate of the Faculty of Clinical Forensic Medicine (The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia). Khurram also consults as a General Paediatrician in Adelaide, South Australia and is a recognised medical instructor at Advanced Paediatrics Life Support (APLS).
Dr Juliet Soper
Board Member (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Dr Juliet Soper undertook her medical studies at the University of Auckland before completing her paediatric training at Starship Child Health. Between 2012 and 2022 she worked as a paediatrician in Saskatchewan, Canada where among other roles she provided acute paediatric service, and developmental clinics. She was also the lead paediatrician for child protection and responsible for inter-agency collaboration and training. She has returned to Aotearoa | New Zealand and now works at Te Puaruruhau, the Child Protection Team of Starship Child Health where she is the Te Tiriti partner on the leadership team. Juliet hopes she and the team at Te Puaruruhau can continue their journey towards child-focused and whanau-led services for all tamariki and rangatahi experiencing violence.
Dr Anagha Jayakar
Board Member (Tas)
Dr Anagha Jayakar is the head of the Tasmanian community paediatric service which she helped to establish after moving to Hobart in 2011. She completed her paediatric training in India in1982. In 2006 she obtained her fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Paediatrics and in 2009 she completed her master’s in public health and tropical medicine. Anagha’s clinical experience includes working in different settings in India, New Zealand and Tasmania. Her clinical interests include child safety, developmental and behavioural concerns in children and improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Tasmania.
Dr Deborah Perkins
Board Member (NSW/ACT)
Dr Deborah Perkins is a general paediatrician working in a public hospital managing children and young people with a wide range of acute and chronic medical issues. She also works in a tertiary Child Protection Unit providing medical assessments and forensic opinions for vulnerable children in whom physical or sexual abuse or neglect is suspected. She has completed a Master of Forensic Medicine through Monash University. She is a Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Physicians with active involvement in training of colleagues and supervision of junior medical staff and is a conjoint lecturer at the University of Notre Dame involved in teaching and examining medical students.