A/Prof Frank Van Haren

State Medical Director - A/Prof Frank Van Haren

Associate Professor Frank Van Haren is the ACT State Medical Director with the Organ and Tissue Authority. Dr Van Haren forms part of a specialist team working closely with local hospitals and clinicians and leads the ACT DonateLife team aiming to increase the rates of organ and tissue donation in the Canberra region.

Dr Van Haren is a Senior Staff Specialist in Intensive Care at the Canberra Hospital, Director of the Intensive Care Research programme and Associate Professor at the Medical School of the Australian National University. Dr Van Haren was born and raised in the Netherlands and completed his dual specialist training as Physician and Intensive Care Specialist at the University of Nijmegen. He was awarded a PhD in Medical Sciences for his intensive care research in 2010. Dr Van Haren has published on a wide range of topics, is reviewer for a number of international medical journals and frequently presents at international scientific conferences as invited speaker.

He has joined DonateLife ACT because his career in Intensive Care Medicine has always been devoted to improving peoples' lives. He has more than 15 years of experience with organ and tissue donation and transplantation in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia.

Kylie Downes

State Agency Manager - Kylie Downes

Kylie Downes is a registered nurse with over twenty years experience within the ACT Health Directorate working in various roles, divisions and health settings. She primarily has a focus in health care management with a background in critical care with Canberra Emergency Departments and Intensive Care Units.

Kylie holds a certificate in critical care, a nursing diploma in Applied Science and a nursing Bachelor of Applied Science. She is currently undertaking an Advanced Diploma in Management through the Australian Institute of Management.

Kylie has been a passionate advocate for organ and tissue donation in the Canberra region after her first experience with an organ donation in the 1990s. Kylie is looking forward to working in collaboration with the various not for profit organisations and community groups in the Canberra region to help educate the community about DonateLife ACT services, activities and events.

Kylie is passionate about her commitment to meeting the professional development opportunities for DonateLife ACT staff. Her most recent networking opportunities with other DonateLife jurisdictional colleagues in Darwin will assist Canberra staff to increase the rates of organ and tissue donation in the region.

Dr Greg Hollis (Deputy State Medical Director) is also a Senior Specialist in the Canberra Hospital Emergency Department. Two senior staff specialists at Canberra Hospital – Dr Sam Scanlan (Emergency) and Dr Mark Oliver (Intensive Care) – complement the DonateLife ACT medical team.

DonateLife staff

DonateLife ACT has three Organ and Tissue Donor Coordinators and an Organ and Tissue Donor Nurse Educator who work with a range of specially trained nurses that bring a range of skills including critical care, paediatrics, renal, management and education. The other staff are communications,Donor Family Support and administrative officers.