Board
Assoc Professor Robert Mills (Chair)
Rob Mills has worked within the NSW public hospital system for over 40 years, commencing his Registered Nurse training at Fairfield Hospital in 1982 and then his Midwifery training in 1986.
Since completing his Midwifery training, Robert’s career has been focused in the discipline of maternal and child health. He has held the positions of Director of Maternal and Child Health at Macarthur Health Service and then CEO of Karitane for 10 years from 2003 before becoming the CEO of Tresillian in 2013.
Robert is on the Board of the Australasian Association of Parenting and Child Health Inc.; the Dean’s Advisory Board University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the NSW Health Services Association Board. Robert is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Industry with the University Technology Sydney (UTS), a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and is an accredited Assessor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS).is tenure, he has rapidly expanded the service, with an additional 18 new Tresillian Centres across regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. He is on the Board of the Australasian Association of Parenting and Child Health Inc.; the Dean’s Advisory Board University of Technology Sydney (UTS); and the NSW Health Services Association Board. Rob is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Industry with the University Technology Sydney (UTS), a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and an accredited Assessor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS).
Professor Hannah Dahlen AM
Hannah Dahlen is the Professor of Midwifery and Associate Dean (Research and Higher Degree Research) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. She has been a midwife for more than 34 years. She is one of the first midwives in Australia to gain Eligibility and access to a Medicare provider number and prescribing rights following government reforms in 2010. Hannah worked for nearly 10 years as a privately practising midwife alongside
her role as a Professor of Midwifery. Hannah has published over 300 papers and book chapters and has strong national and international research partnerships.
In 2019 Hannah was awarded a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her significant services to midwifery, nursing and medical education and research. In November 2012 Hannah was named in the Sydney Morning Herald’s list of 100 “people who change our city for the better” and named as one of the leading “science and
knowledge thinkers” for 2012.
Assoc Professor ALKA KOTHARI
Associate Professor Alka Kothari is a Senior Staff Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Conjoint Site-Coordinator of the Northside Clinical Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, at Redcliffe Hospital. She encourages multi-disciplinary research in perinatal mental health, women’s imaging, and medical education. She is completing a PhD on ‘Forgotten Fathers in pregnancy and childbirth’ and has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. Associate Professor Kothari won the prestigious best oral presentation in perinatal mental health at the World Congress in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in London in 2019. She has also received various research excellence, leadership and teaching awards in Metro North Hospital and Health Service.
Associate Professor Alka Kothari is currently undertaking a Metro-North Clinician Research Fellowship on 'Supporting fathers during a traumatic pregnancy: Towards holistic care', implementing the findings of her PhD research into improving care for fathers. She is a passionate advocate for fathers and provides expert guidance and support to several non-government fatherhood organisations nationally.
Dr VIJAY ROACH
Vijay is an obstetrician and gynaecologist with more than 20 years experience. He consults in general gynaecology with interests in miscarriage, traumatic birth experience, contraception, menopause, infertility, menstrual disturbances, vulval and vaginal disorders and abnormal cervical pathology. He has a particular interest in the importance of integrating psychological and physical health. Vijay is the Past President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a well-regarded teacher and public speaker in Australia and overseas.
STEVEN KENNEDY (Founder)
After the life threatening birth of his son in 2017 Steven Kennedy founded the Prepared Dad Foundation and social enterprise Birthing Dads. Both organizations share a common mission: to support men as they approach the momentous occasion of their first child's birth.
Steven has developed resources and services that align with his vision of empowering fathers with targeted information and support so they confidently reach their full potential at the birth of their children and beyond.
Steven's ultimate goal is to inspire a new generation of fathers to co-create a parental team ethos to strengthen the family unit and nurture the well-being of mothers, babies, and fathers alike.
Prior to embarking on this journey of post traumatic growth, discovery and transformation Steven was an engineer and a part time theatre and film actor and voice artist.