The membership of the ACS may elect additional Council members to advise the executive council and provide adequate representation of the membership, for example in terms of cytometry field (research, clinical, industrial) or geographical area (Australia, New Zealand). Additional Council members shall serve until the next Annual General Meeting.
Current Advisory Council:
Helen McGuire
Senior Research Fellow
Ramaciotti Facility for Human Systems Biology
Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW
http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/helen.mcguire.php
https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguire
Dr Helen McGuire is a Senior Lecturer within the Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Sydney. Her research focus and interests lie in the clinical application of immunological studies to a range of human diseases, and she is particularly passionate about applying recent technological advances such as mass cytometry. Having extensively researched in this area, she is highly regarded for her expertise in utilising mass cytometry for clinical profiling. She coordinates collaborative projects across many diverse clinical applications. Collaborators span groups local to the University of Sydney campus and beyond. In 2019 she was selected to the Marylou Ingram Scholar program by the International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry, and is currently serving on the ISAC Council.
Michael Thompson
Michael Thomson has been an ACS member for over 10 years and has 15 years Cytometry Core Lab experience. As a core manager he is passionate about utilising Shared Resources to support research goals, methodology development and clinical outcomes. Michael presently manages the Cytometry core at MHTP, a busy translational research core laboratory that has given him expertise in cytometry matters including panel design, instrumentation chacterisation, biosafety, project presentation, cytometry education, budgeting, communication and staff management.
Michael is a graduate of the ISAC Shared Resources Emerging Leader Program (2019) and a current member of the ISAC SRL Outreach Task Force which is responsible for maintaining and expanding the communication and delivery of Shared Resource Laboratory content to the ISAC membership.
Michael has been active in the ACS, and was a member of the Local Organising Committee for the 2012 2019 and 2022 Melbourne meetings, where he was Meeting Co-Chair. He acted as ACS Executive Secretary from 2021-22 and continues involvement in an advisory role to Council. He has presented and moderated on SRL workshops and tutorials at both ISAC and ACS meetings on various topics, including the successful 2017 joint ACS meeting, Cyto Asia.
Eva Orlowski-Oliver
Eva Orlowski-Oliver, SCYM(ASCP), is the Research Flow Core Manager at the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Her role involves educating, training, and supporting research staff who utilise flow cytometry technology. She also encourages her team to participate in society task forces, conduct SRL experiments, and engage in continuous education and training to enhance their skills.
Eva’s journey in flow cytometry began as a Research Assistant (RA) under Professor Mark Hogarth at the Burnet Institute. Over six years, she expanded her flow cytometry techniques by investigating novel markers on T-cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients. Following this, she held a dual role at St. Vincent Institute, serving as an RA involved in islet biology research and participating in the islet transplantation program. Additionally, she worked as a flow cytometrist in the facility’s flow core under the guidance of Michael Thomson. This experience further fuelled her passion for flow cytometry and working within a Shared Resource Laboratory (SRL). Seeking a full-time SRL position, she secured one at AMREP Flow, where she spent the next seven years. During this time, she had an exceptional teacher and mentor in Geza Paukovics, and she achieved certification as a specialist in cytometry (SCYM(ASCP)), became an ISAC Emerging Leader, a mother of two, and an SRL assistant manager.
Eva is deeply committed to education and training. She is an active member of ISAC (International Society for Advancement of Cytometry) and has made publications in Cytometry A. She actively takes part in the SRL Recognition Program task force and the SRL Committee. Additionally, she contributes to ACS (Australasian Cytometry Society) workshops, virtual presentations, and conference committees. Eva believes in providing young students with opportunities to explore careers in science, often hosting them for site visits or work experience.
Eva is always happy to engage in conversations about flow cytometry, SRL management, or the A-League.
Michelle Burns
Michelle is Technical Lead of the Surface Markers laboratory at Canterbury Health Laboratories in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is a Medical Laboratory Scientist and has been working in clinical diagnostic laboratories for the last 26 years. Michelle has spent the last 15 years specialising in flow cytometry, predominantly in the diagnosis and monitoring of haematological malignancies.
Tina Pham
Tina Pham is a Senior Scientist at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Australia, where she manages the Special Haematology laboratory which includes Flow Cytometry and Cellular Therapy. Her flow cytometry experience spans over 10 years. She is the Vic Branch chair of the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS), board director of the Australian Council for Certification of Medical Scientific Workforce (CMLS) and guest lectures at RMIT. She is passionate about education for future medical scientists in flow and cell therapy. She has been instrumental in co-chairing the ACS 2022 conference and took a leading role in serving the clinical ACS membership within the program. She is looking forward to contributing to promoting the advancement of clinical flow cytometry.
Sam Small
Sam Small is a senior staff scientist in the Hugh Green Cytometry Centre at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. During her time there she has had a large role in embedding full spectrum flow cytometry technology and establishing best practices for its use. She is the cell sorting specialist for the Malaghan Institute, operating the two cell sorters housed there. Sam is currently working to perfect a pipeline utilising full spectrum-enabled cell sorting for downstream single-cell RNA sequencing projects using an Aurora Cell Sorter acquired in 2022. She also enjoys working with interesting sample types, from small particle analysis to large particle sorting – she regularly sorts Necator americanus (human hookworm) eggs as part of a clinical study operated through the Malaghan Institute.
Sam has a passion for teaching, devoting time to training and educating internal researchers and wider audiences on current best practices for all aspects of flow cytometry, from sample staining, through acquisition, to data analysis.
Susan Wright
Senior Medical Scientist
Royal Hobart Hospital Tasmania & University of Tasmania
ACS Hobart 2024 – Conference Chair