Dr. Mark Barone, living with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease for 33 years, holds a PhD in Human Physiology and two post-graduate diplomas in Diabetes Education and Communication. With over 25 years of experience in research (5,000+ citations), health education, advocacy, public and global health, he has worked with various organizations to develop programs and policies that improve care access and empower healthcare professionals and individuals with Non-Communicable Conditions (NCCs). He joined ADJ Diabetes Brasil in the early 2000s, contributing to movements that led to comprehensive diabetes care in Brazil. In 2017, he co-founded the Intersectoral Forum of NCCs/NCDs in Brazil (ForumCCNTs), which now includes over 200 public, private and not-for-profit institutions partnering to improve health quality and reduce premature deaths due to NCCs (SDGs 3.4 and 17). He has been collaborating with the WHO’s Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (GCM/NCD) on its framework for the meaningful engagement of people with lived experience (PWLE / PLWNCD). From 2020 to 2022, he served as the Vice-President of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Currently, he is a member of several advisory and scientific committees of various institutions, including: IAPO, BMJ Patient Panel, RICPHI, NCD-Lab/GCM/WHO, FIND and LFAC.

Dr Sandro Demaio is the CEO of VicHealth, a medical doctor and a globally-renowned public health expert and advocate. Previously the CEO of the EAT Foundation, the science-based global platform for food systems transformation, Dr Demaio has also held the role of Medical Officer for non-communicable conditions and nutrition at the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr Demaio originally trained and worked as a medical doctor at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. He holds a Masters degree in public health, a PhD in non-communicable diseases, and has held fellowships at Harvard Medical School, Copenhagen School of Global Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Melbourne. To date, he has published more than 40 scientific papers, including coordinating the 2019 Lancet series on nutrition.

Amelia Berner is OzHarvest’s Food Education and Sustainability Training (FEAST) Program Manager. Amelia’s passion for nutrition and environmental education stems from a decade of experience as a Food Technology teacher and working as a practicing accredited nutritionist, which enabled her to develop the FEAST education program that ensures all children have the ability to learn how to cook in a classroom setting, eat healthy and reduce food waste

Natalie is a passionate advocate for people with swallowing and communication difficulties. With over 20 years’ experience as a Speech Pathologist in different sectors including aged care and clinical education, Natalie is dedicated to ensuring that all people can have safe and enjoyable mealtime experiences. Natalie advocates for a balance between clinical safety and quality of life, integrating person-centred principles and regulatory frameworks to guide clinical care. Her work focuses on training, upskilling, collaborating, and finding innovative ways to ensure mealtimes are safe and fulfilling. Natalie was featured as the Speech Pathologist in “Maggie Beer’s Big Mission”, a social experiment designed to transform the mealtime experience in an aged care residence.

Alicia is the Coordinator of the Healthy Communities team at the City of Greater Bendigo, where she leads a population health team with a focus on physical activity, healthy eating and food systems. Alicia has over 15 years’ health promotion and public health experience across community health and local government in Victoria. Heading up the Healthy Loddon Campaspe initiative, a regionally designed population health model, Alicia works closely with multiple state government departments, community stakeholders and the six local government partner organisations.

I am an Australian man of West Papuan and Dutch Indonesian heritage and grew up in the suburb of Inala in South East Queensland. Much of my working life has been spent in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the north, far north and gulf country of Queensland. I have worked primarily in the fields of education, housing and community development and for the past 10 years, I have worked as a Project Officer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Unit of Diabetes Queensland. I have recently graduated as a Registered Nurse and look forward to commencing my post graduate studies in diabetes education in 2025 to continue my work in this field.