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SPEAKERS FOR THE 4TH ASIA PACIFIC This is a list of confirmed speakers. More have been invited awaiting confirmation. ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- Kate de Josselin (VIC, Australia)
---------------------------------------------------------- Prof Dan Driscoll (USA) - Genetics
---------------------------------------------------------- Prof Stewart Einfeld(NSW, Australia)
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---------------------------------------------------------- Georgina Loughnan (NSW, Australia)
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----------------------------------------------------------- Prof Nora Shields (VIC, Australia)
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----------------------------------------------------------- Assoc Prof Alex Viardot(NSW, Australia)
His area of research includes exploring the interface between the metabolic disturbances found in obesity and type 2 diabetes and the immune system, abnormalities in gut hormone secretion and appetite regulation, and exploring early defects in pre-diabetes, which could narrow down the disease mechanism in the hope that this progression can be stopped with targeted interventions in the future. Further areas include investigations of metabolism and appetite regulation in people with Prader-Willi syndrome, aiming at testing novel potential treatments for hyperphagia and obesity.
----------------------------------------------------------- Prof Gary Wittert(SA, Australia)
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Kate de Josselin has worked in Education for 30 years, both in classroom and leadership roles. She is a highly qualified teacher with Special Education & TESOL qualifications. Kate is an experienced trainer who is able to call on her 36 years of personal experience caring for her son who has Prader Willi Syndrome, to give a unique insight into what it means to live with Prader-Willi Syndrome.
Prof Dan Driscoll has been conducting clinical and laboratory research on Prader-Willi Syndrome since the late 1980’s. He has been a major contributor to the understanding of the genetics of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and genomic imprinting in the PWS region as well as to the elucidation of the natural history of PWS. He is widely published on PWS and a major spokesperson on PWS in the US and internationally. He has received board certification in Pediatrics; Clinical Genetics; Molecular Genetics; and Cytogenetics. Prof Driscoll is a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Clinical Advisory Board for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (PWSA) USA. In addition, he is a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organization (IPWSO).
Professor Stewart Einfeld is the Chair of Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, and is a Senior Scientist at the Brain and Mind Research Institute. Professor Einfeld has research and teaching interests in the area of child and adolescent psychiatry, developmental disabilities, including intellectual disability and its genetic causes and autism. Dr. Stewart Einfeld is one of the PWS community's leading researchers in behavior, social development and mental health. 
Barbara J. (BJ) Goff, Ed.D is a Professor of Special Education at Westfield State University in Massachusetts. She has 40 years experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities in a variety of settings, with over 25 years devoted to individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome. PWSA (USA) utilizes BJ as an education and crisis consultant for children and adults and their families throughout the USA and she is a frequent presenter at state, national, and international conferences. She is a contributor to the international Best Practice Guidelines for Standard of Care in PWS in the areas of teacher training and parent/caretaker relationships and is currently developing a sex ed training manual specific to individuals with PWS. BJ serves on the PWSA/USA Professional Providers Advisory Board as well as the PWSA/USA Special Education Advisory Board. She is also the Educational Adviser for the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation (IPWSO).
Georgina Loughnan is a physiotherapist who has worked at Metabolism & Obesity Services, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, since 1983. Her main interest is weight management for people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. In 1991 she established the first adult Prader-Willi Syndrome Clinic in Australia. This is a multidisciplinary team that sees adolescents and adults with PWS for weight, health and lifestyle management. Working with parents and caregivers, in PWS management, is a substantial part of her work.
Dr Nyunt is a Paediatric Endocrinologist working in Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. He is also a part-time PhD student at The University of Queensland studying energy metabolism in children with Prader-Willi syndrome. He has published his research projects in Prader- Willi syndrome in peer reviewed journals.
James O’Brien is a Founding Director and CEO of the Prader-Willi Better Living Foundation, President of the Prader-Willi Association of Australia, Board Member of the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Victoria and an Educator at St. Paul’s College, a school for children with complex needs in Melbourne. James brings to the Better Living Foundation broad experience working with people with complex needs coupled with 25 years real estate agency and developing practice. His intention is to grow the Better Living Foundation to become a leading resource in the area of housing for adults with PWS in Australia. 
Professor Shields' research aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people with disability through engagement in physical activity and exercise. She has a strong track record in publication, engagement, knowledge translation and research student supervision. She recently completed a NHMRC funded randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of a community based strength training program for young people with Down syndrome. She is currently a chief investigator on NHMRC funded collaborative research translation projects involving five health services across four Australian states aimed at increasing the uptake of evidence based practice among clinicians working with people with disabilities. She is a former director on the board of Disability Sport and Recreation.
Melanie Silverman MS, RD, IBCLC is a registered dietitian and board certified lactation consultant. She received her BA from Indiana University and her MS from Rush University in clinical nutrition. She is currently the Chief Clinical Officer for Pacify (www.pacify.com), a tele-health mobile application for new parents and the dietitian for Latham Centers, an independent living program for children and adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Melanie has worked in Prader-Willi Syndrome since 2004 when a family approached her for help with their son who was 5 months old. Since then, she's made it her mission to help as many families as possible navigate the often confusing world of nutrition for Prader-Willi Syndrome.
Dr Alex Viardot is a clinical endocrinologist trained in Switzerland. He moved to Australia and started at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in 2004, and undertook a PhD from 2006-2008 in the Diabetes & Metabolism Division. From 2010-2013, he is was supported by an NHMRC overseas-based Clinical Research Fellowship, which enabled him to spend two years at Imperial College in London. Alex returned to the Garvan in 2012, and is group leader in the field of personalised medicine in diabetes care and leads ongoing clinical research projects in PWS with Professor Lesley Campbell. He is consultant endocrinologist and Deputy Director of the Diabetes Service within the Department of Endocrinology at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Gary Wittert obtained his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg South Africa. He trained as an endocrinologist in Christchurch New Zealand and subsequently received postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Oregon Health Sciences University. 
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