Our Executive Committee 2025
Dr Jessie Zhou
President & Jobshare Database Coordinator
VMWS President
Jessie is a first-year General Medicine Advanced Trainee at Monash Health in 2025, President of the VMWS and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of ADN (Australian Doctors Network). With a background in pharmacy, she is committed to advancing medical education, advocating for systemic change, and utilising medical technology to improve patient care, alongside using social media to enhance learning. Jessie has been an active member of the VMWS committee since her internship, taking on roles in IT, memberships, and Jobshare Database coordinator before serving as Vice President in 2024. She is passionate about supporting and empowering individuals at every stage of their medical career, helping them realise their aspirations and unlock their full potential.
Dr Courtney Cini
Immediate Past president & AFMW representative
Courtney is a junior doctor who brings a dedicated commitment to women’s health, well-being, and professional equality. Courtney is passionate about collaborating with like-minded colleagues to empower and support women and non-binary individuals in the medical field, striving to foster better personal and professional outcomes, and enhanced opportunities for all. She is excited about the collective goals the committee aims to accomplish in the coming year. Beyond her medical pursuits, she finds joy in exploring local farmers markets, savouring degustation dinners, and immersing herself in diverse cultures through travel.
Dr Isabelle Zupan
Vice President
Isabelle is a junior doctor with a passion for health and gender equity, social justice, and advocacy spaces within medicine. She is immensely excited to be in her first year of working with the VMWS and brings with her a background of experience in global health and mentorship at a grass roots level. Through her work with the VMWS, she is keen to broaden her community reach, engage in a thriving network that celebrates intersectionality, and advocate for women and non-binary people in the health sphere. Within medicine, Isabelle’s interests lie in critical care, especially anaesthesia, and the intersection between these spaces and gender inequality for our patients and clinicians alike. Outside of medicine, however, she’ll be in the water somewhere either stand up paddleboarding or scuba diving or failing that curled up on a couch with a good book.
Dr Anusha Maheshwari
Secretary
Anusha is an intern at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She has always been interested in creating opportunities and improving outcomes for women both within and outside of healthcare. She is passionate about promoting gender equity, cultural safety and diversity in medicine.
On a personal level, she hopes to make strong connections with the passionate people in the committee and learn from them. Outside of medicine, she loves exploring new forms of exercise (usually ones that involve the least amount of cardio possible), reading romantasy books and trying out new restaurants.
Dr Daisy Lu
TREASURER
Daisy is a medical registrar at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, with a strong commitment to advocating for the health and wellbeing of women in medicine and globally. She is the co-founder of the Birth Bundle Project, an initiative focused on delivering essential birthing equipment to underserved communities. Passionate about mentorship, Daisy has actively mentored medical students and junior doctors, having understood the powerful impact of guidance in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals in her own career. Daisy is excited to be part of VWMS and is eager to learn from the women who are trailblazers in medicine.
Dr Raleena Mendis
Events & Promotions officer
Raleena is a third-year doctor at Barwon Health. Having joined our committee as a student member, Raleena is continuing as one of the VMWS events and promotions coordinators for 2025. She enjoys spending her spare time volunteering and mentoring in her community and academic circles. As a VMWS committee member, she hopes to help promote equality, cultural safety, intersectional medicine and equity in healthcare systems and the broader community. Her extracurricular passions include exploring artistic and creative skills such as painting, textiles and singing.
Dr Angelica Armellini
Events Officer
Angelica (Angie) is a new Anaesthetic Trainee at Royal Melbourne Hospital. She has moved to Australia from Italy after high school and has since embarked into a long academic and sporting journey before ultimately settling into Medicine. Her previous exposure to Anaesthesia and mentorship during her Honours degree have inspired her to pursue a career in this field. Angie is very excited to continue her journey with the VMWS Team. She is passionate about gender equality within our medical community and wellbeing in the workplace, and she is a strong advocate for more equitable healthcare for all patients. Angie is looking forward to continuing learning and growing as a junior doctor alongside other fantastic VMWS women and cultivating her interest in women in leadership.
Dr Akanksha Mahajan
Promotions officer & AFMW representative
Akanksha is a junior doctor who is passionate about advocating for the rights of women within both the patient and doctor role. When she is not at work, she enjoys cooking, going to the beach, and tasting the world one cafe at a time.
Dr Michelle (Jia Xi) Li
Membership Officer
Dr Grace Woollard
IT Officer
Grace is a PGY2 doctor at Western Health with a background in laboratory medicine, and is interested in a career in anatomical pathology. She is passionate about medical education, gender equality, and equal opportunities for all. In her free time she enjoys travel, arts and crafts, running, and finding the best vegetarian cafe meals in Melbourne’s west.
Dr Elizabeth Bartetzko
Sponsorship officer
Lizzie first became involved in VMWS as a medical student at Deakin University. She currently a junior doctor at St Vincents Hospital Melbourne, aspiring to pursue a career in surgery. Lizzie is passionate about medical education and gender equality. She is excited to be involved in VMWS for a second year, and hopes to help facilitate opportunities for women in medicine to network and support each other. In her spare time, Lizzie is a casual academic at Deakin Uni, loves learning about new cultures and history through travel, enjoys creative pursuits (singing, dancing and painting), is an avid procrastabaker, and loves hiking and being out in nature.
Dr Mariana Dragas
Sponsorship Officer
Mariana is a PGY1 doctor at Alfred Health with a keen interest in cardiology and women’s health. Throughout her medical journey, she is deeply passionate about both teaching and clinical research. Outside of medicine, Mariana enjoys traveling, engaging in outdoor activities, and cherishing quality time with friends and family. She is thrilled to take on the VMWS sponsorship role, where she looks forward to contributing to the creation and delivery of exciting new events.
Dr Jessie Gwillim
Newsletter/Web content editor
Jessie is a junior critical care doctor, who is passionate about Womens’ Health, patient advocacy, and equal opportunities. In her free time she loves to travel and spend time outdoors, and has recently discovered a passion for overnight hikes – the best of both worlds!
Dr Natasha Walker
Research and policy coordinator
Natasha Walker is a junior doctor with a background in public health and law. She is passionate about women’s health and gender equity in medicine. Committed to advocacy and improving outcomes for women, she has published widely on violence against women and is actively involved in supporting and empowering women in medicine.
Dr Sophie Hiscock
Archivist
Sophie is an intern at Mercy Werribee Hospital. She is passionate about all things womens health and equality! She undertook a masters of reproductive medicine at UNSW and hopes to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynaecology.
Dr Katie Mazzochi
AMA Representative
Katie is a junior doctor, working within Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Eastern Health. She is passionate about seeking equitable health and wellbeing for all women, whether that be as patients or as medical professionals. With upcoming negotiations regarding the Doctors in Training Enterprise Agreement, Katie is committed to addressing issues such as fair remuneration, flexible working hours, adequate parental leave, and better support for women’s mental health and wellbeing.
Dr Elisha Purcell
Vic representative, National Council of Women
Elisha is a junior doctor with a strong commitment to gender equality and fostering a healthcare environment that prioritises safety and inclusivity for all. Through VMWS, she is excited to contribute to a supportive community dedicated to empowering women at all stages of their medical careers. She is currently an intern at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and has a keen interest in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Outside of her medical work, she enjoys spending time at the beach, hiking and travelling.
Dr Emma Adams
Women's Health Victoria Representative
Emma is an unaccredited obstetric and gynaecology registrar at Bendigo Health. At work, she is passionate about women’s health, and providing every patient with high standard care- striving to help her patients overcome the barriers that rurality can pose. Long term she aspires to be a General O&G that can provide equitable health care to women in their communities- reducing the need for long distance travel at vulnerable times. She is aware of the importance of ongoing research and education, particularly in rural and remote medicine. She believes education is an important part of being able to provide people with many opportunities, and volunteers with the Anglicare Victoria Better Futures Program- mentoring late teens from foster care backgrounds as they progress into university.
She loves calling Bendigo home with her partner and fur-baby Charlotte the Groodle. She is an avid traveller (within Australia and overseas) and loves experiencing different cultures through good conversation and food, her favourite recent adventure was to her partners homeland- Zimbabwe.
Student Committee
Ms Aadhya Vyas
MONASH UNI REP & Shadow events
Aadhya is a final year medical student at Monash. She is passionate about equity within healthcare. She Is passionate about experiencing different areas of medicine and finds reproductive health, endocrinology, sexual health and general practice fascinating.
Ms Izabella Mancewicz
MONASH UNI REP & shadow promo/events
Izabella is a second-year medical student at Monash University. She is especially passionate about ensuring medical professionals of all backgrounds have the support they need to thrive. With a particular interest in global health and technology in conjunction with medicine, she is dedicated to promoting collaboration and innovation within the medical community, being involved in university societies and research that focuses on these areas. In her spare time, she enjoys reading books at cafes, spending time with her pets and staying active through yoga, martial arts and the gym.
Ms Gloria Gao
Monash UNI REP
Gloria is a third-year medical student at Monash University with a strong passion for women’s health, gender equality, and diversity in medicine. She is excited to join the VMWS committee and collaborate with an inspiring group of women to advocate for women’s empowerment in healthcare and beyond. Outside the hospital, Gloria enjoys traveling and staying active through running and Pilates. She is currently training for her first half marathon.
Ms Hanyue (Hannah) Zheng
Monash Uni Rep
Hannah Zheng is a dedicated medical student and the University Student Representative for Monash University in the Victorian Medical Women’s Society. Passionate about equity in medicine, she works to support and empower aspiring physicians through advocacy, mentorship, and community initiatives. She is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where women in healthcare can connect, thrive, and break barriers. Hannah aims to contribute to a future where leadership and opportunities in medicine are accessible to all.
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