About Us
Learn more about our experts in ME/CFS and associated conditions
Emerge Australia
Emerge Australia is the national organisation providing information, support, and advocacy for people living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID.
Visit our main website here.
Our Course Contributors
Dr Mark Donohoe
Dr Mark has worked in the field of ME/CFS for over 35 years, and is considered one of Australia’s leading practitioners in this area. He is a past President of the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine (ACNEM)
Dr Mark sees patients from around Australia and overseas with complex illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), fibromyalgia (FM), chemical toxicity and sensitivities (MCS) and chronic inflammation.
Treatment usually starts with non-drug therapies, including diet, exercise and lifestyle change, moving on to specific, individualised therapeutic needs of each patient. His preference is for employing very specific non drug therapies to restore capacity and balance, and to achieve long-term, sustainable recovery.
Kate Herbert
Kate is an educator with extensive experience as a Nurse Immuniser. She holds postgraduate certificates in Infection Control and Health Professional Education, and has worked across acute-care infection control programs, including outbreak response, surgical site surveillance, and staff education. Kate also completed Honours in Nursing, with a focus on quantitative data analysis and research relating to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).
Her interests include infectious diseases, communicable disease control, patient decision-making and agency in healthcare encounters, and chronic disease management. Kate also brings lived experience as a person with disability and as a carer.Â
Dr Jo-Anne Kelder
Dr Jo-Anne Kelder has worked in a variety of senior higher education learning and teaching roles at the University of Tasmania, continuing as Adjunct Senior Researcher. She provides higher education consultancy services through Jo-Anne Kelder Consulting, focused on building academic staff capacity for scholarship of teaching and learning, including research design (ethical and effective) and writing for publication. Her writing is cross-disciplinary, and she uses collaborative writing for publication as a tool for mentoring PhD candidates and early career academics.
She is editor for the new HERDSA journal, Advancing Scholarship and Research in Higher Education (ASRHE) and was Senior Editor (Developing Teaching Practice and Special Issues portfolios) for the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP) from 2018-2024. She is a founding member of the Open Access Publishing Association (OAPA) and contributes as Director, chairing the Partnerships and Education committees.
She has been recognised for contributions to teaching and learning with three University of Tasmania team and program teaching awards (2014), and individual Vice Chancellor’s citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2017). Nationally, she was involved in the ALTC LTAS-Science (2010-11) and OLT AgLTAS (2012-15) projects and led the OLT extension-PATS project (2014-15). With her colleague Associate Professor Tina Acuna, she was awarded the inaugural Joint Fellowship by the Australian Council of Deans of Science (2019-2020).
Dr Catherine Eltringham
Catherine is a GP Medical Educator, she balances clinical time at Family Doctors Highton with work in medical education and has been balancing both roles since she achieved fellowship of RACGP in 2011.
Her education work has been varied and interesting including University roles such as the clinical consultant for the Aboriginal Health team at the Deakin School of Medicine to hospital intern teaching and GP registrar education. With experience she moved on to developing and facilitating professional development for GP supervisors as well as Medical Educators. She enjoys education planning and facilitation, as well as creating and supporting online educational opportunities for organisations such as Medcast and Emerge. Catherine likes the challenge of preparing workshops for national medical education events and her current education role is with RACGP working on a curriculum for GP medical educators to ensure medical educators are confident and capable in all aspects of the role. When she isn’t working Catherine volunteers for her local CFA brigade keeping her community safe and educated about fire danger.
Simone Eyssens
Simone has been working with Emerge Australia since 2018.
Simone lives with severe ME/CFS. Before becoming unwell, she worked as a psychologist for many years, in both private practice and organisational settings. She was also an educator, training counsellors in an undergraduate setting. Since becoming unwell, Simone became passionate about ME/CFS advocacy, and has led many advocacy efforts.
Simone was a patient representative on the National Health & Medical Research Council’s ME/CFS Advisory Committee, which resulted in a $3m federal government grant for biomedical research into ME/CFS.
Simone’s role with Emerge Australia ensures that our work across all our business units is evidence-based. She has been a subject matter expert on a number of educational initiatives, and has been appointed to NHMRC’s ME/CFS Guideline Development Committee, which is developing new clinical guidelines for ME/CFS and long COVID in Australia. w Simone brings her extensive knowledge of ME/CFS science and advocacy, as well as her lived experience of ME/CFS, to working for change for Australians living with ME/CFS and their carers.
Melissa Frankcomb (RN)
Melissa Frankcomb (RN) has a background in cardiac nursing and is adapting to life with the challenges and changes that have come with Long COVID. She loves to seek beauty in all things.
Indiara Wake
Indiara is responsible for designing the course layout and supporting website updates. She holds a Bachelor of Business from RMIT University, specialising in Human Resources and Marketing. Before completing her degree, Indiara spent several years in the government education sector, supporting teachers and students through operational and administrative work. This is her first role in the not-for-profit sector, and she’s excited to apply her skills to improve outcomes for people impacted by ME/CFS and long COVID.