Victorian Advisory Board

The National Heart Foundation of Australia values the commitment of the Victorian Advisory Board, which forms an essential component of our national arrangements, allowing the Heart foundation to connect strategy, local community engagement and external stakeholder expertise.

Associate Professor Dion Stub - Chair

Dion Stub is an Interventional Cardiologist and clinician scientist specializing in coronary and structural heart intervention. He is Co-director of Centre Cardiovascular Research and Education in Therapeutics Monash University, with leadership positions on major pre-hospital and hospital cardiac registries in Victoria. Dion has published over 200 peer reviewed manuscripts and delivered multiple presentations in both cardiac emergencies and structural heart intervention and has been internationally recognized for his research. He currently holds the National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship to support his clinical research. Dion spent 2 years overseas in USA and Canada, as a post doctorate fellow. He is a staff specialist at Alfred Hospital, & Western Health, and is cardiology medical advisor to Ambulance Victoria.

Dr Angela Jackson

Dr Angela Jackson is a health economist and Lead Economist at Impact Economics and Policy. Having started her career as an economist at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, she has worked across tax, fiscal and social policy. As the then Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr Jackson was responsible for providing policy advice across fiscal policy and all areas of social policy, including National Health Reform. Previously Lead Economist at Equity Economics, she has authored a number of high-profile reports on health, aged care, disability, housing, and gender policy. Dr Jackson is also a member of the GenVic Board, National Deputy Chair of the Women in Economics Network, and a part-time Commissioner of the Commonwealth Grants Commission. Previously she was non-Executive Director of Royal Melbourne Hospital for six years, including during the 2020 pandemic response in Victoria. Angela holds a Masters in International Health Policy (Health Economics) with Distinction from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tasmania. In 2021, Angela was awarded her PhD on the Economics of Disability in Australia from Monash University.

Melissa Grenville

Melissa is a highly experienced consultant who specialises in connecting the not-for-profit sector with the corporate community to create sustainable revenue streams.

Her key areas of competence include business development, corporate social responsibility, fundraising strategy, and income diversification. She is a skilled internal and external stakeholder manager who can adapt to dynamic and under-resourced environments to maximise outcomes. She enjoys the challenge of problem solving to provide solutions, through research, planning and strategy development, brand synergy, sourcing partnerships and developing practical initiatives that maximise business and not for profits needs.

Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts (Community Development) and is currently studying her Masters in Social Impact.

Elaine Jacobs

Elaine Jacobs is a strategic thinker, connector, and public speaker with over 40 years in business including 22 years in financial markets with Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Elaine offers expertise and clear thinking in relation to the unique challenges faced by professionals dealing with change in both the commercial and community sectors. She sees herself as both a mentor and facilitator and seeks to address current and future needs.

A committed corporate citizen with a strong belief in reciprocity, she has been involved with many organisations aimed at empowering individuals, influencing change, and encouraging collaboration and meaningful connections. She is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia. She is currently director and co-founder of Significant Women’s Network and has held board, advisory and grant roles with various not-for-profit and charitable groups, including Melbourne Women’s Fund and NCJWA (Vic). In retirement, Elaine continues to pursue her professional, philanthropic, and personal interests. She has lived experience of heart disease and the impact both personally and through her family and has a focus on successful outcomes for women’s heart health.

Professor Brian Oldenburg

Formerly at the University of Melbourne, Brian Oldenburg is a Professor of Public Health and Implementation Science at the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute and La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. He is also the Director of the Academic Research Collaboration in Health at Alfred Hospital as well as a NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Digital Technology to Transform Australia’s Chronic Disease Outcomes (called CONNECTED HEALTH). For more than 30 years, he has been researching how to change lifestyle behaviours and to improve heart disease and diabetes outcomes. He has pioneered many technology platforms and digital health solutions to improve chronic disease outcomes.