MSBase

Helmut Butzkueven MD, Managing Director

Helmut Butzkueven is Professor of Neurology and Chair of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology research in the Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University. He is also appointed as Head of MS and Neuroimmunology at the Alfred Hospital and Director of the MS service at Box Hill Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

His research and clinical interest involves the use of registry data, clinical MRI data, cognitive testing, genomics and patient self-monitoring devices and applications to evaluate treatment strategies to optimise benefit and safety of MS therapies.

Prof Butzkueven led the MSBase operations and scientific teams in an honorary capacity for nearly a decade before his role as Managing Director was formalised in 2013.

Anneke van der Walt MD, Chief Operating Officer

A/Prof Anneke van der Walt is a Neurologist specializing in the management of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuro-ophthalmology. She is appointed as the Head of MS and Neuro-ophthalmology at Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia and her research laboratory is based in the Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University.  

Her research interests include digital biomarkers and applied technology, real-world data, MS cognition and cerebellar function. She has a keen interest in Women’s Health in MS as well as symptom management in people with MS. 

A/Prof van der Walt was appointed as Chief Operating Officer in 2019, to work in partnership with the MD and lead MSBase operations.

Charlotte Sartori, BHSc, Head of Operations

Charlotte holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences from Deakin University. Charlotte has previous experience in membership management and study coordination at MSBase and now oversees operational activities whilst working with other senior staff to advance the strategic missions of the registry.

Rein More, PMP, PMI-ACP, PRINCE2 – Head of IT

Rein is an AIIM Certified Information Professional, holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, an Agile Certified Practitioner and PRINCE2 Practitioner. She is an experienced Project Manager in Information Technology in Healthcare and Finance, with a background specialising in Information Management and Consulting.

Linda Sim , CPA, BBus– Head of Finance

Linda holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting & Finance ) from Swinburne University and is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA). She has experience in a wide range of industries, specialising in the for-purpose sector. Linda’s focus is on providing expert advice to support and inform business decisions, stakeholder engagement and maintaining effective financial systems.

Pamela Farr, PhD, BMedChem, Senior Project and Data Manager

Pam holds a doctorate and Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry from University of Wollongong. She has experience in research and clinical administration. Pam started with MSBase as Membership Officer and has recently moved into data management of MSBase studies as well as coordinating the MSOCR sub-studies.

Dusko Stupar, BCom, BBIS, Change and Support Manager 

Dusko holds a Bachelor of Business Information Systems and Bachelor of Commerce from Swinburne University. Dusko is the Change and Support Manager focusing on chiefly driving the change and adoption strategy and processes required to support the rollout of the new MSBase Cloud software.

Cynthia Tang, MHA, Study Coordinator and Scientific Secretary

Cynthia holds a Master of Health Administration from La Trobe University. She has experience in Australian healthcare system, project process, and extensive experience in international hospitality management and customer service. Cynthia is the Safe MS Care study coordinator and Scientific Secretary for MSBase.

Alison Le, BCom and Grad. Dip, Finance Administrator

Alison graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, specialising in accounting, and pursued additional studies by successfully obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Applied Information Systems from RMIT. Her professional background predominantly lies in Finance and Accounting, primarily in the Healthcare sector. Alison joins MSBase on a part-time basis.

Gaurang Palshetkar, MA, Information Technology, Technical Business Analyst

Gaurang holds a Master of Information Technology (Professional Computing) from Swinburne University. He has experience in Business Analysis and Product Management and has worked for several start-ups and small to medium size enterprises. Gaurang's role is to ensure business and technical outcomes are achieved as MSBase embarks on a journey towards a cloud-based ecosystem.

Carolyn Tran, BBus (Accounting), Membership & Operations Co-Ordinator

Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from Monash University. Carolyn has experience in various business operation roles, specialising in Customer Onboarding and Technical Support. As the Membership & Operations Coordinator, Carolyn’s focus is on providing ongoing operational support to registry members.

Chao Zhu, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, Statistician

Dr. Zhu obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science (China), a bachelor's honour degree in Actuarial Mathematics (Canada), a master's degree in Statistics (Canada), and a PhD in Biostatistics (Australia). He has worked as a statistician in various fields including finance, data science, and medical research. Chao is the part-time statistician for MSBase analyses.

Tim Spelman, MBBS, BSc, GradCert (Stats), Statistical Consultant

Dr Spelman is a biostatistician of 15 years' experience having worked previously for the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Monash University, Flinders University, Burnet Institute, Alfred Hospital and Austin Hospital. He is also a practising medical doctor with interests in epidemiology, population and public health. Tim is the primary statistician for MSBase analyses.