Founding Directors

Professor Dr. Manjula Datta O’Connor
MBBS FRANZCP MMED DPM

Executive and Founding Director

Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor is a psychiatrist with special interest in migrant women’s mental health, complex trauma and family violence .She is Hon Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry University of Melbourne. She was conferred Adjunct Professor University of New South Wales Department of Social Sciences in 2021. Manjula Chairs Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Family Violence Psychiatry Network.  She is a clinician, researcher, reviewer of journals, advocate and works closely with community to promote prevention of family violence. Professor Manjula O’Connor is   member of South Asian Community Ministerial Advisory Committee. She received Victorian Government Multicultural award of Excellence in Service Delivery to Migrant Women’s Mental Health. Her work has been recognised in Victorian and Federal Australian Parliament. Manjula regularly appears in the media.   

Manjula has won many grants to prevent family violence, early intervention, awareness around help seeking.  Her current project is around increasing recognition of family violence and coercive control in Psychiatry, use of community-based theatre to enhance early intervention and primary prevention of family violence in communities, suicide prevention and mental health literacy in migrant communities.

Manjula has advised agencies, served on committees. Adjunct Professor Manjula O’Connor is often invited as keynote speaker and has presented at numerous national and international conferences and events, published, and facilitated workshops and seminars on mental health and family violence.  

Abhishek Vivian Prasad

Founding Director

Career bureaucrat at the Victorian Parliament, Viv’s forte is in leadership and strategic board planning. Viv has extensive experience in community work with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

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Dr Jonathan Harrison

Founding Director

Medical practitioner, Physician and Gastroenterologist  for over 40 years, Dr Harrison is passionate about protecting the human rights and access to health services of the vulnerable individuals, the frail, the elderly and migrants.

Board Of Directors

Professor Ian Howie

Chairman

With a background in international Development as a career official in the United Nations, Professor  Howie was also a regional advisor for MSI. He received numerous National Awards from Vietnam, China and Mongolia and is on many Australian Humanitarian boards.

Ms Gauri Kapoor

Secretary ACHRH

Gauri Kapoor holds specialist degrees in International Relations from the University of Melbourne and Deakin University with a practitioner focus on Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Social Policy and Development.  She gained unique international experience by completing a Research Fellowship at the office of a US Congressman in Washington DC and by undertaking challenging fieldwork with a UN Agency in China. Over the past few years Gauri has used her developing skills in theoretical and empirical analysis to work on a variety of projects for several different types of non-government organisations in Melbourne and for local government programs / initiatives.  Her main area of interest is in gender related issues. In 2017, Gauri co-founded the National Council of Young Women Australia in Canberra

Kate Grimme

Board Director

Kate is the fundraising and development specialist on the Board, advising and shaping decisions around opportunities for donor and supporter engagement.  Kate has over 20 years experience working in Fundraising, Sponsorship and Events roles across a number of nonprofits including arts and community sector organisations. Kate has recently established an independent advisory supporting organisations to identify and articulate their impact goals, including developing organisational and programmatic theory of change, strategy implementation and measurement and management of impact indicators. She is currently working towards her Masters in Social Impact through  Swinburne’s Centre of Social Impact.

Ms Molina Asthana

Board Director

Molina Swarup Asthana is the Principal of Swarup Asthana Lawyers, practicing in commercial law. She also has significant experience in the Indian jurisdiction. Molina is on the board of the Law Institute of Victoria, the Graduate House of the University of Melbourne, a Commissioner with the AFL South East and the Vice President of the Asian Australian Lawyer’s Association. She is also the founder of the not for profit, Multicultural Women in Sport which aims to empower migrant women from multicultural backgrounds through sport.She has received awards from multiple organisations for her work, including the Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence 2014 and for 2016.