Meet the team behind every trial

Dr Sam Francis is an experienced Senior Principal Investigator with over 5 years of clinical trial experience; leading over 80 trials as a principal investigator and an investigator on over 250 trials.

He specialises in first in human and early phase trials, including but not limited to; SAD, MAD, Food effect, Formulation effect, DDI and Ethnobridging studies. He has extensive experience with study design and safety monitoring and has chaired over 50 safety review committees. He is available to meet and discuss early study design and submission strategy with sponsors if required.

Dr Francis is also a Pharmaceutical Physician, who obtained his fellowship with the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom. His PhD explored the role of novel stem cell-based therapy for cartilage repair. He has a strong interest in pharmaceutical medicine, drug development and translational medicine.

Dr Bronia Lewis has been involved in clinical trials since 2022. During this time she has led 5 clinical trials as a Principal Investigator and contributed to over 145 clinical trials as a Sub-Investigator.

Prior to working in clinical research she gained 8 years of medical experience in a wide range of specialities including emergency medicine, intensive care, general medicine and paediatrics.

Her areas of special interest are early phase trials, cardiovascular disease and mental health. She is passionate about education, having completed a Masters of Teaching, and enjoys being involved in investigator training.

Dr. Rishi Shah has been in clinical trials since 2024, during which time he has been an investigator on over 40 trials. He has broad clinical experience, having worked in the fields of palliative care, paediatrics, emergency medicine, and orthopaedics. He has a special interest in studies geared towards optimising the long-term care of people living with chronic illness, such as Coeliac Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Dr Conor Cusack is a Pharmaceutical Physician with experience as an investigator in more than 80 clinical trials since 2022, including first-in-human and early-phase trials, controlled human infection models, and Phase 1-3 vaccine trials. He has also worked in sponsor-facing roles at the CRO level, advising on clinical development strategy, regulatory pathways, and protocol design.

Dr Cusack holds the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine and Membership of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (Royal College of Physicians, UK), reflecting specialist training in drug development. His earlier clinical work in Emergency and General Medicine, Surgery, and Psychiatry, provides a strong foundation for safety oversight and risk assessment in complex trials.

He has interests in early clinical development and translational medicine, immunology and endocrinology.

Dr Justin Tan is an Australian medical doctor (Monash 2021) with experience across Phase I–III clinical trials, specializing in vaccines, metabolic disease, recruitment optimization for high volume studies. His trial background spans across multiple therapeutic specialties including but not limited to dermatologic biologics, vaccine trials, obesity studies, and gout therapeutics.

Prior to being a principal investigator, he has been involved in over 50 trials as a sub-investigator, including high volume vaccine trials.

Dr Tan enjoys employing a problem-solving approach towards navigating the intricacies and nuances of each study, ensuring high quality deliverables in a timely manner.

Areas of interest include Digital Health, Early phase trials, Chronic Diseases and Preventive Medicine

Dr Raf Malik is an Australian medical doctor (UQ 2017) with experience across Phase I–III clinical trials, specializing in dermatology, vaccines, metabolic disease, and aesthetic medicine. His trial background includes acne, atopic dermatitis, alopecia, dermatologic biologics, vaccine trials, obesity studies, and gout therapeutics. He also brings several years of procedural experience in hair transplantation (FUT/FUE) and regenerative scalp therapies alongside formal training in cosmetic injectables.

He is trained in alopecia assessment and is a certified SALT (Severity of Alopecia Tool) scorer, providing objective and standardized evaluation for hair-loss studies.

Dr Ronald Mak is an experienced medical professional with over 10 years of clinical experience prior to clinical trials. He has previously worked as a Panel Physician and in General Practice for over 10 years, including working in Skin Clinics and minor procedures.

Dr Mak has been involved in clinical trials, serving as investigator in over 30 studies, including various high volume vaccine trials. His areas of expertise include chronic health management and dermatological procedures, while his special interests include vaccines, aesthetic medicine and digital health.

Dr. Priya Loomba is a seasoned medical professional with over 20 years of clinical experience across metropolitan, rural, and Indigenous healthcare settings. Raised in Wollongong, now based in Sydney, she brings insight into diverse patient communities.

As an Investigator, Dr. Loomba has worked on over 50 clinical trials at Emeritus Research Sydney. She continues to practice part time as a General Practitioner, blending frontline care with evidence-based research. Her expertise spans sexual health, LGBTQ+ care, women’s and men’s health, preventative medicine including vaccine optimisation, weight loss and metabolic disease, chronic disease management, and mental health.

She is a published author in the Journal of Sexual Health, and is also currently pursuing dermatology certification through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), expanding her focus on skin health and therapeutic dermatology.

Dr Michelle Bassin has been working in clinical trials since 2021, during which time she has been a sub-investigator on over 80 trials, including first in human, vaccine and therapeutic trials.

Michelle brings a broad range of clinical experience to her work in clinical trials, having worked in metropolitan and regional hospitals in multiple internal medicine sub-specialties, in quarantine medicine during the COVID19 pandemic and currently works part-time as a recruiting medical officer for the Australian Defence Force.

Michelle has a Master of Public Health and is passionate about the broad reach clinical trials have in improving health at a population level.