Position: President

Dr Tom Parks is an Honorary Consultant and Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, as well as a Group Leader at the Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford. Building on his doctoral studies in Oxford and clinical training at London’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Dr Parks now leads a research team investigating multiple facets of Strep A disease. In addition to core host genomic studies—supported by the Wellcome Trust and focused on uncovering the mechanisms behind invasive and post-infective syndromes—his group is developing novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for rheumatic fever. Dr Parks also champions improved epidemiological insight into these often‐neglected conditions.

Position: Vice-President

Associate Professor Manisha Pandey, a Research Leader at Griffith University's Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, has over 15 years of expertise in Streptococcus pyogenes vaccine research under the mentorship of Prof Michael Good AO. She has advanced novel vaccines to human trials and recently expanded into next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine design. With over 60 peer-reviewed publications and 46 patents across seven families, she leads a multidisciplinary team. A/Prof Pandey has secured over $20 million in competitive funding and received numerous awards for her contributions to vaccinology, highlighting her leadership and scientific excellence in translational vaccine development.

Position: Secretary

Dr Adam Jenney is a Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where he is Head of the Microbiology Laboratory. His great interest for streptococcal disease began during 2005–2007 when he supported clinical studies of Strep A disease and rheumatic heart disease in Fiji. While his day-to-day work centres on clinical diagnostics and patient management, Dr Jenney maintains active Strep A collaborations with Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory at the University of Melbourne. He also serves as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, where his research focuses on host–pathogen interactions, genomic epidemiology and the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for Strep A disease.

Position: Treasurer

Matthew Parnaby has a direct connection to Strep A research through his work with the Tropical Diseases Group at MCRI, as well as involvement with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) initiatives in the Northern Territory, Australia. With nearly three decades of experience, he has lived and worked in 18 countries across four continents, delivering emergency, primary, and public health care. Since 2018, Matthew has been associated with and supporting the Lancefield Society, contributing to the formal establishment of the Association, performing secretariat duties, and serving informally as treasurer for the past three years. He brings extensive experience in managing program finances, ensuring that expenses are justified and properly accounted for.

Position: EMCR Representative

Dr Ailin Lepletier is a Research Fellow at Griffith University, Australia, where she is advancing the development of vaccines against Streptococcus pyogenes under the mentorship of Prof Michael Good. She has led translational projects resulting in two patent filings, 36 peer-reviewed publications (including 11 first- and 6 senior-authorships), and over $5 million in competitive funding. Ailin has presented at major national and international conferences and received the prestigious 2021 ASI Career Development Award and 2023 Carer's Grant. She currently supervises two postgraduate students and mentors three ECRs. Dr Lepletier has served on organising committees for key meetings, including LISSSD 2025.

Position: Ex-Officio President

Professor Andrew Steer is the former President of the Lancefield Society. Prof Steer is a paediatric infectious diseases physician at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne; Director of the Infection, Immunity and Global Health Theme at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne; and Group Leader of the Tropical Diseases Research Group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne. Prof Steer is Co-Chair of the Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium (SAVAC) and Co-Director of the Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative (ASAVI). Prof Steer is the originator of a controlled human infection model of S. pyogenes pharyngitis. Prof Steer’s research interests are epidemiology and control of neglected tropical diseases including scabies and lymphatic filariasis; S. pyogenes clinical, epidemiology and vaccine research; and rheumatic heart disease pathogenesis, epidemiology and control.