jafa.org.au

About JAFA

The Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia (JAFA) is a registered charity, established in late 2019 in response to the urgent need for a national voice dedicated exclusively to representing and addressing the needs of children and young people with juvenile arthritis and childhood rheumatic diseases (hereafter referred to collectively as juvenile arthritis) and their families and carers.

AIMS

JAFA’s primary aims are to:

  1. Raise awareness of juvenile arthritis (JA) among health professionals, politicians and governments, the education sector, the broader community, and potential funders.

  2. Lobby governments to provide optimal and accessible health care and support for children, adolescents and young people with juvenile arthritis and their families and carers.

  3. Influence and partner with funders to invest in research into the causes, treatment, care, and a possible cure for juvenile arthritis.

Vision

A world where kids really don’t get arthritis


Misson

JAFA plans to ‘fix’  Juvenile Arthritis through:

  • Early diagnosis

  • Best practice care and support for all who need it no matter where they live

  • Research for prevention and a cure

Values

JAFA strives to be an innovative, agile, effective and efficient organisation that is: 

  • Sensitive and responsive to the needs of children and young people with

    arthritis and their families and carers.

  • Respectful of the opinions, attributes and differences within the JAFA community and its friends, allies and supporters.

  • Open and transparent in all its dealings

  • Strategic, and receptive to ideas and opportunities 

  • An effective and supportive collaborator

  • Unwavering in its focus on improving the lives of children and young people

    with arthritis and their families and carers.

 

JAFA’s Board

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Victoria allen (chair), Partner m&A, minterellison

Victoria is a market leading M&A lawyer specialising in private M&A for financial institutions. She regularly leads the legal teams advising Australia's largest institutions and corporates on structuring and implementing complex and strategic M&A. Victoria has held a number of leadership roles within MinterEllison. She has developed a strong multi-jurisdictional corporate practice.

She has a daughter with juvenile arthritis.

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ruth colagiuri Am (founder)

Ruth is an Honorary Associate Professor of the University of Sydney Menzies Centre for Health Policy and School of Public Health.

She has worked in clinical care, health policy and health services research in NSW hospital system, Health Department and Universities. Internationally, Ruth has led projects and commissioned work for AusAID, the WHO, and the OECD. She has been a VP of the International Diabetes Federation, Diabetes Australia and  Australian Government and international advisory committees. Ruth has a 8yr old granddaughter with juvenile arthritis.

 
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stephen colagiuri ao (co-founder)

Stephen Colagiuri is Professor of Metabolic Health, Director of the Boden Collaboration of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders, and Solutions Domain Leader at the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre.

Stephen is a medical specialist in diabetes, an academic and a researcher and has worked in public and private health systems and Universities. He advises the WHO, sits on the Commonwealth Minister for Health’s National Diabetes Advisory Group and is a VP of the International Diabetes Federation and has served on key government and departmental committees. Stephen has an 8yr old granddaughter with juvenile arthritis.

Tanya Dmitronow (director)

Tanya recently returned to Australia with her husband and three children after nearly twenty years in New York and London. She was a partner at a leading New York law firm where she specialised in shareholder litigation, regulatory investigations and corporate governance.

Tanya advised some of the largest public companies and board directors in the healthcare, technology and financial-services sectors. She graduated from Bond University and New York University where she was a Fulbright Scholar. Tanya has navigated both the US and Australian health systems with her young child who has juvenile arthritis.

Andrew Harrison, Bec Mba (director)

Andrew is an experienced company director and corporate adviser. He is currently the non-executive chairman of ASX-listed WiseTech Global Limited and Bapcor Limited, chairman of Vend Limited, and a non-executive director of Moorebank Intermodal Company Ltd. Andrew has held executive roles and non-executive directorships with public and private companies and was a senior manager at Ernst & Young (Sydney and London), Gresham Partners Limited, and an Associate at Chase Manhattan Bank (New York). He holds a BEc from (Sydney) and an MBA (Pennsylvania). He is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Andrew has a daughter with juvenile arthritis

 

JAFA’s Advisors

 

Legal and Governance

  • Garry Beath, MinterEllison

External Auditor

  • Cheryl Kennedy, Deloitte Australia

Medical and scientific panel

  • Dr Jeff Chaitow, Head Department of Paediatric Rheumatology, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN)

  • Associate Professor Davinder Grewal-Singh, Paediatric Rheumatologist, SCHN

  • Associate Professor Jane Munro, Head Department of Paediatric Rheumatology, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne

  • Dr Ben Whitehead, Director Paediatric Rheumatology, Queensland Children’s Hospital

Media ADVISOR

  • Felicity Moffatt, Founder and Principal MD Media

social media and communication technology

  • Dr Shilo McClean, Digital Social Media Expert, Chair (Sydney) SIGGRAPH, mother of a child with juvenile arthritis

  • Anthony Lloyd, Partner & Technology Practice Leader MinterEllison, father of a child with juvenile arthritis

Mentors

  • Steve Higgs, former President Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia

  • Mike Wilson, CEO Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia

Friends and Allies

JAFA liaises closely with existing national and state based arthritis not-for-profits and has a strong and growing network of highly reputable friends, allies including;

  • The Australian Paediatric Rheumatology Group of the Australian Rheumatology Association, the medical specialists treating and researching juvenile arthritis.

  • The Uveitis Special Interest Group of the Royal Australia & New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, the medical specialists treating juvenile arthritis eye disease.

  • The (Federal) Parliamentary Friends of Child and Adolescent Health co-chaired by Dr Mike Freelander (Member for Macarthur) & Dr Katie Allen (Member for Higgins).