Dr Sheila Cook and Professor Gita Mishra

Dr Sheila Cook is an Endocrinologist and Obstetric Physician who has been practising in Toowoomba for over 20 years. A University of Queensland graduate and former Director of Medicine at Toowoomba Hospital, she has led research into diabetes care and pioneered the Physician in the Practice Clinic, partnering with GPs across the Darling Downs. Dr Cook is passionate about lifestyle-based strategies to improve metabolic health and regularly speaks at public and professional forums.
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Professor Gita Mishra is a leading epidemiologist in women’s health and life course research. She is the founding director of the Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research Centre at the University of Queensland, where she leads major national and international studies including the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health and the InterLACE collaboration. Her work has shaped understanding of reproductive health and chronic disease risk, with over 500 publications and contributions to national policy, including the National Women’s Health Strategy. A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Professor Mishra was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or humanity at large and received an Honorary Doctorate at Stockholm University for outstanding academic contributions.