Meet our team

Cathy Bucolo lives in Naarm on Wurundjeri Country and is the Manager, Capability at Health Justice Australia. She manages the Capability Team, who convene the National HJP Practitioner Network, work closely with and support HJP practitioners, and provide coaching and partnership brokerage capability support.

Cathy is a trained speech pathologist and has worked at the intersection of health, disability and justice for 29 years. She has worked on multiple national and state based projects and has built the capability of health, legal, education and social services practitioners in specialist topics such as acquired brain injury, the NDIS, specialist disability housing, multi-disciplinary practice and how to work in a person-led approach.

Cathy believes acting with compassion towards others, whether they are a patient, client, colleague, executive, public servant, politician or the prime minster, is how we will make positive system change.

Giulia Fabris is the Manager, Policy & Advocacy at Health Justice Australia. She takes a lead role in implementing Health Justice Australia’s policy advocacy agenda, including through the delivery of policy-based projects, the development of evidence-based policy advice and building strategic relationships with government and policy makers.

Giulia has a Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney and is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact ay UNSW. She is particularly interested in public policy, health equity and is driven by a commitment to improving systems and achieving equitable outcomes. Giulia worked on key national policy reforms, including the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and primary care, in federal and state government and the ACCO sector.

Outside of work Giulia enjoys taking care of her guinea pigs and performing onstage as a part of her calisthenics team.

Kate Finch lives and works on Bundjalung Country, NSW. She has worked in policy reform and systemic advocacy for over 20 years, with a background in youth homelessness, global health, disability, and human rights. Kate is Health Justice Australia’s Director, Strategic Advocacy & Engagement, leading our work to shift systems and structures that undermine effective partnership and collaboration, through strategic cross-sector collaboration, influence and engagement.

Kate has a Bachelor Degree in Anthropology, and a Master of International and Community Development. Prior to joining Health Justice Australia, Kate worked for peak Disabled People’s Organisations, contributing to human rights reform agendas, including input to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and civil society advocacy to international human rights monitoring institutions. Kate has extensive experience in Government relations and the translation of research and evidence to influence policy development processes.

Kate has worked with, and for, community-led, grassroots advocacy organisations, and is committed to the leadership of people with lived experience in policy agendas. She has also contributed policy expertise to international institutions, including the Commonwealth Secretariat and United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Suzie was an early contributor to Health Justice Australia’s approach to evaluation and leads our work to identify the impact of health justice partnership in improving health and wellbeing.

Her evaluation expertise is well known across the community legal sector in Australia and overseas, and she is an Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Law, Faculty of Law, UNSW, and Honorary Professor in the University College London Faculty of Laws.

Rena Frith lives and works on muwinina country in Nipaluna. She has worked in communications and marketing for over 10 years, with a background in technology, nonprofits, social enterprise and startups. Rena is Health Justice Australia’s Acting Manager, Communications, leading our strategic communications, digital growth, and brand.

Rena has a Bachelor degree in Media and Communications, and a Master of Social Work. She is particularly interested in equity-focused communications and the role of storytelling in social change. She brings a strategic, values-driven perspective to her work and is passionate about building communication that connects deeply and mobilises action.

Karyn Gellie is the Practice Development Lead at Health Justice Australia. She supports the National HJP Practitioner network and works to build practitioner partnership capability.

Karyn has a background as a Community Health Nurse who holds a Graduate Diploma in Health Promotion and Health Education and a Graduate Certificate in Addictive Behaviours. Karyn is passionate about health equity and cross sector collaboration to address social determinants of health. Karyn has extensive experience working in partnership and leadership roles across complex systems.

Maggie Korenblium is a Content Coordinator at Health Justice Australia.

Lyla Pedersen is the Monitoring & Evaluation Lead at Health Justice Australia, where she leads the Partnership Evaluation Program and contributes to evaluations exploring the value, implementation, and impact of Health Justice Partnerships.

Lyla holds a Bachelor of Psychology (Honors) from the University of South Australia and is currently completing a Master of Evaluation at the University of Melbourne. She has a background in evaluation across the profit-for-purpose sector and brings a strong interest in evaluation capacity building, systems change, and the intersection of emerging AI technology with evaluation. She approaches her work with a systems thinking lens and is passionate about making evidence meaningful for services and advancing outcomes through rigorous and accessible evaluation.

Lottie leads Health Justice Australia’s national efforts to build the collaborative capability of health, legal and social services — strengthening how these systems work together in pursuit of justice and wellbeing.

Lottie lives with her partner and toddler in Naarm (Melbourne), on Wurundjeri Country. Lottie is a systems-oriented leader with a background in social work, knowledge translation and adaptive leadership.

Lottie was one of HJA’s inaugural Directors and has played a key role in shaping the organisation’s strategy, partnerships and internal culture since its establishment. She brings deep experience in cross-sector collaboration, workforce development, organisational learning, and people and culture.
Prior to joining HJA, Lottie worked across both the university and community health sectors – leading the translation of research into practice in areas such as LGBTIQ+ mental health and wellbeing, as well as the design and implementation of human rights-based frameworks and strategies.
Lottie’s leadership is grounded in trust, curiosity and purpose. She is passionate about building high-performing teams and organisations that hold complexity well and stay closely connected to the communities they serve.