FNA Committee

Maddy Towns 

Outgoing Chair |
QLD Representative

Maddy has over ten years of experience in both clinical and non-clinical settings within the Fertility Industry. Beginning in administration and transitioning into Nursing then progressing to Nurse Manager. She holds a Master's degree in Reproductive Medicine as well as a Master's degree in Business Administration. She is currently the Clinic and Nurse Manager at Monash IVF Gold Coast, where she is responsible for optimising clinical organisation processes and performance while also ensuring improved patient outcomes.

Maddy is currently the FNA Chair.

Samantha Costa

Incoming Chair | QLD Representative

Samantha Costa is an endorsed Nurse Practitioner with dual qualifications in Nursing and Midwifery. With over 15 years of experience spanning the full continuum of women’s health, she has worked across major tertiary hospitals in Brisbane — including the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the Mater Mothers’ Hospital — as well as in rural and remote communities throughout Far North Queensland. During her time working predominantly with Indigenous communities, Samantha completed her studies to become a Medicare-Eligible Midwife, cementing her commitment to equitable and accessible care for all women.

Since returning to Brisbane, Samantha has specialised in fertility and reproductive medicine, supporting patients through every stage of their fertility journey with advanced clinical assessment, prescribing, and holistic, person-centred care that recognises every woman’s journey as unique.

Samantha is also the Co-Founder of CHARLI.Health, an AI-powered women’s health platform transforming how women access, understand, and engage with their reproductive health. Through CHARLI, she combines clinical expertise with innovation to close systemic care gaps and empower women with personalised, evidence-based support.

In addition to her clinical and entrepreneurial roles, Samantha is the incoming Chair of Fertility Nurses of Australasia (FNA), where she advocates for professional development, leadership, and excellence in fertility nursing across Australia and New Zealand.

Passionate about delivering seamless, high-quality care, Samantha brings compassion, clinical excellence, and forward-thinking leadership to women’s health. Beyond her professional life, she is a proud mother to her daughter, who continues to inspire her commitment to shaping a healthier future for women and girls.

Jan Mackenzie

FNA Representative to the FSA Board of Directors | NSW Representative

My life in IVF land started in 1991, at Concept Fertility in Perth. I had a 3 day orientation!! And after 6 weeks worked Easter by myself. Needless to say I had an enormously steep learning curve. Hopefully I did not contribute to the woeful success rates in those days. (they were about 10% across the board).

I accepted the FNA representative position, back then “The NSIG”, in illustrious company with Heather Denholm , Heather Pollock etc. These women were brave, visionary, and formed the framework of the wonderful FNA that we have today.

Life caused me to move to Sydney and continue as a nurse co-ordinator. In 2008 I became the NUM and in 2009 resumed FNA activity. My FNA roles have included State Rep, Secretary, Chair Elect, Chair, Post Chair and now the representative to the Board.

I have often felt overwhelmed that I have been put forward for such roles, but I would give a clear message to anyone taking on a role in FNA, BE BRAVE!!! The rewards are terrific. The networking and professional friendships take you to different places in geography and experience.

My interests include gym 6 days a week, cycling on the weekends, keeping up with my local female friends…. That might involve a few wines!

On a personal note, my life is rich with my long suffering husband, (he is so understanding and good to me, and my personal chef!) 3 sons, a gorgeous DIL, a granddaughter and a wealth of friends.

Linda Robinson

RTAC Representative

I have worked in Westmead Fertility Centre for many years, currently I am in the position of Nurse Manager. I have always been interested in my own education, and would like to encourage others as I near my retiring years. We can only help our patients when we keep up to date ourselves; as well we need to maintain our professional standards to maintain our relevancy.

Justine Howard

VIC Representative

I graduated Bachelor of Nursing in 2007 before undertaking my grad year and subsequently working on the Adolescent Unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for 6 years. Needing a change, I decided to take the leap into the IVF nursing world in 2012, and haven’t looked back 12 years later.

I have worked for Monash IVF across many sites in Victoria and now have settled in Geelong where I have been acting Nursing Team Leader for the last year, for a small but special team of nurses.

Given I will be stepping down from this role I thought now was the perfect time to challenge myself to take on a position as FNA representive, given my passion for supporting nurses and our education. I believe we are very lucky to work in such a young and developing field of science so the opportunities for education are endless.

Carole Tilbrook

SA Representative

I am a Registered Nurse & Midwife who has worked in both Adelaide and London.

I have been employed at Repromed for 15 years and find my role very rewarding.

I was the first non-European ESHRE accredited Fertility Nurse, after completing my course in Helsinki in 2016.

I am looking forward to my role as a FNA representative.

Michelle Parris-Larkin

NZ Representative

Michelle is a seasoned professional nurse with a breadth of experience in women's health and fertility. Trained and qualified in the UK, Michelle started her fertility career over 15 years ago at Nurture Fertility in Nottingham, being promoted to the position of Nurse Manager soon after. Whilst there, she developed her expertise and enthusiasm for ultrasonography and enjoys teaching this skill to other nurses.

Michelle moved to New Zealand in 2019 to join Fertility Associates as Nursing Director. She is passionate about nursing leadership, high level patient care, education and training. Having developed and led a robust training course for ultrasound training, she loves training up-and-coming nurses in this exciting extended role.

Michelle lives in Auckland with her husband and daughter and enjoys walking her dog, scuba diving and water sports in her spare time.

Daniella Stephens

ACT Representative

Daniella Stephens is a Nurse Coordinator with a Masters of Reproductive Medicine from UNSW.

With over ten years of IVF nursing experience, she has a passion for women and the family. She values continued education as it benefits patients and colleagues to continue to be relevant in the always-evolving area of fertility.

She is currently working at Genea and lives in Canberra.

Melissa Gmelig

TAS Representative

Originally from Perth, Western Australia, I obtained a Bachelor of Science - Nursing Degree at Curtin University of Technology. I worked in rural settings all around WA including Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Meekatharra and Derby, eventually specialising in Paediatric nursing.

I travelled and worked overseas (UK and US) for a few years in the mid-nineties. Following the birth of my two oldest children, I returned to Uni to study Midwifery. My family and I moved to Tasmania in 2011, where I worked as a Midwife, and studied further in the field of Child and Family Nursing.

In 2021, I was at a crossroad, looking for a new and exciting challenge, I was lucky enough to join the amazing team at Tas IVF! I absolutely love my role as a fertility nurse, supporting our patients on their fertility journeys. My other interests include getting out in the Tasmanian wilderness and spending time with my family.

Kerri Yare

TAS Representative

I commenced working with Genea Newcastle, former Sydney IVF, in 2010 with a background in surgical nursing. I completed my Masters in Women's Health, UNSW in 2016. In 2021 after a road trip to Tassie, and floating the idea of a move, I noticed TAS IVF were employing. On return to Newcastle in March, my CV went off. It wasn't until August of that year, in the middle of lockdowns I received the call inviting me to apply for a full time position as a nurse coordinator. I had forgotten that I had even registered my interest. A year later, we have settled in to the beautiful scenery of Hobart, the laid back lifestyle, the changing seasons and working with a lovely bunch of people. I love being able to help create families, being a support for women during their IVF journey, and a shoulder to lean on when necessary.

Maranda Elmes

NZ Representative

I have been a nurse since 2006. I was born in the USA and studied at California State University Long Beach. I received a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing. My passion is labour and delivery, babies, fertility and women's health.

I started my nursing career at a busy Newport Beach hospital. I worked there for 7.5 years as labour and delivery nurse where we delivered over 500 babies a month. Then I met a "Kiwi" in California and ended up moving to New Zealand. I started my nursing career in New Zealand at Fertility Associates Auckland and have been working here for the last 12 years. I have recently been trained as nurse sonographer and I love it. Our clinic takes care of the French Polynesian community. I have helped organised overseas processes, documents and coordinate their cycles.

I really enjoy helping people achieve their dream of a family by providing support, education and any clinical procedures in my scope to make this happen. I have 4 kids. In my spare time I enjoy going to the beach, walking, kayaking and doing DIY around my house. I look forward to joining this organisation and promoting fertility education.

Olivia Levis

VIC Representative

I started in fertility nursing more than 8 years ago and haven't looked back since. I've been at Monash IVF for the last 5 years and have worked at a number of our clinics but I'm currently the Nurse Team Leader at our new purpose built clinic in Cremorne. I enjoy the challenges that this role brings along with being able to support people through their fertility journey.

Sara Mayes

Secretary | WA Representative

Sara is an experienced Registered Nurse and Midwife with over 18 years of dedicated service in Women’s Health. She began her career in fertility nursing in 2008, where she developed a strong passion for the field and its dynamic, multidisciplinary nature.

Since 2012, Sara has held a leadership position as Nurse Manager, balancing her professional responsibilities with raising three children. She is a strong advocate for education in Western Australia and actively contributes to the development of the local fertility nursing community by preparing and facilitating workshops that promote ongoing learning and professional growth.

 Currently based at Monash IVF in Perth, Sara is committed to driving continuous improvement in clinical systems and processes to enhance patient care and experience.

Gemma Doig

WA Representative

I am an experienced clinical nurse manager with over 25 years nursing experience. Obtaining my qualification as a Registered Nurse in York (United Kingdom) in 1997

I have worked as a neonatal nurse for 17 years and then moved to the field of fertility where I have never looked back! Fertility nursing is my passion which can be equally rewarding and heartbreaking! My strength lies in strong relationships forged with couples as I act as an advocate, recognizing the huge emotional journey.

I believe every couple should be supported with empathy and I am proud to use my knowledge to empower and assist them navigate such a personal, important time.

Rosie Gallagher

NSW Representative

With over three decades of experience as a Registered Nurse and Certified Midwife, I have been a dedicated contributor to the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) sector since 2000. Currently serving as the Director of Nursing at Westmead Fertility Centre since 2019, she brings a wealth of clinical and operational expertise to her leadership role.

Rosie's career spans diverse positions within fertility services, including Nurse Coordinator, Team Leader, Nurse Unit Manager (NUM), and roles in Quality Management. This broad experience has provided her with a comprehensive understanding of both the clinical and regulatory aspects of Fertility .

She is committed to fostering a culture of excellence in nursing practice, supporting her colleagues to deliver safe, compassionate, and evidence-based care to individuals and couples navigating their fertility journey. Actively advocates for professional development and deeply engaged in mentoring and workforce development initiatives.

A passionate supporter of the Fertility Nurses Association, Rosie works to embed its mission and goals into everyday practice, promoting best-practice standards and elevating the role of fertility nurses across the sector.

Kirstin White

SA Representative

Originally from New Zealand, I trained as a Registered Nurse and launched my career in theatre nursing before finding my true calling in fertility care. I’ve now spent 12 years working as a fertility nurse, drawing on both professional skill and personal experience with IVF.

Now happily settled in Adelaide, I’m a proud mum of four, with my eldest recently buying their first home — an achievement that’s unmistakeably theirs, but one I’m very proud to see.

When I’m not caring for patients, I love spending time with family, pottering in the garden with a glass of wine close by, and exploring everything our great state has to offer.