Meet the Team

Dr Melanie Heyworth (she/her) is an Autistic mother of three Autistic children, whom she homeschools. She has postgraduate qualifications in Autism and is currently undertaking a second PhD in Autism under the supervision of Prof Liz Pellicano. Mel is passionate about creating a better world for herself, her children, and the Autistic community.

Mel founded Reframing Autism in 2017. Through Reframing Autism, Mel wants to bring parents of Autistic children to a more accepting, optimistic and hopeful way of parenting.

She firmly believes that social change can only occur when Autistic individuals are supported to explore and celebrate their authentic Autistic identities.

In 2024, Mel has stepped back from her former role of Co-CEO to allow her to focus her time and energy into her biggest passion – Autistic research.

Dania Zinurova (she/her) is a mum to two wonderful sons. Dania discovered the world of Autism and neurodiversity through her personal experience. One of her sons is also Autistic.

Reframing Autism played an integral part in Dania’s life when she looked for support both for herself and her son. It enabled her to shift the mindset from what our society often sees only as a medical diagnosis to seeing Autism and neurodiversity as a unique, rich and exciting world. Dania is passionate about changing the harmful stereotypes about autism and creating a more inclusive, diverse and equitable world for autistic children and adults.

Professionally, Dania Zinurova is the Portfolio Manager of WAM Alternative Assets (ASX: WMA). Dania has held senior roles in Australia, the US, Europe and the UK throughout her 24-year career in the financial industry. Dania most recently held the position of Director of Manager Research in Australia, Head of Real Assets Australia at Willis Towers Watson. Prior to this, Dania held various investment roles with Willis Towers Watson in London and New York. Dania sits on several Boards and Committees of for/non for profit organisations.

Sharon Fraser (she/her) is a late-diagnosed Autistic mum of two boisterous, gorgeous sons. One of her sons is also Autistic.

Sharon has a deep, personal investment in Reframing Autism. When she found out that her oldest son was Autistic, Sharon didn’t know much about Autism. She had only been exposed to harmful and damaging stereotypes. Looking back, Sharon feels she wasted too much time and energy focusing on the wrong things. When she discovered adult Autistic voices, she changed her approach to parenting. She saw that a strengths-based approach was the path to the best life for her son. She hopes to gift that message to other parents as early as possible in their journeys.

Professionally, Sharon spent most of her career as a senior finance leader. She has a wealth of experience in all aspects of operational finance and leadership. She is a US Certified Public Accountant. Sharon started her career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Washington, DC. She then moved to London. There, she worked for a range of large corporates and start ups before moving to Australia.

She was previously the Treasurer for Autism Community Network. Through her involvement with that charity, she received a St George Community Award for Individual Volunteer Achievement. She completed a Social Impact Fellowship in 2023.

Dr Justine Noble (she/her) is a consultant paediatrician who is passionate about child health and development. She graduated from the University of NSW and completed Diploma in Paediatrics, before completing Royal College of Physician Fellowships in both General Paediatrics and Community Child Health. She has over 15 years of experience in Paediatrics. She is proudly neurodivergent and uses her lived experience to enrich her contributions professionally.

Justine’s interests range from general to developmental and behavioural paediatrics. She has extensive experience of helping families of children with difficulties accessing the services and supports their need to improve their quality of life.

Dr Justine is gifted-friendly, and LBGTQI-friendly and is passionate about advocacy for her clients. Her focus of care is to help children from bio-psycho-social model, and concentric multilevel of care rather than solely on the treating the individual.

Dr Justine also works in research in her public health honorary role in the Sydney Local Health District. Her focuses of research is in perinatal mental health and urban Aboriginal children wellbeing. She is also interested in telehealth care provision and pharmacogenomics, and is doing independent studies on these.

Tim Chan (he/him) is a 28-year old Chinese Australian. He was diagnosed with Autism at age 3, and has been non-speaking after 14 months. At 9 years old, after picking up supported typing, Tim became opened to the possibility of connecting with people and engaging with the life he wanted to live.

Some of the highlights of his journey include attending and graduating from mainstream school, and giving a TEDTalk in 2013, presumably the first by a nonspeaking Autistic person. Lived experience of exclusion at high school, such as the prohibition of his preferred mode of communication, has motivated Tim to persevere in formal education to build his capacity and strengths, with the support of his social network.

He completed his B.A. Honours, and is currently engaged in PhD studies on the Neurodiversity movement and its impact on Autism advocacy. With enormous respect for organisations that advocate for Autism, Tim is excited to be part of the self advocacy movement, to drive Autism to new levels of relevance and inclusion.

Dr Rebecca Poulsen is an AuDHD research fellow at Macquarie University, and is passionate about all things Autism and auditory. Professionally, they research auditory experiences of Autistic and neurodivergent people and sensory processing more broadly. They are also involved in collaborations that include community coproduction in research and addressing Autism stigma. Dr Poulsen completed their PhD in 2021 at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland and was awarded Best Student Paper of QBI in 2021.

Dr Poulsen has several published peer-reviewed research papers in the fields of Autism, auditory neuroscience, and Autism community involvement in research, and they serve as a peer reviewer for several Autism journals, as well as being on the editorial board for the journal Autism.  Dr Poulsen has presented at multiple conferences, including the Australasian Society for Autism Research, International Society for Autism Research, Australian Neuroscience Society, ITAKOM, and Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience.

Dr Poulsen holds post-graduate qualifications in Autism research and education from Griffith University’s Autism Centre of Excellence. They have previously held positions as a research officer for Reframing Autism, a research assistant for ASPECT, and a research consultant for the University of New South Wales. Dr Poulsen has also sat on the Autism CRC’s Biobank Access Committee and the International Society for Autism Research’s Student and Trainee Committee. Dr Poulsen is a graduate of the Governance Program and Future Leaders Program at the Sylvia Roger Academy, run by the Autism CRC.

In addition to being on the Reframing Autism Board, Dr Poulsen is a current member of the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) executive committee, as well as co-chair of the Australian Autism Research Council and the International Society for Autism Research’s Autistic Researcher Committee. They are passionate about advocacy and coproduction in Autism research in Australasia and beyond. Through their research and collaboration with others, Dr Poulsen is committed to contributing to the Autism and auditory neuroscience fields while promoting greater acceptance and inclusion for neurodivergent people in academia and beyond.

Dr Zayna Adamu is a Consultant Paediatrician with a strong interest in developmental paediatrics. She began her medical career in the United Kingdom, graduating from the University of Wales in 2009. Subsequently, she relocated to New Zealand in 2011 to commence her paediatric training, which she completed across various community and hospital settings in regional, rural, and metropolitan Australia and New Zealand. She achieved Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) in 2023. As an active member of the Australasian Society of Developmental Paediatrics (ASDP), Zayna co-chairs a Neurodiversity Special Interest Group.

Zayna is passionate about providing strength-based, neurodiversity-affirming, and holistic care to neurodivergent children and young people. She integrates her medical expertise and training with her lived experience as a neurodivergent parent and she is guided by insights from other neurodivergent individuals.

It was only during the later stages of her paediatric training in her late 30’s that she was introduced to the concepts underpinning the neurodiversity-affirming movement. This newfound knowledge profoundly impacted her life and career. Not only leading to the identification of both her and her daughter as autistic and ADHD but also transforming her approach and perspective as a paediatrician.

Zayna Adamu is dedicated to advocating for the children and families she serves, striving to secure support that focuses on changing the environment rather than the child and building strong, confident authentic neurodivergent identities. Her ultimate aspiration is a world where her children and all neurodivergent individuals are valued, celebrated, and free to thrive as their authentic selves.

Virginia Galloway (she/her) is a devoted parent to two energetic girls, one of whom is Autistic. Virginia’s personal journey through misdiagnosis to eventual clarity fuels a commitment to transformative Autism awareness. Having navigated the challenges of limited support and understanding, Virginia is passionate about empowering both neurotypical and neurodivergent children and adults by fostering a deep, nuanced understanding of Autism. Virginia’s experience driving change and strategy is at the heart of involvement with the charity and its mission to reframe perceptions around Autism.

In professional life, Virginia is an accomplished senior leader with over 20 years of expertise in financial services. Throughout Virginia’s career in London and Sydney, Virginia has excelled in investment banking, management consultancy, investment management, and superannuation by crafting and implementing effective business strategies, practical frameworks, and automated processes. Virginia brings a valuable global perspective and extensive expertise to her current role as Senior Business Manager, Investments at Rest Super, where Virginia leads investment business strategy and manages third-party vendor relationships.

Virginia is also a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As the business lead for the Investment DEI strategy at Rest Super, and with prior contributions to the CFA Diversity and Inclusion program in London, Virginia has inspired global teams and senior leaders alike.

Katherine is a parent to a neurodivergent child with a rare disease. She shares Reframing Autism’s values of a research driven, lived experience and strength based approach to Autism. She is a passionate advocate of this approach throughout both our educational and medical systems and creating programs around disability inclusion.

Katherine and her family are heavily involved in philanthropy, particularly with the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation and Rare Diseases NSW.

Professionally, Katherine was in government relations and crisis management, spending a large part of her career in Asia, particularly in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Reframing Autism’s Brand Ambassador is Yenn Purkis (they/them).

Yenn is a passionate Autistic and non-binary advocate. Yenn is an author, presenter and community leader.

Yenn Purkis is an author, public servant and passionate advocate for Autistic people and their families. Yenn is the author of ‘Finding a Different Kind of Normal: Misadventures with Asperger Syndrome’ – an autobiography, ‘The Wonderful World of Work: A Workbook for Asperteens’- an activity book about employment for teens on the Autism spectrum. Yenn is co-author of ‘The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum’ and ‘The Parents’ Practical Guide to Resilience for Children aged 2-10 on the Autism Spectrum.’ Yenn has also contributed to other books, journals, blogs and websites. Yenn has a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and atypical schizophrenia.

Yenn has been working full-time for the Australian Public Service since 2007. In between writing and paid work, Yenn frequently gives talks about living well with Autism and mental illness. Yenn gave a presentation on Autism and resilience at the TEDx Canberra conference in 2013. Yenn facilitates a support group for women on the Autism spectrum and has their own internet radio show entitled Yenn’s Autism Show. Yenn lives in Canberra, Australia.

Yenn was the 2016 ACT volunteer of the year.