Rate My Professor Susannah Ahern

Professor Susannah Ahern, MBBS (Hons) from the University of Melbourne (1997), MBA from Monash University (2005), FRACMA, and PhD in Medicine from the University of Melbourne (2016), is a medical administrator and academic specializing in health services research and management at Monash University. She holds the position of Professor, Clinical Registries in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. As Head of the Clinical Outcomes Data Reporting and Research Program, she manages research projects valued at over $4 million per annum. Professor Ahern serves as Monash Academic Lead for six national clinical quality registries, encompassing dementia, cystic fibrosis, breast devices, spine surgery, and pelvic floor procedures. Her previous roles include Director for Monash Masters courses in Health Management until 2022, during which she co-authored and lectured in units on Clinical Leadership and Management, and Managing Digital Health. She is also a Board Director at Better Care Victoria, Department of Health (Victoria), since July 2018.

Professor Ahern's research interests focus on registry governance, secondary use of clinical registry data, data reporting and benchmarking, and clinical and consumer engagement with registries. Her registry policy and methodology papers address clinician-level reporting, patient-reported outcome measures, national registry strategies, integration with clinical governance, qualified privilege in registries, and leveraging registries for clinical trials. She has authored over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, 25 technical registry reports, and one book chapter. Notable publications include "Monitoring performance and improving outcomes: characteristics and outputs of Australian clinical registries" (2026), "Clinical quality registries: Establishing the socio-technical infrastructure for learning health systems" (2025), "Comparing International Revision Incidence of Commonly Used Breast Implants" (2025), and "Design of a Consensus Derived Synoptic Operative Report for Thyroid Surgery" (2025). In her six years in academia, she has emerged as a national expert in clinical registries, evidenced by funding success, research output, and invitations to committees and conferences. Her contributions have shaped state and national registry policy and practice. Awards include the Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Dean's Award for Excellence in Industry and Community Education Programs (team, 2023), Best Poster Award (2019), and Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators Best Poster Award (2017). She reviews for journals such as Internal Medical Journal and BMC Health Services Research, chairs the Australian Clinical Trial Alliance Registry Special Interest Group, and delivers regular invited presentations at national meetings including the Rare Voices Australia Annual Summit and Cystic Fibrosis Australia Annual Conference.