27 March 2025
Melissa Hagan's drive to position Queensland globally as a health and medical research leader is underpinned by a firm belief in the transformative power of collaboration and a passion for ensuring research is translated into health care improvements.
Melissa is the Director of the Governance Ethics and Trials Unit within the Office of Research and Innovation at Queensland Health. She has dedicated her career to enhancing clinical trial infrastructure, streamlining research governance, and developing strategies and policies that improve research translation. Melissa is renowned for empowering multidisciplinary teams to drive innovation in the sector.
“I have led multimillion-dollar clinical trials and national and state-wide projects to improve research access, including leading the Queensland Department of Health internal grant writing to secure the initial $75.2 million Australian Teletrials Program funding,” Melissa said.
“I have also held national and international advisory roles, including co-chairing the National Clinical Trial Collaborative Forum and other committees shaping research policies on consent, data, and ethical oversight.
“One of my major career highlights was establishing the Queensland Clinical Trials Portal, a centralised digital platform connecting researchers, industry, and health care providers and significantly improving Queensland’s research capability and commercial trial attraction.
“I am also proud of leading the delivery of the Database of Research Activity, which shows the public and other stakeholders all Queensland Health authorised research.
“These initiatives have directly improved patient access to clinical trials, enhanced Queensland’s reputation globally and fostered stronger industry and government collaborations.”
With over 30 years of professional experience in health and medical research, Melissa has seen many improvements but acknowledges that challenges remain.
“Some key challenges include fragmentation across research institutions, regulatory and administrative bottlenecks that make research approvals complex and time-consuming. There’s also a shortage of trained research staff, particularly in clinical trial coordination,” Melissa said. “Integrating research findings into clinical practice still happens too slowly, delaying patient benefits.”
“Health Translation Queensland is helping to address these challenges by investing in workforce development and ensuring Queensland has the skills to support future research needs.
“I have been involved with HTQ from its establishment as a Research Translation Centre through my leadership roles in Queensland Health. Given HTQ’s mission to accelerate research translation, my work in streamlining clinical trials, regulatory frameworks, and research approvals naturally aligns with HTQ’s objectives.
“I remember providing data for its first application to the NHMRC, and I worked on the original HTQ Research Passport Agreement. By participating in HTQ-led collaborative groups and policy discussions, I have contributed to shaping Queensland’s health research strategy, particularly in trial harmonisation, digital research tools, and industry engagement.”
Over the past few years, Melissa has contributed to the HTQ Clinical Trials Hub.
“This critical initiative has centralised many resources, including project management tools, enhancing Queensland workforce capacity,” Melissa said. “We promote the hub on the Queensland Clinical Trials Portal, and I see an opportunity to link it with the National One Stop Shop, ensuring Queensland is at the forefront of clinical research innovation.
“This year, I also think HTQ’s Health Research Ethics and Governance (HREG) Collaborative Group will play a pivotal support role in advancing the implementation of the National One Stop Shop.
“As a sector, we have done much of the groundwork, and we must remain steadfast in our collective commitment to delivering improved health outcomes for all Queenslanders.”
Receive our eNewsletter
Connect with us
Quicklinks
Health Translation Queensland acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which we live, work, and play. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their Descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society.
