Supporting People Living with ITP
ITP Australia and New Zealand (ITPANZ) is the peak body for people living with Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Founded by people with lived experience, ITPANZ exists to ensure that nobody faces an ITP diagnosis alone. We provide trusted information, education, advocacy and support for people living with ITP, their families, carers and healthcare professionals, helping them navigate the challenges of a rare autoimmune bleeding disorder.
As part of a global network of patient organisations, healthcare professionals, researchers and advocates, we work to strengthen the patient voice, improve awareness and advance better outcomes for people living with ITP.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, living with chronic ITP, supporting a loved one, or seeking reliable information, ITPANZ is here to help you live informed, connected and empowered.
Our Vision
A future where no one faces ITP alone.
- Has access to trusted, evidence-based information
- Receives timely diagnosis and appropriate care
- Feels supported throughout their ITP journey
- Is empowered to make informed healthcare decisions
- Can connect with a strong and understanding community
- Has the opportunity to live well, regardless of their diagnosis
Our Mission
To improve the lives of people living with ITP through support, education, advocacy and connection.
We achieve this by:
- Providing trusted information and educational resources
- Supporting people living with ITP, their families and caregivers
- Raising awareness of ITP within the community and healthcare sector
- Amplifying the patient voice in healthcare, research and policy discussions
- Fostering collaboration between patients, clinicians, researchers, industry and government
- Building a connected and empowered ITP community across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
Leadership Driven by Lived Experience
ITP Australia and New Zealand (ITPANZ) is guided by leaders who are passionate about improving outcomes for people living with Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP).
Our leadership combines lived experience, clinical expertise, governance experience, and a shared commitment to ensuring people affected by ITP have access to trusted information, meaningful support, and a strong patient voice.
Together, our Board of Directors, Medical & Scientific Advisory Board, and volunteers help shape ITPANZ’s strategic direction and ensure the organisation remains focused on the needs of the community we serve.
Danielle Boyle
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Danielle founded ITP Australia and New Zealand in 2018 after recognising the need for greater support, education and advocacy for people living with ITP.
Living with chronic ITP herself, Danielle understands first-hand the uncertainty, fear and isolation that can follow diagnosis. Her personal experiences navigating treatment decisions, healthcare systems and the day-to-day realities of living with a rare condition have shaped the patient-centred approach that underpins ITPANZ today.
Under Danielle’s leadership, ITPANZ has grown from a small patient support initiative into the peak body representing people affected by ITP across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Danielle regularly collaborates with healthcare professionals, researchers, government agencies, industry partners and patient organisations to ensure the patient voice is represented in discussions that influence healthcare, treatment access, research priorities and policy development.
She has presented nationally and internationally on patient advocacy, shared decision-making, patient engagement and the lived experience of rare diseases.
Discover Danielle’s personal journey with ITP and the experiences that inspired ITPANZ.
Executive Board
Professor Robert Bird
Clinical Advisor & Heamatology Leader
Board Chair
Charlotte Fey
Director
Jake Boyle
Director
Stassi Austin
Director
Benjamin Mallis
Financial Stewardship & Strategic Governance
Director & Treasurer
Patricia Cordina
Secretary
The Medical & Scientific Advisory Board
Clinical Expertise Supporting the ITP Community
The Medical & Scientific Advisory Board provides independent clinical and scientific guidance to support the development of educational resources, patient programs, awareness initiatives and healthcare professional engagement activities.
Comprised of leading haematologists, researchers and healthcare professionals from Australia, New Zealand and around the world, the Advisory Board helps ensure that the information provided by ITPANZ is evidence-based, balanced and aligned with current clinical practice and emerging research.
Drawing on expertise across Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), bleeding disorders and related fields, the Board plays an important role in supporting patient education, advancing awareness of ITP and strengthening collaboration between people living with ITP, clinicians, researchers, industry and policymakers.
Their collective knowledge and experience help ensure that ITPANZ remains a trusted source of information and a strong voice for the ITP community across Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
Prof. Robert Bird
Senior Haematology Advisor
ITP Australia and New Zealand
A/Prof. Philip Choi
Consultant Haematologist, The Canberra Hospital
Clinical Director of the National Platelet Research and Referral Centre, Canberra
Dr Danny Hsu
Consultant Clinical & Laboratory Haematologist, Liverpool Hospital
Staff Specialist within the South Western Sydney Local Health District
Dr Sara Ng
Consultant Clinical and Laboratory Haematologist, Liverpool and Bankstown Hospitals
Director of Thrombosis & Haemostasis for the South Western Sydney Local Health District
Prof. Elizabeth Gardiner
Scientific Advisor
Professor at The Australian National University
Scientific Head of the National Platelet Referral and Research Centre at ANU and the Canberra Hospital
A/Prof. Chris Barnes
Consultant Haematologist
Royal Children's Hospital & Melbourne Haematology
Dr Melanie Jackson
Paediatric Haematologist
Queensland Children's Hospital
Rebecca Dring
Clinical Nurse Practitioner Classical Haematology
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Dr David Kuter
Chief of Hematology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Prof. Nichola Cooper
Professor of Immune Haematology, Imperial College London
Honorary Consultant Haematologist at Hammersmith Hospital
A/Prof. Cindy Neunert
Associate Professor of Paediatrics at Columbia University
Paediatric Consultant Haematologist, the New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
Dr Terry Gernsheimer
Senior Haematology Advisor
ITP Australia and New Zealand
Prof. Michele Lambert
Professor of Pediatric Hematology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Attending Physician, Division of Hematology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Drew Provan
Senior Consultant Haematologist
Emeritus Reader in Autoimmune Haematology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry (Queen Mary University of London)
Prof. John Semple
Professor of Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Sweden
Working Together to Improve Outcomes for People Living with ITP
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do.
As the peak body for ITP in Australia and New Zealand, we work with patient organisations, researchers, clinicians, advocacy groups, and healthcare leaders to improve awareness, education, support, and outcomes for people affected by ITP.
Through these partnerships, we contribute to national and international discussions shaping rare disease policy, patient advocacy, healthcare access, and future research.
Nobody Should Face ITP Alone
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