Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional)

The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional) is a key leadership role reporting to the Vice-Chancellor and President with responsibility for the strategy and performance of La Trobe’s regional activity, and the management of the key relationships that support this performance. As a member of the Senior Executive Group, Melanie has shared responsibility for the development and execution of university strategy working closely with members of the senior leadership team to ensure continued growth for the University overall.

Associate Professor, Melanie Bish was appointed the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional) in January 2023. With a long history at La Trobe University, Melanie has always been active in the promotion of the health and wellbeing of people in rural and regional Australia, focusing on education, research, and advocacy to strengthen the social and economic benefits of a robust health workforce for communities.

Melanie has extensive knowledge of, and experience in, the local, national, and global healthcare landscape, and has been successful in establishing partnerships that create a strong interface between health and higher education sectors to generate learning and teaching and research opportunities for undergraduate students, higher degree by research candidates and health academics.

Melanie’s way of working is defined by outstanding leadership, strategic decision making and emotional intelligence, with extensive experience in operationalising strategy, adapting quickly to disruption, and actively contributing to a healthy workplace culture to successfully navigate change.

Having held senior management positions and a variety of clinical roles in rural, regional, and metropolitan Victorian healthcare organisations, Melanie is focused on professional issues and organisational culture which contribute to a safe, inclusive, high-performance environment.