YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ENDOMETRIOSIS
Meet our YACE
Young people with lived experience helping to shape AEF’s programs and strategic direction
Nothing about young people without young people.
ABOUT THE YACE
The Youth Advisory Committee on Endometriosis (YACE) is an advisory committee established by the Australian Endometriosis Foundation. It brings together young Australians aged 18-35 with endometriosis, to ensure young people's voices and lived experience are at the centre of the Foundation's work.
The YACE identifies and raises issues of concern affecting young people with endometriosis, advises on youth-specific needs and opportunities, and contributes to policy, advocacy, research, education and awareness initiatives. It also acts as a consultative body during organisational planning and public submissions, and works to develop leadership capacity among its members.
Meet the leadership team
Our YACE
Our leadership team is selected by the Board on advice of the Chief Executive
Amy is a scientist and research advisor with experience in designing and running national research grants programs, shaping strategy and building partnerships across the research and health sectors. She holds a PhD from Monash University and the Hudson Institute of Medical Research focused on developing new treatments for ovarian cancer. Amy is also a science communicator and a 2025-26 Superstar of STEM with Science and Technology Australia, passionate about making complex health topics accessible and empowering people with evidence-based knowledge.
After years of symptoms, Amy was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2020. Her experience of delayed diagnosis deepened her commitment to women's health advocacy, particularly for young people navigating the healthcare system. Amy leads the YACE to help ensure young people with endometriosis have a real voice in the programs, policies and services that affect their lives.
When she's not working, Amy can be found hanging upside down on a pole or deep in one of her many unfinished craft projects.
Dr Amy Wilson
PRESIDENT
Gemma serves as the Vice President of the YACE, combining her professional expertise and personal experience to drive meaningful change. She graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Educational Studies and a Master of Teaching and Learning. With teaching experience across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Gemma brings a forward - thinking approach and extensive knowledge to the committee, developing impactful educational programmes raising awareness and improving understanding of endometriosis.
Her passion for advocacy is deeply rooted in her own health journey. After years of misdiagnosis and enduring chronic pelvic pain, Gemma was finally diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018. This experience deepened her dedication to ensuring women’s health concerns receive the attention and respect they deserve, using her story to build connection and collective advocacy among women.
Outside of her professional work, Gemma leads an active and balanced lifestyle. She enjoys running, hiking, playing hockey and travelling.
Gemma Feeney
VICE-PRESIDENT
Hayley McAllister
Hayley is Vice President of the YACE, bringing a background in public relations and communications. She holds a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Public Relations and International Studies. She is studying Health and Medical Science, with the goal of combining strategic communication with her future clinical knowledge to improve education and health outcomes for women living with chronic conditions.
Hayley's commitment to advocacy stems from her own experience living with endometriosis. After experiencing symptoms from the age of 12, she was diagnosed at 17 following years of navigating the healthcare system and being told her symptoms were normal. This journey inspired her to advocate for earlier diagnosis, greater public awareness, and more compassionate and holistic care. Through her work, Hayley is passionate about ensuring young people feel represented, and empowered to seek the support they deserve.
Outside of advocacy, Hayley enjoys spending time in nature, hiking, and travelling. She also loves spending time with her boyfriend, family and friends, who are a key pillar of her support network.
VICE-PRESIDENT
Our YACE
Meet the committee
Our committee is appointed by the Leadership Team following a rigorous application and interview process
Brooke is the founder of Business with Brooke, where she works with organisations across Australia to design and deliver programs that strengthen regional communities. Brooke is also Co-Chair of Western Rural Connect.
After experiencing years of navigating a complex healthcare journey, Brooke was diagnosed with endometriosis. She is passionate about using her personal story and professional experience to advocate for equitable access to care, particularly for those living outside metropolitan areas.
As a member of the YACE, Brooke is committed to ensuring the voices of young Australians with lived experience help shape meaningful change and improve outcomes for future generations.
Brooke Watts
YACE MEMBER
Geo Donaldson
Geo is a former ABC journalist and producer working across radio, television and social media, and now works as a media adviser, where she develops and leads communication strategies for complex policy areas and has excellent connections across the media and politics.
Like many others across the country, when Geo was diagnosed with endometriosis, she felt the care she received was confusing and ultimately substandard. She is passionate about bettering endometriosis education to ensure people in pain are able to access the care they need.
As a member of the YACE, Geo wants to ensure no other young person in Australia has to suffer in confusion, awaiting a diagnosis the way she did.
YACE MEMBER
Clair is a rural advocate from Central West New South Wales, shaped by her upbringing on a mixed farming property near Dubbo, NSW. Her connection to regional communities drives her passion for improving health equity and expanding opportunities for people living in rural and remote Australia.
Currently completing a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours), Clair’s research focuses on the lived experiences of endometriosis among women in the agricultural industry. Her own journey with endometriosis and adenomyosis strengthened her commitment to supporting young people navigating complex health systems.
As a YACE member, Clair is dedicated to contributing to meaningful change.
Clair Stiff
YACE MEMBER
Emma Kelly-Walters
Emma is a Year 12 student on the NSW South Coast, serving as the 2026 Youth Minister for Regional and Rural Affairs in the NSW Youth Parliament program. Emma is passionate about advocating for health equity for young people in regional Australia.
Diagnosed with endometriosis at age 11 in an urban area, Emma moved to a regional area aged 12 and saw firsthand the effects of regional healthcare gaps. Years of limited local education and health services have fuelled her determination to spark real change.
As a member of the YACE, Emma brings the persistence of someone who's had to fight for answers, and a determination to make that fight unnecessary for other young Australians.
YACE MEMBER
Bek Lasky
Bek is a proud Aboriginal descendant of the Wakaya mob, based in Cairns, QLD. Bek is Head of Community at Esparq Ventures, and also provides independent advisory and consulting services.
Bek is the founder of In Spite of Pain, a women's health advocacy brand born from her lived experience of chronic illness. In July 2025, Bek had laparoscopic surgery —leading to months of researching on endometriosis, PMOS, adenomyosis and chronic pain, and medical gaps around them. This reshaped how she understood her own body and became the foundation for In Spite of Pain.
Bek now educates and advocates around these conditions, and the misdiagnosis experiences that disproportionately affect women and those assigned female at birth.
YACE MEMBER
JOINING THE YACE
Who can join YACE?
YACE committee membership is open to Australians aged 18 to 35 with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis. AEF welcomes people from different states and territories, cultures, identities, communities and stages of their endometriosis journey.
Committee members are appointed for a two-year term. No prior board or committee experience is required. We look for people who can contribute thoughtfully, collaborate with others and represent perspectives beyond their own.
YACE applications are currently closed. Sign up as a member to be the first to know about when applications next open.