Dr Chris Holmwood FAChAM, FRACGP | Specialist contractor

Chris is an Addiction Medicine Physician in Adelaide. Until recently he was Director of Clinical Partnerships with Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia. He is a member of the Chapter of Addiction Medicine Training Committee. Prior to working at DASSA he was Clinical Director of the South Australian Prison Health Service, and prior to that was State Director of the RACGP Training Program for SA/NT. His main professional interest is improving health service responses for people with substance use related problems.

Professor John B. Saunders FRACP, FAFPHM, FAChAM, FRCP | Chair

John Saunders is a professor and consultant physician in internal medicine and addiction medicine, based in Sydney. His clinical, academic and research career in addiction medicine extends back nearly 50 years. During this time, he has been Professor of Alcohol and Drug Studies at the University of Queensland (currently with the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research) and also a service director for NSW and Queensland Health. He has worked with the World Health Organization since 1981 and has led international multi-country studies in the field of screening and brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use. He maintains an active clinical and consulting practice across the range of addictive and related medical disorders.

Dr Kate Senior FAChAM | Deputy Chair

Kate Senior is a New Fellow. She's an Addiction Medicine Specialist at Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (SA), with a background in General Practice. She has served as the Trainee Representative on the AChAM Committee since early 2022; is the workplace representative of the SA Salaried Medical Officers’ Association; and is the current APSAD SA Representative and Convenor of the APSAD23 Conference which will be held in Adelaide in November 2023. Kate’s particular areas of interest include Aboriginal health, substance use in women and pregnancy, hepatitis C and chronic liver disease, and co-morbid chronic pain and opioid dependence. She is a passionate advocate for the principles of harm reduction and is a keen teacher and supervisor.

Associate Professor James Bell FRACP, FAChAM 

James Bell trained as a physician and has worked in Addiction Medicine in Sydney, regional Australia, and London. He pioneered development of training programs in Addictions, led the establishment of ACHAM and specialty recognition of Addiction Medicine in Australia. He has published extensively on treatment of Opioid Use Disorder and has been recognised with awards in Australia and the United States. He has been employed as a consultant by WHO, UNODC, and the EU.

Dr Jonathan Brett FRACP, FAChAM 

Jonathan Brett is a Clinical Pharmacologist and Addiction Specialist previously sitting on both RACP training committees and recent past coordinator of addiction training.

Dr Joan Chong FRACP, FAChAM 

Joan Chong is an Addiction Medicine Physician and General Medicine Physician. She is currently appointed as an Addiction Medicine Specialist at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Her area of interest includes reducing harms from pharmaceutical opioid use and chronic pain management.

Dr Clara Dawkins

Clara Dawkins is a General Physician who has been working in the Community Drugs and Alcohol Services since 2017. Originally from Colombia, Clara completed her General Physician training in the UK, and later on served as a General Physician in South Auckland. For almost a decade, Clara has been working in Tamaki Makarau, making passionate efforts to improve the screening and treatment of substance use disorders in the community. Clara has most recently been working on completing her Fellowship in Addiction Medicine. Clara is currently working as an Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisor for Te Whatu Ora Waitemata as well as on the Auckland Opioid Substitution Service and Medically Managed Withdrawal Unit. Clara is also actively making an avid effort to promote training in Addiction Medicine, hoping for it to achieve the recognition as a specialty in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr Vicki Macfarlane FAChAM 

Vicki Macfarlane is of Te Arawa descent but was born and raised in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. She graduated from the University of Auckland in 1989 and completed a Fellowship in General Practice becoming a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners in 2004.   In 2011 she started working with the Community Alcohol and Drug Services in Auckland and her training in Addiction Medicine with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She became a Fellow of the Chapter of Addiction Medicine in 2015.

Since 2011 she has been the Lead Clinician of the Medical Detoxification Services, providing clinical leadership for both a community detoxification service and an inpatient withdrawal unit. The multidisciplinary service provides medically supervised withdrawal services for all substances to the population of Auckland. She was the Aotearoa New Zealand Branch Chair on the AChAM Committee from 2016 until 2022 and has been on the AChAM training committee since 2022. She is a member of Te Akoranga a Māui, the RNZCGP Māori representative group and on the board of Whare Tututuku the National Maori Addiction Centre.

Associate Professor Mike McDonough FAChAM 

Mike McDonough has had 35 years clinical experience in the Addiction Medicine field, and in 2009, was a Foundation Fellow with AChAM including membership of the initial Curriculum Development Group along with Prof Greg Whelan and A/Prof James Bell. In the past, he has acted as AChAM State representative for Victoria and more recently, for South Australia and also as AChAM representative for the Australian Prescriber – National Prescribing Service. He is most recently, a member of AChAM Training Committee. He maintains his appointment as A/Professor with Adelaide University, within the discipline of pharmacology and as a specialist advisor in Addiction Medicine with Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Dr Allan Pascoe FAChAM 

Allan Pascoe is an Addiction Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine Specialist. He is Clinical Director of Toowoomba Alcohol & Other Drugs Service (AODS) and provides psychiatric Telehealth consultations and clinical oversight to South West Queensland (QLD). Allan is RANZCP QLD Director of Advanced Training in Addiction Psychiatry, Senior Lecturer with the University of QLD Rural Clinical School in Toowoomba and is also a member of and Director of Training for the RACP Training Committee in Addiction Medicine. He is passionate about delivering and developing addiction training and providing gold standard psychiatric and addiction care to regional, rural and remote communities.

Dr Craig Rodgers FAChAM 

Craig Rodgers completed his training with the College of General Practitioners in 2000 and was inducted as a founding Fellow of the Chapter of Addiction Medicine in 2004. He has continued to work in both the drug and alcohol sector and general practice with roles at the Kirketon Road Centre, East Sydney Doctors, the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre and since 2012 he has been working as a Staff Specialist in Addiction Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital. He is also a conjoint lecturer with the University of NSW and has contributed to registrar and General Physician training in the areas of Addiction Medicine, HIV and Sexual health.

Dr Amelia Woods FAChAM 

Amelia Woods in a General Physician, PhD Student and addiction medicine registrar. She completed a Masters of Addictive Behaviours (Monash University/Turning Point) in 2018 and has since held roles conducting research and supporting medical registrars in conducting research. In her clinical roles, she has worked as a General Physician in the Aboriginal and Prison Health Services and continues to work and research at the intersection of delivering Addiction Medicine for Aboriginal and incarcerated clients.

Dr Alexandra Cussen, FRACP | Specialist contractor

Alexandra is a general paediatrician and advanced trainee in adolescent and young adult medicine. Her primary clinical interests and expertise are in the interplay of physical and mental health, in particular the management of young people with eating disorders and medically unexplained symptoms.

She holds a Master in Public Health from the University of London with a focus on health economics and medical humanities. Her non-clinical employment experience includes position development for hospital medical officers, clinical practice guideline development, university tutoring, and medical rostering.

Professor Simon Denny, FRACP | Chair

Simon is an adolescent and young adult physician and the Director of the Mater Young Adult Health Centre. He trained as a paediatrician in Aotearoa New Zealand and completed a Fellowship in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of Minnesota in 2002. Simon has published extensively on youth health issues in Aotearoa New Zealand and has served as the chair of both the Adolescent Health Research Group and the Society of Youth Health Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand.

His work brings a clinical and epidemiological focus to youth health, particularly concerning risk-taking behaviours, wellbeing, and the provision of youth-appropriate health services.

Dr Emma Anderson

Emma is an adolescent and young adult medicine and general paediatric advanced trainee at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. During her advanced training, she has held roles as an Adolescent Medicine Fellow and in outpatient child and youth mental health. She has a keen interest in education, currently mentoring new paediatric trainees and assisting RACP clinical exam candidates in their preparation.

Emma is excited to contribute a current trainee’s perspective to redesign the curriculum for future adolescent physicians. She is currently completing her advanced training project, which involves evaluating the Chronic Illness Peer Support (ChIPS) program at RCH. Outside of work, you’ll find her exploring Melbourne’s food scene, playing netball, or hanging out with her Bernedoodle, Billie.

Dr Hae-Young Connie Chong, FRACP

Connie is an adolescent medicine consultant at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and an Addiction Medicine Fellow at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne. She coordinates the Adolescent and Young Adult Addiction Medicine ECHO (Extending Community Healthcare Outcomes), an innovative, evidence-based model of building capacity in addiction medicine amongst paediatric, GP, nursing and allied health colleagues in metropolitan, rural and regional areas.

Dr Hsu Chung, FRACP

Hsu is a consultant paediatrician with the Department of Adolescent Medicine at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. She also works in private practice as a general and developmental paediatrician, with specialised interests in developmental/behavioural paediatrics as well as adolescent medicine. She is passionate about working with vulnerable children and adolescents and has a comprehensive understanding of the unique needs of patients facing complex medical, mental health, and psychosocial challenges.

Dr Bridget Farrant, FRACP

Bridget is an adolescent physician working in Counties Manukau in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is the Clinical Lead of the Kidz First Centre for Youth Health, working as part of a multidisciplinary team supporting young people with a range of health needs. She is also involved in education through the University of Auckland postgraduate programme in youth health, supporting undergraduate teaching, and supervising registrars and fellows.

Her research interests include workforce development and improving health services for young people, particularly those with chronic health conditions. Bridget has been involved in several College committees over time, including the development of the AYAM training pathway. She remains passionate about ensuring the development of a well-trained, skilled workforce to help young people achieve their best outcomes.

Dr Mushira Che Mokhtar

Mushira completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Melbourne in 2009 and graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2013. She undertook general training in Canberra before pursuing training in general paediatrics and adolescent and young adult medicine in Queensland and New South Wales.

Dr Marilyn Paull, FRACP

Marilyn is a PCH/AYAM physician. Her primary clinical area of practice is chronic illness, though she has also worked in eating disorders and gender health. She has been the Director of Physician Training and Advanced Training Director for the NSW Western Network for 10 years and is the current Network Head of Adolescent Medicine at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.

Dr Colette Revely, FRACP

Colette is a general paediatrician and adolescent physician working at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. She is the Chair of the Advanced Training Committee in AYAM, a member of AYAMC, and a member of the Paediatric Division Education Committee at the College.

Professor Susan Sawyer, FRACP

Susan holds the Chair of Adolescent Health at the University of Melbourne and is Director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital, a World Health Organization collaborating centre for adolescent health. Susan has been a member (2002 to 2008) of the College's divisional committee for Paediatrics & Child Health and was the inaugural chairman of the Adolescent Health Committee (2003 to 2008), which established the framework for specialist training in adolescent and young adult medicine (AYAM). She was a member (2011 to 2021) of the Advanced Training Committee for AYAM, which she chaired from 2019 to 2021.

Susan leads an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence on Driving Global Investment in Adolescent Health which follows leadership of two Lancet series on adolescent health and the 2016 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Highly published (H-Index 89), her research interests primarily relate to quality health care for adolescents. In 2015, she led the development of a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Global Adolescent Health to enhance global access to basic education about adolescent health and development. She also leads a postgraduate program in adolescent health through the University of Melbourne.

Susan is the immediate past president of the International Association for Adolescent Health and co-leads the adolescent medicine specialist advisory group for the International Paediatric Association. She has a particular interest at the interface of health and education, and from 2018 has worked with WHO and UNESCO to develop the first global standards for health-promoting schools.

Dr Michele Yeo, FRACP

Michele has been a paediatrician and adolescent physician at the Centre for Adolescent Health and Department of Adolescent Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital since 2002. Her interests include eating disorders, chronic illness, and medical education. Michele is currently the medical lead for the RCH Eating Disorders Service and finds great satisfaction in the collaborative teamwork involved in caring for adolescent patients.

Associate Professor James Shaw FRACP | Chair

James is Deputy Director of the Cardiology Department at the Alfred Hospital and Head of Cardiology General. He's also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. James is interested in research and education and has supervised numerous advanced trainees. He completed his PhD in 2001 and spent 3 years at Massachusetts General Hospital and The Brigham and Women's Hospital. James has been a consultant at the Alfred since 2004 and is on the Advanced Training Committee in Cardiology.

Dr Heath Adams FRACP FCSANZ FRACP | Member

Heath is Director of TAVI and Clinical Lead for the Cardiac Catheter Laboratory at the Royal Hobart Hospital. He's also a member of the CSANZ Interventional Council. Since completing Advanced Training in 2016, Heath has been awarded a post graduate diploma in Clinical Leadership at the University of Tasmania. A long-time advocate for trainee welfare and directing change, Heath is passionate about mentorship, clinical re-design and evaluation.

Dr Chadi Ayoub FRACP FACC FSCCT FASE | Member

Chadi is the Director of Echocardiography Service at Concord Hospital and currently sits on the American College of Cardiology's Cardio-oncology Leadership Council. He is an assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo College of Medicine. Chadi is interested in quality improvement and demonstrates his commitment to improving educational standards and training experiences through his involvement in teaching and supervising Advanced Trainees.

Dr Paul Bridgman FRACP FCSANZ FASE | Member

Paul is a consultant cardiologist at Christchurch Hospital and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago, Christchurch. Paul has an interest in medical education, particularly the continuum from training to continuing professional development. He is Chair of the CSANZ Education Committee, and Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the RACP's academic journal, Internal Medicine Journal. Paul helped write the current RACP Cardiology Advanced Training curriculum.

Dr Joanne Eng-Frost FRACP | Trainee representative

Joanne is a new Fellow in Cardiology. Her clinical interests include structural and interventional cardiology, and she is currently undertaking a PhD with the aim of developing a phenotypic electronic specification for cardiogenic shock. In addition to her clinical interests, she is a Clinical Associate Lecturer with the University of Adelaide and Flinders University. She hopes to represent the interests of trainees in the re-design and development of the new curriculum.

Dr Imre Hunyor FRACP | Member

Imre is the Director of Cardiology Advanced Training and past Network Director of Physician Training at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He is a multimodal imaging specialist, accredited in Cardiac CT and MRI, with a doctorate in Cardiac Metabolism and Heart Failure from the University of Oxford. He is interested in training program design and development and is committed to promoting best practice by ensuring cardiovascular training programs reflect modern and emerging practice in cardiology.

Dr Katharine Kott | Trainee representative

Katharine is a first-year cardiology Advanced Trainee at Royal North Shore Hospital and a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney's Kolling Institute of Medical Research. Katharine's clinical interests are in the fields of biomarker development, intervention, and cardio-oncology. She has produced numerous abstracts and peer-reviewed publications over the course of her training, winning several awards. Katharine is interested in improving medical education and clinical training.

Dr Joseph O'Brien FRACP | Trainee representative

Joseph is a new Fellow in Cardiology, and is currently an Interventional Cardiology Fellow at Monash Heart, Melbourne. Joseph has an interest in improving clinical education and training outcomes, and regularly teaches clinical skills tutorials and Cardiology and General Medical content for junior doctors. He is always looking for ways to improve the training standards and is keen to advocate for trainees in the re-design and development of the new Cardiology Advanced Training curriculum.

Dr Hashrul Rashid FRACP MRCP (UK) | Member

Hashrul is a cardiologist and interventional Fellow at Monash University and is completing his PhD with the Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre. He completed Advanced Training in Cardiology in 2019 and was awarded RACP Australian Trainee of the Year in 2020. His clinical interests are in CT imaging and interventional cardiology. He is also interested in improving educational content delivery and sits on the RACP College Learning Series Committee.

Dr Ben Rogers PhD FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Ben is an infectious disease physician and clinical researcher at Monash Health and the Monash University School of Clinical Sciences. He supervises Basic Physician Trainees and Advanced Trainees in Infectious Diseases. Ben has been an active member of the RACP Curriculum Advisory Group since its inception in 2014.

Associate Professor William Wang FRACP FRCP FCSANZ | Member

William is a consultant cardiologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Queensland. William is a steering committee member of the Queensland Statewide Clinical Cardiac Network and a board member of the CSANZ. He is also Chair of the CSANZ Indigenous Health Council.

Dr Megan Sherwood FRACP | Chair

Megan is a consultant paediatric cardiologist at the Heart Centre for Children, Westmead. She has an interest in echocardiographic imaging of the heart. As Paediatric Representative on the RACP's Advanced Training Committee in Cardiology, and as an Advanced Training supervisor, Megan has a wealth of knowledge about the current Advanced Training program in paediatric cardiology and how it is experienced by trainees and educators.

Dr Karina Laohachai FRACP | Deputy Chair

Karina is a consultant paediatric cardiologist at Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, where she currently organises the Cardiology Department's teaching program. Since completing Advanced Training in paediatric cardiology in 2015, Karina has had an ongoing involvement in teaching nursing staff, medical students and physician trainees. Her clinical interest is in cardiac cross-sectional imaging.

Associate Professor Ben Anderson FRACP, FCSANZ | Member

Dr Chloë-Maryse Baxter FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Chloë is in her final year of Advanced Training in General Paediatrics and based in Melbourne. She's actively involved in several RACP committees, including the College Education Committee, Ethics Committee and Curriculum Advisory Group. Chloë is also the former Interim Lead Physician, Medical Education at the College and brings a wealth of experience and specialist skills in education to the Group.

Dr Bryan Mitchelson FRACP | Member

Bryan is a consultant paediatric cardiologist at Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland. His clinical interests include paediatric heart failure management and cardiac transplantation. Bryan completed Advanced Training in paediatric cardiology in 2018. He's committed to improving training standards and the trainee experience.

Dr Siti Noratikah Mohd Yusoff | Trainee representative

Siti is in her final year of Advanced Training in paediatric cardiology at The Children's Hospital, Westmead. She's interested in medical education and planning learning and is keen to advocate for trainees with different learning styles in the development of the new curriculum.

Dr Natalie Soszyn | Trainee representative

Natalie is in her final year of Advanced Training in paediatric cardiology at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. She's interested in improving training experiences and outcomes. Natalie's the current paediatric cardiology representative on the CSANZ Training Committee and in 2018, established the ANZ Cardiology Fellows group, a forum for physician trainees to share training tips and resources and seek peer feedback.

Dr Sundar Veerappan FRACP | Member

Sundar is a Staff Specialist, Paediatric Cardiology at the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick and Westmead. He completed Advanced Training in paediatric cardiology in 2019 at Sydney and Brisbane. He then undertook further sub-speciality training in Bristol and London. He's committed to improving training experiences and outcomes for physician trainees. Sundar's clinical interests are in cardiac imaging and adult congenital heart disease.

Dr Alan Ma FRACP | Chair

Alan works as a clinical geneticist at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead. He is also a senior lecturer with the specialty of genomic medicine at the University of Sydney.

Dr Janine Smith FRACP | Deputy Chair

Janine is a senior staff specialist Clinical Geneticist at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She is an advanced trainee in clinical genetics supervisor and contributes to education and training of medical students, junior medical staff, genomics Masters students and colleagues. She contributes to clinical research projects in NSW and nationally with interest areas in paediatric cardiac genomics and rare disease.

Dr Rachel Bowden BAppSc (OT), MD, MMed (Child and Adolescent Health)

Rachel is a dual advanced trainee in clinical genetics and general paediatrics who is passionate about medical education, family-centred and high-quality individualised medical care. She completed her basic paediatric training through Sydney Children’s Hospital Network and continues her advanced training in the Sydney area. In addition to her role in the Curriculum Advisory Group, she is an Associate Clinical Lecturer through the University of Sydney, is a reviewer for the Pomegranate Health Podcast and an active medical educator.

Dr Noha Elserafy FRACP

Noha is a clinical geneticist at Nepean Hospital, where she joined the clinical genetics team in February 2023 after obtaining Fellowship in clinical genetics in December 2022. She has a vast experience in paediatric, adult, prenatal, and metabolic genetics. Prior to her current role, she gained valuable experience in genetic pathology during a 6-month genomic trainee placement at NSW Pathology SEALS.

Dr Noemi Fuentes Bolanos FRACP

Noemi, M.D., PhD, is a clinical academic originally from Spain. She is a post-doctoral researcher in Germline Cancer Risk at the Children's Cancer Institute and dual-trained in paediatric oncology and clinical genetics (cancer) by RACP. She completed international training in Spain, the United Kingdom (The Royal Marsden Hospital) and Australia (Sydney Children’s Hospital) and is certified as a clinician by the General Medical College in the UK and AHPRA in Australia. After receiving her medical degree, she completed a Master of Sciences in Biomedicine before undertaking a PhD in Epidemiology in 2017.

Currently, she is a senior lecturer at the School of Medical Sciences (University of New South Wales). Her primary research interest is Germline Cancer Risk in children, adolescents, and young adults and its implications for the diagnosis and management of childhood cancer. She joined the national ZERO Childhood Cancer Program (Australia) in 2019. Her current role focuses on integrative analysis and interpretation of somatic and germline findings in childhood cancer and translating these findings into meaningful clinical recommendations. She is involved in developing several national clinical guidelines for the surveillance of children with cancer predisposition syndromes.

Most recently, she has been fundamental in developing the Cancer PREDisposItion in Childhood by Trio-based sequencing (PREDICT) Study, a state-wide pilot study that analyses family-based whole genome sequencing in every newly diagnosed child and AYA with cancer.

Dr Russell Gear FRACP

Russell is a clinical geneticist at the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, whilst also undertaking a PhD in genetic skin diseases at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He has broad experience in educational delivery and curriculum development across clinical genetics, genetic counselling, and genomics sub-specialty courses.

Dr Himanshu Goel FRACP

Himanshu completed his MBBS in 2000 from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, followed by training in Paediatric and Medical Genetics in India. He came to Australia in 2008 as a Fellow in Metabolic Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. He won a travel scholarship to present his work at the International Congress on Inborn Errors of Metabolism in 2009 in San Diego.

In 2010, Himanshu started working as a clinical geneticist at Hunter Genetics, NSW Health, and from 2013 to 2022, he was the clinical lead in general genetics. He has actively contributed to curriculum design for medical students at The University of Newcastle. Additionally, Himanshu holds roles as Associate Editor for the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health and BMC Medical Genomics and serves as Vice President of the Australasian Association of Clinical Geneticists (AACG).

His professional interests are general genetics, prenatal genetics, dysmorphology, and neurogenetics.

Dr Bernadette Hanna FRACP

Bernadette is a clinical geneticist at Westmead Hospital. She oversees the adult general and subspecialty genetic clinics as well as offer a consultative service to the neonatal and adult inpatient units within the hospital. She's a teaching assistant to the University of Sydney specialty of genomic medicine and is currently assisting in the GMED5001 unit of study, 'Genomics in Clinical Practice'.

She is a member of the Genomics Education Network Australasia, a network of clinicians and genetic counsellors working in the space of genetic education who meet to share ideas of different ways of teaching and delivering genomic education to students, the medical workforce and the general population.

Dr Kate Neas FRACP

Kate is a clinical geneticist and the National Clinical Director for Genetic Health Service NZ. In addition to her clinical work she is a member of the Pharmac Rare Disorders Subcommittee, the Technical Advisory Group for Antenatal Screening for Down Syndrome and other conditions, and the National Screening Advisory committee.

Professor Nicholas Pachter FRACP

Nicholas is a clinical geneticist and Director of Genetic Services of Western Australia based at King Edward Memorial Hospital. He is a Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Western Australia and in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. His clinical and research interests are in the diagnosis and management of inherited cancer and inherited cardiac disorders.

He is the Chair of the Advanced Training Committee in Clinical Genetics for the College and served as Chair of the Familial Cancer Group of the Clinical Society of Oncology and of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia from 2015 to 2019. He's a working member of the Cancer Genetics Reference Committee for EviQ.

Dr Dinusha Pandithan FRACP

Dinusha is a paediatric metabolic geneticist at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children's Hospital. She has completed a Master of Clinical Education through Flinders University, Adelaide with a particular interest in the transition of trainees to independent practice and acquisition of non-clinical skills. During the length of her career she has been involved in the provision and development of education and mentorship programs, and as a junior trainee has been a member of medical education committees and training accreditation teams, reflecting her passion for education and supervision.

Dr Rani Sachdev FRACP

Rani is a clinical geneticist with considerable clinical experience, having worked in Clinical Genetics units at Oxford in the United Kingdom, as well as Royal Prince Alfred and Liverpool hospitals in New South Wales before her current role.

Her broad exposure to clinical genetics practice both in Australia and internationally has been enriched by recent advances in genomic technology. This has allowed her to develop a clinician-focused approach to genomics, with specific interests in the genetics of epilepsy, intellectual disability, and neurogenetic syndromes.

Associate Professor Michel Tchan FRACP

Michel is a clinical and metabolic geneticist looking after adults with genetic disorders and inborn errors of metabolism. He is the Head of Department, Genetic Medicine at Westmead.

Dr Zoe Webster

Zoe is Wellington-born and raised and studied medicine at the University of Otago, where she spent her early student years in Dunedin. She has since worked in the Wellington region in adult medicine, rotating between various subspecialties, primarily focusing on general medicine.

During her preparation for the Adult Medicine divisional exams, she developed an interest in clinical genetics. Upon completing basic training, she applied for a position with Genetics Health Service NZ after completing the GMED5001 Genomics in Clinical Practice course remotely through the University of Sydney.

Dr Syed Haris Omar | Specialist contractor

Omar is a dedicated biomedical scientist with over 13 years of experience in academia, specialising in pharmacology and clinical pharmacology. As a senior lecturer, he has demonstrated a passion for teaching, research, and management, contributing significantly to the academic community.  His expertise extends to curriculum design, examination, and interviewing. He has actively participated in planning and developing pharmacology curricula, ensuring relevance and quality education delivery. His multifaceted skills and experience make him an asset to the academic community, embodying a commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and ethical conduct.

Dr David Reith, FRACP | Chair

David was born in Edinburgh, raised in Canberra, trained in Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane, and now lives in Dunedin. He has worked as a paediatrician for 20 years and in clinical pharmacology for 30 years. His research interests are in pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. David has been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education for 25 years and has also been active in college and government committees.

Dr Joshua Inglis, FRACP | Deputy Chair

Joshua is a clinical pharmacologist with a diverse background spanning digital health systems, academia, and industry. He currently works as an EMR Optimisation Lead at SA Health's Office of the Chief Medical Information Officer, where he contributes to the advancement of the statewide electronic medical record. He is an active clinician-researcher focused on the quality use of medicines for patients with multimorbidity. He has also been an HREC reviewer and investigator on multiple early-phase clinical trials.

Dr Paul Chin, FRACP

Paul is a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Otago, Christchurch and Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand – Waitaha Canterbury.

Dr Sally Fotheringham

Sally is a first-year clinical pharmacology trainee at The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. Alongside her pharmacology training, she is also studying Clinical Toxicology and training in the Chapter of Addiction Medicine.

Dr PK Loh, FRACP

PK trained as a clinical pharmacologist and geriatrician. He has a PhD in Geriatric Medicine from the University of Western Australia. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University. His interests include cognitive impairment, digital health and technology, and innovation in health. PK is a committee member of the College's Learning Series, a national online digital video lecture library. Clinically, he has been providing fly-in fly-out services to rural areas in WA. He has retired from full-time public hospital service and now dedicates his time to pro bono work in committees and advocacy.

Dr PK Loh, FRACP

PK trained as a clinical pharmacologist and geriatrician. He has a PhD in Geriatric Medicine from the University of Western Australia. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University. His interests include cognitive impairment, digital health and technology, and innovation in health. PK is a committee member of the College's Learning Series, a national online digital video lecture library. Clinically, he has been providing fly-in fly-out services to rural areas in WA. He has retired from full-time public hospital service and now dedicates his time to pro bono work in committees and advocacy.

Dr Jayanthi Ramanathan, FRACP

Jay is a staff specialist physician at RPA and Liverpool Hospitals in Sydney, specialising in geriatric, general and acute medicine, and clinical pharmacology, with special interest and experience in lipid disorders. He's also involved as an Editorial Committee Member with Therapeutic Guidelines, Australian Prescriber, NSW Formulary Committee, Clinical Excellence Commission's Medication Safety Expert Advisory & Mortality/Morbidity Review Committees. Jay is additionally a Member of the College's Policy & Advocacy Committee, a local RACP examiner, and a sub-investigator on several clinical trials related to lipid disorders with no financial disclosures.

Associate Professor David Sullivan, FRACP, FRCPA

Dr Gloria Wong, FRACP

Gloria is a general physician completing advanced training in clinical pharmacology in Queensland. She is also a trainee representative on the Clinical Pharmacology Advanced Training Committee and was a trainee representative on the Queensland General Medicine Network Committee.

With extensive experience in advocating for modern training methods, Gloria believes vocational training should be adaptive with the times. Her skills in developing such a program were tested during the pandemic when she was the Chair of the Queensland Internal Medicine Education Programme (QIMEP) Committee. Gloria and her team successfully delivered an educational program that met trainees’ needs despite challenging circumstances.

In addition to her clinical and educational roles, Gloria is an early career researcher with a doctoral degree in beta-lactam therapeutic drug monitoring in critically ill patients. Her research portfolio includes projects on the quality use of medicines, polypharmacy in young individuals with disabilities, and medical outcomes in people with eating disorders. Gloria maintains an ongoing interest in pharmacokinetics across various disease states and their implications for drug research and development.

Dr Brad Jongeling FRACP | Chair

Dr Brad Jongeling has been a Consultant Paediatrician in Neurodevelopmental and Behavioural Paediatrics at the Child Development Service Western Australia since 2000, Medical Head of Department CDS since 2011, Consultant Paediatrician at Joondalup Health Campus Department of Paediatrics (since 2002) and works in private practice as a general and developmental paediatrician.

Dr Jongeling graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1990 from the University of Western Australia. He was admitted to Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physician (Paediatrics) in 2000. He has a strong interest in developmental paediatrics, including ADHD, Autism, developmental disabilities, and the interface with mental health, and use of technology in medicine.

Dr Paul Hotton FRACP | Deputy Chair

Paul is the Chair of the Chapter of Community Child Health (CCCHC) Committee, RACP and the Acting Chair of the RACP Advance Trainee Committee in CCH. He is also the Deputy Chair of the PDEC. Paul is a specialist Paediatrician in CCH and has worked in a variety of positions in developmental, neurodevelopment, behavioural issues, child population health, and child protection. Currently, Paul works as a Staff Specialist in the Child Protection Unit at Sydney Children's Hospital Network (Westmead Campus) and is the Paediatric Clinical Lead for Prevention & Response to Violence, Abuse and Neglect at North Sydney Local Health District.

Paul has both a master’s in public health and a master’s in clinical forensic medicine. He is currently studying a master’s in criminology and medical Law. Paul has a strong research and advocacy interest in children in the care and protection system, with work focusing on improving those children’s health and wellbeing needs through a public health framework.

Dr Tom Clemens FRACP 

Tom is a general and community paediatrician based in beautiful lutruwita/Tasmania. He runs clinics in children's continence, child development and behaviour at Royal Hobart Hospital and on outreach visits to the Aboriginal Health Service, Hobart, and in rural locations. Tom supervises and teaches advanced trainees in community child health, registrars, junior doctors and medical students. He's passionate about supporting the wellbeing of vulnerable children and ensuring the sustainability of health services for current and future generations.

Dr Elise D’Abaco FRACP

Dr Elise D'Abaco is currently working as Senior Fellow with the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. She undertook her medical training at the University of Melbourne and is completing Advanced Training in General Paediatrics and Community Child Health.

Elise has been actively involved in health services research, and currently holds leadership positions with the Neurodevelopmental and Behavioural Paediatric Society of Australasia, as Trainee Board Director and Representative.

Professor John Eastwood FRACP, FAFPHM

For the last 40 years, Professor Eastwood has worked as a Senior Health Executive, Public Health Physician, International Development Advisor, and Population Child and Adolescent Health Specialist. Professor Eastwood has provided national-level policy advice on public health matters, general practice and primary care, maternity services, health system reform, legislative reform, nutrition and food administration, health promotion, injury prevention, cancer control, crime prevention, screening, and immunisation.

He has undertaken international development work for AusAID, UNFPA and NZODA, which included primary healthcare, reproductive health, health system institutional strengthening, and maternal, child and youth programme delivery in China and the Pacific. Professor Eastwood is currently providing technical advice to WHO in relation to Child and Adolescent Health and well-being. Professor Eastwood’s current research interests are well-child and adolescent health and integrated care. He currently heads the National Health and Medical Research Council-funded Centre of Research Excellence for Integrated Health and Social Care.

Dr Danielle Hewitt FRACP

Biography unavailable.

Dr Alyce Horstman FRACP

Dr Alyce Horstman is an Advanced Trainee in General Paediatrics and Community Child Health nearing the completion of her training. Alyce has an interest in forensic paediatrics and currently works as a Fellow with the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service. Alyce is a PhD candidate at Monash University exploring the roles of paediatricians testifying in court in cases of child maltreatment and the impacts this experience has. She has a Master of Public Health and is currently working toward a Master of Forensic Medicine. Alyce’s long-term goal is to continue working in the field of forensic and community paediatrics and to help shape policies and practices that promote the health and well-being of children.

Dr Aaron Ooi FRACP

Aaron is a general paediatrician with an interest in developmental/behavioural paediatrics based in Rotorua, New Zealand. He is currently in his final year of Community Child Health training, having completed an integrated fellowship at BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada, to bridge the traditional silos between General Paediatrics, Developmental Paediatrics and Child and Youth Mental Health. Aaron is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland and has strong interests in medical education, research and quality improvement, with his work recognised through several awards at a local, national and international level. Aaron’s most recent passions centre around strategies to foster an educational culture within the clinical environment, and in qualitative research methodologies to amplify the voices of patients and whānau to promote holistic, equitable and trauma-informed care for children with neurodiversity.

Dr Jenny Sohn

Jenny is an Advanced Trainee in Community Child Health with a keen interest in community paediatrics and medical education. The majority of her paediatric training to date has been completed through Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick. She is currently undertaking a Master of Public Health and hopes to become a well-rounded community paediatrician in the public sector one day.

Dr Paul Trani FRACP

Paul enjoys the responsibility and gift of providing the best health care that he can for all children. He has made it his career goal to exceed the expectations of his patients for their medical home. He has specialised interests in the fields of behavioural-developmental medicine, paediatric psychiatry, child abuse medicine, adolescent medicine, school health, and immigration medicine. He is proud to be a community paediatrician and he strives to raise the visibility of his specialty via his practice and professional advocacy. He also enjoys teaching and nurturing medical students, paediatric residents, and allied health students in small group and large lecture environments. Helping to influence new health professionals has become a rewarding part of his career, and to that end, he has begun postgraduate studies into how medical education could be improved. He has significant experience in coordinating complex medical care, motivating communities to improve health, leading medical teams, medical simulation, and mentoring future health professionals. He’s an expatriate American who is proud to be a full-fledged citizen of Aotearoa, his home for the past decade. He has a lovely Kiwi partner and two small Kiwis of his own, and he’s regularly pinching himself to see if he’ll awake. Kia ora.

Dr Sinthu Vivekanandarajah FRACP

Dr Sinthu Vivekanandarajah is a Staff Specialist Developmental and Community Paediatrician working in The Child Developmental Assessment Service (Department of Community Paediatrics) in South West Sydney. She is passionate about making a positive difference to children and their families by taking a holistic and family centered approach to diagnostic assessment and feedback. Sinthu also strives to instil confidence and passion for Developmental Paediatrics in trainees and was instrumental in establishing the Griffiths III training course at Liverpool. She is also involved in a number of research projects and regularly contributes on committees and working groups to improve health care processes.

Dr Stella Sarlos MBBS, BSc(Hons), PhD, FRACP | Specialist contractor

Stella is a Consultant Endocrinologist in the departments of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Monash Health and Peninsula Health, and in Clinical Andrology at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. She is Director of Clinical Training at Monash Health and the Monash University Medical Student Coordinator (Yr3) at the Peninsula Clinical School. She is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Medicine, Monash University. In her role as Co-Convener of the Endocrine Society of Australia’s Seminar Conference she is focused on the education of Endocrinology Advanced Trainees. To support her developing expertise in medical education, she is completing a Master of Clinical Education at the University of Melbourne.

Clinical Professor Jane Holmes-Walker FRACP | Chair

Jane was appointed as a Staff Specialist to Westmead Hospital in 1998 and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Sydney University. She was Chair of the Advanced training Committee in Endocrinology from 2019-2022 and previously an Executive of the Australian Diabetes Society from 2015-2021.She manages more than 300 people on insulin pump therapy across all age groups including patients who use continuous glucose monitoring full time. She is one of the lead clinicians involved in islet cell transplant therapy for people with severe hypoglycaemia unawareness since it was first performed in Australia in 2002 and she has supervised over 150 islet transplant grafts.

Jane is also an investigator for the Australasian Diabetes Data Network which collects longitudinal data on youth and adults with type I diabetes across the life span and outcomes of introduction of universal funding for CGM in Australia. She has developed models of care for young adults with chronic health conditions for the ACI Transition Network and for young people with diabetes. She is actively involved in clinical research in type I diabetes and an author of over 70 peer reviewed publications.

Professor Roderick Clifton-Bligh FRACP | Deputy Chair

Roderick Clifton-Bligh is Head of the Department of Endocrinology at Royal North Shore Hospital, and conjoint professor in Medicine at the University of Sydney. He trained in medicine at the University of Sydney before completing a PhD in the genetics of thyroid disorders at the University of Cambridge in 1998. He returned to Sydney to complete his FRACP in 2004 and was then appointed as Staff Specialist in Endocrinology at Royal North Shore Hospital. He heads the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the Kolling Institute and direct twin research programs in Endocrine Neoplasia (Phaeochromocytoma/ paraganglioma syndromes, Thyroid Cancer, Adrenal Cancer, Pituitary Tumours) and Metabolic Bone Disease (calcium-sensing receptor function in health and disease, and FGF-23 regulation of vitamin D metabolism).

He was admitted to Fellowship of Faculty of Science (The Royal College of Pathologists of Australia) in 2011. He has co-authored 225 publications in peer-reviewed journals with >6,000 citations. He has supervised 14 completed PhDs, including both basic science and clinical focused work. His work has been recognized by awards from NSW Cancer Institute (2013), Asia-Oceania Thyroid Association (2014) and the Endocrine Society of Australia Outstanding Clinical Practitioner Award (2021). He was a member of the Specialist Advisory Committee in Endocrinology in RACP from 2004-2012 (as chair, 2010-2012) and the College Research Committee 2013-2022.

Dr Lachlan Angus FRACP

Dr Lachlan Angus is an endocrinologist in private practice and with public appointments at Austin Health and Northern Health, Victoria. He has subspecialist clinical interests of reproductive endocrinology and transgender health and is a PhD Candidate at the University of Melbourne.

Associate Professor Damon Bell FRACP

Damon Bell is a dual trained Endocrinologist and Chemical Pathologist with subspecialty expertise in the diagnosis and management of inherited and acquired cardiometabolic disorders and hypertension. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Otago and Fellowships of both the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and Royal Australasian College of Physicians while working in New Zealand. Damon was awarded a PhD from the University of Western Australia in 2016 for his these “Optimising strategies for the detection of familial hypercholesterolaemia”. His research expertise encompasses the clinical, pathologic and genetic aspects of cardiometabolic medicine, particularly lipid disorders and endocrine hypertension with national and international collaborations. He remains actively involved with teaching and is currently supervising PhD and Master candidates in the cardiometabolic field. Damon has a sessional appointment with PathWest Laboratory Medicine where he works in both chemical and cardiovascular genetic pathology diagnosing inherited lipid and hypertensive conditions. He also works in the Cardiometabolic service at Royal Perth Hospital as a Physician/Clinical Academic with the University of Western Australia. Damon coordinates the statewide adrenal vein sampling service for primary hyperaldosteronism for Western Australia based at Royal Perth Hospital. Additionally, Damon works as a Chemical Pathologist for Clinipath (Sonic) Pathology and has a private clinical practice at the WA Specialist Clinic. His clinical practice focuses on with inherited and acquired cardiometabolic disorders with a particular interest in familial hypercholesterolaemia and Primary Aldosteronism.

Dr Joanna Gong

Joanna is an endocrinology registrar trained at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Western Health, and a PhD candidate at the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute. She has an active role in basic physician trainee education, and has mentored and given lectures and tutorials for Monash and Melbourne University medical students. Joanna has previously held multiple leadership roles for 5 years in the VESPA (Vertical Learning) Committee for the Monash University medical school and was a member of the Eastern Health Eczema School Committee. She has delivered workshops for St John’s Ambulance and Melbourne Health, been a guest speaker on the medical education podcast Reviva, contributed to the writing and updating of multiple clinical health service guidelines and been a peer-reviewer for two medical journals.

Dr Annabelle Hobbs

Annabelle is an advanced trainee in Paediatric Endocrinology and Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, in her final year of training. She is currently an Endocrinology Fellow at Queensland Children's Hospital and previously worked in South Australia and New South Wales. Annabelle is also a trainee representative on the Australia and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Endocrinology Training subcommittee. She joins the curriculum review group to promote paediatric endocrinology trainee interests.

Dr Diane Jensen FRACP

Diane attained her Fellowship of the RACP in Paediatric Endocrinology in 2011 and her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2016. Currently, she is a Senior Staff Specialist at the Queensland Children's Hospital and the Gold Coast University Hospital. Diane has multiple interests including bone health in children and adolescents, growth and pubertal disorders including pituitary disorders and disorders of sex development. She is also passionate about the use of diabetes technologies in optimising the management of diabetes in childhood.

Additionally, Diane is an active member of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (ANZSPED) and had the opportunity to coordinate the ANZSPED Fellow's School from 2019-2022 and represented ANZSPED on the faculty for the Global Fellows School in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2023. Diane also serves as a paediatric representative on the RACP ATC in Endocrinology and co-chair of the ANZSPED Training subcommittee.

Professor Katherine Samaras FRACP

Katherine is a Senior Staff Specialist in Endocrinology at St. Vincent's Sydney, and she serves as the Laboratory Head for Obesity, Clinical Nutrition, and Adipose Biology at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. Katherine also led the NHMRC funded MetMemory Study—investigating the potential benefits of metformin in individuals with mild cognitive impairment, in the absence of diabetes.

Katherine currently is a consultant Endocrinologist at St. Vincent's Clinic and Private Hospital and chaired the SAC Endocrinology at RACP, establishing the first training curriculum for endocrinology. Furthermore, Katherine is actively engaged in grant assessment committees for NHMRC and is a Franklin Women mentor. She is also a supervisor for advanced trainees, PhD students, and medical students. Additionally, her portfolio includes her role as Chief Editor for Frontiers in Obesity, Director and Founder of the Australian Centre for Metabolic Health, and co-investigator in the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study. 

Associate Professor Vasant Shenoy FRACP

Vasant is a senior staff specialist in Endocrinology and Joint-Director of Physician Education (DPE) at the Townsville University Hospital.  He completed his undergraduate and post-graduate training in Internal Medicine from Mumbai, India. He has trained across various hospitals in Sydney, regional NSW, Darwin and Brisbane as part of Fellowship training (FRACP) before joining Townsville in 2012. He holds certification in Obstetric Medicine with SOMANZ and Medical Education from Dundee (UK) and has clinical experience across public and private spheres in general endocrinology with special interests in reproductive endocrinology, pre-conception & obstetric medicine, and diabetes technology.

Vasant led the formation of the Physician Training Unit in Townsville since 2015. He played a key role in adopting the competency-based curriculum for basic physician training in Townsville and been involved in education initiatives to improve the standards of physician training in the North QLD network. He served on various committees, co-ordinated bedside clinical skills and reasoning for Y4 MBBS with James Cook University and is on the National Examiner Panel (NEP) for the RACP. He is currently based in Adelaide, working as an endocrinologist in private practice and reproductive endocrinology with Flinders Fertility. He loves spending time with his family and travelling, cooking, and reading fiction novels in his spare time.

Dr Shubha Srinivasan FRACP

Shubha is a senior staff specialist in paediatric endocrinology and a co-director of The Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Clinical Associate Professor in the Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health in the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Sydney. Her interests encompass paediatric endocrinology including differences of sex development, lipids, pituitary disorders, and type 1 diabetes. Shubha trained in paediatrics in the UK and paediatric endocrinology in Sydney.

Her PhD awarded in 2007 was on “Insulin resistance and features of the metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents”. She has been a member of writing groups including recent guidelines for the care of children with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Shubha is on the Australia and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (ANZSPED) council and is the co-chair of the ANZSPED training subcommittee. Shubha has supervised trainees in paediatric endocrinology for over 15 years and is passionate about training and curriculum. She has represented ANZSPED on the RACP ATC endocrinology since October 2019 and has successfully advocated for site accreditation for paediatric endocrinology which will commence in 2024.

Dr Tom Wilkinson FRACP

Tom is a recently qualified Fellow, having completed training in Adult Endocrinology earlier this year. He is based in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, where he is working full time on a PhD investigating fully-automated closed loop systems in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. He is currently completing a term as co-chair of the Aotearoa/New Zealand Trainees Committee and deputy chair of the College Trainees Committee. Outside of clinical medicine, Tom plays trumpet in multiple community orchestras and helps organise the New Zealand Doctors' Orchestra. He also enjoys exploring the outdoors through landscape photography, tramping, and skiing.

Professor George Garas FRACP AGAF | Co-Chair

George is a consultant gastroenterologist/hepatologist and liver transplant physician and a Clinical Professor at The University of Western Australia Medical School. He's the Head of Department of Hepatology / Liver Transplant at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Head of Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Joondalup Health Campus. George is a member of the Advanced Training Committee in Gastroenterology and supervises physician trainees.

Dr Sara Mgaieth FRACP | Co-Chair

Sara is a consultant gastroenterologist and general medicine physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She also teaches at the University of Melbourne through the Royal Melbourne Hospital Clinical School. Sara is a member of the Advanced Training Committee in Gastroenterology, as well as GESA and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). Sara has an interest in medical education and training.

Dr Samuel Ellison FRACP | Trainee representative

Samuel is a paediatric gastroenterologist based in South Australia who completed his fellowship in 2021. He has served in leadership roles in mentoring basic physician trainees and running the basic training education program. He also sits on the Women's and Children's Medical Education Committee. Samuel intends to draw on his recent experience of the Gastroenterology Advanced Training program to help standardise training opportunities and improve training outcomes.

Dr Cameron Gofton FRACP | Member

Professor Geoffrey Hebbard FRACP | Member

Geoff is the Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Clinical Professor at the University of Melbourne. He's a member of the RACP Advanced Training Committee in Gastroenterology and Chair of Melbourne Health's Drugs and Therapeutics Committee. Geoff has supervised physician trainees for more than 20 years and helped develop the current Gastroenterology Advanced Training curriculum.

Dr Hannah Hessamodini FRACP | Member

Hannah is a consultant gastroenterologist in Western Australia. She completed Advanced Training in Gastroenterology in 2018 and has an in-depth knowledge of the current curriculum; having helped establish a state-wide teaching program during her training. Hannah's clinical interests include the management of functional gut disorders and nutrition, coeliac disease, iron deficiency anaemia and bowel cancer screening.

Associate Professor Jacinta Holmes FRACP | Member

Jacinta is Consultant Staff Specialist (Gastroenterology) at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, where she heads up the Gastroenterology Department's clinical training and research. She is also Consultant Gastroenterologist for the Victoria Statewide Hepatitis Program and Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne. Jacinta is interested in medical education and best practice and is keen to increase training equivalence across settings throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Professor Matthew Links FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Matthew is a medical oncologist at Icon Cancer Care Gold Coast and Alice Springs Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Bond University. He is an active member of the RACP Curriculum Advisory Group, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, and the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA). Matthew's interests include education, quality improvement, and clinical research. He is passionate about improving patient care through education.

Dr Derek Luo FRACP | Member

Derek is a consultant gastroenterologist at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland. Previously he was the Training Lead for the Hospital's Endoscopy Users Group in his department. He is currently Chair of the RACP Advanced Training Subcommittee in Gastroenterology. Previously he was the president of the Auckland Chinese Medical Association. Derek's clinical interests include inflammatory bowel disease, hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease, colorectal cancer screening, and interventional endoscopy.

Dr Sasha Mealing | Trainee representative

Sasha is a dual trainee in gastroenterology and general paediatrics, currently in her final year of Advanced Training in Gastroenterology at Queensland Children's Hospital. With a background in secondary education and teaching, Sasha has experience in developing and evaluating curricula. She is keen to represent the interests of trainees in the design and development of the new Gastroenterology Advanced Training curriculum to help improve training and training outcomes for future trainees.

Dr Marcus Robertson FRACP | Member

Marcus is a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Monash Health and the clinical lead of Gastroenterology at Dandenong Hospital. His clinical interests include the complications and management of portal hypertension, variceal bleeding and autoimmune liver disease. Marcus completed post graduate studies in clinical education at the University of Edinburgh. He is the Clinical Dean of Dandenong hospital and is involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching.

Dr Harveen Singh FRACP | Member

Harveen completed Advanced Training in Gastroenterology (Paediatrics and Child Health Division) in 2020 and has recently returned from undertaking a Hepatology Fellowship in the Liver Unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital, United Kingdom. She is keen to contribute to the design and development of the new Gastroenterology Advanced Training curriculum to improve its utility for paediatric gastroenterologists.

Associate Professor James Thomas FRCP (UK) FRACP | Member

James is a Staff Specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. His experience in medical education and training includes working as Director of Clinical Training and serving on local and statewide education bodies. James has a particular interest in trainee assessment and remediation and training program design.

Dr Paul Timmings FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Paul is a neurologist and holds an Auckland University School of Medicine, Senior Lecturer post. He's taken active roles in undergraduate, postgraduate, registrar and GP teaching. In 2013, he completed his MD doctoral thesis on photosensitivity in epilepsy. Paul is a member of the Neurological Subcommittee of the NZ Pharmaceutical Management Agency, Chairman of the PHARMAC NPPA committee, member of the NZMOH epilepsy TAG, member of the RACP CAG and helped develop the RACP Research Projects online resource.

Associate Professor Annabel Martin, FRACP | Specialist contractor

Annabel is a nephrologist, general and obstetric medicine physician based in Northeast, Victoria. Since completing her FRACP in 2013 she has become firmly embedded in regional physician work with a passion for regional training, workforce and equity of health care provision. Her current roles include Head of Albury Campus Charles Sturt Rural Clinical School, Senior Lecturer UNSW & Clinician. Within the college, Annabel is a member of RACP council, the Rural, Regional and Remote strategy working group, and the Victorian Regional Subcommittee. She has co-authored a textbook chapter in Comprehensive Clinical Nephrology and delivered lecture updates in obstetric medicine. Annabel will bring an important regional lens to the general and acute care medicine curriculum renewal ensuring high quality curriculum design and delivery in every setting.

Dr Vinita Rane, FRACP, FaChSHM | Chair

Vinita promotes the development of modern skills needed to thrive in the clinical workplace. She is a dual-trained General and Sexual Health Physician with significant clinical and academic appointments. She is the Professional Practice Clinical Lead at the University of Melbourne and holds public appointments as the Head of Medicine Unit 5 (Pandemic Unit) at the Northern Hospital, Epping, and as a sexual health physician at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton. Using trauma-informed and positive education principles, she collaborates with the medical community to develop explicit curricula that equip doctors with 21st-century skills: creativity, curiosity, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving.

Dr Jared Green, FRACP | Deputy Chair

Jared is a Rural Hospital Specialist and General and Infectious Diseases Physician. He is the past chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand General and Acute Care Medicine ATC, has previously served on the Board of Studies of the New Zealand Division of Rural Hospital Medicine (RNZCGP), and as a clinical lead on the DRHMNZ fellowship training programme. He divides his clinical time between the Central North Island and the Northern Territory.

Associate Professor Ar Kar Aung, FRACP

Ar Kar is a general and infectious diseases physician at Alfred Health in Melbourne, Victoria. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2004 and attained his Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in 2012. He completed a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at James Cook University in 2015. Currently, Ar Kar is Chair of the IMSANZ Research Network, a Director of the IMSANZ Board, and holds an adjunct Clinical Associate Professor position at Monash University.

Ar Kar has strong interests in medical education, clinical medicine, quality improvement research, health service and clinical research, medication safety, and adverse drug reactions. He was Chair of the Australian General and Acute Care Medicine Advance Training Committee (GACM ATC) at the College and Director of Physician Education (DPE) at Alfred Health. From 2015 to 2019, he supervised and coordinated the General and Acute Care Medicine Advanced Training Program at Alfred Health. Ar Kar has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, numerous clinical guidelines and book chapters, and co-edited 2 medical textbooks.

Dr Rebecca Croke, FRACP

Rebecca is a dual-trained physician in general medicine and nephrology from Western Australia. Originally from Ireland, she completed her undergraduate medical training at University College Cork before moving to Perth. She has worked in diverse clinical settings, including both metropolitan areas and the remote Kimberley Region. Rebecca is passionate about addressing healthcare inequities and improving outcomes for disadvantaged patients through collaborative interagency relationships and patient engagement. Since 2018, she has been a member of the General and Acute Care Medicine Advanced Training Committee and currently serves as its Chair. Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys photography, travel, coffee, and expanding her sizeable indoor plant collection. 

Dr Lee Fairhead, FRACP

Lee is dual trained in infectious diseases and general and acute Care, with a special interest in medical education. She is currently undertaking a project within the WA Country Health Service to establish a rural physician training pathway in Western Australia.

Dr Anand Ganes

Anand is a 2nd year general medicine advanced trainee based in Victoria, with experience in regional and rural Victoria. He wishes to pursue dual training in general medicine and cardiology. Anand holds a Master of Public Health and is currently completing a Diploma in Clinical Ultrasound at the University of Melbourne. Beyond his clinical pursuits, Anand has an interest in medical education and has received positive feedback from students about his teaching style.

Dr Telena Kerkham, FRACP

Telena is the Director of General Medicine and Advanced Training at the Launceston General Hospital in Tasmania, where she also works as a General and Perioperative Physician. Dr Kerkham is a former IMSANZ council member and is a passionate advocate for the General and Acute Care Medicine specialty. She is a clinician researcher affiliated with the University of Tasmania. Her other passions include her two young children, pet dog and chickens, and long-distance running.

Dr Rebekah Shakhovskoy, FRACP

Rebekah is a senior staff specialist in general and obstetric medicine at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Hospital Service, and a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast and Griffith University. Since 2019, she has been a representative on the Society of Obstetric Medicine Australia and New Zealand (SOMANZ) and on the College's General and Acute Care Medicine Advanced Training Committee. Rebekah plays an active role in accrediting general and acute care medicine training positions and overseeing pre-vocational trainees. Currently, she chairs the SOMANZ Training Committee, coordinating obstetric medicine training and site accreditations across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Her involvement with the College includes facilitating the Supervisor Professional Development Program and serving on the Adult Medicine National Examining Panel. Rebekah has held leadership positions in health services, including Director of Clinical Training, Director of Physician Training, and Director of Education and Inter-professional Learning. With a Masters in Clinical Leadership, she possesses expertise in developing and implementing education and training strategies within health services. Rebekah also actively engages in research on inter-professional education in health.

Dr Kody Shaw

Kody is a general medicine and nephrology advanced trainee from Aotearoa New Zealand. He is enthusiastic about medical education and has recently completed postgraduate studies in this area. Kody’s goal is to contribute to the development of a refreshed and relevant curriculum that meets trainee needs. He intends to provide a strong trainee perspective and welcome feedback and contributions from his training colleagues.

Dr Spencer Toombes, FRACP

Spencer is a public hospital staff specialist general physician based in Toowoomba. He graduated from the University of Queensland last century and has worked in Rockhampton, Nambour, and the Royal Brisbane. He completed advanced training in general medicine in Townsville and Cairns. Spencer has interests in endoscopy, cardiology, rural health, and medical education. He serves as the Medical Director of Physician Training for Queensland Health and holds a role as a National Examiner for the College. Outside of medicine, he enjoys scuba diving, science fiction, computer games, and coffee.

Dr Kaspar Willson, FRACP

Kaspar is a general physician and Head of General Medicine at Royal Darwin Hospital. His focus is on delivering the highest quality care in regional and remote settings, including fostering and implementing integrated healthcare models. The RDH has a substantial general medicine service, and Kaspar aims to train well-rounded GACM Fellows with a broad skill set capable of excelling in regional hospitals across Australia.

Dr Eva Kipen FRACP | Chair

Eva is the Deputy Head of Aged Care, Education & Training at Alfred Health and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University. Eva recently completed her Master of Clinical Education. Her research examined trainees' experiences of workplace-based assessment in geriatric medicine.

Dr Louise Baird FRACP | Member

Louise is a Consultant Geriatrician at St George Hospital in NSW and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at UNSW. She was involved in the original RACP curriculum development process in 2009-2010. Louise has a strong interest in medical education and has chaired committees for Geriatric Medicine education and training for the RACP and ANZSGM.

Dr Louise Cunningham FRACP | New Fellow representative

Louise is a geriatrician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash Health. She also consults in private practice. In 2020, Louise was Fellow in Geriatric Medicine for the Victorian Geriatric Medicine Training Program, which furthered her interest in education and advocacy for trainees and junior medical staff. Her clinical interests are in polypharmacy, pain management and management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

Dr Lucy Dakin FRACP | Member

Lucy is the Director of Geriatric and Subacute Services at The Prince Charles Hospital and an associate lecturer at the University of Queensland. She has had a long-standing involvement in the RACP Advanced Training program as a supervisor and committee member. She is currently chair of the Geriatric Medicine Advanced Training Committee.

Dr Melanie Fentoullis FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Melanie is a consultant general paediatrician. She has completed a Master of Medical Education and is a senior lecturer (Clinical Education Fellow) with the University of New South Wales. Melanie is currently a member of the Curriculum Advisory Group and has been a member of the Paediatrics & Child Health Division Education Committee and Paediatrics & Child Health Division Council. She has a range of educational interest areas including innovative teaching practices that effectively utilise evidence-based and digital resources and the teaching and assessment of professionalism and professional skills.

Dr Georgette Goode | Trainee representative

Georgette is a final year Advanced Trainee in Geriatric and General Medicine at John Hunter Hospital in NSW and a conjoint lecturer with the University of Newcastle. She has been involved in curriculum redesign at an undergraduate level. Georgette has experience as a clinical teaching fellow for geriatric medicine and was involved in developing a framework for geriatric medicine delivery within their degree.

Dr Cheryl Johnson FRACP | Aotearoa New Zealand representative

Cheryl is Clinical Director of the Older Adults service at Waitematā District Health Board in Auckland. She works as a consultant Geriatrician with a specialist interest in stroke rehabilitation. Cheryl was the Co-Chair of the Adult Medicine Basic Training Curricula Renewal Working Group from 2013 until 2018. She has a keen interest in medical education and how workplace-based training and assessment is delivered.

Dr PK Loh FRACP | Member

PK is trained as a clinical pharmacologist, geriatrician and medical administrator. He has a PhD in Geriatric Medicine from the University of Western Australia. He was Head of Department Geriatric Medicine at Royal Perth Hospital for 8 years and is the President Elect, ANZSGM WA Division. PK is currently Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University.

Professor Vasi Naganathan FRACP | Member

Dr Caroline Rhodes FRACP | Member

Caroline is a Consultant Geriatrician for the Royal Perth Bentley Group. She delivers acute inpatient geriatric care and manages inpatients in subacute and rehabilitation settings while promoting patient safety and quality of care. Caroline has experience in acute geriatric medicine, consultation liaison, stroke rehabilitation, rehabilitation post hip fracture and in older adult psychiatry. She is interested in medical education and recently completed a Master of Clinical Education.

Dr Rihan Shahab FRACP | New Fellow representative

Rihan recently completed her training with the RACP and is currently the lead geriatrician for medical student teaching of Geriatric Medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. While completing her training, Rihan was the NSW Adult Medicine Division Representative on the College Trainees Committee and the Adult Medicine Co-Chair for the NSW Trainees Committee. She has a specialty interest in perioperative medicine.

Dr Amanda Tan | Trainee representative

Amanda is a current Geriatric Medicine Advanced Trainee with Melbourne Health. She is interested in improving medical education and helping prepare junior doctors and trainees for the ever-changing landscape of clinical practice.

Professor Tim Wilkinson FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Tim is Professor in Medicine and Medical Education at the University of Otago. He has a Master of Clinical Education, a PhD on the educational impact of a change to standards-based assessment in a medical course and an MD on programmatic assessment. He is a deputy editor of Medical Education and section editor of BMC Medical Education. Tim's research interests are assessment of clinical competence and performance, workplace learning, selection into medical school and professionalism.

Associate Professor Tina Carter, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FRCPA | Specialist contractor, Paediatrics & Child Health

Tina is the Head of the paediatric haematology service at Perth Children’s Hospital in WA. She's a clinical and laboratory haematologist and has been involved in clinical trials and translational research for over 25 years. Her clinical work in haematology includes the diagnosis of inherited bone marrow failure syndromes in children and their treatment. She has been a full member of the Children’s Oncology Group and Paediatric Bone Marrow Consortium since 2000. She is a FRACP and FRCPA supervisor and regularly contributes education sessions for medical students, registrars, nursing staff and haematology and oncology trainees in the QE2 laboratory and at PCH. She was also an executive member of the Australian Clinical Haemophilia Director’s organisation (6-year term finished last year). She has been the Standard 7 lead at PCH since 2017. She has been an editor for the Australian Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health since 2016. She regularly contributes and reviews articles in paediatric haematology.

Dr Jane Thompson, FRACP, FRCPA | Specialist contractor, Adult Internal Medicine

Jane is a clinical and laboratory haematologist and an NHMRC PhD fellow. She completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Adelaide and is a Fellow of both the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FRCPA). She underwent advanced training at The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Royal Melbourne Hospital. She has research experience in iron deficiency and supplementation, as well as real-world costing of novel agents for the treatment of haematological malignancies. Currently, she's a PhD candidate at The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), where she is exploring underlying genomics, novel fusions, rational treatment approaches, and drug resistance in Ph-like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. She is a haematologist & haematopathologist in private and holds a teaching role at The University of Adelaide Medical School.

Dr Phillip Choi, FRACP, FRCPA | Chair

Phil is a senior staff specialist in haematology at The Canberra Hospital, Clinical Director of the National Platelet Research and Referral Centre, Principal Editor of Platelets, honorary Senior Lecturer at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, and former co-chair of the Platelet Immunology Subcommittee of the ISTH. His research interests in classical haematology include improving the subclassification of ITP, management of HIT, and treatment of warm AIHA. His work is supported by an ACT Health Research and Innovation Fund grant. He is also current Treasurer of the Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand, advisory board member for ITP Australia and the National Blood Authority. He serves on advisory boards and speaker bureaus for industry including sobi, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson Immunology.

Dr Rebecca Adams

Rebecca is a consultant haematologist at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Brisbane where she reports across all areas of diagnostic haematology. She is the RCPA Chief Examiner in haematology, an associate fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is also a director of the RCPA QAP. She has a strong interest in upholding the standards of haematology and ensuring the quality of training to ensure a strong and sustainable pathology workforce, and in her role as a pathology educator she was recognised with the Konrad Muller Outstanding Teaching Award by the RCPA in 2022.

Dr Pasquale Barbaro, FRACP, FRCPA

Pasquale is a joint RACP and RCPA trained paediatric haematologist currently working at the Queensland Children's Hospital. He has a particular interest in haemoglobinopathies and bone marrow failure syndromes. Additionally, he serves as the paediatric representative on the Committee for Joint College Training in Haematology.

Dr Caroline Bateman, FRACP

Associate Professor Andrea Henden, FRACP, FRCPA

Andrea is a clinical haematologist and bone marrow transplant physician at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, and holds a Metro North Clinician Research Fellowship. She has a clinical interest in transplantation and cellular therapies, and the infectious complications associated with these treatments. Andrea is also the research officer in the Translational Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Her research focuses on transplant immunology, with current active projects including cellular therapies for COVID-19 and other infections, and the role of the microbiome on T cell function in the context of transplantation. She is the principal investigator on a number of investigator-initiated clinical trials bringing novel immunotherapies to the clinic, with a focus on treating complications of bone marrow transplantation.

 

Dr Stephanie Anderson, FRACP

Stephanie is a clinical and laboratory haematologist based in Melbourne. She is also the early career representative for the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Hannah Hsu, FRACP, FRCPA

Hannah is a consultant haematologist who specialises in managing patients with blood disorders, including lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, and myelodysplastic disorders. She is qualified as a consultant physician and specialist in clinical haematology, with additional qualifications as a haematopathologist. Hannah graduated from the Australian National University in 2013 and completed her specialist training at St George Hospital, St Vincent’s Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, and Wollongong Hospital in NSW. She attained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia in 2022.

Hannah furthered her haematology training at University College Hospital in London during 2021 and 2022, gaining expertise in early phase clinical trials in haematology and specialised immunotherapy techniques such as CAR-T cell therapy and bi-specific antibodies.

Dr Alison Chandler

Alison is a fourth-year advanced trainee in the combined haematology training program.

 

Dr Fionnuala Fagan

Fionnuala is a laboratory and clinical haematologist with a special interest in thrombosis and practice of regional and rural medicine.

Dr Anastazia Keegan, FRACP

Anastazia is a Clinical and Laboratory Consultant Haematologist and Transfusion Medicine Specialist. She is the Head of the PathWest Haematology Department at King Edward Memorial Hospital. Anastazia also serves as the President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT) and the Chair of the RCPAQAP Transfusion Advisory Committee.

Associate Professor James McFadyen, FRACP

James is a Consultant Haematologist at the Alfred Hospital, Group Leader at the Atherothrombosis and Vascular Biology Lab, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow. He holds appointments at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, and the University of Melbourne Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, is the current President of the Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand and is a member of the Editorial Board of Blood. His clinical and research interests are in the field of thrombosis and haemostasis – specifically with the aim of developing novel therapeutic approaches for thrombotic and thromboinflammatory disorders having published widely in this field including in Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Cardiology, Circulation, Circulation Research and NEJM Evidence.

Dr Jun Ng

Jun is a fourth year Advanced Trainee in the combined Haematology training program.

Dr Manika Pal, FRACP

Manika is a joint RACP and RCPA trained Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist based at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) in Adelaide. In addition to the WCH, Manika undertook speciality training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. Whilst Manika specialises in managing children with the whole range of blood disorders, including malignancies, bleeding disorders, bone marrow failures, she has a special interest in laboratory diagnostics and clinical management of haemoglobinopathies in the antenatal and paediatric setting. She is the clinical lead for Apheresis and Haemoglobinopathies at the Michael Rice Unit for Haematology and Oncology at WCH and is a member of the National Sickle Cell Steering Committee.

Dr Bryony Ross, FRACP

Bryony is a Haematologist and Haematopathologist at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.

 

Dr Andrew Vanlint, FRACP

Andrew is a Clinical Haematologist and General Physician working as a Medical Education Consultant at the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Adelaide. He has a longstanding interest in education, currently undertaking a Masters of Clinical Education via research through Flinders University and is involved in teaching the haematology curriculum within both the University of Adelaide and Flinders University's medical programs.

Dr Mina John, FRACP | Chair

Mina obtained her medical degree from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and has been a consultant clinical immunologist and immunopathologist at Royal Perth Hospital and PathWest for the past 15 years. She supervises the immunopathology service at Clinipath Pathology and holds adjunct academic appointments at Murdoch University and UWA, where she is actively involved in teaching and research.

Dr Peter Bourke, FRACP | Deputy Chair

Peter is a consultant physician, clinical immunologist, and allergist. He is also the Clinical Dean at Cairns Hospital. Peter’s first profession was school teaching at Katherine High School in NT (1988). After completing his PhD in Molecular Immunology at ANU, he worked as a research scientist at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin before studying medicine at Flinders University in SA.

Peter has trained in major hospitals in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne but has spent his entire specialist medical career in regional Australia, often combining inpatient General Medicine with his subspecialty service. He worked in the Northern Territory for a cumulative 16 years in various research, medical, educational, and leadership roles, including 7 years as a consultant physician. He has been working at Cairns Hospital for the past 8 years.

Peter has trained GP allergists and maintains a keen interest in models of clinical care and access to expertise suited to remote and regional Australia. He has been a facilitator for RACP SPDP workshops for the past 5 years. His interests beyond his specialist area include clinical and ethical reasoning (he's Chair of the Cairns Clinical Ethics Forum) and redefining leadership in medicine.

Dr Elizabeth Benson, FRACP

Elizabeth trained in the USA at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard University) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. On her return to Australia, she established the Department of Immunology at the Alfred Hospital before moving to Westmead Hospital as the Director of Immunopathology. There, she founded the Westmead Immunopathology Workshop, an annual 3-day program for immunology trainees that has been running for over 30 years, now under the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.

Elizabeth has trained immunology registrars from both Australia and the UK. Alongside her commitment to medical education, she ran an active research laboratory and established the Institute for Immunology and Allergy Research, now part of the Westmead Research Institutes. She has also held numerous advisory board positions for state and federal governments and governance roles within the research and nonprofit sectors.

Dr Chaitanya Bodapati, FRACP

Chaitanya is a dual-trained paediatric allergy/immunology specialist and general paediatrician. She is particularly interested in food allergy, actively involving herself in food allergy research. She has been an investigator for large international studies investigating food allergy immunotherapy/desensitisation.

As a fully qualified general paediatrician, Chaitanya understands how allergies can impact children's growth and development, and she employs a nurturing, child-focused approach informed by the latest research and international best practices.

Chaitanya grew up in Brisbane and studied medicine at The University of Adelaide. She began her paediatric training at The Royal Children's Hospital (now Queensland Children's Hospital) in Brisbane before moving to Sydney, where she now resides. She completed her general paediatrics and paediatric immunology and allergy training at both Sydney Children's Hospital and The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Dr Miriam Hurst, FRACP, FRCPA

Miriam is the service lead clinician for the adult immunology and allergy service at Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai Auckland. She also works as an immunopathologist at Awanui Labtests and Middlemore Hospital. Her interests include medical education, secondary immunodeficiency, vaccines, and anaphylaxis.

Dr Aimee Huynh, FRACP

Aimee is a paediatric immunologist and allergist currently completing her training in general paediatrics. She completed her medical degree in Queensland in 2014 and has undertaken paediatric training at various hospitals, including the Royal Children's Hospital (VIC), Sydney Children's Hospital (NSW), and Queensland Children's Hospital (QLD). In 2023, she was admitted to the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).

Aimee has a broad interest in immunological diseases, with a particular focus on food allergy and genetics in inborn errors of immunity. She is actively involved in research and teaching and holds an academic appointment as an associate lecturer at the University of Queensland. She is also the trainee representative for the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and part of the Editorial group for the RACP College Learning Series. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and family.

Dr Jocelyn Jiang, FRACP

After completing her medical degrees with first class honours at Monash University, Jocelyn undertook postgraduate training in immunopathology and clinical immunology at Canberra and Westmead Hospitals. She's also a staff specialist at Blacktown Hospital and an immunopathologist with Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology.

Dr Karuna Keat, FRACP

Karuna is a clinical immunologist with interest in medical education.

Dr Phillippa Pucar, FRACP, FRCPA

Phillippa is a clinical immunologist and immunopathologist at SA Pathology and the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Originally from Perth, she completed her MBBS with honours at the University of Western Australia, followed by her internship and RACP basic physician training at Royal Perth Hospital. She then moved to Canberra Hospital and ACT Pathology for her immunology advanced training in 2015.

Phillippa relocated to Adelaide in 2017, where she completed dual fellowships with the RACP and RCPA and took up her current position in 2019. She is currently on an 18 month sabbatical at the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on genomics and functional validation in rare inborn errors of immunity.

In the field of immunology, Phillippa's primary interest is inborn errors of immunity. She is an active member of the ClinGen SCID gene curation expert panel and, alongside a paediatric colleague, runs an adolescent transition program between the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital. Phillippa is also passionate about education and training and has been the Training Coordinator in South Australia since 2022.

Dr Claire Reynolds

Claire is a final year immunology and immunopathology advanced trainee with an interest in education. She has experience in international and Australian specialty training schemes and was a clinical lecturer in undergraduate medical education.

Dr Rohit Saldanha, FRACP

Rohit is a general paediatrician and a clinical immunologist & allergist. He is a staff specialist paediatrician at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital and has VMO appointments at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network and Mater Misericordiae Hospital.

Rohit completed his specialist training at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network and is actively involved in teaching and clinical research.

He has held postdoctoral positions in several leading research laboratories, including the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility and the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia at UNSW, to advance research in paediatrics. Rohit is also actively engaged in basic and advanced training, teaching at both basic sciences and clinical levels, and finds advancing education to be a very rewarding experience.

Dr Carlo Santino Yuson, FRACP

Carlo is a staff specialist in the clinical immunology and allergy department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He is also a senior clinical lecturer at The University of Adelaide. Dr Yuson sits on the Venom Allergy Advisory Board with the National Allergy Centre of Excellence.

Associate Professor Claire Dendle, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, GCHPE | Specialist contractor

Claire is an infectious diseases trained specialist with expertise in infections in the immunocompromised host. She is the clinical lead of the Infection and Immunity Service at Monash Health. Her primary research interests are infections in solid organ transplant recipients, patients with rheumatological diseases and vaccination responses. She is an Associate Professor with the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University. She holds several leadership roles in the Monash Infectious Diseases Unit and is Director of Physician Education at Monash Health.

Dr Emily Rowe, MBBS, FRACP | Chair

Emily is an infectious diseases physician and clinical educator at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network. She is involved with supervision, mentorship, and teaching across the training continuum and is the Director of Clinical Training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She is completing a Master of Health Professions Education through Monash University and has undertaken curriculum development for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Emily is the coordinator of infectious diseases advanced training in South Australia and a member of the National Examining Panel for the RACP divisional clinical exam. She is the Deputy Director of infectious diseases at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network and clinical lead for antimicrobial stewardship, and high consequence infectious diseases. She has a clinical and research interest in viral hepatitis, tropical infections, and infections in critically ill patients.

Dr Brendan McMullan, FRACP | Deputy Chair

Brendan is a paediatric infectious diseases specialist and microbiologist at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. He is also a senior research Fellow in the faculty of medicine and health, discipline of paediatrics, at the University of New South Wales. He is the current Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ANZPID) Group within the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID). His research focuses on improving antibiotic use and treating infections in children, particularly immunocompromised children and newborns. His research methodologies include leveraging surveillance data, implementation science, and contributing to guideline and policy development in these areas.

Dr Anushia Ashokan, FRACP, MPHTM, PhD

Anushia is an infectious diseases consultant at Royal Adelaide Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She enjoys both clinical and research activities. She is actively mentoring medical students, junior medical staff, and advanced trainees. In addition, she serves as a Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Adelaide.

Dr Nick Douglas, FRACP

Nick is an infectious diseases physician at Christchurch Hospital, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Division of Global and Tropical Health at Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia. He co-convenes the Advanced Medicine Module in the 5th-year undergraduate medicine programme at the University of Otago, Christchurch, and is heavily involved in postgraduate research student supervision. Nick's primary research interests are Plasmodium vivax malaria and leprosy. He is the Deputy Chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Infectious Diseases Advanced Training Committee.

Dr Carly Hughes, FRACP

Carly is an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist based in Townsville, Queensland. Her areas of special interest include infections in immunocompromised hosts, tropical medicine, and the mentorship and wellbeing of trainees.

Dr Sadid Khan, FRACP

Sadid is an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist dedicated to helping train future professionals.

Dr Varsha Sivalingam

Varsha is a dual trainee in infectious diseases and microbiology. She has gained valuable experience in public health through her work with the NSW Ministry of Health during the COVID-19 Delta outbreak. After completing her initial year of clinical infectious disease training at The Canberra Hospital, she began her first year of microbiology training at Nepean Hospital. Currently, she is in her final year of microbiology training at the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research at Westmead Hospital. She has a strong interest in diagnostic stewardship, quality assurance, bacteriology, public health, and emerging infectious diseases.

Dr Ali Trad, FRACP

Ali is an infectious diseases physician currently based in Launceston General Hospital, Tasmania, where he is also the Infection Control Lead. He has previously worked in various infectious diseases departments including the Royal Hobart Hospital, Oxford University, and Wollongong Hospitals, Monash Health, National University Healthcare System (Singapore), Western Health, and Austin Health. He has also previously worked in multiple settings and projects with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), with whom he has also been a Board Member.

Currently, he holds active memberships or roles in the following:

• Editorial Board Member for ID Cases Journal, Elsevier
• Viral Hepatitis Special Interest Group (VHSIG) member, Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases
• Drug Safety and Monitoring Board member, EP-Ivermectin-01/NTA code 1230
• RACP examiner and Infectious Diseases project reviewer, RACP Infectious Diseases Curriculum Review Group
• Australian Medical Council WBA programme assessor
• Australian Defence Forces - Army Reserves - Captain
• Peer reviewer for multiple journals
• Member of Department of Health Ethics Committee (Tasmania)
• Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Tasmania and University of Wollongong

 

Dr Andrew Walczak

Andrew is a dual trainee in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology nearing the completion of his training. He currently works in Perth, Western Australia. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Western Australia and his specialty training in Western Australia and Queensland. In 2018, he took a break from training to complete his Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in London and travelled around the UK and South America. During his training, he also obtained a Master of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Andrew has always had a strong interest in teaching, with subspecialty interests in mycology, antimicrobial resistance, and tropical medicine.

Dr Joanne Lundy FRACP | Specialist contractor, Adult Internal Medicine

Jo is a consultant medical oncologist at Peninsula Health and Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University. She completed a PhD in 2021 focused on improving precision oncology in pancreatic cancer and remains actively involved in clinical and translational research. Jo is also a current trainee supervisor and is committed to working to develop and improve medical education.

Dr Leanne Super FRACP | | Specialist contractor, Paediatrics & Child Health

Leanne is an experienced Paediatric Oncologist. She completed medical school at Monash University and trained in general paediatrics and oncology at Royal Children's Hospital and Monash Health, becoming a consultant across both sites in 2007. She has done further training at University College Hospital and Great Ormond Street in London. She is an affiliate lecture at Monash University involved with undergraduate medical training, and supervises basic and advanced trainees with the RACP. She is involved in clinical trials as PI for national and local studies in various types of oncology. She is a member of many medical groups locally and internationally.

Dr James Lynam FRACP, FRCP, AFRACMA | Chair

Dr James Lynam is an Adult Medical Oncologist specialising in Neuro, Genitourinary and Gastrointestinal malignancies. He is the current Director of the Medical Oncology Department at the Calvary Mater Newcastle. He is actively involved in training and mentorship, having recently completed 6 years on the Advanced Training Committee in Medical Oncology.

Dr Aileen Ludlow FRACP | Deputy Chair

Kia Ora Koutou. I am a medical oncologist in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland. I specialise in the treatment of GI and Thoracic malignancies. I am passionate about post graduate medical education and have been the director of training for medical oncology in Auckland for the past 3 years.

Dr Julie Cayrol FRACP 

Biography unavailable

Dr Jessica Cook FRACP

Biography unavailable

Dr Mayank Dhamija FRACP 

I'm a Paediatric Medical Oncologist and clinical haematologist, trained in New Delhi, India; Sickkids, Canada; and Perth Australia. I'm currently working as a consultant malignant haematologist and cellular therapy physician at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol, UK. I have completed 5 years of prospectively approved training in the fields of medical oncology and clinical haematology and have over 6 years of experience as a consultant paediatric medical oncologist from India, Australia and the UK. I am a compassionate, self-reflective, and enthusiastic clinician, a leader, a keen learner, a team person, curious researcher, and well-liked teacher and mentor. I'm an advocate of quality, patient safety and good documentation.

Dr Caleb Lucas

Kia Ora, I'm Caleb, an advanced trainee in medical oncology, based in New Zealand. I am passionate about educating, communicating and supporting patients through their cancer treatment, as well as developing the future doctors of tomorrow.

Dr Amanda Lyver FRACP 

Biography unavailable

Dr Rhiannon Mellor

I am a current medical oncology trainee in Australia, and I know the importance of excellent training. For this reason I joined the RACP Medical Oncology Advanced Training Committee as their trainee representative in 2021. In this role I have facilitated communication between trainees and the college, and I have gained insight into the Medical Oncology training program, both from the perspective of the ATC and of the trainee. I have experience representing trainees in this context, and know the importance of trainees having a voice. I organised the teaching program for my own training network in 2021, using the curriculum as a framework for topics to be covered. However, given the speed at which medical oncology is changing, I agree that the curriculum needs to be reviewed and I would like to be part of that process.

Dr Sharon Nahm FRACP 

Dr Sharon Nahm (BMed MD FRACP) is a medical oncologist and PhD candidate based in Sydney, Australia. She graduated from the University of New South Wales and completed her medical oncology training at Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, before undertaking a clinical research fellowship in melanoma at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK in 2020. Her current PhD research is aimed at improving discussions of prognosis in advanced cancer.

Dr Jessica Smith FRACP 

Biography unavailable.

Dr Alvin Tan FRACP 

Dr Alvin Tan is a consultant medical oncologist at Waikato Hospital, and also practices in private at SalutisCare. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Otago, Dunedin. He achieved Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in 2014, having trained in medical oncology at Auckland City Hospital where he developed particular interest in genitourinary cancers and participation in oncology clinical trials. He is the primary site investigator for a number of clinical trials being conducted at Waikato Hospital. He is a past participant of the 2016 Australia & Asia Pacific Clinical Oncology Research Development (ACORD) Workshop. He is a graduate of the 2019 ESMO Leaders Generation Programme Asia and currently serves as a member on the ESMO Practising Oncologist Working Group Committee. He is the current Head of Department for Medical Oncology at Waikato Hospital and the current Chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Advanced Training Subcommittee for Medical Oncology for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Dr Hui-Ling Yeoh

Dr Hui-Ling Yeoh is a Victorian medical oncology advanced trainee who is passionate about health equity, research, and medical education. She graduated from Monash University in 2016 and completed her Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) at the Burnet Institute in 2015, where she published on frailty in the HIV-positive population. Hui-Ling completed basic physician training and a medical oncology clinical trials fellowship at the Alfred Hospital, and has undertaken medical oncology advanced training at Frankston and Ballarat hospitals. She also serves as a board director for Possible Dreams International, a non-profit organisation based in Eswatini.

Associate Professor Rob MacGinley FRACP | Chair

Rob is a staff nephrologist and general physician at Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University. He's an Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. Rob's clinical interests include chronic kidney disease, dialysis and hypertension. He has a strong interest in medical education and recently took a 6-month sabbatical to focus on renewing the nephrology curriculum. His research interests include influence of diet and novel medications on diabetic nephropathy, anaemia of chronic kidney disease and hypertension.

Dr Eric H.K Au FRACP | New Fellow representative

Eric is a transplant nephrologist at Westmead Hospital in Sydney and a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney. Eric is also undertaking a PhD at the Centre for Kidney Research.

Dr Phil Clayton FRACP | Member

Phil is a senior consultant nephrologist and epidemiologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He completed his clinical nephrology training in 2010 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He then worked as the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry Epidemiology Fellow, concurrently completing a Masters degree in Clinical Epidemiology followed by a PhD in kidney transplant epidemiology. In 2015 he moved to Adelaide to take up his current clinical role and a leadership position with ANZDATA.

Dr Liz Curry FRACP | Aotearoa New Zealand representative

Liz is a general nephrologist at Auckland City Hospital. She has clinical interests in kidney stones, CKD and haemodialysis. Liz has been involved in setting-up a new metabolic stone assessment clinic in Auckland. She has a post-graduate certificate in clinical education and is the Director of Physician Education for Auckland City Hospital. Liz is the chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Nephrology Advanced Training Sub-committee.

Dr Amanda Dickens FRACP | Paediatric, New Fellow and Aotearoa New Zealand representative

Amanda is a paediatric nephrologist at Starship Children's Health in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr Anne Durkan FRACP | Paediatric representative

Anne is a senior staff specialist at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Clinical Senior Lecturer at The University of Sydney. She completed an MD doctoral thesis on the renal distribution and regulation of the chemokine CX3CL1. Anne is the immediate past chair of the nephrology Advanced Training Committee and was previously the committee's lead for site accreditation. She's a member of the NSW Transplant Advisory Committee.

Professor Zoltan Endre FRACP, FASN | Member

Zoltan has been the Head of Nephrology at the Prince of Wales Hospital since 2012. Zoltan's clinical interests are in acute and chronic kidney disease (AKI and CKD), fluid and electrolyte disorders and hypertension. He is Professor of Medicine in the Prince of Wales Clinical School at the University of New South Wales and Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University of Queensland and the University of Otago-Christchurch in New Zealand.

Professor David Johnson FRACP | Member

David is Director of Metro South Integrated Nephrology and Transplant Service and Medical Director of Queensland Kidney Transplant Service at Princess Alexandra Hospital. He is Professor of Medicine and Professor of Population Health at University of Queensland and Director of the Centre for Kidney Disease Research. David has several international leadership responsibilities, including Co-Chair of the International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas Project.

Dr Nick Larkins FRACP | Member

Nick specialises in childhood kidney disease and hypertension and works at Perth Children's Hospital as a consultant nephrologist. He graduated from the University of Western Australia with Honours in 2005 before specialising in paediatric nephrology. He completed a clinical fellowship at British Columbia Children's Hospital and trained at the Children's Hospital at Westmead. He holds a Master of Medicine in Clinical Epidemiology and PhD from the University of Sydney.

Dr Grace Leo | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group and Trainee representative

Grace is a Paediatric Registrar at Sydney Children's Hospital. She has a special interest in innovative medical education and is an advocate for improving learning opportunities and experiences for trainees. Grace is an Executive Team Member for the non-profit, independent paediatric acute care educational group, Don't Forget the Bubbles.

Dr Grant Luxton FRACP | Member

Grant is a general and transplant nephrologist at Prince of Wales. He holds the following positions: member of National Examining Panel of RACP, Chair of Advanced Training Committee of RACP and conjoint senior lecturer UNSW.

Dr William Majoni FRACP | Member

William is a senior staff specialist and Director of Renal Service at the Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospitals in the Northern Territory and, until recently, the clinical dean for Flinders University Northern Territory Medical Program. He heads the renal transplantation service within the Top End Health Service. His work includes randomised control trials in renal and cardiovascular diseases, the epidemiology of renal, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases and Indigenous health.

Professor Lawrence McMahon FRACP | Member

Lawrence is Director of the Department of Renal Medicine and Obstetric Medicine at Eastern Health and Professor of Nephrology at Monash University. He is Past-President of the Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand. From 2000 to 2003 he was coordinator of Advanced Physician Training at Western Health and from 2004 to 2008 Director of the Greater Western Physician Training Consortium.

Dr Caroline Milton FRACP | Member

Caroline is a staff specialist in Nephrology and Director of Peritoneal Dialysis at Flinders Medical Centre. She is the Regional Coordinator for the RACP Divisional Clinical Examination and a current examiner. She is an adjunct lecturer at Flinders University of South Australia. Caroline is Coordinator of Advanced Training on the Advanced Training Committee in Nephrology and represents the Advanced Training Committee in Nephrology on the Adult Medical Division Education Committee.

Dr Melissa Nataatmadja FRACP | New Fellow representative

Melissa is a Nephrologist at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. She spent time working in Vancouver, Canada as an Advanced Trainee and Home Dialysis Fellow. Melissa has published journal articles on dialysis and health care outcomes for patients and has presented her work at national and international conferences. She is currently undertaking a PhD focussed on improving outcomes and reducing burden of home dialysis therapies.

Dr Matthew Rowlandson FRACP | Trainee representative

Matthew is a new Fellow and is currently working as a nephrologist at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, NSW. He is a conjoint fellow with the University of Newcastle.

Dr Emily See FRACP | Member

Emily is a Critical Care Nephrologist at Austin Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital and a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne. She holds a Master of Medical Statistics degree from the University of Oxford and is completing a PhD examining the long-term sequelae of acute kidney injury. Her clinical and research interests centre around acute kidney injury, continuous renal replacement therapy and care of the critically ill transplant or dialysis patient.

Dr David Thomas FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

David is a general paediatrician and Head of General Medicine at Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide. He completed a Masters in Education. David has been involved extensively in College committees, most recently as Co-Chair of the working group reviewing the Basic Training Curricula, Chair of the Paediatrics & Child Health Division Education Committee and as a member of the College Education Committee.

Professor Rob Walker FRACP | Aotearoa New Zealand representative

Rob is a senior academic nephrologist in Aotearoa New Zealand with extensive experience in clinical and experimental nephrology research with an emphasis on cardiovascular risk factors in chronic kidney disease and hypertension. He is Director of the Kidney in Health and Disease Research group based at the University of Otago. He has been actively involved in nephrology teaching for over 30 years.

Clinical Associate Professor Elizabeth Clingan FRACP, FAANMS, AFRACMA | Specialist contractor

Elizabeth is a Nuclear Medicine and Level A CTCA Specialist working at the Wollongong Hospital and in a private practice group servicing Wollongong, Shellharbour, Dubbo, Port Macquarie & Taree. She is the Deputy Chair and Advanced Training Coordinator for the CJCT in Nuclear Medicine and the Nuclear Medicine Representative on the RACP College Council. She is the NSW Representative on the RACP Adult Medicine Clinical Examination Committee and is a current National Examination Panel Member for the RACP Adult Medicine Clinical Examination. She is a current ASMOF NSW State Councillor.

Elizabeth was a Director of Physician Training and Network Director of Physician training from 2015 to 2022. She has a post-graduate diploma in Clinical Education and commenced as the Clinical Associate Dean for the University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine in 2022. She has been an RACP Advanced Training Supervisor and has a long-term and abiding interest in teaching, curriculum and trainee well-being.

Dr William Macdonald FRACP | Chair

William is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and trained initially in paediatrics before completing nuclear medicine training in 2000. He has since practised largely in the public sector and is currently a staff physician in a cross-campus service at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. This service provides a range of diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine services, including general nuclear medicine, PET, bone densitometry and radionuclide therapy of benign and malignant thyroid disease, prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumours and lymphoma. While in paediatrics, Dr Macdonald was Director of Physician Training at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and was a clinical examiner for the RACP. Since moving to nuclear medicine, he has held positions on the Board of the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS) and was President of the AANMS from 2014-16. He has also served as Chair of the Nuclear Medicine Working Group on the MBS Review Taskforce and continues a role in the PET Modality Working Group of the Commonwealth Department of Health. Most recently, he has been Co-Chair of the RANZCR Theranostics Working Group. He has an active interest in clinical research and innovation, and a continuing interest in registrar training and physician competencies.

Dr Sally Ayesa

Sally is a clinical radiologist and nuclear medicine physician, working across Gosford, Wyong & Royal North Shore Hospitals. She is a lecturer within the Sydney Medical School and Unit Coordinator within the Master of Medicine & Surgery Programs. Sally is a member of the Radiopaedia editorial board and sits on the Curriculum Assessment Committee and Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists. She is a co-director of radiology training on the Central Coast, where she is also the clinical lead for ultrasound imaging. Her research interests include thoracic oncology, diversity & inclusion, and medical education – which is the topic of her PhD research. Sally also is the co-convenor of the RANZCR Centralised Learning Program and upcoming Radiopaedia 2024 Conference.

Dr Leisl Celliers

Leisl graduated from the University of Melbourne with honours in 2004 with a MBBS and B.Med.Sci. She moved to WA to complete her internship and stayed on to join the WA Radiology Training program, completing her Part 2 examinations in 2011. Liesl did a year of Advanced Training in Thoracic Imaging followed by Nuclear Medicine Training in Victoria (Geelong) and WA (FSH). She became the inaugural Associate in Translational Imaging at the Harry Perkins Institute of medical Research in 2016. Currently Liesl works as a dual-trained Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine Specialist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital/WA PET Service and Perth Radiological Clinic.

Dr Bruce Goodwin  FRACP 

Bruce is a dual trained Paediatrician and Paediatric Nuclear Physician working at the Queensland Children's Hospital.

Dr Kerry Jewell FRACP 

Kerry is the current Radionuclide Therapy and Molecular Imaging Fellow at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne (2023). She completed her core Advanced Training in Nuclear Medicine at PMCC and Austin Health. Kerry is the current inaugural chair of the AANMS Trainees' Interest Group (TIG). She is a former Victorian Junior Doctor of the Year recipient (2016) and previous Chair of the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria’s Junior Medical Officer (JMO) Forum. She has a special interest in medical education, trainee welfare, and rural medicine.

Professor Sze Ting Lee MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FAANMS, FANMB 

Sze Ting Lee is a Nuclear Medicine Physician at Melbourne's Austin Health, where she serves as Deputy Medical Director and Director of Training within the Department of Molecular Imaging & Therapy. Her academic affiliations include positions as Adjunct Professor at RMIT University School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne's Department of Medicine and Department of Surgery, as well as Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. Additionally, she holds the title of Associate Professor at La Trobe University's School of Cancer Medicine. Her professional focus encompasses pioneering work in Molecular Imaging and Therapy for oncological diseases, ranging from groundbreaking phase 1 antibody trials to active involvement in multicenter phase 3 clinical trials. She is also thePET lead for Lymphoma and Theranostics trials at Austin Health. Dr Lee also serves as a Board Member for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), President of the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS), and Council Member in the Adult Medicine Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Her expertise is further recognized through her membership in the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine (ANZSNM). She actively contributes to the advancement of medical education as a Committee Member and OTP Assessor for the Committee for Joint College Training (CJCT) and as a Committee Member of the Training Site Accreditation Committee (TSAC).

Dr Bonnia Liu FRACP 

Bonnia is a final-year Nuclear Medicine trainee and a fellowed Rheumatologist. In 2023, she helped establish the AANMS Trainee Interest Group, dedicated to representing Nuclear Medicine trainees' interests. This group has successfully advocated for trainees' needs. Bonnia's passion lies in utilizing molecular imaging and technology to assess infectious and inflammatory conditions, focusing on imaging in inflammation. She aims to advance the field's utility in this area.

Dr Dinesh Anthony Sivaratnam  FRACP 

Dinesh is a medical professional, holding dual specialties as a Cardiologist and Nuclear Medicine Physician. He currently serves as the Head of Nuclear Medicine at both The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Cabrini Health in Melbourne. His perspective on Nuclear Medicine is deeply linked to the field's recent advancements, which have launched it to an important role within various medical specialties leading to a unique set of challenges, particularly in shaping training programs for specialists to stay at the forefront of these developments. Dinesh eagerly anticipates collaborative endeavours within this healthcare landscape, where he can contribute to shaping the future of medical practice.

Dr Rachelle Steyn MBChB, FCNP, MMed (Nuclear Medicine), PGDip, MSc, FRACP 

Rachelle is a Nuclear Medicine Specialist who obtained her Fellowship in Nuclear Medicine in South Africa in 2009. She worked as a consultant in the Department of Nuclear Medicine affiliated with the University of Cape Town from 2010 – 2021 prior to immigrating to New Zealand in 2021. She is currently employed by Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Te Toka Tumai (Auckland), Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawkes Bay) and Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua (Midcentral). Throughout her career in South Africa, Rachelle has played an active role in teaching, training, and developing Nuclear Medicine services. She is committed to fulfil a similar role for Nuclear Medicine in New Zealand. Her vision is to be part of the ongoing growth and expansion of Nuclear Medicine through promoting education and its diagnostic and therapeutic utility so that all New Zealanders have access to high quality Nuclear Medicine Services.

Associate Professor Patrick Carney, FRACP | Chair

Patrick Carney is a clinical adjunct Associate Professor at the Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University and the Director of Neurosciences at Eastern Health, Melbourne Australia. In addition, Associate Professor Carney is a research fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and a member of the Austin Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. He gained a Bachelor Science and Bachelor of Medicine (both with Honours) from the University of Newcastle, before completing a PhD at The University of Melbourne in 2013. His appointments encompass in-patient and out-patient commitments in neurology and epilepsy, including the first seizure service at Eastern Health and inpatient EEG monitoring at Ausitn Health. Although in a full-time clinical leadership role, Associate Professor Carney is engaged in clinical research in health service delivery, outcomes, first seizure and neuroimaging. He has extensive experience in training and supervision of junior doctors and provides teaching for doctors at variable levels of seniority in clinical examination, general neurology, epilepsy and EEG. He has been the coordinator for the Victorian and Tasmanian Trainees education program and is the current Neurology Advanced Training Committee member for Victoria and Tasmania.

Associate Professor Jane Alty, FRACP

Jane is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Tasmania and a Neurologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital. She sub-specialises in movement disorders and cognitive neurology. She is Co-Director of the ISLAND Clinic, a one-stop state-wide clinic that provides interdisciplinary cognitive assessment and diagnosis, and a lead investigator on the ISLAND Project, a 10-year public health initiative to reduce dementia risk, comprising ~14,000 participants. Her research investigates Artificial Intelligence methods to detect the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, funded through the NHMRC. She qualified from the University of Cambridge and completed general medicine and neurology training in the UK. She completed a movement disorders fellowship at Monash Medical Centre and was awarded an MD by the University of York for research evaluating computer technologies in neurodegenerative disorders. Her research contributed to a new spin-out company, ClearSky Medical Diagnostics, that produces precision tools for clinical trials.

Dr Sophie Calvert, FRACP

Sophie is a Paediatric Neurologist and Director of Neurosciences at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane. She completed her paediatric neurology training in Bristol and London, having started her training in paediatrics in Adelaide, South Australia. She has an interest in epilepsy, particularly treatment with the ketogenic diet. Sophie helped establish the Statewide Ketogenic Diet Service for children in Queensland. Her other areas of interest include paediatric headache. She is a local examiner for the RACP College Examination and a member of the ANZCNS Education and Training Committee.

Dr Emily Cheung

Emily is a neurophysiology and neuroimmunology fellow at Royal North Shore Hospital. She was the 2023 ANZAN Trainee representative for the RACP Advanced Training Committee and the ANZAN Council and Education Training Committee. She is interested in improving neurology education, training, and workforce matters and is part of the Workforce Committee and is currently the Secretary of the ANZAN Women in Neurology group.

Dr Nicholas Child, FRACP

Dr Nicholas Child is a consultant neurologist at Auckland hospital. He's currently the ANZAN Secretary and Chair of the Advanced training committee for Neurology Trainees in New Zealand and Australia.

Dr Antonia Clarke, FRACP

Antonia is a consultant neurologist with subspecialty training in cognitive neurology and neurophysiology. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Sydney and completed her neurology training at the St George and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals in Sydney before moving to Melbourne to undertake subspecialty training at the Austin Hospital and Eastern Health. Dr Clarke has a strong interest in improving health care delivery for rural and remote patients. Alongside her clinical work, Dr Clarke is completing a PhD through Monash University evaluating brain health in First Nations communities living across NSW.

Dr Vivian Wai Yin Fu, FRACP

Vivian is a stroke neurologist and clinical trialist from Aotearoa New Zealand (FRACP Adult Internal Medicine and Neurology). She completed her postdoctoral fellowship with the Calgary Stroke Program and is a Fellow of the Canadian Stroke Consortium. Her research interests are broad and include quality of life, psychosocial wellbeing, and optimising acute care for all people with stroke. She is committed to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in stroke care and research space

Dr Ellen Hurley, FRACP

Ellen completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) at the University of Adelaide in 2013, after which she completed basic paediatric training at the Women's and Children's Hospital. She gained her fellowship to the RACP - Paediatric Neurology - in 2022 with training through Women's and Children's and Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick, with a 12-month epilepsy fellowship. Currently employed as a general paediatric neurologist at Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide as well as a private posting.

Dr Mahima Kapoor, FRACP

Dr Katherine Kline

Dr Bernard Liem

Bernard is a Neurology Registrar currently completing his last year of training in Oxford, having been awarded an ANZAN Overseas Training Position for 2023. Previously, he has been the ANZAN trainee representative for New Zealand. Having trained in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, alongside ongoing interests in medical education, Bernard is interested in optimising and improving the shape of training for the future of neurology in Australasia.

Dr Rakesh Patel, FRACP

Dr Rakesh Patel is a paediatric neurologist based at Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. Dr Rakesh has a strong interest in clinical neurology.

Dr Jyoti Raghunandan

Dr Jyoti Raghunandan is a paediatric neurology advanced trainee at The Children's Hospital Westmead.

Dr Kalesh Seevnarain FAFOEM | Specialist contractor

Dr Kalesh Seevnarain is an occupational and environmental medicine specialist in private practise based in Brisbane. Whilst overseas trained and experienced, Kalesh has added to the AFOEM education sector by filling roles like the Queensland Training Program Director and chairing the Faculty's Training Committee. His current professional interests include pneumoconiosis and mental health within the workplace.

Associate Professor Anthony Brown FAFPHM, FAFOEM | Chair

Tony is an occupational and environmental health physician and public health physician. He has lived in Central Western NSW for a long time and worked for both the health service and the School of Rural Health of the University of Sydney. He is currently the Chair of the Greater Western Human Research Ethics Committee. Tony’s research interests are wide and have included cancer clusters in the workplace, respiratory disease in poultry farmers, cancer and mortality in coalminers, the health effects of aircraft maintenance work and infectious diseases such as pertussis, Q fever and vibriosis.

He has been interested in the training of occupational physician for a long time. He has been an examiner and was a member and Chair of the Faculty Assessment Committee for many years. He is currently the Chair of the Faculty Education Committee.

Professor Timothy Driscoll FAFPHM, FAFOEM | Deputy Chair

Timothy is currently working in an academic position in the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, where he has an active teaching and research program and was, until the end of last year, the Director of the Master of Public Health. During his time as Director he introduced a new, expanded curriculum as the degree changed from a 48-credit point to a 72-credit point degree. He was Chair of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Faculty Education Committee at the time the current curriculum was developed (led by David Goddard) and was closely involved in the design and content of that curriculum.

Dr Russell Fayers

Russell is a stage C Occupational and Environmental Physician Registrar awaiting Fellowship. Having the recent experience with this training program he would like to see some changes in aspects on how trainees are assessed and what needs more attention. The Occupational and Environmental Medicine training program is unique in the RACP with training entirely external to the traditional hospital-based models, in a private setting working with all industries. Providing clear goals to trainees is what is required for them to become consultant physicians in this discipline. He also has experience as a FRACGP having completed a training program which is also external to traditional RACP training. He looks forward to being part of the curriculum review.

Dr Hardeep Hundall

Hardeep completed medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is currently training to be an Occupational Medicine Specialist. He works as a Medical officer for Aviation & Occupational Health at Air New Zealand for over 8 years and locum occupational doctor with Auckland Occupational Medicine with Dr Anthony Burgess and also a locum concussion doctor with Proactive HEALTH in NZ.

Over the years, he has acquired extensive knowledge of many common places such as the aviation and the oil and gas industry. He studied chemical engineering before studying medicine and worked in the oil and gas industry. He is married with two kids and enjoys a bit out outdoors and indoors activities. He makes and collects model aeroplane models.

Dr Peter Honeyman FAFOEM

Peter is a Consultant Occupational Physician with medical registrations in Israel, Australia and the UK. His expertise is in Multinational Corporate OH practice, International OHS systems & legislations, international ergonomic standards, Industry in China, and environment. He has worked in the Semiconductor industries, Oil and Gas Exploration, Manufacturing, Health, Waterfront & Maritime and construction industries. He is currently a self-employed consultant, with additional roles in the Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, School of PH, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Dr Catherine Kelaher FAFOEM

Catherine is a fellow of the Australian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and also the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Catherine worked with Health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help organizations to optimally manage risk related to SARS-CoV-2. She is now at Defence as a Senior Occupational and Environmental Physician working to optimize the health and wellbeing of Australia’s Defence Force.

Dr Rob McDonald FAFOEM

Rob is an Occupational and Environmental Physician, and is an experienced, senior health and safety executive, Board Director and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and member of the Strategic Advisory Council to the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health. He is passionate about the creation of environments that enable all to Thrive, with a particular focus on equity and inclusion. Workplaces that support Good Work are a critical element in support of Thrive and Rob is very pleased to be a member of the AFOEM Curriculum Review Group to support the development and training of new occupational and environmental physicians who play such a key role in support of good work.

Dr David Ruttenberg FAFOEM

David gained his primary medical qualifications in South Africa in 1986. He moved to Auckland in 1993 and obtained his Fellowship in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2004. He practices in Occupational Medicine both in New Zealand and Australia, consulting to a wide variety of industries, insurers and other stakeholders.

He has previously served as a New Zealand council member for AFOEM and over more recent years been involved in both the written and practical examinations for AFOEM.

Dr John Schneider FAFOEM

John practiced as a family physician in regional Queensland for 10 years and obtained a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety. He then worked as a consultant in Occupational Medicine in tropical Australia (20+ years). He is a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (RACP: Qld and NT committee as well as Assessment committee) and Irish Faculty of Occupational Medicine (member of their examinations committee ~15 years).

He worked in the Middle East as an Associate Professor in the College of Medicine and Health Science (UAE University, 2006-2013). He returned to Australia and was employed part-time as an Associate Professor, College Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, and resumed part time consulting work in Occupational and Workplace Rehabilitation and Industry education in OH&S the Middle East, Asia, South America, and recently online. Areas of interest are Occupational Health in rural and remote worksites, Ergonomics (work in hot environments), and Occupational Medical education.

Dr June Sim FAFOEM

June is an occupational and environmental physician in private practice based in Perth. She gained her fellowship with the Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2008. She has had a long-standing involvement with AFOEM as a supervisor, committee member and was previously the WA Regional Training Program Director.

She is the current chair of the Faculty Assessment committee. She has a keen interest in developing and mentoring the next generation of occupational and environmental physicians.

Dr Alum Sheila Uyirwoth

Sheila is an AFOEM Advanced Trainee and General Physician with interests in aviation medicine, travel health and environmental medicine. She also has interest in improving the capacity for women to have agency in their working lives and achieving the balance that works best for them.

Dr Peter Yu FAFOEM

Peter gained Master's degrees in Occupational and Environmental Health from Monash University and in Aviation Medicine from Otago University, after studying medicine at the University of NSW. He gained a Fellowship in Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and then with the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. His expertise has focussed on the systematic protection of the health or workers and others in heavy construction, oil and gas, heavy transport, the security industry and healthcare.

He is the Director of Training (Physician Education) for Occupational and Environmental Medicine in NSW/ACT for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Occupational and Environmental Physician (OEM) of an Australian Government Department, and a Medical Decision-Maker for NSW's Personal Injury Commission. He has special interests in the governance of OEM, the clinical application of human factors, frameworks for enterprise health risk, medical standards, workplace health regulation, and health monitoring for safety-critical workers.

Laura Sumners, FRACP | Chair

Laura works as a Paediatric Emergency Physician and Director of Paediatric Education at Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland. She has special interests in education, mentoring, and patient experience. She is an APLS instructor and a mum of two boys who keep her busy, constantly juggling the challenges of parenting and work, plus finding some time for herself and exercise.

Michelle Thompson, FRACP | Deputy Chair

Michelle is a Paediatric Emergency Physician at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane. She has held roles overseeing the education and training pathways for trainees of both the RACP and ACEM streams, as the Director of Emergency Medicine Training, and is currently the Clinical Director of the Emergency Department. She is interested in medical education, systems thinking, and intersectionality in the health context. Her time outside of work is full between her two primary school-aged children, a small menagerie of pets, and indulging in her passions of sewing and creating and listening to true crime podcasts (preferably at the same time!).

Valerie Astle, FACEM

Valerie is a FACEM PEM, originally from England but has completed all her emergency and paediatric training in NSW and WA. She is on the ACEM PEM Network and also co-founded the WA PEM Network. She has a passion for improving the standards of education and training for paediatric emergency medicine, for staff at metro and rural sites.

Dr Chloe-Maryse Baxter, FRACP

Chloe holds FRACP in General Paediatrics and is an advanced trainee in Paediatric Emergency Medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree in the UK, as well as a Master's in Health Professions Education at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and an MSc in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Edinburgh University. Chloe finished her postgraduate paediatric training in the UK, New South Wales, and Victoria. She is currently a member of the RACP Education Committee and the Curriculum Advisory Group.

Hana Burns

Hana is a first-year advanced trainee in Paediatric Emergency Medicine. She is completing her training part-time so that she can balance being with her young family with the demands of work. She completed Graduate Entry Medicine in 2013 at the University of Birmingham and practised medicine for 3 years in the UK. In 2015 she undertook a clinical teaching year and completed a certificate in medical education, after which she moved to South Australia to work in the field of Paediatric Medicine. She feels lucky to say she loves her job and applied to the Curriculum Review Group so that they can make the foundations of training the best they can be.

Dr Jin Lim

Lucy Johnston, FRACP

Lucy holds FRACP for General Paediatrics. She will complete her Paediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship by August 2024. She is currently working in the Sydney Children's Hospital Emergency Department as a Provisional Fellow.

Dr Tessa Smith

Bronwyn Turner, FRACP

Bronwyn completed RACP PEM training in 2019 in Aotearoa New Zealand and then worked as a consultant before returning to further ED training under ACEM. She is currently a locum paediatrician. She has worked in paediatric retrieval in Australia. She has been a liaison between general paediatrics and the mixed emergency department in a rural centre during the COVID pandemic. She was involved in protocol development from 2020–2021 and paediatric emergency education in the past 2 years.

Sarah Watson, FRACP

Sarah is based in beautiful Darwin, NT, lucky enough to be able to work in General Paediatrics, Paediatric, and General Emergency Medicine on Larrakia country. She has roots well established in the Top End after some time in SA and WA for training. She loves the diversity of environments, people, and weather, and is proud to call it home.

Dr Amy Waters FRACP, FAChPM | Specialist contractor, Adult Internal Medicine

Amy is a palliative care physician at St George Hospital in Sydney, NSW. She completed a Master of Medical Education in 2012 and is heavily involved in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is a past chair of the Training Committee in Palliative Medicine and a conjoint senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales. As well as contributing to curricular renewal, she is actively involved in communication skills training across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr Naomi Katz FRACP, FAChPM | Specialist contractor, Paediatrics and Child Health

Naomi is a paediatric and adult palliative care physician with appointments at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Alfred Health, and Melbourne Health/Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. She has honorary academic appointments at Monash University and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and is undertaking a PhD in paediatric palliative care through the University of Melbourne. In 2019, Naomi developed a registrar education program for the Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program which continues to be implemented by the wider team.

Professor Brian Le FRACP, FAChPM, MPH | Chair

Brian is a Palliative Care Physician, based in Melbourne. Brian completed Palliative Medicine advanced training with the RACP in 2007 and was a member of the RACP Training Committee for Palliative Medicine from 2011 to 2017, serving as chair in the last of those 3 years.

Associate Professor Carol Douglas FRACGP, FAChPM | Deputy Chair

Carol is a Chapter Foundation Fellow. As Medical Director Queensland Palliative Medicine Training Program, she has led development of the integrated program from 2009, incorporated into the Queensland Health (QH) RMO Campaign in 2013 and now is recurrently funded supporting a Program Manager and Education Officer. From 2005-2022, she was Clinical Director Palliative and Supportive Care Service, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. During this tenure, along with Metro North (MN) Renal Services, she led the development of the MN Kidney Supportive Care Service. Prior to RBWH, she was a Staff Specialist at The Prince Charles Hospital and latterly Director 2004- 2005.

Current research involves ICU and Palliative Care engagement. She has been a member of the National End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) Steering Group since 2016 and led the MNHHS Advance Care Planning ‘roll-out’ in 2016. Her background to Australian career was working in Kota Kinabalu in the late ‘90’s in the first Palliative Care Unit for Malaysia at QE11 Hospital. She continued to support the KK services from 2007-2017 through annual visits and maintains a strong interest in SE Asian Palliative Care contributing especially to Indian Palliative Care Association meetings.

Dr Astrid Adams FRACP 

Astrid is from the United Kingdom. She trained as a doctor in London qualifying from UCL in 1998. She completed her MRCP in 2002 before taking time out of work to travel. She undertook a 4 year Palliative Medicine Registrar rotation centred in Oxford, during which time she completed an MSc in Palliative Medicine and Diploma in Undergraduate Education. She worked for the next 5 years as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Sir Michael Sobell House in Oxford. This post involved rotating between IPU, Community and Hospital Palliative Medicine. She was Course Director for the Oxford Medical Student Palliative Medicine Course, Training Programme Director for the Oxford Registrars (jointly with another Consultant) and led the Service Development of a new model of care within the Day Services at the Hospice. Astrid has worked in New Zealand as the Medical Director for Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington. She has twin boys aged 13 and as a family are enjoying living in New Zealand.

Associate Professor Kirsten Auret  FRACP, FAChPM 

Kirsten lives and works on the south coast of Western Australia and has been in rural practice for 17 years. Her daily work includes an academic role at the Rural Clinical School of WA, work in the regional palliative care service and local community hospice, and leadership of the statewide rural palliative care service. She says "I have a passion for rural medicine and skilling future specialists for rural work. This is a bit of a circle for me as I was involved with writing the first RACP Palliative Medicine curriculum a long time ago."

Dr Sadie Dunn FRACP, FAChPM 

Sadie is a Palliative Medicine Physician at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospitals. In addition, she is the Education coordinator for the Victorian Palliative Medicine Training Program. As the current Chair of the Training Committee in Palliative Medicine for the college, she is motivated to develop an up-to-date training program that allows us to train the next generation of Palliative Medicine physicians and specialists.

Dr Bharathy Gunasekaran  FRACP, FAChPM 

Bharathy completed her Basic Physician Training and subsequently her Palliative Medicine training across various health networks in metropolitan and regional Victoria. After obtaining her Fellowship, Bharathy accepted a research fellow position at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. She currently works as a palliative medicine specialist at Grampians Health and Northern Health. In addition to direct clinical care and research, Bharathy is passionate about medical education. She has completed her Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education and is currently undertaking her Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education with the University of Melbourne. Bharathy is also an Affiliate Senior Lecturer at Deakin University and a Professional Practice Tutor at Melbourne University. Her areas of interest include interprofessional education and the delivery of safe and appropriate care to priority population groups.

Associate Professor Marianne Phillips FRACP, FAChPM 

Marianne is a dual trained paediatric and adolescent oncologist and palliative care physician originally from the UK having moved to Australia in 1998. She has worked across paediatric and palliative care for over 36 years. Her particular area of expertise is the embedding of palliative care within oncological diagnoses from the time of initial presentation throughout the disease trajectory to ensure age-appropriate holistic support for patients undergoing cancer treatment and their families.

Marianne has been instrumental in the development of paediatric palliative care services for children and adolescents with cancer and subsequently, having recognised the lack of equitable support, paediatric palliative care services for those with non-malignant diagnoses. As a humanitarian palliative care practitioner, Marianne provides teaching and leadership through culturally and resource appropriate face2face and online forums across various settings in SE Asia, Africa and areas of significant global crises, conflict and natural disasters.

Dr Shampa Sinha

Shampa is a final-year Advanced Trainee in Palliative Medicine currently based at Sacred Heart Hospice at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney. She has a keen interest in teaching and curriculum development and is an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to medicine she worked as a diplomat for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and as a public health and evaluation specialist at the World Bank.

Dr Patrick Steele FAChPM, FACRRM 

Patrick is a Palliative Care Consultant and Fellow of the Australian College of Remote and Rural Medicine. He works as a palliative care specialist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and with Palliative Care South East - a community based palliative care service. He is passionate about providing supervision, education and mentorship to trainees.

Dr Nyoli Valentine FRACGP, MPH 

Nyoli is a Palliative Medicine Advanced Trainee and a PhD candidate in medical education at Flinders University. Nyoli has worked in medical education and research for over 15 years, including in programmatic assessment and entrustable professional activities. She has also co-led the development of the new RACGP training syllabus and 2022 RACGP Curriculum review. Her PhD research is examining fairness in assessment.

Dr Molly Williams FRACP, FAChPM 

Molly is a dual trained paediatric solid tumour/neuro-oncologist and palliative care physician. She has worked in complimentary roles in the RCH Children's Cancer Centre and Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program since 2017. Her particular areas of expertise and interest are in the intersection of palliative medicine and oncology, in particular the impact of emerging cancer therapies on the palliative care experience and the holistic supportive care of patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Dr Williams is keenly involved in statewide education through the PICS regional oncology program and the QuOCCA Consortium and is the paediatric representative on the RACP Palliative Medicine Training Committee. She is a member of the RCH Clinical Ethics Response Group, participating in education, podcasts and writing regarding ethical decision-making in oncology and palliative medicine. In her spare time, Dr Williams spoils her two rescue dogs and dabbles in home-brewing and cheesemaking.

Associate Professor Jon Ho Chan FAFRM | Chair

Jon is a rehabilitation medicine physician at Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Chief Wellbeing Practitioner, leading the organisational response to optimising staff wellbeing at the South Metropolitan Health Service in Perth. He has been involved in medical education at undergraduate and prevocational levels and is a Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Western Australia Clinical School. Jon is a member of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM) Council, is the Chair of the AFRM WA Regional Committee and is the lead in CPD and curriculum renewal on the AFRM Education Committee. He has a particular interest in workplace-based assessment, accreditation and the assessment of professionalism.

Dr Louis Baggio FAFRM | Member

Louis is the Director of Wagga Wagga Base Hospital Rehabilitation Service. Louis has been instrumental in the development and implementation of ambulatory and in-reach services at WWBH and outreach inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District. Louis has a long-standing involvement with AFRM sitting on a variety of committees and is an accredited supervisor and ITLCA assessor. Louis is also a conjoint lecturer with the UNSW Rural Clinical School.

Dr David Eckerman FAFRM | Member

David is a senior Rehabilitation Medicine Consultant Physician practicing in the Sunshine Coast and Redcliffe Peninsula. He specialises in neurological rehabilitation, spinal medicine, brain injury rehabilitation, geriatric and orthopaedic rehabilitation. He is interested in spasticity/dystonia management, therapeutic use of botulinum toxin, stroke rehabilitation and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as movement disorder rehabilitation, musculoskeletal medicine and rehabilitation in chronic pain.

Dr Sachi Fernando FAFRM | New Fellow representative

Sachi works as a rehabilitation medicine physician, with her most recent appointment being at Maclean District Hospital. Having gained her Fellowship in 2020, she is acutely aware of issues and challenges facing current trainees. Sachi is passionate about supervision and professional development of trainees and looks forward to working in the Curriculum Review Group to review the current curriculum.

Dr Philip Gaughwin | Trainee representative

Philip is an Advanced Trainee and currently employed at University of Canberra Hospital. He holds a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, Addenbrooke's Hospital, where he developed an interest in regenerative medicine and neurorehabilitation. Philip is Chair of the AFRM Trainee Committee and on the College Trainee Committee and AFRM Council.

Dr Susan Graham FAFRM | Member

Susan has been a Rehabilitation Physician in Sydney and Brisbane since 2003 and a Visiting Medical Practitioner at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital and Wesley Hospital since 2011. She completed a PhD assessing rehabilitation services in Australia, holds an academic title with the University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine, is involved in medical student assessment and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in medical education.

Dr Sarah Kofoed FAFRM | Member

Sarah is the Rehabilitation Medicine Training Victoria (RMTV) visiting medical officer. Sarah has a special interest in oncology rehabilitation and has served as a member of the Supportive Care Screening Tool steering committee at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She has a strong interest in medical education and is involved in running the local Advanced Training program. She served as a member on the AFRM Victorian Branch Committee as a trainee.

Dr Stephanie Lam FAFRM | New Fellow representative

Stephanie completed her undergraduate bachelor degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Sydney in 2010 and a post-graduate MBBS from the University of Notre Dame, Sydney in 2014. She received AFRM Fellowship in November 2020 and is currently working as a Rehabilitation Physician at Lakeview Private Hospital and as a temporary Staff Specialist at Westmead Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service.

Dr Lynette Lee FAFRM | Member

Lynette has Fellowships in Rehabilitation Medicine, Pain Management and Medical Administration and has been a syllabus developer, clinical supervisor and examiner in these areas. She has been involved in curriculum development in undergraduate and postgraduate medical schools. Lynette is currently the Dean of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and leading the processes required to achieve a renewal of its curriculum.

Dr Rachael Nunan FAFRM | Member

Rachael is a Senior Staff Specialist at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital. She has a long-standing interest in education and assessment, she has been involved in College activities as Coordinator of AFRM Faculty Clinical Examination. Rachael's clinical interests include spasticity and hypertonicity management.

Professor Stephen Opat FRACP FRCPA | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group

Stephen is Director of Clinical Haematology at Monash Health and Clinical Professor at the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University. He is the founder and chair of the Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry and a Principal Investigator on many lymphoid cancer trials. Stephen is ex-president of the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and was coordinator of Advanced Training on the Joint Specialist Advisory Committee in Haematology.

Dr Juan Rodriguez | Trainee and Aotearoa New Zealand representative

Juan is currently a Registrar in Rehabilitation Medicine based in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. He has worked in Rehabilitation Medicine in Europe and is keen to contribute with his knowledge of international curricula to the renewal of the RACP Rehabilitation Medicine Curriculum.

Dr Kim McLennan, FAFRM, FRACP | Specialist contractor

Kim McLennan is a rehabilitation paediatrician from Queensland. Dr McLennan has worked at the Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service for over 20 years with clinical expertise in management of acquired neurological injury, limb difference, spasticity and movement disorders. She has been active on AFRM committees including policy and advocacy, council and the paediatric rehabilitation training and assessment committee (chair 2020-2022). She has also been a mentor, supervisor and examiner of paediatric rehabilitation trainees.

Dr Lisa Copeland, FRACP, FAFRM | Chair

Lisa is a Rehabilitation Medicine Paediatrician who has worked as a consultant with the Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service since 2008. Lisa is currently a member of the Faculty Paediatric Training and Assessment Committee, serves on the Faculty Paediatric MCQ Writing Committee, and co-chairs the Paediatric Rehabilitation Special Interest Group.

Dr Safiyyah Abbas

Safiyyah is a dual trainee in paediatric rehabilitation and general paediatrics. She has had the privilege of working in paediatric centres across Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales, with paediatric rehabilitation training through the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide and now the Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney. She is looking forward to contributing to the Paediatric Rehabilitation Medicine curriculum to improve the training experience of trainees.

Dr Heather Burnett

Dr Kate Middleton

Dr Kate Middleton is currently a paediatric rehabilitation trainee undertaking training in Victoria. Dr Middleton is also undertaking a Masters in Bioethics. She completed her medical degree at Deakin University. Prior to studying medicine Kate worked in qualitative research examining psychosocial adjustment after illness and return to work.

Dr Renae Dayman

Renae is a consultant paediatrician and AFRM trainee working in the WA Kids Rehab Department at Perth Children's Hospital.

Dr Katherine Edwards

Dr Emma Richardson

Dr Shanta Sekar

Dr Mary-Clare Waugh, FRACP, FAFRM

Mary-Clare has worked as a paediatric rehabilitation medicine physician for over 26 years in the Kids Rehab Department of the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney. She trained initially as a paediatrician in Australia and then in neurodisability in the UK.

Dr Jing Ya Jianna He, FRACP | Specialist contractor, Adult Internal Medicine

Jianna has a Bachelor of Medicine from The University of New South Wales. She completed her medical training at St George Hospital and The Sutherland Hospital, and her specialist training in adult rheumatology at St George Hospital, Westmead Hospital, and Concord Repatriation General Hospital. During her specialist training, she also completed a 1-year laboratory fellowship in immunopathology and has a keen interest in autoimmunity and autoimmune disorders. She's a Visiting Medical Officer at Westmead Hospital and is actively involved in medical education. She has a Master in Clinical Education from Flinders University and is part of the NSW Adult Rheumatology Teaching Committee.

Dr Mark Friswell, FRACP | Specialist contractor, Paediatrics & Child Health

Mark is a Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist with over 20 years' experience in the UK and Australia. He's currently Head of the Rheumatology Department at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide.

Dr Narainraj Kamalaraj, FRACP | Chair

Narain is a Staff Specialist Rheumatologist in Campbelltown and at Camden Hospitals. He is the Chair of the Rheumatology Advanced Training Committee and Chair of the NSW/ACT Mentorship Subcommittee. He's also the Medical Director for a multi-specialist private practice in South and Southwest Sydney.

 

Dr Claire Barrett, FRACP, FRCP

Claire is a Clinical Rheumatologist working in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. She's the current President of the Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA), a member of the ARA Finance and Risk Committee, and the ARA Annual Scientific Programme Committee. Claire's journey in medicine began at University College London, where she earned her Medical Degree in 1987. Drawn by the allure of Australia, she made the momentous decision to relocate in 1991. In 1996, Claire established a public rheumatology service at Redcliffe Hospital. Today, the service boasts a team of 3 dedicated rheumatologists, an advanced trainee, and a clinical nurse consultant.

Dr Katrina Chakradeo, FRACP

Katrina is a Rheumatologist and General Physician working in Brisbane, Queensland. She works across multiple public hospitals in the Brisbane area, including The Prince Charles Hospital and Redland Hospital. She also works in rheumatology research with The University of Queensland, Frazer Institute.

Professor Flavia Cicuttini, FRACP

Flavia is a Professor and Head of Rheumatology at Alfred Hospital and the Musculoskeletal Unit at Monash University, and NHMRC Leadership Fellow. She has a long history of teaching and training in rheumatology and public health. Her principal research interests are the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.

Recent awards include the Altmetric top 100 globally award (2019), Eric Susman award, and Royal Australian College of Physicians best contribution to the knowledge of any branch of internal medicine (2021).

Recognitions include Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health & Medical Sciences in 2019 and as Member of the Order of Australia in 2021. She serves on the council of the Australian Academy of Health & Medical Sciences, the AIHW National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Monitoring Advisory Group, the Repatriation Medical Authority, recently on the Board of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International, and on the editorial board of a number of journals.

Professor Rebecca Grainger, FRACP

Rebecca is an Academic Rheumatologist who is passionate about patient-focused care and engaging with colleagues in primary and secondary care to provide the highest quality collaborative care for people with arthritis.

A University of Otago medical graduate, she undertook rheumatology training in Melbourne and her PhD examined inflammatory mechanisms in gout. Rebecca's clinical work focuses on the assessment and management of inflammatory arthritis and her clinical interests include inflammatory arthritis, gout, and scleroderma. Rebecca's academic interests are wide, but she aims to undertake research in clinical rheumatology, health professions education, and technology.

Dr Amanda Marsden, FRACP

Amanda completed her paediatric rheumatology training at the Royal Children's Hospital and BC Children's Hospital following the completion of her general paediatrics training and chief resident year at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

She currently works as a Paediatric Rheumatologist in Sydney with outreach to Canberra. She is a lecturer in the specialty block of Child & Adolescent Health for the University of Sydney where she's heavily involved in curriculum & assessment review & development. Additionally, she currently is the Director of Prevocational Education & Training at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

She has interests in education, quality improvement, and efficiency of care.

Dr Stephen Oakley, FRACP

Stephen is a staff specialist rheumatologist at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, NSW.  A graduate of UNSW medical school, he completed physician training in NSW (1999) followed by a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (University of Newcastle 2002) and PhD (UNSW 2004). He worked at Guy’s & St Thomas’s NHS foundation Trust in London until his return to Australia to the John Hunter Hospital in 2008. Stephen has a conjoint academic appointment at the University of Newcastle, has served the Australian Rheumatology Association as co-chair Scientific Program and Research Committee and then as Treasurer. He works primarily as a clinician remaining actively involved in clinical education and maintaining a research interest in rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr Rushab Shah

Rushab is a Melbourne-based rheumatology advanced trainee expected to complete training in 2024. He is currently undertaking a fellowship in the United Kingdom in connective tissue disease-related cardio-pulmonary disease.

Professor Ernst Michael Shanahan, FRACP, FAFOEM

Michael is the director of the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) rheumatology service based in Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia.

Michael is dual qualified as a rheumatologist and occupational physician and a registered and practising general physician. He leads a busy clinical department that services the rheumatological needs of around 400,000 South Australians. Michael also works at Flinders University where he has an active role in teaching and supervising medical students and higher degree students. His research is mainly in the areas of musculoskeletal medicine and medical education.

Dr Kathryn Shepherd, FRACP

Kathryn is a Paediatric Rheumatologist with experience caring for children and young people with a wide range of rheumatological conditions.

Kathryn completed her medical degree at the University of Melbourne. She also holds a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine from James Cook University.

Kathryn started her paediatric training at the Royal Children’s Hospital before going on to complete specialist training in paediatric rheumatology at both the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital in the UK.

Kathryn currently works as a Paediatric Rheumatologist at Monash Children’s Hospital, maintains a casual appointment at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and works in private practice.

Clinical Professor Davinder Singh-Grewal, FRACP

Davinder is a Paediatric Rheumatologist with 20 years of experience as a consultant physician.

Dr Praisoody Sinnappurajar, FRACP

Praisoody is a Paediatric Rheumatologist, working at Perth Children's Hospital. After completing the majority of his paediatric training in Sydney, he completed fellowships in Bristol (UK) and Perth. He has an interest in autoinflammatory disease and juvenile dermatomyositis.

Dr Philippa van Dantzig

Philippa is a final-year rheumatology trainee who has completed her Rheumatology training across Australia and New Zealand, including 3 different cities, both major and rural. She is an advocate for trainees and has represented the trainee group on the New Zealand Executive Committee.

Philippa has an interest in medical education and is keen to improve experiences for current Rheumatology trainees. She is a mum of 2 boys and believes strongly in supporting parents in training.

Associate Professor Carole Khaw, MBBS, DFSRH (UK), FRACGP, PG Cert Pub Hth (Sex Hth), FAChSHM, AFANZAHPE | Specialist contractor

Associate Professor Carole Khaw is a senior consultant sexual health physician and Co-Head of Unit at the Adelaide Sexual Health Centre, Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital. She's also a clinical associate professor at the School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide. She's the past chair of the Advanced Training Committee in Sexual Health Medicine at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and a past member of the Australasian Chapter Committee in Sexual Health Medicine. She holds an Associate Fellowship with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Health Professional Education and has been an examiner for the Australian Medical Council as well as for the Exit Assessment in Sexual Health Medicine. She's a current member of the International AIDS Society and the Australasian Society of Sexual Health and HIV Medicine.

Associate Professor Khaw has research interests in sexual health, HIV prevention, epidemiology, and medical education, and has published in several scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. Her more recent publications involve research into Chemsex, HIV and syphilis coinfection, as well as the treatment of rectal chlamydia. She has presented at national and international conferences and is deeply passionate about medical education and the promotion of sexual health and HIV medicine. She is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, including curriculum development in sexual health. Associate Professor Khaw remains a strong advocate for vulnerable and high-risk populations and continues to work towards ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against HIV.

Dr Rose Forster, FAChSHM | Chair 

Rose Forster is a sexual health physician at the Auckland Sexual Health Service.

Associate Professor Siobhan Bourke, FAChSHM

Associate Professor Siobhan Bourke is a sexual health physician with over 20 years of clinical experience and a long history of involvement in sexual health education for health professionals, pre-registration students, and the community. Her qualifications include a Masters in Public Health and a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education. Currently, Siobhan works clinically at a community health centre in Melbourne’s West and is the Director of the Sensitive Physical Examination Program at the University of Melbourne. She also leads the Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health, where she designs and delivers Sexual Health Discovery subjects in the MD program.

Dr Timothy Alan Bromley, FAChSHM

After working as a rural GP for ten years, Timothy has spent the last four years retraining in sexual health medicine, including spending the last 16 months working in Brighton, UK. He has a particular interest in the ethics and public health aspects of sexual health medicine as well as clinical work in HIV and STIs.

Dr Natalie Edmiston, FAChSHM

Natalie is a doctor and an academic based at the University Centre for Rural Health in Lismore, Northern NSW, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine with extensive experience as a clinician researcher in Sexual Health.

As a Senior Lecturer in Rural Research at Western Sydney University, Natalie is involved in research education and health education research while maintaining a focus on clinical research, particularly in areas related to sexual assault. Additionally, she works for NSW Health at the Education Centre Against Violence, contributing to postgraduate education for both doctors and nurses. Natalie's research areas include HIV and sexual health medicine, medical education, and workforce research.

Dr Miranda Howlett

Miranda Howlett is a sexual health trainee in Western Australia. Miranda currently works at the South Terrace Clinic at Fremantle Hospital in a senior role. She also works at the Sexual Assault Resource Centre managing the medical and forensic needs of people who have recently experienced a sexual assault.

Dr Jane Shapiro, FAChSHM

Jane is a staff specialist in Lismore, NSW. After completing her advanced training in 2021, she felt the curriculum needed an update. Now, as part of the chapter training committee, she strives to provide a high-quality, responsive training program that helps advanced trainees become well-qualified, professional staff specialists.

Dr Lisa Ling-Chi Wang, FAChSHM

Lisa is a Sexual Health Physician with a special interest in teaching and being involved in the trainee's education space. She's excited to be part of the Curriculum Review Group to assist in the renewal of the current curriculum that will enhance the training experience for future trainees.

Professor Brendon Yee FRACP | Specialist contractor

Professor Brendon Yee is a Senior Staff Specialist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He is a respiratory and sleep physician and a Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney. He is also the Head of the Discipline of Sleep Medicine at Sydney University. He is a senior researcher/clinician at the Sleep Research Group, at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. Brendon has a strong interest in clinical research and medical education.

Dr Lauren Booker | Curriculum advisor

Dr Lauren Booker is a Postdoctoral Fellow at La Trobe University and the Institute for Breathing and Sleep. She has over 12 years of experience managing and implementing sleep and circadian rhythm misalignment sleep disorder research, with a special interest in infant circadian rhythm development. She is focused on improving the knowledge and treatment of sleep disorders by helping provide scientific evidence to guide and shape policy and practice. The RACP is very grateful for her expertise in reviewing the paediatric sleep medicine knowledge guides.

Associate Professor Alan Young FRACP | Chair

Biography unavailable

Dr David Cunnington FRACP  | Deputy Chair

David is a specialist sleep physician at Sunshine Coast Respiratory and Sleep, and co-founder of the online sleep resource, SleepHub.com.au. David trained in sleep medicine both in Australia and at Harvard Medical School. In addition to training in sleep medicine, David has also completed training and achieved qualifications as an International Sleep Specialist, Fellow of American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Diplomat of Behavioural Sleep Medicine and Registered Polysomnographic Technologist. Having credentials in a range of specialities in sleep as well as his experience in practicing sleep medicine for 20 years gives David broad perspective on training in sleep medicine.

Dr Sonia Cherian FRACP

Sonia is a graduate of the University of Adelaide Medical School. She completed her internship and basic physician training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and moved to Auckland where she completed her advanced respiratory training. She undertook her sleep fellowship at Wellington City Hospital. Following this, she completed a pleural and lung cancer fellowship at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK. She held a consultant post at University College London Hospital (UCLH) before returning to Auckland City Hospital as a full-time Respiratory and Sleep Physician.

Dr Claire Ellender BSc, MBBS, FRACP, PhD

Claire is a Respiratory and Sleep specialist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Her areas of research include evaluating health literacy and sleep education materials and complex sleep disorder management. Claire works closely as a conjoint appointed academic within the Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland at the PA Southside Clinical unit.

Dr Stephen Kinder FRACP

Stephen is the Sleep Fellow at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane for 2023. He has completed prior training in Respiratory and General Medicine, working across Queensland regional and metropolitan centres. He also holds a strong interest in medical education, maintaining a Senior Lecturer role within Griffith University.

Dr Benjamin Nguyen FRACP

Benjamin is a Staff Specialist at St Vincent’s Hospital and a Visiting Medical Officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. He also works as a Respiratory and Sleep Physician at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and is a Clinical Lecturer for the University of Sydney.

Dr Lauren Nisbet

Lauren is an advanced trainee in Paediatric Sleep Medicine and General Paediatrics and is the current Sleep Fellow at Monash Children’s Hospital. She has a passion for the field of sleep medicine and wishes to further improve learning opportunities and experiences of trainees. Lauren has a strong interest in clinical research and completed her PhD investigating the cardiovascular impacts of sleep disordered breathing in preschool-age children. She has been part of working groups developing unit protocols at the Royal Children’s Hospital, writing interview scenarios and responses for undergraduate medicine entry at Monash University, and has also authored articles for the Raising Children’s Network.

Dr Antonia O'Connor FRACP

Antonia recently obtained her FRACP in paediatric respiratory medicine with paediatric training undertaken in Adelaide. She is currently doing advanced training in paediatric sleep medicine in Sydney. Antonia also recently obtained her PhD in researching the use of augmented reality for asthma education in children and adolescents. She has previously worked in a clinical fellow role which solidified her interest in medical education and supporting junior doctor welfare.

Dr Shyamala Pradeepan FRACP

Shyamala is an Adult Respiratory and Sleep Physician working with NSW health, with over 10 years of experience. She has been trained across states in Australia and overseas and is very passionate about ongoing medical education and training to the needs of the day and future. Shyamala believes this is only way to reach the larger audience, the patients.

Associate Professor Sadasivam Suresh FRACP

Sadasivam is a Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Physician and Fellow of the college who has a long association with education related activities of the college. He has a graduate certificate in clinical education and has been involved in student and vocational education of basic/advanced trainees. He has experience in accreditation in sleep services through ASA and through RACP with BPT accreditation which gave him a deeper understanding of how educational training standards are key to sustained excellence in delivery of education. Sadasivam is also the current chair of the PDEC and with his association with examination processes as an NEP, he has good insight at the coalface and understand the importance of the curriculum renewal project. According to him, curriculum renewal is a key aspect of continuing educational delivery for the college and with his wide-ranging experience in the education space, he would like to bring that to good effect by contributing to the process.

Associate Professor Arthur Teng FRACP

Arthur is a senior staff specialist paediatrician, sleep physician and Head of the Department of Sleep Medicine at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. Currently he is Conjoint Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania. He was Respiratory Fellow and Chief Resident at the then Prince of Wales Children’s Hospital before training with Professor Colin Sullivan at the David Read Laboratories, University of Sydney, about ten years following the invention of CPAP. His clinical and research interests include the neuropsychological impact of sleep disorders in children, parasomnias, infantile obstructive sleep apnoea and childhood narcolepsy. He has published across the broad spectrum of paediatric sleep disorders in peer-reviewed journals including Sleep, J Applied Physiology, AJRCCM, ERJ, Sleep Medicine, J of Sleep Research, Respirology etc., and several textbook chapters. He supervised multiple Honours, Masters and PhD Projects through the Universities of Sydney and NSW. Arthur has also trained over 20 scientists and physicians, from Australia and around the world.

Dr Sarah Yeo FRACP

Sarah is a respiratory physician currently completing post-fellowship year in sleep medicine. She completed MBBS at the University of Adelaide, where she is now a Senior Clinical Lecturer, has completed a Cystic Fibrosis Fellowship at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and obtained FRACP after training at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network. She is current SA/NT Branch President of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and is a member of the TSANZ working party for developing guidelines for recognition of competency in respiratory medicine in interventional pulmonology and pleural procedures.  Sarah has a keen interest in diagnosis and management of lung cancer, mechanisms of resistance of lung cancer to immunotherapy, interventional pulmonology and pleural procedures, as well as curriculum design and continuing education through every phase of training encompassing post-fellowship competency-based assessment.