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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.