Clinical Genetics
Consultation on a draft redesigned curriculum for Advanced Training in Clinical Genetics has now closed.
The draft new curriculum
The consultation drafts can be viewed below. If you have any questions, contact curriculum@racp.edu.au
A review of the proposed curriculum standards and learning, teaching and assessment programs will take place to ensure the concepts and traditions of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health and te Ao Māori are reflected across our curricula.
Curriculum Review Group
The Curriculum Review Group reviewed and refined the draft curriculum in preparation for broad consultation.
See the Curriculum Review Group for Clinical Genetics Terms of Reference (PDF) for more information.
Members
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 delivery 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, an online point of care clinical information resource that provides health professionals and patients with current evidence-based, peer reviewed, best practice cancer treatment protocols and information.
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.
For more information on the current curriculum, see the Clinical Genetics Curriculum (PDF) and PREP Clinical Genetics Program handbook.