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Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine

Consultation on a draft redesigned curriculum for Advanced Training in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine has now closed.

specialty development finalise project stage

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.

Subject matter experts

Specialist contractor

The specialist contractor developed an initial draft specialty curriculum in line with College-approved educational models and templates, quality standards, and project deadlines.

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Dr Ju Lee Oei, FRACP | Specialist contractor
Ju Lee is a neonatologist and Conjoint Professor of Paediatrics (UNSW). At the RACP, she is Chair of the Paediatric Research Committee and member of the Executive Council and College Journal Committee. She is also Editor in Chief of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Her research interests are in prenatal drug exposure and the use of oxygen in newborn resuscitation.

Curriculum Review Group

The Curriculum Review Group reviewed and refined the draft curriculum in preparation for broad consultation.

See the Curriculum Review Group for Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Terms of Reference (PDF) for more information.

Members

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Dr Rocco Cuzzilla, FRACP | Chair
Rocco was admitted to Fellowship of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2015, dual qualified in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and General Paediatrics. He is a full-time Consultant Neonatologist, on staff at The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, since 2015. His specialty interests include neonatal neurology, fetal medicine, and medical education.

He undertook postgraduate training in paediatrics at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and subspecialty training in neonatology at Mercy Hospital for Women and The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne. He completed a Fellowship in Neonatology at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. He was Chief Fellow in his final year of training. He undertook a Clinical Research Fellowship at Imperial College London where he received training in neonatal neuroimaging. He was awarded his PhD from The University of Melbourne in 2020.

He holds a Clinical Senior Lecturer position with The University of Melbourne and an Honorary Research Fellow position with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Rocco is the Clinical Lead for the Neonatology Fellowship Program at the Women’s and he is a faculty member of the Melbourne Neonatal Fellowship Program. He has led initiatives to improve access to education and training opportunities for vocational trainees, including protected professional development time, participation in a broader range of outpatient clinics, and the introduction of Neonatal Ultrasound Fellowship positions.

As one of the earliest Advanced Trainees in NPM and now a supervisor of trainees, Rocco is acutely familiar with changes in the NPM curriculum and training requirements over time, the evolving landscape of practice in neonatal and perinatal medicine, the pressing need for innovation in the scope and delivery of training requirements, and the imperative for a frameshift toward competency-based training. He has first-hand experience of NPM curricula and training requirements.


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Dr Mariam Buksh, FRACP
Mariam has been a neonatologist at Te Toka Tumai (Auckland Hospital) since 2008, after completing her neonatal perinatal training in Auckland and Sydney. She has been the service clinical director of Newborn Services since 2017. Mariam is also an honorary clinical lecturer in the Department of Paediatrics, The University of Auckland. She enjoys all aspects of acute neonatal care. Her other interests include bioethics and clinical education. She completed a postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Education in 2014. Mariam has previously been the Aotearoa New Zealand representative on NPM ATC and Aotearoa New Zealand College Education Committee. She is involved in SPDP and facilitate supervisor workshops.

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Dr Preethi Chandrasekaran, FRACP
Preethi is a neonatologist currently working within Paediatric Infant and Perinatal Emergency Retrieval (PIPER) department at the Royal Childrens Hospital. She is also a neonatal fellow at Monash Childrens Hospital. She completed her paediatric and neonatal training in Singapore, before attaining fellowship in neonatal and perinatal medicine at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2021. Her research interests are in congenital cytomegalovirus and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, and she is a part of the research group setting up the Australian Congenital CMV register.

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Dr Mark Greenhalgh, FRACP
Mark is a senior staff specialist in Neonatology, and current Head of Department at Royal Prince Alfred Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Sydney. He has a Master of Clinical Education and enjoys supporting neonatal trainees particularly around curriculum and career development.

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Dr Kristen Haakons, FRACP
Kristen has recently completed her training in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine and in working at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She is starting her PhD this year looking at the early detection and prognostication of reduced foetal movements in the perinatal period through the University of Queensland- Mater Research Institute. Kristen has had a long-standing passion for advocacy and education. She represented her peers as the Vice President for Education in Medical School, has been involved in numerous accreditation committees for hospitals across Queensland and is an active bedside tutor for UQ Medical Students. She is an enthusiastic proponent of opportunistic teaching moments and can frequently be found on a ward round offering the findings of a recent or well-known study to explain a particular practice point to more junior doctors. In particular, Kristen is eager to ensure that trainees have access to the best opportunities and resources to not only allow them to qualify in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, but also have a training experience which fosters an appreciation for continuing professional development as well as personal growth.

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Dr Susan Ying Shan Feng, RACP
Susan is a consultant neonatologist at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Western Australia. Susan has been working in both clinical and research fields of Neonatology in Melbourne and Perth for over 20 years. Apart from completing the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exam for general registration, and the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in Paediatrics and Neonatology, Susan also awarded a PhD in Paediatrics and Neonatology at the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, Monash University under supervision of Professor Adrian Walker and Professor Victor Yu. Susan’s research interests are on neonatal and perinatal haemodynamics and innovation.

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Dr Kerryn Houghton
Kerryn is a final year advanced trainee in both neonatal and perinatal medicine and general paediatrics. Outside of medicine she enjoys travelling and Pilates.

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Dr Lydia Kennedy, FRACP
Lydia is a Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatric Retrieval Coordinator. She works with SA Ambulance Service's Medstar Kids Retrieval Service and in private practice. She has postgraduate qualifications in clinical education and simulation. She believes education is an integral part of a clinicians work and actively supports clinician development through various teaching roles.

Lydia is involved in medical education at multiple levels; she serves as an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the University of Adelaide, where she contributes to undergraduate medical training. She also develops and delivers postgraduate education for neonatal trainees in South Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand; and leads multidisciplinary education initiatives at SAAS Medstar Kids.


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Dr Simone Martin, FRACP
Simone is a dual-trained Neonatologist and General Paediatrician with a strong interest in training and mentoring the future generation of trainees. She grew up in a small village in Eastern Nepal, and now live on Larrakia country in Darwin. These experiences shaped her thinking around how to incorporate cultural understanding and communication in practice. She participated in the Basic Training Curriculum Review Committee for 5 years, has completed a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Co-design of Neonatal follow-up services. She also has the joy of parenting 2 small boys with her husband.

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Dr Darazel Perez, FRACP
Darazel is a dual trained specialist in general paediatrics and in neonatal & perinatal medicine. She works as a neonatologist in Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. She was a pharmacist before she became a doctor.

Darazel also works in neonatal and paediatric emergency retrieval services as part of Careflight and NETS. She completed her training within the Sydney Children’s Health Network and worked in several tertiary and regional hospitals across New South Wales, Victoria, and ACT. Darazel continues to engage in research, education, and training activities within the health network.


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Dr Amy Raos

Amy is an advanced trainee in general paediatrics and neonatal medicine. She completed her basic training with the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network before relocating back to Aotearoa New Zealand for completion of training. She is an advocate for flexible training in order to achieve gender equity in medicine, and has a special interest in patient centred, equitable delivery of care. She has previously been involved with the Curriculum Review Group for General Paediatrics and enjoyed the chance to be part of a positive and progressive movement to drive change.

For more information on the current curriculum, see the Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Curriculum (PDF) and the PREP Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Program handbook.

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