Real Life Clinical Scenarios – Lessons Learnt?
Multidisciplinary Approach

Prof Stuart MacKay is an Honorary Clinical Professor (University of Wollongong) and Honorary Fellow (University of Western Australia), who provides Ear, Nose, Throat, Head & Neck, Thyroid and Sleep Surgery services via Illawarra ENT Head and Neck Clinic and The Woolcock Institute of Sleep in Glebe. Prof MacKay is a fellowship trained contemporary airway surgeon, and is recognized as a leading surgeon in this discipline in Australasia. Prof MacKay has published over 70 peer reviewed publications related to sleep apnoea surgery, including textbook chapters and dissection manuals, and has been an invited speaker at a multitude of national and international meetings as far afield as India, China and the USA. He was a chief investigator in the NH&MRC funded SAMS trial published in JAMA and the primary author on the manuscript. He is also a recipient of a Garnett-Passe Rodney Williams Grant for research evaluating upper airway modelling and manipulation in sleep apnoea.

Prof MacKay is also an IHMRI affiliate, supervising Masters of Philosophy students and receiving co-investigator status on an IHMRI small grant. He is a member of ASOHNS and the Australasian Sleep Association (and its Clinical Committee) and the current Vice President of the International Surgical Sleep Society.

Dr Pip Gale is a local female Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. She graduated from University of Tasmania in 2004 and completed her fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in NSW, with most of her training completed at Wollongong Hospital. She has ten years experience working in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and has a special interest in general obstetrics, utero vaginal prolapse surgery.

A/Prof Chin is also a co-founder of South Coast Medical Forum. A/Prof Chin graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1990, completing his urological training in 2000 before joining the University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine as an Honorary Fellow.

A/Prof Chin is widely published, maintaining a modern approach to urology. He is also involved in many past and present research studies into new treatments in urology, such as leading the first research trials for the "Urolift" device, which over 10 years later is now a leading treatment option for minimally invasive surgical procedure for benign prostate hypertrophy (BHP). He is on the editorial board for the British Journal of Urology and the past chairman of the Lower Urinary Tract Special Advisory Group for the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand. A/Prof Chin operates out of Wollongong Private Hospital, Shellharbour Private Hospital & Wollongong Public Hospital, specialising in Robotic, Laparoscopic and Minimally invasive surgery for Uro-Oncology, stones and general urological conditions.

A/Prof Smita Agarwal is one of the co-founders of South Coast Medical Forum. She is a comprehensive ophthalmologist and is the Head of Ophthalmology Department at Wollongong and Shellharbour Public Hospitals. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine.

A/Prof Agarwal provides comprehensive ophthalmology services with a special interest in Cataract and Laser Eye Surgery. She conducts clinics from her rooms in Wollongong, Nowra and Warilla and operates at several public and private hospitals located at Wollongong, Shellharbour and Nowra.

A/Prof Agarwal is a fellow of RANZCO and completed her ophthalmology specialist training at Monash Medical Centre in 2006. She has authored many research papers and case reports that have been published in Australia and overseas.

Associate Professor Mouhannad Jaber is an experienced upper-GI and bariatic surgeon. He has specific training in obesity and general laparoscopic surgery and treats all types of pancreatic and oesophageal cancers.

A/Prof Jaber’s practice is focussed on Upper Gastro Intestinal and Hepatic, Pancreatic and Biliary surgery. His areas of expertise includes providing services for Pancreatic, Hepatic, and Oesophagogastric resections for the treatment of cancer.

Prof Pai completed his MBBS at Manipal University in India, then went on to his residency training Psychiatry in NIMHANS, Bangalore. Later, he obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Psychological Medicine and Doctor of Medicine where he was awarded a Silver Jubilee Award for the Best Outgoing Student of the Year. Prof Pai underwent training in Health Service research, and Development and Medical Education and has been a Fellow of a number of Psychiatric organisations. A highly respected contributor to his field, Prof Pai has published over 150 articles during the past ten years and is on the editorial and reviewers board of several Psychiatric journals. Prof Pai was recently awarded International Distinguished Fellowship of American Psychiatric Association for his lifetime contribution to Medical education, research, and patient care.

Dr Joanne Morris is a General Paediatrician and Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Wollongong Hospital. She also holds a Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics position at the University of Wollongong and is the Medical Lead for the State-wide Committee on Eating Disorders. Her areas of interest include Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders, quality improvement and education.

Dr Alexia Pape completed her MD at the University of Vienna, before moving to Australia in 1999 where she completed endocrinology specialty training in 2010. She currently works as a consultant endocrinologist, acting as the Head of the Endocrinology Department at Wollongong Hospital. She also operates a private practice from Piccadilly Centre in Wollongong. Dr Pape has special interest and expertise in thyroid and parathyroid disease and cancer.

Dr Shetty is an interventional cardiologist and senior staff specialist at ISLHD. He is also managing director of the Cardiac Centre. Dr Shetty completed his cardiology training from the Wollongong, St George, Sutherland, and Prince of Wales hospital network, and his interventional fellowship at Prince of Wales Hospital. He also works as VMO in Wollongong Private Hospital, Sutherland heart clinic and Eastern heart clinic. Dr Shetty's areas of interest include complex coronary intervention and structural heart disease intervention. He is heavily involved in Basic Physician and Cardiology advanced trainee education.

Dr Rannard is a Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, trained in Australia and internationally. She studied medicine at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. She also gained a Bachelor of Medical Science for which she was awarded the William Leech Scholarship for Research for her thesis into treatments for children with cerebral palsy. She undertook her initial surgical training in London and gained membership with the Royal College in Surgeons of England in 2006.

Dr Rannard is fully trained in procedures across the spectrum of Plastic Surgery. Her specific interests include paediatric plastic surgery, skin cancer surgery, reconstructive surgery and hand surgery.

In addition to her clinical work, she has an interest in medical leadership and management and has been a member of the trusts delivering clinical care working group, recently leading a study into hospital telemedicine appointments. She is also part of the MILE programme, (a joint venture between the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management), and is involved in developing a new medical leadership course for doctors in NSW.

Joel Rhee is an associate professor of general practice at the University of Wollongong, the chair of the RACGP cancer and palliative care specific interests network, and GP clinical lead at the HammondCare Centre for Positive Ageing + Care with special interest in end-of-life care and aged care. Joel’s research is focused on optimising quality of life and enhancing decision-making in patients with end-of-life care needs especially in outpatient and community settings. He has been involved in many research projects in the past five years including randomised controlled trial of an intervention to help identify patients with end-of-life care needs in the community, randomised controlled trial of facilitated Advance Care Planning in people with end-of-life care needs attending specialist outpatient clinics, development of an all-of-practice approach to Advance Care Planning and end-of-life care in general practice, a data linkage study examining cancer care in rural NSW, and an NHMRC-funded study on lung cancer screening and smoking cessation. Joel has been the GP educational lead for the Advance Project, an Australian Government initiative aimed at training GPs and general practice nurses to assist frail and elderly people in making decisions about their future care.

Dr Kimberly Cipko is a Staff Specialist in Infectious Diseases. She moved to Wollongong in 2013, after completing her medical degree, internship, and residency in Birmingham (UK). Dr Cipko completed her Basic Physician Training and Advanced Training in Infectious Diseases in ISLHD and SESLHD (St George Hospital). She is currently working as a Staff Specialist in Infectious Diseases at Wollongong and Shellharbour hospitals, providing inpatient and outpatient care, an ID and COVID-specific consultation service, and an antimicrobial stewardship service. Dr Cipko also works as a General Medicine Staff Specialist at Shellharbour Hospital. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the beautiful Illawarra Shoalhaven region with her husband and two young sons.