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QUALIFICATIONS
I am committed to the public and private health sectors and obtaining the best possible overall care for patients. I am also committed to community recovery and aiding in disaster management.
I am strongly committed to supporting and teaching junior medical staff and helping them achieve their career objectives.
I am continually learning and have areas I would like to develop that I think would be of great value to Queensland patients and our hospitals. At all times my objective is that I am rigorously and honestly audited and assessed.
| 2008 |
AO spine member |
| 2007 |
MPhil (Masters of Philosophy) |
| 2005 |
FRACS Part II Examination Neurosurgery – completed. |
| 2000 |
Basic Surgical Training – completed, Townsville General Hospital, Townsville, Australia. |
| 1996 |
MBChB (Otago) |
| 2008 |
Chairperson Neurosurgery Society of Queensland
Acting Director Neurosurgeon Princess Alexandra Hospital
Supervisor of Neurosurgery training
First Line assessor Queensland Audit of Surgical Mortality |
| 2007 |
Neurosurgeon Princess Alexandra Hospital
Deputy director of neurosurgery
Supervisor of neurosurgical training
Special interests: Brain tumours, pituitary tumours, endoscopic surgery, trigeminal neuralgia and functional neurosurgery
Chairperson for multidisciplinary fortnightly brain tumour clinic
Chairperson for weekly multidisciplinary pituitary meeting
I spent time as an observer in Toronto with Professor Lozano observing Deep Brain Stimulation. This has helped us institute deep brain stimulation in PAH in addition to the lesioning we already do. We have developed a specific audit to assess the introduction of this. The first case occurred in December 2007.
This year I have overseen the development of standardised consent forms for all major neurosurgical procedures in Queensland.
Development of a spinal clinic for non surgical spinal with Dr Nowitzke and Dr Wood. We have instigated neurosurgery preset training in private hospitals substantially expanding our potential neurosurgery staff numbers in Queensland.
Extensive research and teaching programs have been developed this year. |
| 2006 |
Locum Neurosurgery Consultant, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. In this position I was relieving my mentors and establishing a role for myself at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
I was further developing pituitary, functional and endoscopic surgery at Princess Alexandra Hospital. I developed teaching tools for our junior medical staff and allied health.
I actively explored research opportunities to involve allied health and junior medical staff.
I engaged a number of projects in conjunction with nursing case managers looking at improved patient care. |
| 2005 |
Fifth Year Trainee in Neurosurgery, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia. At Monash I learnt endoscopic neurosurgery and the technique of awake craniotomies. I developed my pituitary surgery skills further and performed a great deal of paediatric neurosurgery. |
| 2004 |
Research Fellow, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Research is a compulsory year in neurosurgery training and I endeavoured to do a lab based project that would be very challenging to a clinician. In this year I learnt research and laboratory based skills.
Research Project – “Radio labelled CRH and GnRH for improved diagnosis and treatment of Acromegaly”
MPhil (Masters of Philosophy) acceptance |
| 2002-03 |
Second and Third Year Trainee in Neurosurgery, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. At Princess Alexandra Hospital I was exposed to a lot of trauma and general spinal surgery improving my skills in this area. I was taught complex spinal surgery and functional neurosurgery. I was also taught Pain medicine and learnt pituitary surgery. |
| 2001 |
First Year Trainee in Neurosurgery, Auckland Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. In Auckland Hospital we were exposed to a lot of cranial surgery as it is a very busy unit. I learnt my core neurosurgical skills here. |
| 2000 |
Neurosurgery and ICU Registrar (Six month rotation), Townsville General Hospital, Townsville, Australia. |
| 1999 |
Neurosurgery and Maxillofacial Registrar, Townsville General Hospital, Townsville Australia. |
| 1998 |
Resident Medical Officer, Townsville General Hospital, Townsville Australia. Emergency Department, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Country Relieving (Tully, Charters Towers and Mareeba). |
| 1997 |
Internship, Christchurch Public Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. |
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Research and Publications |
| 2008 |
Coinvestigator: Hypofractionation and temozolomide for GBM in the elderly |
| 2007 |
Principal Investigator: EVD versus ICP monitoring in severe brain trauma
Principal Investigator: The collection, transportation, storage and processing for research purposes of human glioma tissue
Principal investigator: An open label, extended use strude of hCRF intended for patients who participate in the dexametasone sparing studies
Pincipal Investigator: A Pahse III randomised, double blind study comparing hCRF to dexamethasone for Control of Symptoms associated with peritumoral brain edema in patients with primary malignant Glioma
Principal Investigator: A Pahse III randomised, double blind dexamethasone sparing study comparing human corticotropin releasing factor to Placebo for Control of Symptoms associated with peritumoral brain edema in patients with malignant brain tumour who require chronic administration of high dose dexamethasone
Principal Investigator: Neuropsychological outcome after Transsphenoidal Surgery.
Coinvestigator: Allied Health Cancer Care Initiative Research Scheme – Supports and Services for Brain tumour patients |
| 2006 |
Coinvestigator: Phase III mulitcenter Study of intratumoral/interstitial Therapy with TransMID Compared to Best Standard of Care in Patients with Progressive and/or Recurrent, nonresectable Glioblastoma Multiforme
Coninvestigator: Multicentre prospective randomised trial of early decompressive craniectomy in patients with severe traumatic brain injury |
| 2005 |
Co-investigator IHAST NEJM 2005 13:352(2):135-145
Benign Intracranial Hypertension and Acromegaly the Endocrinologist 1005 15(3):1-4.
Microvascular Decompression In the Elderly For Trigeminal Neuralgia (awaiting review), Neurology.
Microvascular Decompression: Complication and Recurrences from a Patient Perspective
Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 2005 Sept, 12(7) 787-9.
Meningiomas in the Polynesian Population
ANZ Journal of Surgery 2005 Aug, 5(8):705-10. |
| 2004 |
Slit Ventricle Syndrome: Review of Management
Paediatric Neurosurgery 2004 Nov-Dec 40(6):264-9 Lead Article.
Review of Anticonvulsants in Head Trauma
Clinical Journal of Neuroscience 2004 Jan 11(1):1-3. |
| 2002 |
Spinal Schistosomiasis
Clinical Journal of Neuroscience 2002 May 9(3):317-20.
Acute Subdural Haematomas and Enoxaparin
Clinical Journal of Neuroscience 2002 May 9(3):256-9. |
| 2007 |
Trainee meeting for Neurosurgery: Spinal Tumours and Chair of session 8
Surgical Grand Rounds: Surgery for Parkinsons Disease |
| 2006 |
NSA meeting Cairns: Database for pituitary surgery and review of cure of acromegaly |
| 2006 |
Hamilton island medtronic meeting: Shunts and complications |
| 2006 |
Australian Pituitary Foundation: Operative pituitary surgery |
| 2005 |
NSA meeting Newcastle: Microendoscopic decompression an early safety audit at Princess Alexandra Hospital
Qld endocrinology group: Radioneuropeptides
Asia Pacific Meeting: Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia |
| 2003 |
NSA Meeting Queenstown: Meningiomas in the Polynesian Population |
| 2003 |
RACS 2003: Microvascular Decompression in the Elderly and Complications from Microvascular Decompression |
| 2002 |
International Pain Meeting, Tasmania: Outcomes from Microvascular Decompression |
| 2001 |
Controversies in Neurology, NZ National Meeting:
Radiotherapy in Low Grade Gliomas |
| 2001 |
WFNS meeting presentation : A comparison of frameless versus framed cerebral biopsies (Dr A Nowitzke) |
Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
Neurosurgical Society of Queensland
Trigeminal Neuralgia Association
Pituitary Foundation
Member of community recovery team Queensland
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Ongoing Regular Presentations
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Pituitary Foundation
Trigeminal Neuralgia Association
Queensland Neurosurgeons Journal Club
Rural Queensland General Practice Conferences
Nurse education sessions weekly
Resident and registrar education sessions weekly
| 2008 |
AO spine membership and course |
| 2007 |
One month observership in Toronto Canada for DBS
Medtronic Stealth course, Sydney
Endoscopic skull base surgery, Adelaide |
| 2006 |
Brain Trauma Meeting, Gold Coast
NSA meeting Cairns
Queensland Health Open Disclosure Peer Support Group Training |
| 2005 |
NSA Meeting Gold Coast |
| 2004 |
International Neurovascular Meeting Sydney
International Neurotrauma Meeting Adelaide |
| 2003 |
NSA Meeting Queenstown
Neuromodulation Workshop Sydney
CLEAR - Critical Literature Evolution and Research
International Peripheral Nerve Surgeons Meeting
Stealth Workshop
MIDAS
ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support |
| 2002 |
Controversies in Neurology Queenstown |
| 2000 |
EMST – Emergency Management of Severe Trauma
APLS – Advanced Paediatric Life Support
PHTLS – Pre Hospital Trauma and Life Support
(Invited to become a PHTLS Instructor)
BURNS - Australia and New Zealand Burns Association
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| 2006 |
Accepted for Australian air force specialist reserve |
| 2005 |
Winner NSA Australasian Peter Leech prize in Neurosurgery |
| 2005 |
Winner Marshall Prize in Surgery |
| 2005 |
Neville Davis Prize finalist |
| 2005 |
West Coast Woman of the year |
| 2003 |
Neville Davis prize finalist |
| 2002 |
Member of surgical team who first injected olfactory ensheathing cells into spinal cord injured patients |
| 2001 |
Best Presentation Prize, Australasian Training Meeting |
| 2001 |
Invited Guest Speaker Westland High School Prize giving |
| 1983-89 |
DUX Westland High School
Prizes: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, Statistics, Calculus
West Coast Representative to School of Physics
Direct entrant for Medicine and first professional year of Engineering
School Mathematics team
Leader School debating team
School Orchestra (Grade VII classical piano and clarinet)
Female lead in school dramatic production
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