Relevant Clinical & Research Experience
I am a legally qualified and registered medical practitioner, and am a specialist physician and neurologist. I am registered with the Medical Board of Australia and have been a member of the Medicolegal Society of Victoria since 2014, previously being a member of the medicolegal section of the AMA since 2006 and my first registration with WorkCover was in 2003. I am a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Physicians, Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Digital Health and a Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
I completed my undergraduate bachelors degree from the University of Melbourne, with honours in Genetics. I subsequently completed my medical training with registration through Queen Elizabeth Hospital and my PhD in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at University of Melbourne was conferred in 2006. I completed my Epilepsy Fellowship 2004-2007 and became a full Fellow of the college in 2008. My postdoctoral studies included a Cognition Fellowship at Stanford University.
In 2015 I became a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. I have held roles as a non-executive board member for health services including experience as a chair for Quality & Safety and Education, Training & Research board subcommittees and have been a council member of the Australian Medical Association. I was appointed by the Minister of Health as a member of Medical Panels Victoria, in 2020. I have been a consultant to the Australian Commonwealth Science Organisation and sat on a number of advisory boards for the Federal Department of Health including informing the strategy for the National Women’s Health Policy. I have held medical teaching roles in several academic institutions and specialist colleges.
I worked as a consultant neurologist in the Department of Neurology, University of Melbourne (Royal Melbourne Hospital) before moving to private practice. From 2008-2013 I was the Director of the Women’s Healthy Ageing Project at the National Ageing Research Organisation. From 2016-2019, I was the founder and Director of the Healthy Brain Initiative at the Institute of Health and Ageing. Since 2013 I have been the Director of the Healthy Ageing Program in the Centre for Medical Research Department of Medicine (RMH), School of Medicine, University of Melbourne. I was on the board of the Western Health Services 2012-2015 and was Chair of the Education, Training and Research Committee and Chair of the Quality & Safety Committee.
In 2003 I was awarded the RW Tweedle Prize of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Physicians.
In 2007 I received an Award from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Physicians.
I was awarded the International Greenblatt Prize for Women’s Health in 2008. I won the Australasian Grossman Award for women’s health in 2012.
In 2018 I received the Robert Maple-Brown Award from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Physicians.
In addition to these acknowledgements I have also been the recipient of several NHMRC personal fellowship awards, an Alzheimer’s Australia cognition fellowship and various funding and travel awards for my medical research including the Tall Poppy Science Award in 2011.
I am the author of several book chapters, and over two hundred articles in the medical literature.
Since specialisation in 2008 I have continued to be engaged in consulting neurology practice. For decades I have provided medico legal reports for a range of areas including standard neurologic care, and the neurological sequelae of injuries and surgical procedures. I have been active in performing medico-legal examinations, including those with respect to the Transport Accident Commission, WorkCover, SIRA, NDIA and medical negligence for both plaintiffs and defendants. This has involved frequent provision of Assessment of Impairment pursuant to the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (4th, 5th and 6th editions).
I have completed the approved 4th Edition, 5th Edition, 6th addition and CommCare Impairment training courses and attended refresher programs, and am credentialed in the Core, Neuro, Spine, and GEPIC. I have experience with court cross examinations and have been invited to be a specialist representative for both the Coroner and NDIS.
I am qualified to carry out impairment assessments.