FACULTY
Convenor
Dr Simon Pridgeon
Matthew Gray
Matthew graduated as a pilot with the RAAF in 1981. From 1984 until his retirement from the RAAF in 1988, Matthew was a Qualified Flying Instructor specialising in training advanced pilot trainees. Matthew joined Qantas in 1988 and gained his command in 2000, then returned to training pilots and examining duties. Matthew held a number of management positions in Qantas including Audit Manager, B737 Fleet Manager, Head of Training and Deputy Chief Pilot Qantas Domestic and finally as Head of Training and Checking Qantas Airways. Matthew has been a member of numerous safety and learning development committees and introduced Evidence Based Training into the pilot training curriculum in Qantas. He has a deep interest in human factors and training system development.
Caroline Dowling
Associate Professor Dowling is a Consultant Urologist practicing in Melbourne, Australia. She has extensive experience in General Urology, Neuro-urology, and continence service, developing expertise in urodynamics, clinical assessment and operative and medical management of patients with complex bladder dysfunction and pelvic floor disorders. Her role includes multidisciplinary clinics for the management of pelvic floor disorders in females and neuro-urology with the Geriatrician to the Urology Unit and a liaison service for young adults with complex urological problems with the Royal Childrens’ Hospital.
Lih-Ming Wong
Associate Professor Lih-Ming Wong is a urologist with sub-specialty interest and training in uro-oncology. A medical graduate of Melbourne University, Ming completed his urology training in Victoria in 2009. Subsequently, he spent one year in Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge, and two years at Princess Margaret Hospital Toronto in uro-oncology fellowship training. During this time, Ming gained experience in minimally invasive robotic assisted surgery, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, cystectomy and managing complex urological cancer cases. Ming is a high volume robotic surgeon, and an experienced mentor and proctor for other urologists commencing robtic surgery.
Eric Chung
Associate Professor Eric Chung is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Department of Urology, Princess Alexandra Hospital and University of Queensland. A/Professor Chung’s clinical areas of interest include female and male voiding dysfunction; complex urinary stones; male sexual, fertility and microsurgical surgery; as well as urological reconstructive prosthesis surgery. He is the first urological surgeon in Australia to complete an Andrology fellowship that is accredited by the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA). A/Professor Chung is the current chairperson for the Andrology Special Advisory Group in the Urological Society of Australia and NZ (USANZ).
Devang Desai
Dr. Sanjay Kulkarni has published several research papers along with gaining experience and expertise in reconstructive urology. This involved treating patients with stricture urethra due to a variety of causes such as lichen sclerosis, trauma, infection, instrumentation, radiation and pelvic fracture. He can provide care for patients with urethral stricture disease, pelvic fracture and those who need complex urethroplasty and prosthesis (penile implant and artificial urinary sphincter) surgery. Dr. Desai has performed over 500 urethral reconstructions and travels around Australia as well as overseas to assist with urethral reconstruction surgery.
Rachel Esler
Dr Esler is a Urological Surgeon with a special interest in the minimally invasive treatment of urinary tract cancers. Dr Esler graduated University of Queensland with honours and has a practice in General general surgery training in Brisbane and Central QLD, before completing her Advanced Training in Urology in NSW and completed fellowship training in Manchester, England, subspecialising in the laparoscopic treatment of urological cancers, particularly kidney and prostate cancer. She has completed post-fellowship training in robotic surgery.
Anojan Navaratnam
Dr Anojan (Ano) Navaratnam is a consultant Urologist who is a fully credentialed urological surgeon with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is a robotic surgeon with interests in urologic oncology and endourology. He is the only surgeon in QLD to have experience in the use of robotics for complex surgery including vena cava tumour thrombus surgery and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. He is the only surgeon in Queensland to have completed fellowship training in Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) for benign prostate hyperplasia.
Alan Parnham
Dr Alan Parnham trained at the Royal London Hospital Medical College from 1979-1985 and obtained FRACP in 1996. His passion for renal medicine is in clinical practice, teaching and research. His earlier research efforts at the Richard Bright Renal Unit in Bristol have resulted in the formation of Exonate Corporation where he is an advisory board member. Dr Parnham isolated a protein which has been further researched and developed into an eye drop formulation with the aim of preventing blindness in patients with Diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Phase 3 human trials are underway in Australia with the aim of recruitment to conclude by 2021.
Matthew Roberts
Matthew is a medical graduate of The University of Queensland and completed Urology specialty training in Queensland and New South Wales. He completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor “Frank” Gardiner investigating new biomarkers for the early detection and characterization of prostate cancer.
Sagar Ramani
Dr Sagar Ramani is based on the Gold Coast and attends Genesis Care Tugun and Southport treatment centres. His special interests include genitourinary, lung, breast, colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers. Sagar has expertise in the latest radiation technologies such as Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT), Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) & Contact Therapy for rectal cancer.
Naomi Tracey
Naomi Tracey graduated from the School of Medicine at UQ in 1998. She worked as a Radiology Registrar at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane and Gold Coast Hospital prior to joining South Coast Radiology in 2014.Her subspecialty interests include Breast Imaging and Prostate MRI.