NTRI - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow, Neurotrauma Research
Job Titles:
- Trauma Registry Consultant, NTRI Gold Coast
Job Titles:
- Trauma Surgeon, NTRI Gold Coast
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Emergency Medicine Program
Associate Professor De Villiers Smit is Head, Emergency Medicine Program at the National Trauma Research Institute and holds other offices within the Alfred Health group including Program Director Emergency & Intensive Care, Director of the Emergency & Trauma Centre at The Alfred Hospital and Director of Emergency Services (which also includes the Sandringham Hospital Emergency Department).
Following graduation from medical school in South Africa, A/Prof Smit worked for a number of years in the UK and New Zealand before settling in Australia in 1999. He completed his training as emergency physician at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2001. Since then, he has worked at The Northern Hospital (Director of Research), Bendigo Hospital (Director of Emergency Medicine Training) and as Senior Lecturer in Emergency Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2002-2003).
A/Prof Smit has worked in some of the largest Trauma Centres in South Africa, the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Australia. He has also been involved in a number of capacity building projects in Sri Lanka, China, India and Vietnam. He is currently actively involved in the establishment of a Masters in Advanced Emergency and Trauma Care in collaboration with Monash University. In addition to an active interest in research and education, he is heavily involved with improving patient flow and safety within the Emergency Department setting.
Job Titles:
- Physician at the Alfred Emergency
- Research Fellow
Dr Adam Bystrzycki is an Emergency Physician at the Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre with over 20 years experience in the management of major trauma. He is also the former Director of Sandringham Emergency and Deputy Director of Emergency Services for Alfred Health. He has interests in trauma resuscitation, point-of-care ultrasound and critical care echocardiography. He has been involved in educating clinicians in the use of ultrasound for bedside clinical decision support for the last 10 years and has served on the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine's Ultrasound Subcommittee.
Dr Bystrzycki has been involved in international collaborations with trauma team education and resuscitation training in China, and was a co-author on the Trauma Reception and Resuscitation project. He has been involved in hospital committees investigating adverse clinical outcomes and has an interest in clinical error mitigation.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Researcher
- Honorary Researcher ( National Trauma Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia )
Dr Alexander Olaussen (BEH, BMedSc(Hons), MBBS(Hons), MACPara, FHEA), is a paramedic, doctor and senior lecturer at Monash University in the Department of Paramedicine.
Alex has years of clinical and research experience, with an interest in the bridge between the pre-hospital and in-hospital environment in critical care. He is currently doing his PhD in pre-hospital resuscitation of major trauma patients. The majority of Alex's experience is in working as a rural emergency doctor and conducting research related to paramedicine and shock. Alex divides his time between clinical care, research and mentoring.
Job Titles:
- Australian Editor of Emergency Medicine Review & Perspectives
- Trauma Educator
Dr Maini is also the Australian Editor of Emergency Medicine Review & Perspectives (EMRAP), a global monthly emergency medicine audio programme.
Job Titles:
- Research Registrar, Neurotrauma Research
- Research Registrar, Spine and Neurotrauma Research
Dr Harley is a neurosurgery registrar working at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. He completed a BSc (Hons) before undertaking an MBChB from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
He has presented at regional conferences in Neurosurgery and was previously awarded the Andrew Kaye Prize for best poster presentation at the NSA annual conference. Long term, he plans to work as an academic neurosurgeon.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate, Neurotrauma Research
- Research Associate, Spine and Neurotrauma Research
Dr Caleb Tan completed his undergraduate MBBS (Hons) degree at Monash University in 2018. He is currently undertaking his medical residency at The Alfred hospital.
Dr Tan has assisted in research on prognostication factors in traumatic brain injury. His area of interest is in neurotrauma and the pathobiological basis of neurological insults, particularly with the use of frailty indices.
Dr Johnny graduated with a MBBS from Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, India, in 1998, and achieved a Master of Surgery in 2005.
He joined The Alfred in 2010 where he completed his Advanced Training in Emergency Medicine, and subsequently went on to receive his Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine in 2017. Dr Johnny previously held the positions of Senior Resident & Lecturer in General Surgery at Christian Medical College & Hospital and Trauma Fellow for The Alfred Trauma Service. He has significant surgical experience including general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and vascular trauma.
Dr Johnny has a strong interest in medical education, especially resuscitative procedures and wound management. He regularly instructs on The Alfred Trauma Service's procedural intervention and resuscitation trauma education programs. His clinical interests are thoracic trauma, resuscitation and interventional procedures.
Job Titles:
- Research Registrar, Neurotrauma Research
- Research Registrar, Spine and Neurotrauma Research
Dr Li is a neurosurgical registrar at the Alfred Hospital, as well as research registrar with the National Trauma Research Institute. He graduated MBBS, BMedSci from the University of Melbourne in 2013 as a National Medicine Scholar and was awarded the James Stewart Bequest Prize in Surgery for his thesis investigating the effects of bracing on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
Dr Li has a research interest in brain and spinal trauma, oncology, neuroimaging, brain-computer interfaces, big data and machine learning.
Dr Chris Groombridge is a director of emergency medicine training and a Trauma Physician working at The Alfred Hospital, in Melbourne.
After completing his emergency medicine training in February 2013, he moved to Sydney to work as a Staff Specialist at Liverpool Hospital's Major Trauma Centre Emergency Department (ED). Chris has a particular interest in the prehospital management of trauma and has worked as a retrieval specialist with Sydney HEMS, CareFlight NSW, and Adult Retrieval Victoria, and internationally with London's Air Ambulance and Essex & Hertfordshire Air Ambulance in the UK.
Dr Groombridge's current research interests focus on optimising airway management outside the operating theatre and he developed The Alfred ED airway governance program which includes an ongoing audit of all ED intubations, monthly tailored education for trainees, and the standardisation of Rapid Sequence Intubation in the ED. He is also a founding member of The Procedures Course and The Airway Course, which are cadaver-based skills courses, teaching life-saving interventions to critical care clinicians.
Dr Groombridge completed a Masters in Trauma Sciences with Queen Mary University of London and is currently undertaking a PhD on the human factors of resuscitation with Monash University. This work has led to multiple publications focusing on life-saving interventions, as well as the impact of stress in resuscitation. Dr Groombridge recently secured a grant which will facilitate his upcoming studies on the physiological markers associated with clinician performance during resuscitation.
Dr Ben-Eli completed his medical degree in the Israel Institute of Technology in 1993 and has been in Melbourne since 1996. He completed his emergency medicine training at The Alfred in 2008 and worked as Emergency Physician at Alfred's Emergency and Trauma Centre since 2009. He is also currently working at Monash Medical Centre's Emergency Department since 2010, where he was a Director of Emergency Medicine Training until the end of 2019.
Between 2008-2017, Dr Ben-Eli worked as a Retrieval Consultant with Adult Retrieval Victoria (ARV - a branch of Ambulance Victoria). He cared for many trauma and other critically ill patients, stabilising and transferring them on fixed-wing, rotary-wing and road platforms, to trauma centres in Melbourne. In 2017, he completed a 6-month sabbatical at Alfred's Trauma Service, and commenced work as a Trauma Consultant.
Dr Ben-Eli regularly teaches on the Alfred's Trauma orientation program, the Procedure Course and on NTRI's international programs in China. He is a member of the Court of Examines of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and held a number of appointments on college committees.
He is also involved in several community initiatives:
a member of Chevra Hatzolah's Medical Standards Committee (a Jewish first responder organisation); and
involved in education through the Youth & Alcohol Program - a program of JCCV (the Jewish Community Council of Victoria).
Dr Ben-Eli's interests include emergency medicine and trauma education, thoracic trauma, and use of POCUS in trauma and critical care.
Job Titles:
- Assoc Professor
- Deputy Director of Radiology / Head of Trauma and Emergency Radiology / Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Monash University
- Honorary Researcher - Trauma Radiology
Assoc Professor Varma underwent his specialist training in Radiology at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologist (RANZCR) in 2000. His specialist training included an accredited Fellowship in MRI at The Alfred Hospital.
His particular area of interest is Trauma and Emergency Radiology and MRI, and the role of radiology in the integrated multidisciplinary approach to imaging and management of multitrauma patients.
Job Titles:
- Education Lead, National Trauma Research Institute and Trauma Service / Consultant Surgeon, HPB Unit, Alfred Health / Consultant Surgeon, Trauma Unit, Alfred Health
- Educational Lead
Job Titles:
- Clinical Coordinator for the King Saud Medical City
- Research Fellow - Clinical Education & Research
Dr O'Keeffe obtained his degree in Biochemistry from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and subsequently completed his medical degree at The Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland (RCSI). Dr O'Keeffe moved to Australia and completed his Advanced Training in Emergency Medicine at The Alfred Hospital in 2015 and subsequently held Consultant positions with both the Emergency Department and the Trauma Service at The Alfred.
Dr O'Keeffe was appointed Clinical Coordinator for the King Saud Medical City (KSMC) - The Alfred International Trauma Program, a position he held until his return to Ireland with his family in 2016.
Dr O'Keeffe's main areas of clinical interest are in critical care and trauma resuscitation. He regularly instructs on the Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support courses and is co-founder of The Procedures Course, a cadaver-based skills course, teaching life-saving interventions to critical care clinicians.
He is actively engaged in clinical research and remains an Honorary Consultant with the Alfred Trauma Service as well as Research Fellow with The National Trauma Research Institute, Australia. His current research interests include emergency airway management, optimal use of blood and blood products in trauma resuscitation as well as traumatic brain injury.
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow, Neurotrauma Research
- Research Fellow, Spine and Neurotrauma Research
Dr Hui Lee is a neurosurgery registrar at the Alfred Hospital. She completed her BMedSc and MBBS degree at the University of Melbourne and subsequently completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Hui has a strong focus in clinical research. Her clinical research concentrates on the outcome of traumatic brain injury in the elderly and outcome of spine surgery in the fields of spine trauma, degenerative spine and elderly patients. She is an associate investigator and coordinator of the AOSpine international projects at the Alfred Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Physician
- Honorary Researcher
Dr Jennifer Jamieson is an emergency physician and trauma fellow. She has been working at Alfred Health since 2009 and has an interest in global emergency care.
Jennifer has previously worked with Medicins Sans Frontieres at the former Kunduz Trauma Centre in Afghanistan as the emergency and intensive care doctor. In 2015, she undertook a medical education role within the emergency department of Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
She has been involved in a number of global health projects and organisations, including co-founding the Global Health Gateway. She was a former director on the board of the Global Ideas Forum and is faculty for the International Emergency Care conference and workshop.
Jennifer has a Masters in Public Health & Tropical Medicine and is currently undertaking a Masters in Trauma. She is involved in research through NTRI on management of the shocked trauma patient.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Fellow
- Research Fellow, Trauma Consultant
Dr Marc Schnekenburger is a Clinical Research Fellow at the NTRI, as well as an Emergency and Trauma Consultant at The Alfred. He was Director of Trauma at Dubbo Base Hospital NSW and continues to work as a Retrieval Consultant in the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Dubbo.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate, Neurotrauma Research
Matt is a neurosurgical resident at The Alfred. He completed a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Anatomy at the University of Sydney before moving to Monash University for Medical School. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy from the University of Melbourne.
Matt has a clinical interest in neurotrauma and has previously published on older adult traumatic brain injury.
Mayank is a critical care resident at The Alfred & has been affiliated with the NTRI since 2019.
His clinical & research interests lean towards trauma resuscitation & critical care. He has published & presented internationally on hypocalcemia in shocked trauma, amongst other topics. His work has also been utilised by The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) as a Continuing Medical Education (CME) manuscript for February 2021 issue of The Journal of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Senior Clinical Research Fellow
Dr Yeung is the Deputy Director (Surgical Services) at the Alfred Trauma service and an Endocrine Surgeon within The Alfred's Breast, Endocrine and General Surgery (BES) Unit.
Dr Yeung completed her medical training through the University of Tasmania in 1995. Her Advanced Surgical Training was completed through the Southern Health care network and she was admitted to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2006. In 2005 and 2006 Dr Yeung undertook Fellowship training in Sydney at St George and Liverpool Hospital, sub specializing in Endocrine and Trauma Surgery. In 2007, Dr Yeung returned to the Alfred Hospital as a VMO in the Trauma Service and BES Unit.
Dr Yeung has published numerous peer-reviewed publications in the field of Endocrine surgery and a book chapter on Primary Hyperparathyroidism.
Dr Yeung has worked extensively at The Alfred Trauma Service a strong interest in trauma surgery and recently spent time at Shock Trauma in Baltimore, Maryland.
At the NTRI Dr/Ms Yeung will work on the International Systems Development programs in China, India, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. She will also contribute to the research and technology programs and projects.
Job Titles:
- Consultant in the Trauma Service at the Alfred Hospital
- Trauma Educator
Dr Mike (Michael) Noonan is a consultant in the trauma service at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and a PhD candidate with the Department of Surgery at the Monash University Central Clinical School. Mike is a fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, holds an Associate Fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, has completed a Fellowship in Trauma Surgery and Critical Care at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and holds a Masters of Medical Education.
Mike's Ikigai (reasons for being…in his work life at least!) include Trauma Care, Clinical Leadership, Translational Research and Education. Having worked as both a Physiotherapist and Medical practitioner caring for the injured, Mike understands that Trauma Care is truly a team pursuit. Outside his work pursuits, Mike is a proud father and volunteer surf lifesaver and can be found regularly enjoying activities that have the potential to lead to him becoming a trauma unit inpatient!
Job Titles:
- Consultant in Anaesthesia & Emergency Medicine at the AZ Groeninge Hospital
- Honorary Researcher
Dr. Dries Helsloot is a consultant in Anaesthesia & Emergency Medicine at the AZ Groeninge Hospital in Kortrijk (Belgium).
After graduating as an Anaesthesist from the KU Leuven University (Belgium), he completed additional training in Emergency Medicine at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (Australia).
He used his passion for trauma resuscitation to improve the reception of the severely injured in his hospital and was co-responsible for obtaining certification as a supraregional trauma centre by DGU®. He now acts as the managing director of the Major Trauma Service.
Dr. Helsloot is actively involved in trauma education and instructs on European Trauma Courses.
He combines his clinical work with scientific research and since 2020 he is a PhD candidate at the KU Leuven University (Belgium), in collaboration with the NTRI. His research focuses on early death after major thoracic trauma and the management of ionized calcium levels.
Job Titles:
- Trauma Research Coordinator, NTRI Gold Coast
Job Titles:
- Council Member of the European Board of Interventional Radiology for the Cardiovascular
- Honorary Researcher - Trauma Interventional Radiology
- Professor
Professor Gerard Goh is a Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist and the Head of Interventional Radiology at The Alfred Hospital. He has worked in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland where he was a Clinical Lecturer in Interventional Radiology and a clinical lecturer for the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland as well as at St George's Hospital, London, UK where he was co-head of Trauma Radiology and an Honorary Senior Lecturer for St George's University of London.
During his time in Europe he was involved with the pan-London trauma network, the European Society of Emergency Radiology and was an expert advisor to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), UK.
Professor Goh is a council member of the European Board of Interventional Radiology for the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe and executive board and committee member of the Asia Pacific Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology. In the past he has been the Dean of the Faculty of Clinical Radiology for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and President of the Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia.
He is a regularly invited speaker at national and international conferences, has a strong interest in research and is an Associate Editor for 2 peer-reviewed medical journals.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Member of the Management Team
- Head Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Associate Professor Gerard O'Reilly is currently an NHMRC Research Fellow at the National Trauma Research Institute, where he is leading the project titled: "Maximising the usefulness and timeliness of trauma and emergency registry data for improving patient outcomes"
Job Titles:
- Trauma Program Manger, NTRI Gold Coast
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Management Team
- Professor
Professor Mark Fitzgerald is Director of the National Trauma Research Institute and Director of Trauma Services at The Alfred. His qualifications are MBBS, University of Melbourne (1981); Fellowship, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (1987); MD (Research) for ‘Computer-Aided Decision Support for Trauma Reception and Resuscitation' Monash University (2015); and Graduate Certificate in Internet Communications, Curtin University (2019). Professor Fitzgerald was a Global Clinical Scholar (Epidemiology and Biostatistics), Harvard Medical School (2014-15).
Professor Fitzgerald has been an Ambulance Victoria Medical Advisor since 1989 and is a member of the Victorian State Trauma Committee. He was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal (ASM), Australia Day Honours (2003); the Foundation Medal, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (2003), Honorary Life Membership of the Neurotrauma Society of India (2010); and the Gordon Trinca Medal, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (2013).
Professor Fitzgerald has led the establishment of trauma reception, resuscitation and management programs along with Trauma Systems development in Australia, China, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. He is co-chair of the Australian New Zealand Trauma Registry.
Professor Fitzgerald's research themes include trauma systems development, clinical care of the severely injured, error reduction and the standardisation of resuscitation care. The development of semi-automated, computer-assisted resuscitation is a career goal. He has delivered 180 major presentations, 243 publications in peer-review journals, 12 book chapters and is a reviewer for multiple medical and surgical journals.
Job Titles:
- Nurse Navigator / Education Coordinator, NTRI Gold Coast
Job Titles:
- Research Registrar, Neurotrauma Research
Job Titles:
- Management Accountant
- Member of the Management Team
- Management Accountant / Research
Mr Aman Thakur is the Management Accountant at the National Trauma Research Institute. He has completed Bachelor of Professional Accounting from Holmes Institute and completed his Professional year of Accounting from Performance Education .
Mr Thakur has gained accounting experience in financial services . He started his career as an administrative role at Toll IPEC and extended his experience as an Assistant Accountant at Monash University with responsibility for the preparation of financial statements and reporting for the sub-faculty, reporting profit & loss statements and net cash position of the projects and departments for theFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science (FMNHS) at the Alfred Health Precinct.
In his role at NTRI, Mr Aman is responsible for providing analytical and decision support across the NTRI and Trauma Service and across clinical and non-clinical areas of Alfred Health with an overall aim to help drive increased value for the health service.
He specializes in annual budget preparation, monitor performance, analyse variances and advise of potential financial risk areas, prepare regular financial reports for external stakeholders and executive management. He also assists in providing budgetary and financial advice to support the planning and operations of the national and international project teams.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Spine and Neurotrauma Research
Associate Professor Jin Tee is an academic complex spine surgeon and neurosurgeon. He is a postgraduate of Monash University and a graduate of the University of Melbourne. He obtained his fellowship in neurosurgery through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and completed the AO Spine North American Complex Spine Surgery Fellowship at the world-renowned Vancouver Spine Institute, Vancouver General Hospital and the University of British Columbia.
Job Titles:
- Candidate
- Master of Pharmacy Practice / Member of Society of Hospital Pharmacist of Australia ( SHPA )
- Senior Clinical Pharmacist at the Alfred Emergency
Ms Cristina Roman has been the Senior Clinical Pharmacist at the Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre in Melbourne since 2010. She is passionate about early pharmacist involvement in emergency medicine across the spectrum of patient presentations from trauma and resuscitation to emergency short stay admissions.
Ms Roman is currently undertaking a PhD to further investigate early pharmacist involvement in acute emergencies including stroke, severe trauma and sepsis. She has recently published on the benefits of early pharmacist review and charting of regular medications in partnership with a medical officer in the Emergency Department as well as the potential impact of the addition of emergency pharmacists to multi-faceted changes occurring in the Emergency Department on time to first doses of antibiotics.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Member of the Management Team
- Manager, National Trauma Research Institute and Trauma Service, Alfred Health
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Clinical Innovations Fellow
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Management Team
- Deputy Director of Alfred Health Trauma
- Head of International Programs ( South Asia ) Deputy Director, Trauma Service
A/Prof Joseph Mathew is the Deputy Director of Alfred Health Trauma services and the Head of International Programs (South Asia) at The National Trauma Research Institute.
A/Prof Mathew has been successfully involved in Trauma systems development across Asia in countries like India, Sri Lanka, China and Saudi Arabia. He was the Australian lead of the successfully completed Australia- India Trauma System Collaboration which involved systems development, registry development and technology development. He is done work as a consultant in trauma systems development.
A/Prof Mathew's research interest has been in the use of nanotechnology in haemorrhage control and bone healing. He recently won a MIME-CSIRO grant for the same. His other research interests are the role of hypocalcaemia in haemorrhage control. The other special interests have been in AI based decision making and deep learning algorithms to identify and treat critically deteriorating patients in head injured patients, aged care residents and bespoke disease groups. He has also been instrumental in creating mobility app systems for prehospital notifications/registry/trauma quality improvement programs and rehabilitation assistance. He recently co created the successful AI backed Pandemic intervention and monitoring system (PIMS) for remote monitoring CoVID-19
A/ Prof Mathew has been the founder and co- creator of multiple trauma educational programs including the highly successful cadaveric Trauma Procedures course, Emergency Trauma Management course and the Trauma Team Training Program
A/Prof Mathew is a reviewer for multiple international journals and is the past Chair of the Trauma subcommittee of Australasian College of Emergency medicine and is also member of the Trauma Verification committee of the RACS
A/Prof Mathew has been an invited speaker in multiple national and international conferences in the field of Trauma care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Molecular Neurotrauma and Haemostasis Group
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Researcher
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, P.a.R.T.Y. Program & TRR Nurse Research Officer
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow, Neurotrauma Research
Job Titles:
- Research Associate, Neurotrauma Research
Job Titles:
- Honorary Researcher - Interventional Radiology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Manager, Research and Development, AusTQIP Manager
Job Titles:
- Trauma Registry Assistant