ROYAL REHAB PETERSHAM - Key Persons
Alessia is currently the Day Program Senior Physiotherapist at Royal Rehab Petersham, which involves program coordination and the treatment of patients through outpatient services, including NDIS. Over the past three years, Alessia has worked across inpatient and outpatient settings treating a variety of patients including neurological, orthopaedic, and other complex conditions. She is PD Warrior trainer and is an experienced clinical educator.
Before joining the team at Royal Rehab Petersham, Alessia completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), followed by a Masters in Physiotherapy in 2019, also at UTS. Alessia enjoys collaborating with the multidisciplinary team at Royal Rehab Petersham, which she describes as ‘amazing,' to empower and assist patients in achieving their goals and make meaningful progress throughout their rehabilitation.
Job Titles:
- Director Clinical Services
Carla completed her Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) in 2014, before going on to complete a Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology, also at ACU, in 2018. Over the past four years, Carla has been working within a rehab hospital setting, including two years at Royal Rehab Petersham as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. During this time Carla has developed an intimate knowledge of Parkinson's Disease and is a qualified PD Warrior Instructor. Carla finds that it's the little things that count - she enjoys celebrating each small win that her patients make and educating patients about how to make exercise a part of their day.
Job Titles:
- Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
Dr Darren Lee is a Rehabilitation Medicine Physician based in Sydney, Australia. He has been a Visiting Medical Officer at Royal Rehab Private Petersham (Previously known as MetroRehab) since 2009 and admits to the inpatient and day programs, as well as being involved with the Neurorehab clinic and Sydney Stroke Rehabilitation Centre at Royal Rehab Private Petersham.
He is a Senior Staff Specialist in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a major teaching hospital of the University of Sydney, and at Balmain Hospital, having commenced there as Postgraduate Fellow in 2008. He also admits to the Royal Rehab Private Hospital at Ryde.
Dr Lee graduated with honours from the University of New South Wales in 2001 and became a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2008, having undergone extensive training with experts in the field of rehabilitation medicine. He is an accredited supervisor of advanced trainees in rehabilitation medicine and accredited formal long case assessor for the AFRM and sits on a number of medical advisory committees.
His clinical expertise and research interests include rehabilitation of neurological conditions, with a particular interest in stroke, cancers of the nervous system, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinsons Disease, as well as rehabilitation after trauma and complex orthopaedic surgery, and deconditioning after complicated hospital admissions. He runs specialised multidisciplinary spasticity clinics and has extensive experience in performing targeted injections for spasticity management. Future challenges include assessing the role of new technologies in rehabilitation.
Job Titles:
- Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
Dr Fatemeh Sarmast is a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine with admitting rights to The Hills Private Hospital. She commenced her medical career as an international medical graduate at Frankston Hospital in Victoria in 2012 following obtaining her Medical Doctorate (MBBS equivalent) in 2009 from Tehran, Iran (Shahid Beheshti University).
Dr Redmond is a rehabilitation medicine physician who has worked at Royal Rehab Private Petersham since 1998, and has been a Visiting Medical Officer since 2004.
She loves her work and is inspired by the stories and achievements of those she cares for. She has a wide range of skills including, stroke and neurological rehabilitation, pain management, multi-trauma, orthopaedic and aged care rehabilitation. She helps run the NeuroRehab Clinic and Sydney Stroke Rehabilitation Centre at Royal Rehab Private Petersham. She is a senior staff specialist at the Brain Injury Service, Liverpool Hospital and runs the multidisciplinary Spasticity Management Service there, specialising in botulinum toxin injections for spasticity.
Dr Redmond is a conjoint lecturer at the University of NSW in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, teaching environmental health to medical students. She volunteers for Doctors for the Environment Australia, advocating for strong action on climate change in order to protect human health. Numerous public talks include her TEDx talk on health and climate change. She loves trail-running, cycling and gardening.
Dr. Tim Ho is a Rehabilitation Specialist, Interventional Pain Specialist, and Addiction Medicine Specialist with a focused expertise in neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal pain, and cancer pain management. He offers a comprehensive suite of services that include multidisciplinary pain management program, interventional pain procedures, and medico-legal assessments.
Dr. Ho completed his medical degree at the University of New South Wales in 2005 and underwent specialty training in Rehabilitation Medicine, Pain Management, and Addiction Medicine in Sydney. He has held the position of NSW Director for the Australian Pain Society. Currently, he serves on the Medical Committee for the Department of Health, is a member of the advisory board for EPMM for Pharmaceutical Operations as well as being a clinical lecturer at University of Sydney.
Job Titles:
- Allied Health Manager
- Health Manager
Emma Scriven is our Allied Health Manager. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) from the University of Sydney in 2012. As a physiotherapist with a background in public health (New South Wales Health and National Health Service in the UK), Emma started at Royal Rehab Private Petersham in 2017 as a Senior Neurological Physiotherapist, before moving into her role as Allied Health Manager in 2018.
With a keen interest in stroke and neurological rehabilitation, as well as building and fostering student education at Royal Rehab Private Petersham, Emma has recently been involved in graduate training and has worked closely with the UTS Graduate School of Health (Physiotherapy).
With more than 25 years in Primary Health, working within General Practice in a management position, Gabrielle has been provided the opportunity to be engaged in transforming health through the patient centred care model, the implementation of Electronic Health records to accreditation. However, for her, what sits at the centre of health is patient care, patient engagement and interaction. Through her work, Gabrielle is excited to have the opportunity to help every person to be a part of their rehabilitation journey, provide a service that is streamlined yet tailored to the individual. When the journey ends, to see the progress that patient has made, the difference this makes to their everyday life, to know she has contributed to the incredible team who in conjunction with the patient are responsible for this.
Jessica is an experienced Speech Pathologist in inpatient, outpatient and community rehabilitation, providing a range of speech pathology interventions for communication and swallowing, in areas including, disability, stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia, motor neuron disease, and head and neck cancer. Additionally, Jessica is trained in LSVT, a voice treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Helping patients to achieve goals with their communication and swallowing and supporting them to increase their independence during meaningful tasks is what excites Jessica the most about her work. "It's great to see my patients showing the progress they have made to their family and friends".
Madeleine is experienced in both neurological and orthopaedic rehabilitation, providing upper limb therapy, cognitive retraining and equipment prescription in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She is trained in the use of technology and adaptive devices to assist with rehabilitation.
Having the ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team with a range of different clients is what excites Madeleine about her work. As an Occupational Therapist, Madeleine is passionate about helping her patients achieve meaningful goals and return to the things that they enjoy doing.
Marie is our nursing unit manager. She works hard every day to support our staff and patients.
"Supporting patients is the highlight of my job, seeing them achieve their goals and progress through their recovery is deeply satisfying. It can be an incredibly hard time for them and their loved ones, but they never cease to amaze me with their resilience and determination. It is not only satisfying to see our clients achieve their goals, but also to see our team of clinicians excel and break new ground. The people I work with are amazing and I am grateful to experience their enthusiasm and knowledge every day".
Natasha's experience ranges from working with orthopaedic conditions and hydrotherapy, and stroke patients to provide neurological rehabilitation in an inpatient and day program setting.
Being apart of a patient's journey to achieve their goals, allowing them to be independent with their daily activities and hobbies is what drives Natasha and excites her about her work helping patients at Royal Rehab Petersham
Job Titles:
- Neurological Care Coordinator
Rebecca has a background in Occupational Therapy and is passionate about working collaboratively with patients and their families to increase independence in the activities that are most meaningful to them. Rebecca is experienced in working with patients over a variety of settings including sub-acute, acute, inpatient rehabilitation, community and outpatient. Throughout her career, Rebecca has predominately worked with patients who have suffered neurological conditions including, stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, Parkinson's Disease and Spinal Cord Injury.
Rebecca enjoys supporting the multidisciplinary team to improve their quality of service and enhance patient outcomes as well as increasing awareness of neurological conditions in the community. What Rebecca loves most about her role is being able to support patients to being able to see patients return home from hospital to live safely and independently for as long as possible.
Thomas is an experienced physiotherapies across a variety of areas in rehabilitation including, Stroke, Parkinson's disease, joint replacements, hydrotherapy in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Working in a multidisciplinary team, Thomas enjoys working alongside his colleagues assisting their clients achieve their goals and return home. Being able to work with a variety of conditions and people allows Thomas to be his best and ensures that he is providing the best care he can to his clients. What excites Thomas most about his work is seeing clients throughout their entire rehabilitation journey.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Hospitals