Primary Care Update 2022

Dr Sophie Mace (FRNZCGP) is a GP specialising in maternal & infant care, especially breastfeeding, sleep, and infant mental health. As well as working as a rural GP in Motueka, she is the founder of Aotearoa Baby Clinic, a private clinic specialising in maternal and infant care.

Sophie has done post-graduate training in women's health, lactation, and infant mental health and is accredited in neuroprotective developmental care (NDC, or the "Possum's" approach). She is the primary care lead for the NMDHB and South Alliance Alliance's infant mental health groups, is a member of the Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa (PADA) clinical advisory board, and sits on the Possum's Clinic's Education and Fellowship committees.

AJ is currently undertaking a Mohs micrographic surgical fellowship in Tauranga at the Skin Centre. He has a strong interest in education for primary care providers as he believes good basic dermatology knowledge in this forum can make a significant difference to health outcomes for the general population.

Dr Melanie Collins is an ENT surgeon specializing in adult and paediatric Otology. Her current appointment is at North Shore Hospital, Auckland and she is one of the adult implant surgeons on the Northern Cochlear Implant Programme. She qualified in London and completed her Otolaryngology training in the UK and a Neuro-otology Fellowship in Adelaide. She moved to NZ with her family in 2011.

Richard is an ORL surgeon whose subspecialty is rhinology. He has a particular interest in endoscopic sinus and medial skull base surgery. He is currently a Professor in Surgery at the University of Auckland and a Consultant Surgeon at Auckland City Hospital, and has a private practice at Mauranui Clinic in Epsom. He trained and practised as a clinical immunologist and allergist at Auckland City Hospital before undertaking training in ORL.

His research focuses on the interaction between the local immunity of the nasal and sinus mucosa and the bacteria that cause chronic rhinosinusitis. This condition is characterised by its intractability despite treatment with prolonged courses of antibiotics.

Ngaire Kerse is a GP in Auckland, Joyce Cook Chair in Ageing Well and Professor of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Auckland.

Ngaire is a member of expert advisory and steering groups for the Health and Quality Safety Commission on preventing harm from falls, the Ministry of Health on comprehensive assessment techniques and the roll-out of the InterRAI. She leads the AWESSoM National Sci4ence Challenge Ageing Well programme  and works as a GP at the Auckland City Mission.

Linda is a pharmacist prescriber working at Newtown Union Health Service and Porirua Union and Community Heath Service. She has taught postgraduate clinical pharmacy for over 20 years, and is currently a Honorary Academic at the University of Auckland.

Bruce spends three half days per week in clinical practice working at Greenstone Family Clinic in Manurewa in South Auckland. The rest of his time is spent at the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland. He became the director of the Goodfellow Unit in 2014.

PGDipHlthLd, FRNZCGP, PGCertWHlth, MBChB, BHSc.

Rachel is a senior lecturer at The University of Auckland and also works clinically in general practice.  She is a lecturer in the undergraduate medical program and is the lead for Year 5 General Practice attachments, she also teaches in the post graduate Quality in Healthcare paper. Along with Prof Ralph Stewart, Prof Bruce Arroll and Dr Kyle Eggleton, Rachel is writing a clinical update on the management of chronic heart failure in primary care.

Ralph is a cardiologist at Auckland City Hospital and the Auckland Heart Group.  He is also an honorary Professor of Medicine at the University of Auckland, and previously chaired the National Cardiac Clinical Network and the NZ division of the Cardiac Society of Australia and Zealand.  He has a broad range of clinical and research interests related to cardiology and systems of care.

Anna is a Wellington-based academic neurologist whose research focuses on stroke care optimisation and reducing health inequities.

She is the Head of Department of Medicine at University of Otago, Wellington, leads the Wellington and Central Region Stroke services, the NZ National Stroke Registry, and recently the National Stroke Clot Retrieval Service Improvement Initiative.  She is the immediate past Chair of the New Zealand National Stroke Network, the current President of the Neurological Association of New Zealand, the Treasurer of Stroke Society of Australasia, Board Member of the World Stroke Organization and Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists, and serves on the editorial boards of Stroke and Neurology.

Mark is a Sport and Exercise Physician and is the President of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians.

He is the Managing Director at Axis Sports Medicine Specialists and is also the Medical Director at New Zealand Football. He has attended three Olympic Games and a number of FIFA World Cup competitions. Mark is involved with Sports Medicine education, regularly contributing as a guest speaker/lecturer at universities and sports medicine meetings around the country. He is a member of the FIFA Medical Committee and is the 'Editor in Chief' of the FIFA Medical Network. His research interests include football injuries, concussion and injury prevention. He works closely with ACC and is part of their Sports Collaboration Group, which releases guidelines such as the Concussion Services Guidelines for medical providers in NZ.

Megan is a reproductive and general endocrinologist working at both Fertility Associates and the Auckland District health board.  In addition, Megan works as part of Whispa for High Performance Sport NZ and is on the medical advisory board of Talk Peach.

Megan has particular interests in athlete hormonal health, menopause and polycystic ovarian syndrome. 

Samantha is the Clinical Lead for the GPSI Clinic in Prolapse and Continence at the HBDHB and is on the Sexual Assault Roster.  Samantha meets regularly with Menopausal Specialists from the UK, and has attended virtual International Conferences on Vulval and Vaginal Health to support her practice.  Samantha now runs her private clinic, with the help of a couple of employees, enjoys community education sessions, and practices family medicine at a local VLCA practice.

MBChB., Dip Obs Auck., DCH London., FRNZCGP., MPH Hons MD Auck.

Nikki is an academic General Practitioner and an Associate Professor in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Auckland. Her interests are in immunisation, child poverty, primary and public health care. She lives in Wellington and works part-time as a GP at NUHS Broadway Clinic.

Rose is a sexual health physician at the Auckland Sexual Health Service and is also working with Burnett Foundation Aotearoa (formerly New Zealand AIDS Foundation) to produce online resources aiming to support primary care clinicians to prescribe PrEP.