The following specialist provide telehealth appointments for the Royal Flying Doctor Service:
Julia has been a nurse for over 20 years, working both in Australia and the United States in general and mental health. She has now settled as a Nurse Practitioner in Australia and is passionate about providing care for people of all ages who are suffering with mental illness. She has a special interest in mood disorders.
Julia believes in looking at the entire person and how to support that person and their family or carer through recovery, incorporating pharmaceutical as well as community and therapeutic interventions.
Mental health involves complex and oftentimes confusing conditions that need to be explained in simple terms. Julia offers client and carer education, explaining all options and letting clients decide which path to take in their recovery. By providing information, clients are able to make better choices and stay engaged in their care for the long term.
Dr Raymond Chan is an Addiction Medicine Physician. He has been working in the public health system for over 20 years, having previously worked at Turning Point, Monash Health and Peninsula Health. He has a special interest in pain medicine. Dr Chan is available to see patients with difficult chronic pain problems, opioid medication reviews and substance dependence or misuse issues.
Dr Anthony Dortimer is a highly qualified Interventional Cardiologist with an interest in all types of adult and adolescent cardiology and a particular interest in patients with coronary artery disease and hypertension. He completed his advanced training at Penn State University Medical Centre (USA) and continues to work at the Austin Hospital and Warringal Hospital in Melbourne for his public and private patients.
Kavita undertook specialist training in New Zealand and the UK, obtaining her FRACP in 2012. She completed a PhD in Medicine at the University of Cambridge in 2012. Her research focused on testing a closed loop system of insulin delivery in patients with type 1 diabetes. Kavita has published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented at numerous international meetings.
Kavita consults at The Alfred where she established the insulin pump clinic. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University, and is involved with ongoing diabetes clinical research. Her clinical practice includes general endocrinology and diabetes, with a special interest in type 1 diabetes, insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring.
Dr Ramila Varendran is a geriatrician who provides assistance with managing patients with multiple co-morbidities that result in functional decline associated with age. Ramila has a particular interest in dementia, osteoporosis, reducing polypharmacy and advanced care planning.
Dr Brian Timms works as a general paediatrician in Melbourne, and has extensive training in neonatology with an active interest in newborn babies. His other interests include general paediatrics (asthma, irritable babies, tongue tie, poor weight gain, feeding issues, feed refusal, sleeping issues, chronic abdominal pain), developmental paediatrics including the assessment and diagnosis of autism, ADHD, learning difficulties, behavioural issues and adolescent issues.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Dr Parvin Dullur works exclusively with youth under the age of 18 and their families. Dr Dullur has worked as a consultant psychiatrist since 2005. He has extensive experience across numerous settings including clients in rural/ remote areas, refugees and different cultural backgrounds.
His experience covers all aspects of child and adolescent psychiatry including developmental disorders, depression and anxiety, PTSD, and school refusal. Dr Dullur has a particular interest in management of media related problems such as gaming disorder. He is also a conjoint senior lecturer with UNSW and speaks English and Hindi fluently.
Dr Aditya Hegde is a psychiatrist specialised in working with adults facing a range of mental health problems. He is a member of the faculties of adult psychiatry and psychotherapy with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). He has experience practicing in the public and private sectors in Australia. Dr Hegde believes in a sensitive and thorough approach to understanding his patients’ needs and holistic care via joint decision making.
Dr Jess Hamer is a psychiatrist who specialises in working with adults experiencing a range of mental health problems, currently practicing at Austin Health. Dr Hamer has experience in working with people with adjustment difficulties, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. She also has a special interest in treating patients with mental health difficulties in the setting of chronic renal disease. Dr Hamer believes in a collaborative approach to all aspect of patient care.
Dr Bhavanishankar is a Consultant Psychiatrist, trained in the United Kingdom and Australia. He works closely with GPs and Allied Health practitioners to provide realistic and best possible outcomes in treatment and recovery of people with mental illness. His areas of interest include early intervention, mood disorders, psychosis and schizophrenia, anxiety, PTSD, and personality disorders. He is also an Assessor for permanent impairment of work capacity. He has extensive experience in working with people form diverse backgrounds and is a fluent speaker of Hindi and Kannada.
Dr Paul Fogarty is a Respiratory Physician who has been active in private and public specialist practice for over 20 years in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. His private rooms are based at Epworth Eastern Hospital in Box Hill, and he is a visiting Respiratory Physician at Box Hill Hospital. He is chairman of the Eastern Health Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Group and is a partner in the sleep laboratory at Epworth Eastern Hospital. Paul has extensive experience and expertise in all aspects of Respiratory Medicine including asthma, COPD, lung cancer and sleep apnoea.