Dr Elisabeth Rippy was trained in the UK where after completing a BSc from Kings College, London, she went on to study medicine at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in London. She has a Masters in Surgical Science specialising in Molecular Biology and holds fellowships with both the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in Edinburgh and Australasia.

Lisa specialised in breast work at King’s College Hospital London and Guildford before doing a fellowship in Oncoplastic Surgery (Breast Reconstruction) in Nottingham. Lisa was a consultant in the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide and Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide.

She is actively involved with breast cancer education, lecturing to audiences including GPs and patient groups. She writes for the Medical Observer. Her areas of specialist interest include breast reconstruction and pregnancy after breast cancer. She is a VMO at BreastScreen Northern. She joined Sydney Breast Clinic in 2013 and in 2016 was appointed as Clinical Director.

Dr John Niesche graduated MBBS from the University of Sydney and after Internship at Sydney Hospital was appointed as Demonstrator in Anatomy at Sydney University. He trained in General Surgery in Australia and the UK obtaining FRCS and FRACS.

John was appointed Senior Registrar at Sydney Hospital and later Visiting Surgeon to Sydney Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Women and St Luke’s Private Hospital, and Visiting Vascular Surgeon to the Prince of Wales and Prince of Wales Private Hospitals and Eastern Heart Clinic. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of St Luke’s Care from 1992 to 2002.

Dr John Niesche has been actively involved in Clinical Examination and Undergraduate Teaching; as Clinical Supervisor in Surgery at Sydney Hospital/ University of Sydney, and later Clinical Tutor in surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital / University of New South Wales. He has been a clinical consultant at the Sydney Breast Clinic since 1984.

Dr Margaret Pooley graduated from UNSW and obtained her Surgical Fellowship in 1981. After commencing Private Practice in 1984, she developed an interest in breast surgery, a rapidly evolving subspecialty. Advances in diagnostic radiology and pathology as well as adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy and a trend towards less aggressive breast and lymph node surgery heralded the concept of multidisciplinary care with marked improvement in both the outcome and prognosis of women with breast cancer.

Margaret has been a clinical consultant within the multidisciplinary team at Sydney Breast Clinic since 1983. She has been a consultant to BreastScreen NSW since 1994. Her interest in multidisciplinary care led to her election as President of the Australasian Society of Breast Disease (2001-2003). She continues to be inspired by her patients and the medical advances she has witnessed during her career as a surgeon.

Dr Frank Stenning has been a clinical consultant with Sydney Breast Clinic since 2008. He graduated in medicine from the University of Sydney in 1960, and was then admitted as a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons having trained at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

Frank specialised in abdominal upper GI surgery. He practiced in the USA and UK prior to returning to Australia as Acting Professor of Surgery at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne in the early 1970s. He was a consultant surgeon for the Pan-Pacific Surgical Association (1975-79) and the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, Geneva (1979-1990).

He was a visiting medical officer in general surgery for Bowral and Southern Highlands Private Hospitals, and has more recently been involved in medical education in Africa as part of Specialists without Borders.

Dr Lauren Arnold is the Senior Breast Physician and supervisor of breast physician training at the Sydney Breast Clinic, where she has worked since 2005. She also regularly travels to the Northern Territory to provide assessment clinics as part of the BreastScreen team. Lauren is committed to educating women about their breast health and to counselling and explaining, in simple language, the normal and abnormal breast processes and the options for treatment.

She is experienced in clinical assessment of the breast, interpretation of breast imaging, performance of ultrasound guided fine needle and core biopsy and stereotactic breast biopsy. She has particular expertise in the diagnosis of breast cancer, as well as the diagnosis and management of non-cancerous (benign) breast disorders. Her special interests are in the care of pregnant and lactating women and in risk management of women with a family history of breast cancer.

Lauren completed her medical training at The University of Sydney, graduating with First Class Honours. She completed her breast physician specialty training in 2009, and holds a Fellowship of the Australasian Society of Breast Physicians (FASBP). She has served on the Executive of the Australasian Society of Breast Physicians since 2011.

Dr Justine Johnson graduated from the University of NSW Medical School in 1995 and went on to do her hospital training at Westmead and Prince of Wales Hospitals. Two years of psychiatric training and some time spent doing volunteer work in Papua New Guinea in paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology prepared her well for a career in general practice, which she commenced in 2003, with an emphasis on women’s health.

After working in general practice for many years and being passionate about preventative women’s health, Justine joined the Breast Physician team at Sydney Breast Clinic in 2013. Justine works closely with all members of the multidisciplinary team and finds the team approach and the ability to provide such highly specialised care in one area of medicine incredibly rewarding. In addition to Justine’s work at Sydney Breast Clinic, she works for the general practice training program as a supervisor of trainee general practitioners. Justine finds this an invaluable opportunity to educate GP registrars in the area of breast medicine and to promote appropriate screening for breast cancer in the community.

Dr Naomi McIntyre graduated from the University of Newcastle Medical School with a Bachelor of Medicine in 1992. She commenced General Practice training in 1995 and was awarded a Fellowship of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 2000. Naomi also has a Diploma of Child Health from Sydney University Medical School and a Certificate of Family Planning from Family Planning Association NSW. Naomi has worked as a Breast Physician at Sydney Breast Clinic since 2004 and subsequently obtained a Fellowship of the Australasian Society of Breast Physicians (FASBP).

As well as being part of the multidisciplinary team at Sydney Breast Clinic, Naomi also travels to the Northern Territory to perform assessment clinics for BreastScreen NT. Naomi is very experienced in the diagnosis and management of benign breast conditions and has a particular interest in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Her areas of expertise include clinical breast examination, breast imaging, breast biopsy including fine needle, core and stereotactic biopsy, correlation of results and patient counselling.

In addition to her interests in Breast Medicine and General Practice, Naomi has worked in women’s health research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, and has studied Intensive Family Therapy at the Cambridge Family Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts and drug and alcohol counselling at Boston University, Boston, USA.

Dr Margo McKern graduated from the University of NSW in 1983, and worked in general practice for 10 years and in sexual and reproductive health at the Family Planning Association for 15 years. Margo obtained the Fellowship of the Australasian Society of Breast Physicians in 2008.

Margo has been working as a breast physician at Sydney Breast Clinic since 2004. Margo enjoys working in women’s health, including educating women about disease prevention. Her other interests include menopause management after breast cancer and risk assessment of women with a family history of breast cancer. She believes that working with a team of professionals like the one at SBC which includes radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, radiographers, sonographers and other breast physicians, is beneficial for both patient management and for the sharing of valuable knowledge and expertise. Margo is involved in the breast screening program in the Cook Islands, which she finds immensely rewarding.

Dr Katrina Tiller graduated from the University of New South Wales and completed her internship and residency at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She obtained her Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 1995 after completing a Diploma in Obstetrics at Blacktown Hospital and general practice terms in south western Sydney.

Katrina has provided comprehensive general practice care in the North Ryde area for many years. As women’s health has always been a large part of her clinical practice and an area of special interest, she joined the Breast Physician team at Sydney Breast Clinic in 2012 where she works as part of the multidisciplinary team to provide specialised care for women with breast concerns. As she understands first-hand the vast amount of information GPs need to assimilate, she is able to help GPs negotiate the best management plan for an individual patient. Katrina enjoys the personalised, comprehensive and complete care she is able to provide at Sydney Breast Clinic.

Dr Steven Blome graduated from the University of Sydney in 1978, he trained in radiology at Royal North Shore Hospital and gained the College of Radiologists (RANZCR) fellowship in 1986. He has since worked at Royal North Shore Hospital, first as a staff specialist and from 1999 as Director of Radiology. Steven has been involved in breast imaging since specialisation when he was appointed to Sydney Breast Clinic, and took up a position with BreastScreen NSW.

Steven is experienced in all aspects of screening and diagnostic breast imaging, with a special interest in MRI and the correlation of multidisciplinary investigations. Steven is a Senior Lecturer in Radiology with the University of Sydney and is actively engaged in training of radiology registrars. He has presented at many professional meetings and published widely.

Dr Natacha Borecky graduated in medicine from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 1989. She gained her specialist qualification in radiology, training in hospitals in Belgium and Switzerland. Natacha developed a special interest in breast imaging, with a certificate in Breast Disease from Stasbourg, France, in 1993.

Following her move to Australia, she has worked exclusively in breast imaging, initially as an area-of-need radiologist within BreastScreen NSW from 2003 to 2009. For the 6 years prior to her appointment to Sydney Breast Clinic in 2016, Natacha was the Designated Radiologist for the BreastScreen NSW Sydney West service and was a VMO for several other BreastScreen NSW services. She is experienced in all aspects of breast disease diagnosis, imaging and interventional procedures, and continues to hold consultant positions within several BreastScreen NSW services and with BreastScreen SA and BreastScreen NT. Natacha has been actively involved in several professional breast societies, and is a keen teacher.

Following graduation with distinction in Medicine from the University of Agra, India, Dr Jyotsna Kunduri qualified as a specialist in radiology in 1999. She took a particular interest in women’s imaging and held several senior positions in this field in hospitals in India.

After moving to Australia, Jyotsna re-qualified with the Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists while working at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. In 2010 she undertook a Breast Imaging Fellowship within BreastScreen NSW with experience in breast imaging interpretation and imaging-guided (mammography and ultrasound) biopsy procedures. Dr Kunduri was appointed to Sydney Breast Clinic in 2011 and has extensive expertise in the interpretation of tomosynthesis and in multidisciplinary care. She holds consultant positions within BreastScreen NSW and BreastScreen NT.

Dr Elizabeth Lim graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1988. She gained a fellowship of the College of Radiologists (RANZCR) after training in radiology at Sydney’s Sutherland and Royal North Shore Hospitals. She has since worked as a general radiologist in both hospital and private practices. Dr Lim developed a special interest in breast imaging early in her career and was first appointed to Sydney Breast Clinic in 1998.

Dr Lim has extensive experience in working in a multidisciplinary environment and has expertise in all aspects of breast radiology: interpretation of mammography and ultrasound examination and performance of imaging-guided needle biopsy. Dr Lim has published and presented on breast disease. She holds consultant positions within the BreastScreen NSW, BreastScreen ACT and BreastScreen NT services.

Dr Marian Roberts graduated in medicine from the University of New South Wales before training at Royal North Shore Hospital and gaining the College of Radiologists (RANZCR) fellowship in 1994. Marian has worked in general radiology and has a strong interest and over 20 years of experience in breast imaging.

Marian has been involved in breast cancer screening, working for BreastScreen NSW since 1994, reading mammograms, performing breast ultrasound and performing image guided biopsies. Marian works with BreastScreen NSW, BreastScreen SA and BreastScreen NT. Experienced in the work-up of symptomatic breast disease, Marian has been involved in multidisciplinary meetings for the management of breast cancer patients. She is also experienced in the interpretation of breast MRI and breast tomosynthesis. Marian holds a staff specialist position at Royal North Shore Hospital where she is involved in the teaching of breast imaging.

Dr Sophia Zadelis graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1991 and has taken a keen interest in breast disease diagnosis since graduation. Initially Sophia trained as a breast physician at Sydney Breast Clinic and then went on to undertaking radiology training at Royal North Shore Hospital, gaining fellowship of the College of Radiologists (RANZCR) in 2000.

Sophia sub-specialised in breast imaging with a fellowship at Sydney Breast Clinic in 2000 and has since been a consultant to the clinic. She is skilled in all aspects of breast imaging interpretation and multidisciplinary diagnosis. Sophia has presented at professional meetings and has been involved in radiologist breast imaging training. She has held appointments to BreastScreen NSW and was Acting Designated Radiologist for the Central and Eastern service from 2002-2004.

Diploma in Diagnostic Radiography, Graduate Certificate in Breast Imaging, Certificate of Clinical Proficiency in Mammography, Certificate of Completion in Clinical Bone Densitometry.

Cynthia Brunsdon is an accredited breast sonographer and mammographer. She has worked in breast imaging since joining Sydney Breast Clinic in 2000 and has a keen interest in women’s health. Prior to this Cynthia has worked in general radiography, in both hospital and private practice. She is recognised as a Breast Sonographer with the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry.

BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography, Post Graduate Certificate in Breast Imaging Cert IV Training and Assessment

Elaine Charles is an experienced breast sonographer and mammographer and commenced working at Sydney Breast Clinic in 2014. She obtained her degree in Diagnostic Radiography at Kings College, University of London in 1996. Elaine has since worked in large teaching hospitals and is currently employed as a Senior Radiographer at Prince of Wales Hospital and Royal Hospital for Women. Elaine chose to specialise in breast imaging. She completed a post graduate mammography course (University of Sydney) in 2011and developed advanced mammography skills at BreastScreen NSW. In 2013 she gained a postgraduate Certificate in Breast Imaging (University of South Australia). Having since completed a Cert IV in training and assessment, she is currently enrolled in a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Education, with the goal of providing training for imaging students.

Diploma of Applied Science (Medical Radiation Technology) (Diagnostic Radiography), Graduate Certificate in Breast Imaging

Samantha has been practicing as a radiographer since 1993 and a mammographer since 1995. She has completed her qualification in breast imaging from the University of South Australia and is recognised as an accredited Breast Sonographer with the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry. She has worked in both the public and private sectors as a radiographer/sonographer/
mammographer over the past 23 years, working at places such as BreastScreen NSW services and in Perth (WA). Samantha has had a passion for women’s breast health leading to her direction of study and now her current appointment to Sydney Breast Clinic in 2016. She strives to see an early diagnosis so as to bring about the best possible outcomes. Samantha loves the holistic approach of the team at Sydney Breast Clinic.

Certificate in General Nursing, Post Graduate Diploma of Applied Science in Medical Ultrasonography

Carolyn Hummerston is a general sonographer who specialised in breast imaging after joining Sydney Breast Clinic in 1996. She has always had an interest in women’s health, beginning her studies in ultrasound working in a specialist obstetrics and gynaecology ultrasound practice for eight and half years. With experience in vascular ultrasound Carolyn practised at Royal North Shore Hospital, and over the last five years has also worked as a sonographer in the treatment of infertility. She is registered with the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry as an Accredited Medical Sonographer.

Diploma in Radiography, Certificate of Clinical Proficiency in Mammography, Certificate IV in Workplace Training

Elizabeth qualified as a Radiographer in Canada in 1978 and migrated to Australia in 1979. She worked as a general radiographer in the public and private sector for over 15 years. She then joined the Western Sydney BreastScreen program when it was first established in 1993. Elizabeth has since worked as a specialist mammographer in both metropolitan and rural centres in Australia and Canada for over 20 years. She joined Sydney Breast Clinic in 1999 where she performs mammography and bone mineral densitometry. Elizabeth has also trained and supervised Sydney Breast Clinic staff in Mammography and Stereotactic biopsy procedures. She has a special interest in Quality Assurance and its application at Sydney Breast Clinic.

Master of Applied Science, University of Sydney, Graduate Diploma of Applied Science (Medical Ultrasonography), Professional Diploma in Diagnostic Radiography, Hong Kong Polytechnic

Louisa Lau is a breast sonographer and mammographer who has been working at Sydney Breast Clinic since the 1990’s. She qualified as a radiographer in Hong Kong in 1982 and as a sonographer in 1984. On her arrival in Australia in 1988, Louisa began specialising in women’s health. Her move to Sydney Breast Clinic allowed her to also specialise in the area of breast imaging.
Louisa has actively participated in Sydney Breast Clinic research projects, she evaluated the effect of Toshiba Precision Imaging software on ultrasound images. These findings were published in the British Journal of Radiology in 2015. As a result she was awarded a Master of Applied Science. Louisa can also speak fluent Cantonese.

Diploma in Medical Radiation Science, Certificate of General Nursing, Certificate of Clinical Proficiency in Mammography

Jill Miller is a consultant mammographer having worked in the area of mammography since 1994 and joined Sydney Breast Clinic in 2015. Having commenced in 2003 in the position of the BreastScreen NSW State Radiographer and Manager of the Screen Reading Centre. During this role she was part of the team working to implement digital mammography in BreastScreen NSW. Additionally, she was part of the team which formulated and developed the BreastScreen NSW Breast Clinical Education Program (BICEP) and was a member of the Clinical Advisory Committee for BreastScreen Australia. Jill was involved in the development of the Graduate Diploma of Mammography course through BreastScreen Australia and Charles Sturt University. Jill is actively teaching and instructing mammography students as well as working in a clinical role.

Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Radiation Technology) Diagnostic Radiography, Diploma of Medical Ultrasonography, Graduate Certificate in Health Science (Breast Imaging)

Louise Smalley is a breast sonographer and mammographer, she initially commenced breast imaging as a trainee radiographer at Bulli Hospital in 1980. She then continued performing mammography in a large Sydney’s private practice. Louise qualified as a sonographer in 1986 and then regularly performed breast ultrasound. Louise developed a special interest in breast imaging and commenced employment at Sydney Breast Clinic in 1994. Subsequently she has completed a graduate certificate in breast imaging. Since that time Louise has trained and supervised Sydney Breast Clinic staff in breast ultrasound and has been actively involved in quality assurance activities. Louise is passionate about accurate clinical, mammography and ultrasound correlation. She has regularly lectured on this topic at Sydney University and presented talks in breast ultrasound at local and national conferences.

Associate Diploma Diagnostic Radiography, Diploma Medical Ultrasonography

Teena Vicaretti is a specialised breast sonographer, her interest in ultrasound followed many years of x-ray and CT imaging in both public and private sectors. Since completion of her ultrasound training, she continues to complement work in her speciality field of breast imaging with general scanning. Teena developed a passion for breast imaging and joined the Sydney Breast Clinic team in 2011. Her aim is to provide high quality scans in conjunction with accurate mammographic correlation skills. Teena is a proud team member that always endeavours to reduce anxiety and minimise the concerns that patients may have. She has a special interest in procedures and aims to always provide a professional and caring hand to her patients.

After graduating with honours from the University of Sydney in 1995, Jo became an intern and resident at St George Hospital. Jo then worked extensively throughout the United Kingdom, including at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey and the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. She became a member of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom in 1999.

Jo returned to Sydney and did further training at Prince of Wales Hospital. She became a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2003 and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists in 2006. Jo became a staff specialist in radiation oncology in 2007 and worked at Liverpool Cancer Centre, followed by RPAH, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and now St Vincent’s Hospital and Genesis Care. She is also a conjoint lecturer at UNSW. Jo has a particular clinical focus in breast and gynaecological malignancies. Her research interests include basic and translational sciences. Jo is a visiting scientific officer at the Garvan Institute.

Jo was director of training for advanced trainees in radiation oncology from 2008 to 2010. Jo has been an active participant in PBLs and lectures for the Scorpio series of oncology based education sessions for the medical students of the University of Sydney and been a clinical lecturer through the University of NSW.

Diane Oakes qualified as a registered nurse at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow in the 1980’s and later obtained a Graduate Diploma in Health Sciences (Midwifery) from the University of Sydney. She has enjoyed working in many areas of nursing, with experience in theatres, midwifery, community nursing and general practice. Diane has a keen interest in women’s health and health promotion, which led her to join the team at Sydney Breast Clinic in 2014. She is committed to providing care and support to women throughout their visit to the clinic.