Anaesthesia and good pain management play a vital role in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH). Our specialist paediatric anaesthetists work in close collaboration with other departments to provide exceptional patient care. Patient safety is paramount. Our anaesthetists are involved in the assessment of patients before their operation to select the most appropriate anaesthetic technique for each patient. We endeavour to keep all patients and their families well informed about what they will experience before and after their surgery.

In the operating theatre, our anaesthetists expertly monitor all patients continuously using the most modern equipment available. Our involvement extends into the postoperative period, providing an around the clock pain management service to ensure that all patients are kept as comfortable as possible. We also provide services outside of the operating theatres including a multidisciplinary chronic pain management clinic for children.

Our anaesthetists have published widely and are involved in research as well as advisory and educational roles outside of the RCH. We strive to improve and continue the high standard of care that has maintained our department's pioneering role in Paediatric Anaesthesia and world class status.

Our roles

• Anaesthetic services provision within the RCH
• Acute and Procedural Pain Management Service (available 24 hour, 7 days per week)
• Multidisciplinary Paediatric Chronic Pain Management Clinic
• Postgraduate training in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Pain Management
• The department promotes safety in Anaesthesia and encourages members to be involved in outside committees and activities in the hospital, nationally and internationally

Anaesthsia and Pain Management staff

Consultant anaesthetists

• Clinical Associate Professor Rob McDougall – Director Department of Anaesthesia & Pain Management
• Dr Rachel Chapman - Deputy Director - Clinical Services
• Dr Ben Turner - Deputy Director - Operations
  
• Dr George Chalkiadis – Consultant Anaesthetist and Pain Medicine Specialist
• Prof. Andrew Davidson – Consultant Anaesthetist and Medical Director of the Melbourne Clinical Trials Centre, Head of Anaesthesia Research at Murdoch Children's Research Institute
• Dr Robyn Amarena
• Associate Professor Chris Brasher
• Dr Billy Browne
• Dr Lindy Cass
  
• Dr Colleen Chew
• Dr Michael Clifford
• Dr Meghan Cooney
• Dr Sebastian (Bae) Corlette
• Dr Paul Davies
• Dr Geoff Frawley
• Dr Ben Hallett
• Dr Barbara Heath
• Dr Chris Holmes
• Clinical Associate Professor Peter Howe
• Dr Balvindar Kaur
• Dr Mari Kawamata
• Dr Su-May Koh
• Dr James Koziol
• Dr Tony Leaver
• Dr Nick Martin
• Dr Dugald McAdam
• Dr Paul McCallum
• Dr Rebecca Mcintyre
• Dr Ian McKenzie
• Dr Cam Morgan
• Dr Eugene Neo
• Dr Catherine Olweny
• Clinical Associate Professor Greta Palmer
• Dr Pieter Peach
• Dr Liz Prentice
• Clinical Associate Professor Phillip Ragg 
  
• Dr Stefan Sabato
• Dr Adam Skinner
• Dr Ian Smith
• Dr Peter Squire
• Dr Ben Turner
• Dr Andrew Tymms
• Dr Eamonn Upperton
• Dr Poranee Wongprasartsuk
  
  

Honorary anaesthetists

• Dr David Bramley
• Dr Claire Furyk
• Dr George Kantianis
• Dr Grace Seow

Clinical nurse consultants acute pain management

• Joanne Robson
• Abbey Lee
• Cindy Cameron

Chronic pain management team

Pain Specialists 

• A/Prof George Chalkiadis (Head)
• A/Prof Greta Palmer (Deputy Head)
• Dr Sofia Grobler (Pain Fellow 2023-2024)

Physiotherapists

• Jennifer Trotman 
• Akshita Sundaresh
• Jazmin Cruz

Occupational Therapists

• Zoe Strang
• Monica Malhotra 
  
• Tessa Heine 

Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

• Dr Patrick Johnson

Clinical Psychologists

Dr Tanya Gruenewald 

Dr Emily De Jager

Dr Fiona Kirpichnikov

Clinic Manager
Ann Le

Administrative Assistant 

• Cathi Taylor

Anaesthesia technologists

Anaesthesia technologists provide highly skilled assistance to the anaesthetist and are an integral part of the Anaesthesia Team at the RCH. Anaesthesia technologists assist with the administration of general and regional anaesthesia to all our patient groups, including non surgical patients. Anaesthesia technologists prepare the anaesthetic environment and equipment required by anaesthetists for safe airway management, advanced invasive physiological monitoring, intravenous therapies and environmental temperature control and monitoring. They assist during resuscitation and emergency procedures. The anaesthesia technologist group also operate the Intraoperative Cell Salvage and Autotransfusion Service within the operating suite. 

Procedural pain, Comfort Kids Program staff

Clinical nurse consultants

• Marnie Pascoe
• Emma McDonald
  
• Emily Cull
• Katie Hunt