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About Anaesthesia Pain Management

  • 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

    • Dr Ian McKenzie – Director Department of Anaesthesia & Pain Management
    • Clinical Associate Professor Rob McDougall - Deputy Director Department of Anaesthesia & Pain Management
    • Clinical Associate Professor Phillip Ragg – Deputy Director Department of Anaesthesia & Pain Management
    • 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 Rachel Chapman
    • Dr Collee 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 Cam Morgan
    • Dr Eugene Neo
    • Dr Catherine Olweny
    • Clinical Associate Professor Greta Palmer
    • Dr Pieter Peach
    • Dr Liz Prentice
    • 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

    • Sueann Penrose
    • Joanne Robson
    • Abbey Lee
    • Cindy Cameron

    Chronic pain management team

    Pain Specialists 

    • A/Prof George Chalkiadis (Head)
    • A/Prof Greta Palmer (Deputy Head)
    • Dr Louise Jeynes (Pain Fellow 2022-2023)

    Physiotherapists

    • Jennifer Trotman 
    • Greg Evans
    • Amanda Apple (Casual)
    • David Pho (Casual)

    Occupational Therapists

    • Monica Malhotra 
    • Zoe Strang 
    • Tessa Heine (Casual)

    Clinical Psychologists

    • Dr Tanya Gruenewald 
    • Dr Emily De Jager
    • Dr Fiona Kirpichnikov 
    • Kat Droppert (Casual)

    Clinic Coordinator

    • Ann Le

    Secretary

    • 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