USANZ VSM | Website 2022

We have some incredible speakers lined up for the USANZ VSM 2022 and will add to this page as more are confirmed for the program

Keynote speaker

Samantha Pillay FRACS

Samantha is no stranger to overcoming adversity. A late diagnosis of congenital hip dysplasia led to multiple corrective surgeries as a child. After starting school in a wheelchair, she finished school at age 16, completed medical and surgical training, and became the first female Urological Surgeon in South Australia.

With a vision to deliver specialised incontinence treatments to the women of South Australia, she became the first urologist in Australia to exclusively specialise in female and functional urology, establishing Continence Matters in 2002, subsequently building her single surgeon practice into a Centre of Excellence. She is a passionate businesswoman and entrepreneur.

Dr Pillay has served on numerous National and State boards and committees, including the Female Urology Special Advisory Group Chair for the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand from 2007 to 2013. She was the first female to represent South Australia on the Board of Urology from 2003 to 2006, the first female scientific convenor for their Annual Scientific Meeting in 2007, and the first female chair of the South Australian Urology section in 2017.

Samantha, a single mother, has devoted her career as a surgeon to treating incontinence, reducing the stigma, and educating doctors, health professionals and the community. She has developed an online Continence Course to educate health professionals in an often-neglected area in medical education.

She challenges career gender stereotypes and breaks the glass ceiling for women. Samantha advocates for healthy living to reduce preventable chronic disease and resilience to overcome whatever life throws you. As a woman of colour born to migrant parents of a mixed marriage, she advocates for diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination.

She is a two-time Amazon No1 Best Selling author of:

The No Recipe Cookbook – a cookbook for people who don’t cook, and When I’m a Surgeon – The first in the Inspirational Careers for Kids picture book and activity book series.

Book Three; When I’m an Astronaut, due for release in 2022, follows the recent release of Book Two; When I’m an Entrepreneur.

Samantha was one of four finalist nominees for SA Australian of the Year 2022.

Invited speakers

Urology

Patrick Charles

Assoc. Prof. Patrick Charles is a physician in Infectious Diseases and General Medicine at both Austin Health and Warringal Private Hospital, in Heidelberg. He has research interests in managing recurrent UTIs and community-acquired pneumonia.

Richard Grills

Associate Professor Richard Grills is the Director of Robotic Surgery and Director of Urological Surgery at Barwon Health and the Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at St John of God Hospital, Geelong

He is a previous Chair of the Board of Urology, and is involved in surgical training and designing education courses for RACS.

Jeremy Grummet

Jeremy Grummet is Clinical Associate Professor at Monash University, supervising PhD and Master of Surgery students, and a Consultant Urologist at Alfred Health.

Jeremy is a member of the EAU Guidelines Prostate Cancer Panel, co-founder of MRI PRO, the global online trainer for reading prostate MRI, and is Co-Principal Investigator of the LIBERATE registry for Focal Brachytherapy.

Alex Meakin

Alex is a general radiologist, practising in Ballarat for 20 years. Alex shares his home with his wife, four teenage children and two French bulldogs. He enjoys cycling, back country skiing and water polo. He dislikes heights.

Briony Norris

Dr Briony Norris is a urological surgeon at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Eastern Health, Ballarat Health Services, The Australian Prostate Center and Epworth. After completing her medical training through the University of Melbourne in 2006, she attained her FRACS Urology through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2016. Briony developed a keen interest in minimally invasive surgery and furthered her training with an international clinical fellowship in Robotic surgery and Endourology at the New York University Langone Medical Centre (New York). She has presented at local and international conferences and has been published in many peer- reviewed journals. Briony has a keen interest in the education of medical students and trainees and is a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Department of Surgery.

Weranja Ranasinghe

Dr. Weranja Ranasinghe, MBChB, Ph.D., MRCSEd, FRACS (Urol), is Consultant Urologist and Urologic Oncology surgeon at Monash Health and Austin Health and has joint academic appointments at Monash and La Trobe Universities. His research interests are in prostate and bladder cancers.

Nurses'

Kristy Andrew

Kristy is a Women and Mens' Pelvis Health Physiotherapist - completed undergraduate study at LaTrobe University 1995, and Post-grad Certificate in Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation in 2001. Worked in the Public and Private Sector. Currently employed at Ballarat Allied Health Private Practice and also teach Gender Health Module to third year Physiotherapy students at ACU. Kristy has been involved with pelvic floor training pre and post Prostatectomy since 2001 but has significantly increased this aspect of her business in the past 10 years. There is clear evidence that pelvic floor muscle training plays an important role in the restoration of continence for men post prostatectomy, and she feels she is in a very fortunate position to be able to assist this patient group maximise their recovery.

Helen Crowe

Helen Crowe AM (RN BAppSci GDip Epi Biostats M Nurs Sci)

Helen has been working in urology for over 30 years, and was instrumental in establishing urology nursing professional organisations in Australia. She was the first urology nurse practitioner appointed in Australia, working in a private practice. She is now working at Australian Prostate Centre providing nursing and survivorship support for men with prostate cancer at all stages of their disease.

Helen has extensive urological clinical and research experience and has over 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals, primarily related to prostate cancer. She has also received numerous awards for her research presentations and publications, and has received research grants funding her projects.

Lachlan Dodds

Lachlan Dodds has been practising urology in Ballarat for over 20 years. He has a broad experience in treating urological cancers with particular reference to prostate, kidney and bladder cancer and has skills in laparoscopy. He has a sub-specialty interest in paediatric urology. Lachlan is Head of the Urology Unit at Ballarat Health Services. He is a Director of a Ballarat Community organisation focusing on men's mental health and suicide prevention in our region.

Andrea Green

Andrea originally completed her General Nurse Training at the Hamilton Base Hospital in the mid 1980’s before moving to NSW where she gained a year’s experience in a general surgical ward.

Andrea then completed her midwifery training in Toowoomba, Queensland and practiced as a midwife in a busy birthing suite in NSW. A move back to Victoria led to Maternal & Child Health Nursing, Midwifery and Sexual & Reproductive Health Nursing. It was during a ten year stint as a Pap tester that Andrea developed a passion for continence.

Since then Andrea has enjoyed a 22 year career in continence, working for Ballarat Health Services, now Grampians Health. Andrea enjoys working with children and tackling the tricky bowel issues.

When not at work, Andrea can be seen touring the countryside in her Volkswagen Kombi.

Jana Middlemis

Jana is a Functional Urology Nurse Practitioner working at Bendigo Health and Goldfields Urology. She specialises in functional urological disorders, urodynamics and is a qualified nurse endoscopist.