Contributors

Dr Katherine Allnutt MBBS (Hons) BMedSc (Hons) DRANZCOG

Dr Katherine Allnutt is the Education and Research Fellow at the Skin Health Institute and a Senior Dermatology Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. She has previously worked in Dermatology and Paediatrics at Monash Health and has a Diploma of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Dr Allnutt was part of the team that reviewed all the content for this resource.

Dr Friyana Babha MBBS FACD

Dr Friyana Bhabha completed her Medical Degree at Monash University in 2008, and spent four years completing her basic training in adult medicine at Monash Health. She then embarked on her dermatology training, and has worked at various hospitals throughout Victoria including the Royal Children’s Hospital, Austin Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Skin Health Institute and Royal Melbourne Hospital. Friyana also spent six months at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania.

Friyana’s areas of interest include skin cancer management, medical dermatology, acne, rosacea, psoriasis and eczema and prides herself in providing a holistic approach to dermatological care.

She has published articles in both domestic and international Dermatology journals, and has previously presented her work at the Australian College of Dermatology's Annual Scientific Meetings. Friyana is also a Visiting Medical Officer at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Associate Professor Chris Baker MBBS FACD GAICD

• Associate Professor (Clinical), University of Melbourne
• Director and Past President, Skin Health Institute
• Director of Dermatology, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Australia
• Immediate Past President of the Australasian College of Dermatologists

A/Prof Chris Baker is a clinical dermatologist based in Melbourne and practising general dermatology with interests in advanced psoriasis therapies, photodermatology, phototherapy, skin cancer and clinical trials. He is the director of the Department of Dermatology at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, immediate past President of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD) and past president of the Skin Health Institute. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  He has served as terms as chief examiner and dean of education of the ACD.

A/Prof Baker, who is based in Melbourne, gained specialist qualification in dermatology after completing the Australasian College of Dermatologists training program in 1991. He was awarded a Florance bequest scholarship to undertake post graduate studies in photobiology at St Thomas’ Hospital London.  He established the first dedicated photodermatology and light testing facility in Australia.  He has been principle and co-investigator in numerous clinical trials for biologic therapies and conducts advanced psoriasis clinics at St Vincent’s Hospital and the Skin and Cancer Foundation Inc. He was involved in implementation and development of local treatment protocols.    He was co-founder of the Australasian Psoriasis Registry, an online Australian and New Zealand registry established in 2008 for psoriasis patients on systemic and biologic therapies which now has over 1,600 patients entered.  He has published over 40 papers in peer review journals and has authored papers on goals of care and quality of life studies in psoriasis.  He is currently the dermatology research lead at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in a multicentre collaborative developing biofabrication and 3D printing of artificial skin.

A/Prof Baker was part of the team that reviewed all the content for this resource

Dr Aaron Boyce FACD, MBBS(Hons), MBA, BBIOTECH DCH

Dr Aaron Boyce is a Dermatologist with special interests in acne, rosacea, paediatric dermatology, and laser procedures. 

He completed his dermatology training with the Australasian College of Dermatologists in both Melbourne and Adelaide, and subsequently travelled to London to further specialise in Paediatric Dermatology and Genetic skin diseases at the St John’s Institute of Dermatology. There he was awarded a Fellowship in Paediatric Dermatology and Genodermatoses by the Joint Royal Colleges Training Board. 

Aaron has previously worked in Paediatric Medicine and has completed a Diploma of Child Health. He retains a strong interest in Paediatric Dermatology.

Dr Jenny Cahill MBBS, FACD

Dr Jennifer Cahill is a general dermatologist with a special interest in contact dermatitis and occupational dermatology. She has been a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists since 2008. She has worked in the Occupational Dermatology Clinic at the Skin Health Institute since 2009, after completing a travelling fellowship in contact dermatitis in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and Canada.

In addition to working at the Skin Health Institute, Dr Cahill has a public appointment as a Visiting Specialist Dermatologist at the Alfred Hospital, and she works in private practice.

Associate Professor Peter Foley MBBS, BMedSc, FACD

• Associate Professor Peter Foley is Director of Research and past President (2018 - 2012) of the Skin Health Institute.

A/Prof Peter Foley graduated MBBS and BMedSc. from Monash University in 1987. His BMedSc. thesis was the first National Skin Cancer Survey. After obtaining an MD looking at the effects Vitamin D on the skin, Associate Professor Foley completed his dermatology training obtaining fellowship in 1997. Since that time he has consulted at Malvern. In addition, he attends the phototherapy, photodynamic therapy and biological therapy clinics at the Skin Health Institute, and the dermatology investigation, biological therapy, photobiology and cutaneous lymphoma clinics at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne where he is also Head of Dermatology Research.

Associate Professor Foley’s interests in dermatology include psoriasis, photosensitivity (sunlight sensitivity) disorders, non surgical management of nonmelanoma skin cancers and photodynamic therapy (PDT). He was one of the first doctors in Australia to introduce PDT, being involved with clinical trials with this treatment option from 2001. Currently he is on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Photodynamic Therapy in Dermatology and on the editorial board of Clinical Photodynamics in Dermatology. He is Australia’s only councillor on the International Psoriasis Council. In addition, Associate Professor Foley is on the Board of the Photomedicine Society.

Associate Professor Foley’s research activities include being a Principal Investigator for clinical trials, having been involved in over 70 trials for indications including psoriasis, eczema,seborrhoeic dermatitis, acne, rosacea, cutaneous lupus , hidradenitis suppurativa, tinea, actinic keratoses, nonmelanoma skin cancer and urticaria. He has an appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine (Dermatology) at The University of Melbourne and is involved in medical student teaching.

• Associate Professor Foley has published widely and now has over 70 manuscripts in print.
• A/Prof Foley was part of the team that reviewed all the content for this resource

Dr Michelle Goh MBBS (Hons), B.Med.Sci., FACD

Dr Goh is a consultant Dermatologist at the Skin Health Institute and at several public hospitals -- Austin Health, Alfred Health, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Her areas of interest are adverse drug reactions, medical dermatology including use of biologic therapies, and complex skin cancer.

Dr Jack Green MBBS (Hons), FRACGP, FACD

Dr. Jack Green is a Consultant Dermatologist at St.Vincent’s Hospital and the Skin Health Institute, where he has been attending the Hair Disorders Clinic since 2006.

He has published various papers on the topic of hair disorders in medical scientific journals. He runs a private practice from rooms in Werribee, Richmond and Ballarat.

Associate Professor Johanne Kern MD, PhD, ICDP-UEMS (Dermpath), FEBDV, FACD

• Dermatologist, Dermatopathologist
• Clinical Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne
• Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University
• Consultant Dermatologist Royal Melbourne Hospital, Box Hill Hospital and Skin Health Institute.
• Private Practice: Melbourne Skin Clinic, 15 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Dr Johanne Kern graduated from dermatology specialist training at Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Germany in 2012 with Fellowship of European Board of Dermatology and Venereology. Johanne became Fellow of Australasian College of Dermatologists after relocating to Melbourne. He is an author of over 40 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and recipient of multiple research awards.

Dr Kern's interests include; general dermatology (children and adults), skin cancer (including skin surgery), dermatopathology, autoimmune and blistering skin disease, pathology of the skin basement membrane, skin cancer-stroma interaction, treatment, diagnosis, clinical trials and translational research.

Dr Anita Lasocki MBBS (Hons), BMedSci, FACD

Dr Anita Lasocki is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. She is a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Melbourne Medical School, and chief examiner for the Undergraduate Prize in Dermatology across four universities in Victoria.

Anita holds public appointments as a Consultant Dermatologist at St Vincent's Hospital and The Royal Women's Hospital. She also works in private practice in Brighton and Melbourne CBD.

Anita's areas of interest include early melanoma detection, women's and paediatric dermatology, management of excessive sweating and biologic therapies for psoriasis.

Dr Lena Ly MBBS, BMedSci, PGDipSurgAnat, MPhil, FACD

Dr Lena Ly is a Victorian trained dermatologist who obtained her Fellowship title with the Australasian College of Dermatologists (FACD) in 2017. Dr Ly currently holds positions as a consultant dermatologist at Eastern Health and Monash Medical Centre.

Dr Ly has a wide range of interests including adult and paediatric skin hair and nail disorders and contact allergy. She is a mother of 3 young boys and is passionate about promoting evidence based recommendations which are practical and sustainable for health care providers and new families.

Associate Professor Victoria Mar MBBS, FACD, PhD

A/Prof Victoria Mar is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists and was appointed Director of the Victorian Melanoma Service in 2018. 

She is Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. She completed her PhD at Monash University entitled ‘Clinical and molecular characteristics of aggressive melanoma’ (2014) and runs the high-risk follow up clinic at VMS and supervises doctoral students in clinical and translational research projects. 

She is a board member of the Skin Health Institute and the Australian and New Zealand Melanoma Trials Group. She has authored and co-authored a number of chapters for the Cancer Council Australia Melanoma Guidelines and is Clinical Lead for the Melanoma Clinical Outcomes Registry

Dr Matheen Mohamed MBBS (Hons), FACD, MPH

Dr Matheen Mohamed graduated MBBS(Hons) from Monash University in 1993. He earned his specialist qualification in dermatology (FACD) in 2001 and a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Monash in 2005.

Dr Mohamed also works part time at St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy and the Biologics & Phototherapy Clinic at the Skin Health Institute, Carlton Melbourne.

During his training, Dr Mohamed has worked in the following major teaching hospitals: Western Infirmary, Glasgow, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, St Vincent’s Hospital, Skin Health Institute and the Alfred Hospital. In addition, Dr Mohamed has previously worked at the Melanoma Clinic at the Alfred Hospital and the Skin Health Institute.

Dr Emma Mooney MBBS, FACD

Dr Emma Mooney is a consultant dermatologist and Fellow of the Australian College of Dermatologists. Dr Mooney completed her dermatology training in Victoria working at hospitals including the Skin Health Institute, The Alfred Hospital, Western Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Royal Hobart Hospital.

She currently holds consultant positions at both The Alfred and Sunshine Hospital in addition to working in private practice, where she pursues her interest in both adult and paediatric dermatology.

Dr Vanessa Palmer MBBS, BSc, FACD

Dr Vanessa Palmer is a Specialist Dermatologist and a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatology.
She undertook her medical training at the University of Queensland and worked at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

She was awarded The Australasian College of Dermatologists Research Fellowship at St John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals, London, UK.  Here she undertook 1 year of her Dermatology training in specialist clinics including genetics (including a specialized Epidermolysis Bullosa clinic), paediatric, cutaneous lymphoma, severe psoriasis and severe eczema services, photobiology and hidradenitis suppurativa clinics.

She spent the final years of her specialist training in Melbourne at St Vincents Hospital Fitzroy, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Austin Hospital Heidelberg, Box Hill Hospital and the Skin Health Institute, Carlton.

Dr Palmer has published in international peer reviewed medical journals and has spoken at international meetings and conferences including the Royal Society of Medicine in London and the British Society for Paediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr Palmer has a keen interest in children’s skin conditions including troublesome eczema, birthmarks and skin infections, and in all aspects of adult dermatology including skin, hair and nails./p>

Dr Julia Rhodes MBBS (Hons), FACD

Dr Julia Rhodes is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. She undertook her Dermatology training in Victoria, and alongside private practice, is a visiting consultant dermatologist at the Alfred Hospital, and at the Oral Mucosal Clinic at the Skin Health Institute. She is the Secretary of the Victorian Faculty of the Australasian College of Dermatologists.

Dr Susan Robertson MBBS, FACD

A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Dr Robertson undertook her dermatology specialist training in Melbourne. She then completed her fellowship in paediatric dermatology and genetic skin diseases at the prestigious St John’s Institute of Dermatology and the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.  

Dr Robertson has expertise in both adult and paediatric dermatology and is a consultant dermatologist at The Royal Children’s Hospital, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash Medical Centre, as well as working in her private consulting rooms in Kew and Box Hill. She is actively involved in teaching and is Supervisor of Training and Clinical Supervisor for dermatology trainees in Victoria. She has a special interest in paediatric dermatology and the diagnosis and management of vascular anomalies and genetic skin diseases, including epidermolysis bullosa.

Actively engaged in clinical research activities, Dr Robertson is an honorary fellow of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and is an investigator for a number of dermatology clinical trials. She is a member of the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA), EB-CLINET - Clinical Network of Epidermolysis Bullosa Centres and Experts, the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society for Pediatric Dermatology.

Dr Michelle Rodrigues MBBS (Hons), FACD

Dr. Michelle Rodrigues is a consultant dermatologist from Melbourne, Australia with expertise in pigmentary disorders, skin of colour dermatology and laser surgery.

After completing her bachelor of Medicine and bachelor of Surgery degree with honours from Monash University in 2004, she embarked on dermatology training in Melbourne and upon completion of the fellowship examinations, she was awarded the Founder’s Medal for procedural dermatology and a Florence Bequest Scholarship.

She is the founder and director of Chroma Dermatology, a dedicated dermatology centre for pigment problems and skin of colour. She is co-founder of the vitiligo clinic at the Skin Health Institute and holds academic positions at The Royal Children’s Hospital and St Vincent’s Health. She is on the Board of Directors for the Skin of Color Society, is chair of the Global Vitiligo Foundation’s social narrative committee and is a council member for the Asian Society for Pigment Cell Research and the Vitiligo Association of Australia. Dr. Rodrigues’ philanthropic work has been facilitated through links with Sampan, a community health development program based in rural north India.

Dr. Rodrigues has a strong commitment to education and research in her areas of expertise, which is evident in her list of peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters, lectures and continued international collaborations.

Dr Gayle Ross MBBS (Hons), FACD

Dr Ross graduated from Monash University in 1999 and completed her residency at the Alfred Hospital. She then completed her dermatology training at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and at the Skin Health Institute, as well as a year of training in London. Dr Ross won the prize as the top candidate in the Dermatology Fellowship examinations in 2006. She now works at Royal Melbourne and St Vincent's Hospitals, and in private practice. She has a special interests in eczema, porphyria and photodermatoses.

Dr Helen Saunders B Med Sci, MBBS, FACD

Helen graduated in Medicine from University of Tasmania in 1998. She completed her residency at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Prior to commencing her dermatology training she worked as a Research Fellow at the Occupational Dermatology and Research Centre in Melbourne under Professor Rosemary Nixon. Her dermatology training was at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Skin Health Institute, Monash Medical Centre and St Vincent’s Hospital.

Helen attained Fellowship of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (FACD) in 2006. She spent part of 2007 in Oxford completing a fellowship in vulvar disorders under Professor Fenella Wojnarowska. This subspecialty remains a major interest for Helen and sees patients both privately and at The Women’s Hospital Vulval Clinic in this regard.

Helen also has an appointment as a visiting dermatologist at St Vincent’s Hospital. Helen has published a number of papers primarily in the field of contact dermatitis. Beyond vulvar disorders she consults on all areas of adult and paediatric dermatology.

Associate Professor Laura Scardamaglia MBBS, FACD

Assoc. Prof Laura Scardamaglia is a Fellow of the college of the Australasia College of Dermatologists (ACD). She is a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Children’s, Royal Melbourne, and Western and Sunshine hospitals. 

She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, and is Supervisor of Training and Clinical Supervisor of dermatology trainees with the ACD, and actively engaged in teaching medical students, dermatology trainees, registrars, residents, nurses and general practitioners. 

Assoc. Prof Scardamaglia received the Travelling Fellowship prize in 2003 for the most meritorious dermatology candidate in the final ACD exams, and the Cleveland Young Investigator of the year award in 1999. 

She has a particular interest in complex medical dermatology, immunobullous disorders, immunological dermatology, vascular anomalies, and paediatric dermatology, and practices as a general dermatologist in her private consulting suites in Footscray. 

Assoc. Professor Scardamaglia has established the paediatric dermatology clinic at Sunshine hospital, as well as the adult vascular anomalies clinic at the Royal Melbourne hospital, and is the clinical team leader of the complex medical dermatology/immunobullous clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Dr Emma Veysey MBChB, MRCP, MPH, FACD

Dr Veysey trained as a dermatologist in the United Kingdom, completing in 2007, then worked as a consultant dermatologist for 4 years before moving to Australia in 2011. Dr Veysey holds consultant positions at St Vincent’s and the Royal Women’s Hospitals.

During her training, Dr Veysey undertook a clinical fellowship at Harvard University, Boston. She has multiple peer-reviewed journal publications and continues to actively participate in research. She has a keen interest in teaching as well as practising evidence-based care.

Dr Veysey has expertise in treating all aspects of dermatology including skin cancer detection and management, however, has specialist interests in vulval disease, inflammatory dermatoses (such as psoriasis, eczema and acne), as well as complex medical dermatology.