The Asthma WA Clinical Advisory Group has been established to help ensure our programs and resources are evidence-based, reflect best practice care and ensure that Asthma WA remains a credible, trusted authority on respiratory disease. Committee members are involved on a volunteer basis. They represent their profession or organisation and provide a unique perspective that balances the view of the respiratory health community.
Current Clinical Advisory Group members:
Dr Adelaide Withers
Dr Adelaide Withers is a Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Physician who works at Perth Children’s Hospital. In addition to her research at Telethon Kids Institute, she is currently enrolled in a PhD at Curtin University. Dr Withers has extensive experience managing infants, children and adolescents with respiratory conditions in various settings, including tertiary hospital care, rural respiratory outreach clinics, as a general paediatrician and in her private practice. Her research interests include respiratory failure in neuromuscular disorders, the effects of flight and altitude in respiratory conditions, tracheomalacia in cystic fibrosis, and severe asthma
Dr Andre Schultz
Associate Professor Dr André Schultz is the Program Head of Respiratory Health and Head of the BREATH Team at Telethon Kids Institute, as well as working as a Paediatric Respiratory Physician and the Director of Cystic Fibrosis at Perth Children’s Hospital. Andre is passionate about finding ways to improve the health trajectories of children to ensure the best possible health outcomes later in life. His research interests include lung health in Aboriginal children, airway disease and implementation science.
Dr Anna Brusch
Dr Anna Brusch is a Consultant Clinical Immunologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Consultant Immunopathologist at PathWest Laboratory Medicine. After moving from the UK in 2005, she trained at the University of Oxford and completed specialist clinical immunology training in Perth. She is a member of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA). Dr Brusch assesses and manages patients with a wide variety of conditions affecting the immune system including allergies, asthma, immune deficiencies, and autoimmune disorders.
Anthony Kicic
Associate Professor Anthony Kicic completed his undergraduate and doctorate degrees at the University of Western Australia, specializing in molecular biology and cell biology. His research interests lie in tissue engineering and reparative cell biology, particularly focusing on the ability of the cells in the body to repair. Currently at the Telethon Kids Institute, his research has been to investigate the tissue resident stem cells found in the lung and to examine their role in airway repair, and to identifying target areas for therapeutic application. His research also focuses on the role of the airway epithelium in the pathogenesis of a number of respiratory diseases including childhood asthma, cystic fibrosis, and lung transplant rejection.
Brooke Kyle
Brooke is the Clinical Nurse Consultant for Asthma and Airways for Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, where she provides clinical consultation, management, support, and education to patients with asthma and airways. Brooke has been a Respiratory Nurse for 12 years, working in the both the hospital and community setting covering all aspects of Respiratory Medicine. Brooke is a passionate patient advocate and believes in supporting and empowering patients in managing their health. Brooke enjoys educating and mentoring other health professionals and is a member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and currently completing a Master of Clinical Nursing.
Charlotte Steed
Charlotte Steed is the Chronic Conditions Care Coordinator based at Bunbury Hospital (physiotherapist by training), and is currently coordinating domiciliary oxygen for the South West. She trained and worked in England before migrating to WA in 1999 and has worked in the public sector for 27 years, both acutely in hospitals (metro and rurally) and in community programs. With a particular interest in lung health, Charlotte is always trying to promote and support people to better their health through improved knowledge and self-management. She is currently working on improving the resources for, and knowledge and management of long-term breathlessness.
Dr Christopher Kosky
Dr Christopher Kosky is a general respiratory physician with expertise in severe emphysema / bronchitis and in patients needing oxygen or other support for their breathing. Chris is also a Consultant in the Pulmonary Physiology and Sleep Medicine Department – with expertise in measuring lung function and sleep disorders. He is a clinical associate professor at the medical school at the University of Western Australia. Born in Western Australia, he undertook training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and was a respiratory consultant at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
Dr Elizabeth Smith
Dr Elizabeth Smith is a Respiratory and Sleep Physiologist and Senior Research Co-ordinator within the Children’s Lung Health team at Telethon Kids Institute. Here she supervises the Research Respiratory Laboratory, overseeing reporting, quality assurance and training of internal and external staff and students. In addition to her laboratory role, Dr Smith has over 10 years of experience in clinical research, and prepares grant submissions, scientific publications, manages team finances and databases, and acts as a line manager for junior staff.
Dr John Blakey
A/Prof John Blakey is a Consultant Respiratory and Sleep Physician at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he is the lead for the multidisciplinary asthma service. He continues to be research active through adjunct positions with Curtin University and UWA. Dr Blakey’s main research interest is in health service delivery, particularly the move toward assessment of future risk and the use of newer information technologies. He also undertakes advisory and committee work for Asthma Australia and is WA Branch President of TSANZ.
Kate Baumwol
Kate Baumwol is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist. She received her Bachelor of Speech and Hearing Science from Curtin University in 2002. Her interests are the management of voice, chronic cough, and inducible laryngeal obstruction. Kate currently coordinates the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Joint Airway and Voice Clinics, and Clinics and runs private clinics at the Lung Health Clinic at Hollywood Medical Centre and Perth ENT Centre. She is also an adjunct lecturer at Curtin University, teaching in the area of Voice Disorders. In addition to being a member of the Australian Voice Association and Speech Pathology Australia, Kate is the Western Australian representative for the Laryngology Society of Australasia.
Dr Maria Kailis
Dr Maria Kailis MBBS (UWA) DRANZCOG is a graduate of the University of Western Australia’s School of Medicine, and she has had further training in obstetrics. Maria delivered babies at St John of God Hospital and Osborne Park Hospital for 27 years. Dr Kailis loves all areas of General Practice and has a strong expertise in the care of infants and mothers, children and parenting, adolescent health and mental health.
Melissa Flavel
Melissa Flavel is a Respiratory Scientist who has worked in both public and private health in WA providing a wide range of lung function tests with experience spanning 24 years. Melissa established Perth Respiratory Testing in 2019 and helped set up the respiratory laboratory for the Asthma WA pilot of the Paediatric Respiratory Hub (now known as the Children’s Asthma Hub). She continues to provide lung function testing to WA’s 1st specialised Paediatric respiratory clinic. Melissa has 4 children, loves spending time with her family and friends, and loves the opportunity to work with children, helping them to manage their asthma.
Dr Michael Civil
Dr Michael Civil (MBBS. BSc. FRACGP. FACRRM. DCH) is a General Practitioner, partner and previous Medical Director at Stirk Medical Group, a private and independent fully computerised three-surgery practice. Michael has interest in all aspects of general practice including children’s health and aged care. Dr Civil has worked in the Kimberley, in Northern WA and as the District Medical Officer at Fitzroy Crossing Hospital. He has been an active member on a number of boards and committees including within WA Health, WAPHA and RACGP.
Pippa Windsor
Pippa Windsor is a Physiotherapist working in the assessment and management of people with dysfunctional breathing related to lung disease, sport and exercise and mental health. Pippa has worked in the public health system in New Zealand, the UK and now in private practice in Perth. She offers breathing re-training programmes that have been developed and given grade-A evidence in world asthma guidelines (GINA, BTS, SIGN), and can have a profound effect on symptoms of asthma and conditions that can co-exist with asthma. Pip is passionate about widening education of breathing disorders as it is a common, but poorly recognised and often disabling, problem.
Sandra Daly
Sandra is the Respiratory Nurse Educator at Royal Perth Hospital. She has worked on the respiratory ward for over 13 years, nursing patients with COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, and many other lung conditions. Sandra has a clinic once a week at RPH educating, administering and following up on asthma patients on biologics. Sandra has experience in Aboriginal health visiting clinics in Warburton, Blackstone, Warakurna and many more places on Ngaanyatjarra Lands with a multidisciplinary team educating the indigenous on their inhalers and their lung disease.
Dr Stephen Oo
Dr Stephen Oo is a Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Physician who works at Perth Children’s Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital and Asthma WA’s Children’s Asthma Hub, where he aims to offer comprehensive evaluation and care for children with respiratory and sleep difficulties. A Perth local, he obtained his medical degree from the University Western Australia (UWA) in 2005 and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. Dr Oo has three young children of his own and is sensitive to the needs and stresses of young families. He has a special interest in childhood wheezing and has published and presented at numerous national and international conferences on this subject.