NSW State Advisory Committee

A/Prof Saxon D Smith is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists.  He is the principal dermatologist at The Dermatology and Skin Cancer Centre in Gosford and St Leonards, NSW, and a VMO at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga, NSW. He is a past president of the Australian Medical Association in NSW (AMANSW) having spent 16 years on AMANSW council and 11years of AMANSW board of directors. He also spent 6years of Federal AMA Council.

A/Prof Smith has extensive clinical and research interests including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and management of cutaneous adverse drug reactions in oncology and neurology. He is a clinical associate professor in Dermatology with the University of Sydney. He spent several years as a VMO and Staff Specialist in Dermatology at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, he also ran specialist clinics in surgical dermatology, hidradenitis suppurativa, and renal transplant cutaneous medicine.

A/Prof Smith has been a supervisor or auxiliary supervisor for PhD, Masters, Honours and MD research project students. He has over 80 peer reviewed journal publications and over 100 published abstracts.  He has also been involved in multiple pharmaceutical trials from phase II to phase IV, including providing dermatology support to oncology trials. He is a frequent media contributor on topics around skin diseases, skin health and sun protection.

Mark is a gastroenterologist and interventional endoscopist currently working as a staff specialist at Concord Repatriation General Hospital. He previously trained at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in the Australian National Liver Transplant Unit in Gastroenterology, winning the AW Morrow William Bye registrar teacher of the year award in 2019. He undertook endoscopy fellowships at Liverpool Hospital and internationally at Singapore General Hospital. He is a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney. He has published multiple papers in peer reviewed journals, is an invited reviewer to endoscopy journals and presented research at both national and international conferences. He has demonstrated leadership skills throughout training, most recently as the co-convener of Young Gut Club in 2020. He has been an MDA national ambassador since 2013 and has been on the NSW state advisory committee since 2018.

Dr Dileni Fernando is a specialist General Practitioner working in a busy non-corporate clinic in Sydney’s Inner West and is also involved in corporate health in the CBD.
Dileni completed her medical degree at the University of Newcastle and worked for several years in a variety of hospital and community settings gaining strong and broad skills during her specialisation including several years working in sexual health.
Dileni has a love for the breadth of general practice while having a keen interest in preventative health, women’s health (Accredited Antenatal Shared Care Provider) and sexual and reproductive medicine (Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health FPA). 
She demonstrates this interest through her content matter expertise in general practice module development for leading health organisations that support diverse minority populations. 
Dileni enjoys continuous learning and applies that knowledge to her daily practice.

Dr Michael Kale MBBS (Sydney), BMedRadSc, MTrauma (Ortho), MPH, MClinEpid, MAICD is an Orthopaedic Registrar who joined the State Advisory Committee in 2021. He has been an MDA National member since commencing his medical career and has contributed to MDA in ambassador roles. Michael is a strong advocate for his colleagues and is engaged in addressing major issues facing the healthcare sector.

In addition to his healthcare experience, he has management and leadership experience in both the non-medical business and not-for-profit sectors. He administers an ACNC registered health promotion charity addressing the disproportional rates of mental illness within healthcare workers. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and serves as a non-executive director of a publicly-listed company. Michael's broad background brings a unique set of analytical, risk management, and interpersonal skills to apply to the complex healthcare sector.

Vannessa is an accredited ophthalmology registrar based at Sydney Eye Hospital. She is interested in medical education, medical research and junior doctor advocacy. Her affiliations include conjoint positions with the University of New South Wales and University of Sydney. 
Vannessa has been involved with MDA National since 2019 in various committee and education capacities. 

Outside of work her interests include distance running, yoga, swimming, reading and bushwalking. 

Boris is an Anaesthetics registrar based at St George hospital. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS), Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB). He is committed to medical education and research and has been a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney and the NHMRC clinical trials centre. He has been an MDA member since medical school. He is interested in MDA’s traditional role as a medical indemnity provider as well as its emerging roles, which include helping doctors enter and exit specialist training programs.