Structure and Governance

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The Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) is a non-profit organisation governed by a Board of dedicated volunteer members. 

Our staffed headquarters is lead by our Chief Executive Officer. The ASA also includes several Committees that help lead the Society.

ASA Board of Directors

The ASA Board of Directors comprises of the President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Honorary Federal Treasurer, Executive Councillor, two ASA Council elected members and one Independent Director. The Board meets seven times a year.

Dr Vida Viliunas, OAM Vice PresidentMark is in private practice with the Wakefield Anaesthetic Group in Adelaide and also spent 20 years as a VMO at the Flinders Medical Centre. He initially worked in General Practice but later switched to anaesthesia, and completed his training in Adelaide, and in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Mark has been a member of the SA and NT Committee of Management of the ASA since 2001 (Chair, 2006-2008) and was the Convenor of the 68th ASA National Scientific Congress in Darwin, 2009.

He has served on the Economics Advisory Committee since 2003 (Chair, 2010-2021). While in this role he served as a Council-elected Board member from 2016 to 2021. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mark was Vice President of the ASA from 2021-2023 and has been President since October 2023.

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Dr Vida Viliunas is an anaesthetist who has worked in public + private practice in the ACT since the last century.

Vida has had a long association with the ASA and has served as Executive Councillor, ACT Chair, NSC organising committee (2000 and 2013), Education Officer and most recently Chair of the Education Committee. Together with other members of the Education Committee, she was involved in the launch of ASAEd.

The online education service for members was very well-timed in 2020-2021 for consultant anaesthetists and trainee members who needed access to web-based resources for CPD, keeping up with industrial developments and help with exam preparation during the lean COVID years.

Apart from the ASA, Vida is a company director of Advanced Professional Education Pty Ltd.

More at www.doctorvida.com.au

Dr Andrew Miller, ASA Immediate Past PresidentMBBS LLB(Hons) FANZCA FACLM FAICD

As a specialist anaesthetist in private practice Andrew spends a lot of time in direct clinical care.

In addition, Andrew has a legal education which has led to involvement in governance and strategy for national ‘not-for-profits’. These organisations operate in the areas of medical indemnity, policy and advocacy for the medical profession.

He is also a director of several commercial enterprises and a Graduate and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Dr Peta Lorraway, Executive CouncillorMBBS (QLD), FANZCA, PGDipEcho (Melb)

Dr Lorraway was born and raised in Rockhampton before moving to Brisbane to complete her undergraduate medical training at the University of Queensland in 1993. She then completed her specialist anaesthetic training in the Queensland Anaesthetic Training Scheme after working as a Junior Doctor both locally and in the United Kingdom. Her fellowship year was spent in Toronto, Canada undertaking advanced training in Neuro-trauma Anaesthesia.

On returning to Brisbane she commenced work as a Senior Medical Officer at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and completed further training in Cardiac and Thoracic Anaesthesia.

Dr Lorraway remains a Visiting Medical Officer at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and enjoys her ongoing involvement with teaching of Anaesthetic registrars and medical students. She is a senior lecturer for the School of Medicine, University of Queensland.

Dr Lorraway is a current ASA Queensland Committee member, with a particular interest in the welfare of Anaesthetists. Her private practice encompasses a wide range of anaesthesia for most surgical specialties including cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, orthopaedic and plastic surgery.

MBBS (Melb), FANZCA, GDipClinEpi, PGDipEcho, LLB

Mark Suss is a specialist anaesthetist who studied and trained in Melbourne and Geelong. After completing a cardiac anaesthesia fellowship he worked in mixed public and private practice for ten years, and is now a full-time private practitioner in Melbourne across a wide range of specialties.

He has previously served as national ASA TMG – then known as GASACT – chair, and Victorian State ASA chair, as well as contributing to the ASA Communications Committee for several years. With many years of experience co-convening Third Part trainees’ courses he has a longstanding interest in workplace and workforce challenges faced by new Fellows.

Mark is a law graduate who was admitted to legal practice in Victoria in 2021. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 Peter is a consultant anaesthetist practicing in Brisbane.

A graduate of the University of Queensland, Peter undertook training in England, Queensland and Victoria, specialising in the care of children.

He is a Senior Visiting Medical Officer at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. In private practice, he treats both children and adults.

Liaison with ANZCA is an important part of his role and he represents the ASA on several ANZCA committees. Peter also represents our society on the Council of Procedural Specialists.

Dr Michelle Horne

Dr Michelle Horne is an anaesthetist in both public and private practice. She has worked at many departments around Melbourne during her consultant and training years and is passionate about providing opportunities for the anaesthetic community to see themselves as a community and fostering networks and opportunities to support each other as well as the patients.

Dr Matthew Fisher, ASA Chief Executive OfficerPhD DHlthSt (honoris causa)

Matthew is an experienced CEO in healthcare associations and is also an appointed director of Exercise & Sports Science Australia. Matthew has also worked in the public and private health sectors in Victoria and NSW.

He completed his PhD at Deakin University and was awarded a Doctor of Health Studies (honoris causa) by Charles Sturt University for his work in regional and rural areas.

Matthew has attended both Harvard Business School and London Business School for executive education and has a particular interest in leadership development.

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ASA Council

The Council comprises of the President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Honorary Federal Treasurer, Executive Councillor, State and Territory Representatives and senior ASA Committee Chairs. The Council meet four times a year.

Dr Vida Viliunas, OAM Vice PresidentMark is in private practice with the Wakefield Anaesthetic Group in Adelaide and also spent 20 years as a VMO at the Flinders Medical Centre. He initially worked in General Practice but later switched to anaesthesia, and completed his training in Adelaide, and in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Mark has been a member of the SA and NT Committee of Management of the ASA since 2001 (Chair, 2006-2008) and was the Convenor of the 68th ASA National Scientific Congress in Darwin, 2009.

He has served on the Economics Advisory Committee since 2003 (Chair, 2010-2021). While in this role he served as a Council-elected Board member from 2016 to 2021. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mark was Vice President of the ASA from 2021-2023 and has been President since October 2023.

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Dr Andrew Miller, ASA Immediate Past PresidentMBBS LLB(Hons) FANZCA FACLM FAICD

As a specialist anaesthetist in private practice Andrew spends a lot of time in direct clinical care.

In addition, Andrew has a legal education which has led to involvement in governance and strategy for national ‘not-for-profits’. These organisations operate in the areas of medical indemnity, policy and advocacy for the medical profession.

He is also a director of several commercial enterprises and a Graduate and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

LinkedIn

Dr Vida Viliunas is an anaesthetist who has worked in public + private practice in the ACT since the last century.

Vida has had a long association with the ASA and has served as Executive Councillor, ACT Chair, NSC organising committee (2000 and 2013), Education Officer and most recently Chair of the Education Committee. Together with other members of the Education Committee, she was involved in the launch of ASAEd.

The on-line education service for members was very well-timed in 2020-2021 for consultant anaesthetists and trainee members who needed access to web-based resources for CPD, keeping up with industrial developments and help with exam preparation during the lean COVID years.

Apart from the ASA, Vida is a company director of Advanced Professional Education Pty Ltd.

More at www.doctorvida.com.au

Dr Peta Lorraway, Executive CouncillorMBBS (QLD), FANZCA, PGDipEcho (Melb)

Dr Lorraway was born and raised in Rockhampton before moving to Brisbane to complete her undergraduate medical training at the University of Queensland in 1993. She then completed her specialist anaesthetic training in the Queensland Anaesthetic Training Scheme after working as a Junior Doctor both locally and in the United Kingdom. Her fellowship year was spent in Toronto, Canada undertaking advanced training in Neuro-trauma Anaesthesia.

On returning to Brisbane she commenced work as a Senior Medical Officer at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and completed further training in Cardiac and Thoracic Anaesthesia.

Dr Lorraway remains a Visiting Medical Officer at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and enjoys her ongoing involvement with teaching of Anaesthetic registrars and medical students. She is a senior lecturer for the School of Medicine, University of Queensland.

Dr Lorraway is a current ASA Queensland Committee member, with a particular interest in the welfare of Anaesthetists. Her private practice encompasses a wide range of anaesthesia for most surgical specialties including cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, orthopaedic and plastic surgery.

MBBS (Melb), FANZCA, GDipClinEpi, PGDipEcho, LLB

Mark Suss is a specialist anaesthetist who studied and trained in Melbourne and Geelong. After completing a cardiac anaesthesia fellowship he worked in mixed public and private practice for ten years, and is now a full-time private practitioner in Melbourne across a wide range of specialties.

He has previously served as national ASA TMG – then known as GASACT – chair, and Victorian State ASA chair, as well as contributing to the ASA Communications Committee for several years. With many years of experience co-convening Third Part trainees’ courses he has a longstanding interest in workplace and workforce challenges faced by new Fellows.

Mark is a law graduate who was admitted to legal practice in Victoria in 2021. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 

Dr Michelle Horne

 

Dr Michelle Horne is an anaesthetist in both public and private practice. She has worked at many departments around Melbourne during her consultant and training years and is passionate about providing opportunities for the anaesthetic community to see themselves as a community and fostering networks and opportunities to support each other as well as the patients.

 

 

 

Dr Suzi NouMBBS BMedSci FANZCA MPH MAICD

Suzi Nou studied and trained in Melbourne. She completed a fellowship in paediatric anaesthesia and also has interests in trauma and global health. She has lived, worked and taught extensively across Australia, the Pacific and Asia. She is a senior instructor and Director on various medical courses such as EMST (ATLS), ALS and PaedBASIC and continues to be actively involved with the Cambodian Society of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.

Suzi is a commissioned officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and holds a Master of Public Health (MPH).

Suzi has served on many committees of the ASA and was President of the ASA from 2019 – 2021. She is currently the anaesthesia representative on the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Federal Council and also the Chair of Lifebox ANZ, a global not-for-profit organisation focussed on making surgery and anaesthesia safer worldwide. As Chair of the ASA Communications Committee, Suzi hosts and produces the Australian Anaesthesia podcast and various other productions.

Suzi wishes to foster diversity in leadership within the Australian anaesthesia community. She is excited to be one of the founding members of the local chapter of the Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Initiative.

 Peter is a consultant anaesthetist practicing in Brisbane.

A graduate of the University of Queensland, Peter undertook training in England, Queensland and Victoria, specialising in the care of children.

He is a Senior Visiting Medical Officer at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. In private practice, he treats both children and adults.

Liaison with ANZCA is an important part of his role and he represents the ASA on several ANZCA committees. Peter also represents our society on the Council of Procedural Specialists.

B.Med Sci 1998, MBBS (hons) 2000 UTAS, FANZCA 2014

Michael is a Graduate of University of Tasmania Medical School, who went on to complete periods of Fulltime and Reserve Medical Service with the Royal Australian Air Force. returned to Tasmania with his family to undertake and complete 5 years of anaesthetic training within the Tasmanian Health System. He attained his Fellowship in Anaesthetics with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in April 2014. He worked in Hobart and Launceston as a specialist anaesthetist whilst also being a full-time Air Force Anaesthetist between 2014 and 2017.

Michael is registered to work in all the private hospitals in Hobart and is actively involved with the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and the Australian Medical Association. Michael is a specialist anaesthetist with subspecialty interests including regional anaesthesia, obstetric anaesthesia and trauma anaesthesia. Outside the profession, Dr Lumsden-Steel enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the outdoors, cycling, and the occasional game of golf.

Dr Janette WrightI was born in Launceston, Tasmania and attended medical school at the University of Tasmania. I decided to spread my wings after finishing my Intern year in 1997 and travel the world, so with my Ancestry Visa I headed for the UK to embark on a working holiday, initially for just one year. I started off as locum medical SHO, moved onto substantive ED SHO roles and then joined an Anaesthetic SHO training rotation in 2002 in the North East of England. I obtained my Primary FRCA, moved to London as an Anaesthetic SpR and obtained my Final FRCA in 2005 before finally moving back to Melbourne in 2007. I completed my anaesthetic training over the next three years through Monash Health, Western Health and finally Royal Melbourne Hospital, where I have stayed on as a VMO Anaesthetist since 2011. I am currently working 3 days a week in public and 1 day per week in private.

I have an interest in Perioperative Medicine and completed my Masters in Perioperative Medicine through Monash University in 2018. I have previously been the Welfare Officer at RMH, I am on the Peer Support roster at RMH and am now a Supervisor of Training. I am the Co-Convenor of the CRASH Course which has existed since 2014 and is designed as a practical return to work course for anaesthetic consultants and registrars.

My vision for PPAC is that we advocate for ASA members in all areas of their public practice as well as facilitating workshops and educational activities that support those in leadership roles across both public and private hospitals. My predecessor, Dr Julie Lee, has started this process with several successful 4D workshops in both hybrid and virtual formats. We are aiming to see our leaders from across Australia and New Zealand build relationships and learn new skills and techniques which will assist them in their challenging roles as leaders in our field. There is now a PPAC Online Directors’ Discussion Forum so that discussions and collaboration can continue pre and post workshop.

Dr Graham P. Mapp,MBBS (Qld) FANZCA

I graduated from the University of Queensland (MBBS) in 1990, and was admitted to the Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in 2000.

Since 2000, I have worked as a specialist anaesthetist, predominantly in private practice in Brisbane, and I’m a visiting medical officer to the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

I became a member of the ASA as a registrar in 1997 and the society has assisted me professionally throughout my career. I became a member of the Queensland Committee of Management of the ASA in 2009, and I became a member of the Economics Advisory Committee in 2011 and continue to serve in these roles.

Over the years, I’ve participated in several hospital advisory committees, and I have a keen interest in paediatric anaesthetic services in these facilities. I’m also interested in Welfare, Obstetrics, History, and General Surgery.

Outside of work, I’m a keen musician, and enjoy golf, tennis, and skiing.

 

Dr Simon Martel,I graduated from the University of New South Wales in 2002, and undertook training on the Westemad Rotational Scheme, being admitted to the Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in 2011. Since 2012 I have worked as a VMO anaesthetist in public and private practice in Sydney, as well as monthly lists in Inverell and Narrabri. I am also a prehospital and retrieval medicine specialist with CareFlight.

I have worked extensively across the ASA, ANZCA and the AMA in representative roles. I am currently both an ASA and AMA NSW Councillor, as well as a member of the ASA Economics Advisory Committee, and AMA NSW’s Hospital Practice Committee. Previous roles have included Co-Chair of the ANZCA Trainee Committee and the New Fellow representative on the ANZCA NSW Regional Committee.

I have a strong commitment to education. I am a member of NSW Anaesthesia Continuing Education Committee, and the founding organiser of the NSW Registrar Scientific Prize, which I started in 2012. I have previously been a member of several ANZCA education committees, as well as working with the Australian Medical Council, as part of several accreditation teams, to accredit various medical colleges.

Dr Archana ShrivathsaI completed my medical degree at the University of Western Australia and spent my junior doctor years at Royal Perth Hospital focusing on critical care and surgical rotations before commencing anaesthesia training on the WA Rotational Training Program.

For my provisional fellowship year I completed subspecialty fellowships in Perioperative Medicine and Simulation Education at Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals before starting as a consultant anaesthetist at FSFHG.

I divide my time between the public system (Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals Group) and private practice in the Perth Metropolitan area.

 

Biography to be populated in due course.

Dr Girish Palnitkar, Dr Girish Palnitkar grew up in Tasmania, where he completed his medical degree. After a wide variety of junior medical positions in Tasmania and Melbourne, he decided to undertake his anaesthetic specialty training. His final two years of training brought him to Canberra in 2006. After completing his specialist training, he completed an ENT/eye fellowship at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne. Subsequently, he completed his subspecialty training in cardiothoracic anaesthesia at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, UK.

He returned back to Canberra in 2010 and now has a busy mixed public and private practice, with an emphasis on cardiothoracics, orthopaedics, ENT and general surgery. However, rather than just sticking to the routine, in 2018 he decided to pursue qualifications in an area of great interest – health economics and policy. In 2020, he was awarded MSc (health economics) from the London School of Economics and MA (public policy) from University of Chicago. Today, he continues a full-time clinical load, but with the aid of insomnia, also works as a freelance health economics/policy consultant.

Girish is currently a member of the ASA’s Economics Advisory Committee (EAC) and previously has been the Chair of the ANZCA ACT Regional Committee. He has also previously been on the executive of the CTVP SIG. He enjoys organising conferences and is currently the convenor of the upcoming 2025 NSC.

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