Highlands Specialist Hub

19/11/2025

This week we travelled to Goulburn to join Parkinson’s NSW for an education seminar presented by Dr Joel Maamary (Neurologist), Dr Benjamin Jonker (Neurosurgeon) & Lauren Hogan (Parkinson’s Clinical Nurse Consultant) “Parkinson’s Disease - Symptoms, Treatments & Carer Support”

We learned about the complexity & challenge of symptom management, diagnostic strategies, combined with the importance of care & support provided to families navigating the uncertainty of movement disorders. The incredible advancement in science & technology to perform Deep Brain Stimulation to reduce the burden of debilitating symptoms & increase activities of daily living.
*Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease, Tremor, Dystonia (& other disorders). It involves placing electrodes into deep parts of the brain, connected to a ‘pacemaker’. These electrodes painlessly stimulate targeted areas to intervene on abnormal circuitry within the brain. (Courtesy www.centralneurosurgery.com.au)

When clinical excellence meets inspired leadership, healthcare professionals partner together to realise a vision to transform the experience & outcomes for patients & their carers to achieve optimal quality of life.

Special thank you to Dr Maamary, Dr Jonker & Lauren Hogan for sharing your insights, knowledge & passion for your work in the specialty of Parkinson’s Disease; Christine McGee & Mary Kay Walker at Parkinson’s NSW for hosting this wonderful event.

Together we make a difference!

09/11/2025

A wonderful education evening with Dr Harry Crane & Dr Elizabeth O’Brien providing a great presentation focussed on oesophageal health issues, case studies, diagnostic work up, symptom management & strategies for disease prevention.
Thank you to Dr. Falk Pharma Australia for partnering with us & for your fabulous hospitality.
We especially enjoyed sharing time with our local GPs, Allied Health & Medical Students for an insightful Q & A discussion.

31/10/2025

This week we had the great pleasure of visiting our friends at Dadirri!
Dr Mihi Abeywickrama & I shared a beautiful morning tea together with the residents and support team, hosted by Meli the House Manager of Oak House Dadirri.
We were treated to a tour of their home & facilities to learn more about their activities of daily living.

“Dadirri Disability Services is a not-for-profit organisation and NDIS registered service provider of Supported Living Accommodation. Dadirri provides individuals living with physical and intellectual disabilities with a home environment and tailored personal support designed to foster the well being and empowerment of each resident.
By offering a person centred approach to supported living Dadirri facilitates greater involvement and integration of residents into the local Southern Highlands community, providing enhanced opportunity for independence & personal growth”

Courtesy www.dadirri.org.au

18/09/2025

As part of Dementia Action Week, we visited Creative Space Community Outreach, to participate in a wonderful community art project promoting mind & brain health ‘Neural Knitworks’!
We created textile neurons that will contribute to an online exhibition, weaving a giant virtual textile neural network.

Neurons are electrically excitable cells of the brain, spinal cord & peripheral nerves. The billions of neurons in your body connect to each other in neural networks. They receive signals from every sense, control movement, create memories and form the neural basis of every thought.

Neural Knitworks are based on the principle that yarn craft, with its mental challenges, social connection & mindfulness, helps keep our brains & minds sharp, engaged & healthy.

Courtesy Neural Knitworks

15/09/2025

A wonderful initiative by Harbison, in partnership with the University of Canberra, brings the SPICE program to the Southern Highlands.
This unique course is a coordinated suite of therapeutic allied health services supporting Sustainable Personalised Interventions for Cognition, Care & Engagement.

01/09/2025

27/07/2025

The theme for 2025 is “Let’s Break It Down”
Calling for urgent action to dismantle the financial, social & systemic barriers - including stigma - that stand in the way of hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention.
Chronic hepatitis B & C silently cause liver damage and cancer - despite them being preventable, treatable, and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable.
The theme emphasises the need to simplify, scale up and integrate hepatitis services - vaccination, safe injection practices, harm reduction and especially testing and treatment - into national health systems.

The date 28th July was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test & vaccine for the virus.
Source: World Health Organisation