Newborn Care Centre (NCC) Team

Dr. Bolisetty is the Medical Co-Director of Newborn Care.  His areas of neonatal interest include neonatal outcomes, neonatal epidemiology, nutrition, quality improvement, clinical protocol and policy development.  Dr Bolisetty chairs a number of state, national and international Quality Improvement projects including Parenteral Nutrition Group, Australasian Neonatal Medicines Formulary (ANMF) consensus group.

Mrs Wise is the Nursing Co-Director of Newborn Care and works closely with Dr Bolisetty on the strategic management of Newborn Care.  Within this role she oversees the overall function and forward planning of the unit.  She represents the Royal Hospital for Women in Local Health District and State-wide Forums.

Professor Kei Lui is the Clinical Academic and Senior Neonatologist (former medical co-director). Outside the Royal Hospital for Women, Local Health District and State Wide Forums, he has substantial management and leadership roles in the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network as the current chairman and on director board of the iNEO International Neonatal Network.  His global recognition included the recipient of the Fok-Ying-Tung Prize, World Outstanding Chinese Doctor Award 2021 from the World Association of Chinese Doctor and serving as a founding member of the Global Newborn Society. Prof Lui is an UNSW faculty professor appointed in the School of Women’s and Children’s Health. His areas of research interest include neonatal outcomes, epidemiology and clinical trials. He has over 200 peer reviewed publications and a chief investigator in 6 recent or ongoing NHMRC/MRFF and CIHR grants.

Ju Lee Oei is a senior neonatologist and Conjoint Professor in Paediatrics at the School of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of NSW. She is also Honorary Associate Professor at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, and Research Associate at the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, University of Sydney, and Research Associate at the Ingham Institute for Applied Research, Liverpool, Australia and Visiting Professor to the University of Malaya, Malaysia and the Northwest University, Shanxi Province, China. Since 2009, she continues as a Chair of the Perinatal Substance Use Special Interest Group of PSANZ. Her main research interests are in the use of oxygen in newborn resuscitation, perinatal substance use disorders and neonatal epidemiology. She has research collaborations with >20 countries, 76 publications in peer reviewed journals, a reviewer for 46 international journals and is an invited member of the Grant Review Panel of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia.

Dr. Smyth is a senior neonatologist. He worked in both paediatrics and neonatology in New Zealand and the United Kingdom for 17 years before joining the team in NCC.  He has travelled around the world and his areas of interest include EEG monitoring, neonatal ventilation, palliative care, infection control and education.

Dr Meredith Ward is a senior neonatologist. Her clinical interests include supporting parental involvement in their child’s care, through the Family Integrated Care program, optimising neurodevelopmental aspects of neonatal intensive care for both term and preterm infants, optimising perioperative care of the sick neonate, and long term management of infants affected by maternal substance use during pregnancy. Dr Ward’s research interests include the study of endogenous neural stem cells as a potential therapy for newborn brain injury.

Dr. Parag Mishra is a senior neonatologist who has been working for more than 10 years at RHW.  His area of neonatal interest includes neonatal ventilation and resuscitation, resident training and education, medical student education and that is only a few of his comprehensive list of favourite topics. He is involved with recruitment and selection of neonatal trainees. 

Dr. Schindler is a neonatologist.  He commenced paediatric training at Sydney Children's Hospital before moving down the corridor to pursue his interest in neonatal medicine. He has worked in the Royal Hospital for Women's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at every level from junior resident to consultant neonatologist. His areas of interest include bedside ultrasound, teaching and neonatal research. Dr. Schindler has recently completed a PhD investigating new ways to measure brain blood flow using ultrasound in babies that are critically unwell and at risk of neurological harm.

Dr. Goldstein is the Developmental Paediatrician of NCC.  She has held this position for the past 3 years, and is truly dedicated.  She oversees the Growth and Development Clinic, which operates 2 days/week and sees more than 400 infants and children per year. The team consists of Silvia, a clinical psychologist and physiotherapist. The clinic provides follow-up data for the state wide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Data Collection. Silvia uses the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development for developmental assessments.  Her areas of interest include long term neurodevelopmental outcomes and neonatal epidemiology.

Joanne is a clinical nurse specialist responsible for the day to day coordination and management of the NICUS data collection including data retrieval from the NICUS database for medical and nursing staff undertaking Clinical Research.  She is an important member of the NCC team especially in providing training and support on NICUS database for all medical and nursing staff. Her role also includes co-ordinating the Growth and Development Clinic.

Ms. Lindrea is the Clinical Nurse Consultant for many years.  She is responsible for many of the clinical practices including nursing policies/ procedures and protocol development.  She has a strong passion in nursing education and training, both in-house, the Area Health and overseas.  She is also a trained Neoresus Facilitator.   She has a keen interest in quality improvement projects related to neonatal care in particular central line management.   

Susan Walsh is the Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE) working together with Aly Ottaway and Eszter Jozsa in the planning and co-ordination of the education program within the unit.  This includes the New Graduate Nurse program which supports the transition of newly graduated RN’s into the NCC environment.  She is also a trained Neoresus Facilitator and a qualified lactation consultant.

Charlotte Walter is a Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE) working together with Aly Ottaway and Susan Walsh in the planning and co-ordination of the education program within the unit. She is also a trained dance teacher, She has an interest in education.

Joanna Michalowski is a research co-ordinator and a Clinical Nurse Specialist.  She is often a Team Leader in the NICU and sometimes has patient-care but more importantly, she is responsible for coordinating the unit’s research projects and multicentre trials.  Jo has a leading role in fundraising and was the chairperson with organising NCC’s charity ball called `Bubbles for Babies Ball', 2016. 

Karen is the provides secretarial assistance to the Co-Directors and Newborn Care Unit.  She ensures the unit is run smoothly and that the Clinical Co-Directors are informed of upcoming meeting. She is also the first point of contact for visitors. Karen will go out of her way to assist whenever required.

Coordinates the Growth and Development Clinic.  She assists all the medical staff including JMO with their daily administrative enquiries.

Patty is the Clinical Midwifery Consultant for lactation in the Newborn Care Centre. She has a midwifery background and over 20 years’ experience in neonatal nursing, with a strong focus on research, quality improvement and lactation education.

Her expertise is with women who have complex breastfeeding challenges. Enabling them to successfully initiate and maintain their breast milk supply and establish breastfeeding. She believes in supporting mothers to achieve their lactation and breastfeeding goals.

Patty is a member of various state and national neonatal, nutrition and lactation groups and has presented at national and international conferences.