We run a mentoring programme for our registrars; mentors and mentees meet regularly during their time with us – and beyond!
Below are some of the consultant mentors.
Ilana Delroy-Buelles
Ilana is a UK-trained Anaesthetist, now Sydney resident and working as a Staff Specialist at St George Hospital. She is a Prehospital Specialist with experience in Sydney HEMS and UK HEMS (EHAAT) services, and also a part-time State Retrieval Consultant helping co-ordinate retrieval tasking around NSW. Her particular clinical interests in Trauma and non-clinical interests in education and team training.
Who are you away from work?
An enthusiastic baker and traveller, especially to the snow in ski season!
Tell us a joke!
[Ilana was too busy baking]
Brian Burns
Brian is an Emergency Physician and Prehospital and Retrieval Specialist.
Who are you away from work?
A Mandalorian.
Tell us a joke!
Helvetica and Times New Roman walk into a bar.
“Get out of here!” shouts the bartender. “We don’t serve your type.”
Clare Hayes-Bradley
Clare started out doing prehospital with Magpas, CATS paeds interhospital retrieval, and MERT army reservist roles in UK before coming to Sydney for a year…. in 2011. She’s still here. She’s part of the curriculum group for the new PHaRM diploma and is a proud Anaesthetist.
Who are you away from work?
My partner Rachelle bullies me into Dykes on Bikes and James Craig tall ship sailing, but really I just like chilling with friends, and wine tasting.
Tell us a joke!
What’s like a parrot but orange? A carrot!
Fergal McCourt
Fergal is an Emergency Physician and Staff Specialist in Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine
After his undergraduate training in Dublin, he moved to Australia to train in Emergency Medicine and to be closer to the sun. Due to an ongoing interest in PHARM, he completed a one-year Fellowship in Canada before returning to enjoy the challenge of working in both critical care specialties.
Who are you away from work?
Outside of work my activities include trail running, kayaking, mountain-biking and snow-boarding. Riding motorcycles at the racetrack constitutes ‘controlled risk’.
Tell us a joke!
I won’t apologise for not having one clean enough for this forum.
Chris Partyka
Chris is an Emergency Physician (Liverpool & Royal North Shore Hospitals) who was born, raised and trained in Sydney. He has worked in Prehospital & Retrieval Medicine for NSW Ambulance since 2015 (Currently the clinical lead for Code Crimson & Ultrasound portfolios).
In additional to his clinical work, Chris has keen interests in trauma & blood transfusion, ultrasound and clinical research. Chris is a Peer Support Officer in-training with a focus on staff wellbeing following significant events & critical incidents.
Who are you away from work?
A husband. A father of two young boys. A connoisseur of hard rock & heavy metal. And someone who likes to spend time in the sun, in the water or drinking coffee/wine with friends!
Tell us a joke!
[Too many dad jokes to choose from here]
Natalie May
Natalie is a UK-trained EM/PEM specialist, FRCEM & FACEM, working at St George (Kogarah). She is an education enthusiast, planning a PhD in feedback & peer review for expert learners. Involved in free open access medical education via social media, blogs and podcasts, faculty at Resuscitology, formerly faculty at The Teaching Course (med ed teach the teachers). Part of the Ambulance Aeromedical Wellness committee. She has an additional interest in pregnancy and lactation policies in aeromedical work.
Who are you away from work?
Feminist, mother of an energetic and utterly bonkers toddler-monster, runner, tea-drinker and karaoke queen.
Tell us a joke!
What kind of bees make milk? BOOBIES!
Ruby Hsu
Born and growing up in Taiwan, Ruby came to Australia for Medical School at Sydney University. Aiming for the career goal in Emergency Medicine (influenced by the TV program, ER, undoubtably), she started her EM training at RPAH after spending PGY1 and PGY2 in Orange. Being footloose with wanderlust, she unknowingly ‘job-crafted’ her EM training by spending 18 months in UK. During that 18 months, the seed of interest in Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine was planted by the exposure to BASICS UK and working with EMRS (Emergency Medical Retrieval Service) Scotland and CATS (Children Acute Transport Service) London. She completed my EM training at SGH and had the opportunity of spending her last 6 months of training as one of the first registrar group at Bankstown base when the current HEMS was established within NSW ambulance. Knowing that she wanted more experiences in PHARM, she went to UK the second time to work for HEMS organisations, EHAA (Essex & Herts Air Ambulance) and London HEMS.
These experiences were able to quiet the voice of her inner imposter syndrome a bit, and she joined Sydney HEMS as a part-time consultant on her return to Sydney. She works as an ED consultant in both Orange Health Service and SGH because this particular mixture of work keeps her fresh and gives her a good range of clinical exposure.
She is therefore a firm believer in the benefits of working with many different people in different organisations.
Who are you outside work?
A human being who tries to be as decent as possible.
Tell us a joke!
YOU tell me a joke!
Rob Scott
When not flying around Sydney, Rob is an Anaesthetist at St George Hospital with a strong interest in Trauma and Regional anaesthesia. He is also an education and simulation enthusiast filling the role of deputy to the director of training at Sydney HEMS.
Rob grew up in regional NSW, studied at UNSW, then went on to complete a range of critical care training on the Central Coast and Newcastle before settling back in Sydney in 2015. He has been with NSW Ambulance since 2016.
Rob enjoys being part of a team, and all the joys and challenges that brings.
Who are you away from work?
Husband and father to three young daughters. Can generally be found meandering the waterways of southern Sydney by boat or by paddle.
Tell us a joke!
[He’s clearly too busy]
Mark Newcombe
Mark is a Senior Staff Specialist in Emergency and Retrieval Medicine, Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD and GSAHEMS / NSW Ambulance.
He is the Co-Director of DevelopingEM Ltd (www.developingem.com). Mark has been involved in prehospital and retrieval medicine on and off since 1995.
Who are you away from work?
Born and bred in the Illawarra and love living in beautiful Kiama with my wife Jodie and pooch Sooki. I enjoy trying to tame our rainforesty garden, paddling around Minnamurra River and struggling with music creation.
Tell us a joke!
There really are only 3 lawyer jokes, the rest are true stories.
Ian Ferguson
Ian is an emergency physician at Liverpool Hospital, and has been a retrieval specialist with GSA-HEMS since 2015. He completed emergency medicine training in the UK, and also has UK pre-hospital experience, having worked for DLRAA and WNAA in the Midlands. He has a research interest, which is mainly focused on airway management in critically ill patients, and is slogging his way through a PhD with UNSW, investigating the effect of fentanyl on the haemodynamics of anaesthetic induction with ketamine in the emergency setting. He also runs a cadaver-based procedure course, training non-surgical doctors in the performance of life- and sight-saving procedures.
Who are you away from work?
I’m married to Katrina, also an emergency physician, and we have two young kids (Thomas and Clare), who are the main reason that I can’t run very far. We also have an aging labrador called Jess.
Tell us a joke!
I overdosed on curry recently. I spent a night in a korma.
Clare Richmond
Clare is the Director of Emergency Medicine Training at Sydney HEMS, a State Retrieval Consultant with NSW Ambulance and an Emergency Physician/VMO at Royal Prince Alfred and Canterbury Hospitals.
Clare graduated from Sydney University and trained in Emergency Medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She completed a fellowship Sydney Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre and maintains a strong interest in medical education. She has trained in PHARM in Sydney, Alice Springs (Central Australian Retrieval Service) and London HEMS. She has interests in simulation based training, collaboration with NSW Ambulance paramedics, clinical and organisational leadership, as well as staff wellbeing.
Who are you away from work?
I undertook yoga teacher training to consider my alternative career path and hang out with my dog, Archie in the park at every chance I can. I love to travel the world (when pandemics permit) and find new delicious restaurants to try.
Tell us a joke!
Knock Knock! [That’s all she gave us – you’ll have to ask for the rest when you see her]
Kent Robinson
Kent is a Retrieval Staff Specialist (2006-current), a Senior Staff Specialist at Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals (2006-current) and an Associate Professor at Western Sydney University (Critical Care Medicine).
Who are you away from work?
Spend as much time as I can with my children.
Regular abuser of the local gym.
Entertain myself with the odd round of golf (play exceedingly poorly, get a lot of exercise from the excessive distances walked up each fairway because of my poor shots)
Tell us a joke!
[We’re still waiting…]
Kimberley Lawrie
Kimberley was born in Scotland, moved to Sydney in 2012 and trained in Emergency Medicine at Liverpool Hospital. She works as an Emergency consultant in South West Sydney. Her interests include trauma care, ultrasound, team performance and human factors.
Who are you away from work?
Mother to an energetic mini-me and a new tiny baby. Enjoys travelling, camping, discovering NSW hidden beaches, and continuing on the search for Sydney’s best brekkie roll.
Tell us a joke!
What did the green grape say to the purple grape?
“Breathe man! Breathe!”
Greater Sydney Area HEMS 