Our Clinical Advisory Committee
The Clinical Advisory Committee is a multidisciplinary group of up to 12 members comprising some of Australia’s leading kidney health professionals and kidney consumers.
Our Committee in profile
The committee provides clinical advice and support to the Board and team at Kidney Health Australia, as well as a credible voice on issues relating to kidney health and kidney disease. Furthermore, the committee provides advice and input on the implementation of Kidney Health Australia’s strategic aims. The Committee complements other Kidney Health Australia committees, such as the Primary Care Education and Advisory Committee, which provides guidance on our primary care education programs and initiatives. Kidney Health Australia’s General Manager – Clinical and Research, Breonny Robson is the acting Chair of this committee.
Professor Karen Dwyer, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Prof Dwyer is the Director of Nephrology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Prof Dwyer has 15 years clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of renal-related disease, including acute and chronic kidney injury, refractory hypertension and renal transplantation. Prof Dwyer also has an interest in clinical research project specifically surrounding the diabetes arising post transplantation.
Associate Professor Shilpa Jesudason, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
A/Prof Jesudason is an academic nephrologist and Chair of the Clinical Research Group at the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplant Service (CNARTS). Her clinical and research interests include Parenthood in Patients with Kidney Disease. She runs a state-wide obstetric nephrology service for preconception counselling, antenatal and postnatal care for women with all stages of CKD in pregnancy. She is the immediate past Clinical Director of Kidney Health Australia (2017-20) and co-led the development and delivery of the National Strategic Action Plan for Kidney Disease, the KHA Youth Program State of the Nation report and National Consensus Statement for the Care of Youth with CKD, and the KHA Yarning Kidneys Indigenous Consultations program. She is Co-chair of the Consumer and Community Engagement working group for the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce.
Professor Andrew Mallett, MBBS MMed PhD CF AFRACMA FASN FRACP
Prof Mallett is an Adult Nephrologist with a special interest in genetic kidney disease and nephrogenetics. Having been a Churchill Fellow and an RACP Foundation Jacquot Research Establishment Fellow, he has a strongly emerging clinical and research profile in this field. Currently Professor of Medicine (JCU) and Clinical Fellow (IMB at UQ), Prof Mallett is also National Director of the KidGen Collaborative, and, Director of Clinical Research and Nephrologist (Townsville University Hospital). He is committed to improving the understanding of inherited kidney disease as well as the clinical care and outcomes of Australians affected by it.
Debbie Pugh, MN (Clin nursing) RN
Debbie is the currently the Nurse Unit Manager for the Shoalhaven and Milton Dialysis Units, which are part of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District ISLHD. Prior to this role Debbie was the chronic kidney disease Clinical Nurse Consultant. With over 30 years of experience working in renal medicine both in Australia and the UK, Debbie continues to have an interest and passion to help raise the awareness of chronic kidney disease in the community and general practice across ISLHD.
Dr Kelly Lambert
Dr Kelly Lambert is an Associate Professor and Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian with two decades of experience as a renal dietitian, qualifications in knowledge translation, health economics and management, and a doctorate investigating health literacy and cognitive impairment in kidney failure. Professor Lambert is the Academic Program Director for the Nutrition and Dietetics Program and Co-Director of the Kidney Lifestyle Research Group at the University of Wollongong. Kelly also holds position of elected councillor on the Executive of the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism. Dr Lambert’s research interests are intended to support people with kidney disease to live better lives.
Carla Scuderi, BPharm M Clin Pharm PhD candidate
Carla Scuderi a pharmacist with over 20 years’ experience. Currently the Pharmacist Team Leader for the Kidney Health Service at Royal Brisbane and Women's hospital and part of the Queensland Renal Clinical Network. Carla is the chair of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists Nephrology special interest group and is a member of the CARI guidelines steering committee. Her previous roles include teaching at James Cook University and the University of Queensland pharmacy schools, being a Home Medicines Review pharmacist, a community pharmacy manager and owner, a Quality Use of Medicine facilitator for the National Prescribing Service and GP, and pharmacist clinical educator. An emerging researcher, Carla is currently undertaking a PhD investigating micro-sampling and the pharmacist’s role in kidney transplant care. Carla is a passionate advocate for patient centered care.
Shyamsundar Muthuramalingam
Shyam has a lived experience of kidney disease and is a kidney transplant recipient. He is one of the founding members of the KHA’s National Kidney Consumer Council. Shyam coordinates and leads the National Kidney Consumer Research Network of approximately 60 passionate kidney consumers with lived experience of kidney disease in Australia, to be involved kidney disease research. He works as consumer engagement officer for the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry. He is leading the Registry’s consumer-related activities and devotes his time and effort to advancing consumer participation in kidney disease research and educating researchers about effective consumer engagement in research by addressing patient priorities.
Dr Veena Roberts
Dr Roberts is a nephrologist with more than 10 years of clinical experience in all aspects of nephrology including dialysis and transplantation. She currently works at St Vincent’s Hospital and also provides kidney care to patients in Sale, country Victoria. She has completed a PhD in investigating the role of the adenosine pathway in acute and chronic kidney disease and is involved in postgraduate teaching. Dr Roberts says it is a privilege to journey with patients living with kidney disease and it challenges her to do more to improve their experience.
Dr Anne Durkan
Dr Durkan is a Paediatric Nephrologist at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney. She was previously a consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, after completing nephrology training in the UK, Australia and Canada. She has an interest in medical education and is the immediate past chair of the Advanced Training Committee in nephrology. She is currently on the Nephrology Curriculum Review Committee. Her clinical interests included transplantation in children and antenatal/neonatal renal issues.