Health Networks, part of the Clinical Excellence Division, are led by one or two leads and a
small advisory group. All network leads are listed below.
Child and Youth Health Network
Dr Alide Smit
Dr Alide Smit is a South African-born paediatrician and mother of two, living in Perth. Alide works at Joondalup
Health Campus, where she participates in acute care paediatrics and neonatology, runs clinics in the private
sector, and has a role in teaching.
Alide is involved in developing hospital policies which outline best practice and evidence-based care, participates
in surveillance of non-accidental injury in children under two years, and has been instrumental in establishing
antimicrobial surveillance in paediatrics at Joondalup Health Campus.
Dr Helen Wright
Dr Helen Wright is a general paediatrician and mother of two children. She graduated from the University of
Glasgow in 1995 and has been in WA since 1998. She worked as a paediatrician in Port Hedland (2002–05) and
Fremantle (2005–06) before commencing at Princess Margaret Hospital in 2006.
Helen’s other professional interests are medical education and rural health. Helen is a Senior Lecturer
with the University of Western Australia, as academic mentor in paediatrics for the Rural Clinical School since
2005. She was awarded the Team Teaching award for excellence in teaching in 2015.
Disability Health Network
Stephanie Coates
Stephanie is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 20 years of experience working with the South
Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS). She is currently the Head of Department for Occupational Therapy at Fiona
Stanley Hospital; the largest hospital based Occupational Therapy Department in WA. She is the chair of the
Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group Disability Access and Inclusion Plan Committee and a member of the SMHS
Disability Advisory Network.
In the past whilst not working fulltime clinically following the birth of her three children, Steph was a
Councillor and Deputy Mayor for the City of Bayswater. She was previously elected to be the Chair of the
City of Bayswater Disability Access and Inclusion Committee and was elected to be the Deputy Chair of the
Ministerial Advisory Council for Disability.
Jocelyn Franciscus
Jocelyn Franciscus is a driven community engagement leader with significant experience and passion for the
disability sector.
Previously the Community Awareness Strategist for National Disability Services in WA, Jocelyn
built community awareness of NDS’s suite of access and inclusion services - namely ACROD Parking Program
‘This Bay Is Someone’s Day’ campaign, WA Companion Card and the Changing Places network.
Jocelyn previously has worked on establishing the AT Chat assistive technology peer mentoring project and
remains the director of Cord Fundraiser, an organisation which raises funds to provide people with spinal cord
injuries life-improving technology and equipment.
Jocelyn has a lived experience with disability and received the inaugural AFDO Award at the
2018 Australian Assistive Technology Conference on Co-designing Assistive Technology and Support.
With a background in Occupational Therapy and work across clinical, management, community
engagement and marketing, Jocelyn brings a great depth of knowledge and skills to Disability Health Network.
Diabetes Health Network
Dr Emma Hamilton
Dr Emma Hamilton is an Endocrinologist at Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals, Clinical Senior
Lecturer at UWA and Clinical Lead of the Multidisciplinary Diabetes Foot Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital, an NADC
accredited Centre of Excellence High Risk Foot Service.
Emma was awarded a Raine Clinician Research Fellowship with the aim of improving outcomes for
people living with diabetes and foot complications. Emma serves on a number of Australian national diabetes-related
foot disease projects and committees including the NADC Diabetic Foot Network working party, NADC interdisciplinary
High Risk Foot Service accreditation committee, the Foot Forward Executive Advisory team, the DFA Australian
Research Priorities project and the DFA Australian guidelines Wound Classification group.
Emma has recently been appointed to the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (Wound
Classification chapter group).
Older Person Health Network
Dr Bhaskar Mandal
Dr Bhaskar Mandal is the Head of Department, Geriatric Medicine and Rehabilitation with the Fiona Stanley and
Fremantle hospital group and Adjunct Clinical Professor at Curtin Medical School (Curtin University).
Bhaskar Trained in Geriatric Medicine in Oxford UK & worked in the NHS as a Geriatrician for 10 years prior to
taking up the role as the inaugural Head of Department at FSH.
Bhaskar is passionate in driving clinical quality improvement and delivering an effective healthcare delivery
system to improve health outcomes for older adults. He brings his experience working across three different
continents and health care systems to implement international best practice in Geriatric medicine.
His areas of interest are acute care of the older people, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, falls, frailty syndromes
and rehabilitation of complex medical issues in elderly patients.
Respiratory Health Network
Dr Li Ping Chung
Dr Li Ping Chung is a respiratory physician with special interests in severe airways disease including asthma,
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and non-CF bronchiectasis. In 2013, Dr Chung completed her PhD,
which focused on pharmacogenetics of severe asthma.
In addition to her current role as the clinical lead for airways disease at Fiona Stanley Hospital, she is also
involved in the development and expansion of community respiratory services by Silver Chain to better support
patients with chronic respiratory diseases in the non-tertiary setting.
Dr Chung is also involved in a number of NHMRC funded scientific and clinical research projects related to asthma
and other airway disease. She is currently a member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ)
Research Subcommittee, TSANZ (WA Branch)
Women and Newborn Health Network
Dr Janet Hornbuckle
Dr Janet Hornbuckle is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, Head of Obstetrics at King Edward Memorial Hospital, an
Honorary Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for the University of Western Australia and the co-lead for
the Women and Newborns Health Network. Janet relocated to Western Australia from the United Kingdom in August
2004.
The majority of Janet’s clinical work involves providing tertiary maternal fetal medicine and high-risk
maternity services. She is the lead clinician for the Diabetes in Pregnancy Service and led the development of the
Maternal Fetal Assessment Unit, a 24-hour assessment unit which reduced antenatal admissions and length of stay at
KEMH.
Since 2006 Janet has been involved in maternity services reform with active involvement in developing the WA
Maternity Policy Framework and the National Maternity Services Plan. She remains committed to the implementation of
these policies.
Janet’s research interests include the clinical safety and effectiveness of new models of maternity care.
Primary Care Integration
Dr Jacquie Garton-Smith
Dr Jacquie Garton-Smith is the Clinical Lead for Primary Care Integration and plays a key role in supporting
all of the Health Networks Leads and Executive Advisory Groups in their efforts to enhance connections
between primary care and the WA health system.
Jacquie has been involved with Health Networks as a Co-Lead for the Cardiovascular Health Network from 2010
to 2018 and an Executive Advisory Group member for the Respiratory Health Network from 2006 to 2017. In this
time, Jacquie has played a key role in developing the WA Health Chronic Conditions Framework, chaired the
Chronic Conditions Self-Management Reference Group from July 2012–14, and coordinated the development
of the Heart Failure Model of Care in 2008. Jacquie is a GP with over 20 years experience in private
practice and has been the Hospital Liaison GP at Royal Perth Hospital since the role commenced in 1997.
End-of-Life and Palliative Care
Dr Gareth Wahl
Gareth Wahl is an Emergency Physician at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and the Medical Lead for Voluntary Assisted Dying at North Metropolitan Health Service.
Gareth has been involved in the assessment and provision of end-of-life care for patients in homes, hospitals, and residential care facilities across rural and metropolitan WA since July 2021. He is passionate about helping patients navigate the complexities of the health system in their end-of-life journey, including through both Voluntary Assisted Dying and broader advance care planning.
Coming from an acute care background, Gareth has seen first-hand the impact advance care planning can have on patient outcomes. He is a strong advocate for a holistic approach to end-of-life care and planning to ensure patients are always at the centre of care.
Dr Alison Parr
Alison is a dual specialist in Palliative Medicine and Medical Administration. She was Medical Director of a Hospice and Palliative Care service in Lancashire, UK, before coming to Western Australia in 2014 to take up the post of Director of Hospice and Palliative Care Services at St John of God Murdoch Hospital. Alison's increasing interest in medical administration led her to complete RACMA training in Australia, whilst working as Director of Medical Services at Murdoch and subsequently (and currently) as Director Clinical Services at Armadale Kalamunda Group. Alison has held a number of clinical, educational and administrative positions in WA, which have helped her to build networks across public, private, community, aged care, WACHS and education sectors. As Clinical Lead for Palliative Care with the WA Department of Health, she has presented to the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, the subsequent Ministerial Expert Panels on Advance Health Directives and Voluntary Assisted Dying, and the Joint Select Committee on Palliative Care in WA. She has also contributed to roundtable events with the Minister for Health led by Palliative Care WA. She continues to work clinically alongside her administrative roles, and has a passion for work that combines both. She believes strongly in collaborative approaches to safety and quality improvement and strategic management.
Last reviewed: 18-07-2023
Produced by
Health Networks