Our Executive Committee 2021

Dr Madhura Naidu

President & VIC REP ON AFMW COUNCIL

VMWS President

Madhura was first involved in VMWS as a medical student at Monash University. She has since spent several years exploring medicine and surgery before choosing to specialise in intensive care. She is passionate about gender equality, especially in the workplace, as well as quality education for all. She is proud to be involved in VMWS and believes in medical women empowering and supporting each other to create and consolidate change in our world. In her free time, she loves expanding her horizons by travelling and engaging in her longtime interests of salsa dancing, photography and writing.

A/Prof Magdalena Simonis

Immediate Past president & AMA REP

Magda is a GP, a fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and an honorary research fellow with the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne, with expertise in implementation of evidence-based practices in health delivery. She was President of VMWS in 2012-2013 and after spending time overseas, returned to the role in 2017. She is passionate about women’s health, equality in the profession and medical mentoring. Bringing medical women together whilst supporting them on their journey is central to her mission.

Dr Elysia Robb

VICE PRESIDENT & SPONSORSHIP & VIC Rep National Council of Women & Job Share Database Co-ordinator

Elysia is a mother, partner, family member, friend and doctor. Elysia is currently completing her GP training and hopes to one day focus on women’s health, public health, palliative care and advanced care planning in GP. She has been involved in the VMWS since 2011, just before her first child was born. Elysia has a background in molecular biology and Alzheimer’s Disease research. She completed a graduate-MBBS at the University of Melbourne, and had two babes during the latter part of her course. She, is one of very few to have, completed internship and residency part-time. She spent six months working full-time in obstetrics and gynaecology, completing a DRANZCOG. Elysia advocates for part-time work in junior medicine, and more equitable and fair working conditions for junior doctors to allow for better life balance and health. For Elysia, the VMWS has been an excellent source of inspiration, support, education and networking, and has made her medical training, with children, far more tolerable.

Dr Meghan Ellis

SECRETARY & Job Share Database Co-ordinator

Meg is a junior doctor working in the East Grampians region. She hopes to incorporate a humanities perspective in her medical practice and to continue developing her clinical interests in women’s health and mental health in the rural setting. Meg is passionate about advocating for issues surrounding doctor wellbeing and the way health systems could change in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients.

Dr Mian Ng

TREASURER

Mian Ng is the incoming treasurer for 2021. She’s currently an intern at Monash Health, having graduated from Monash Uni last year. Prior to doing medicine, Mian worked as mainly as an engineer, and also did stints as assistant accountant and business analyst. She was the treasurer for the GP Student Network at Monash last year. When not working or studying, Mian is busy being a taxi driver for her 2 kids (and catching up on shows on Netflix).

Dr Jess Motyer

EVENT COORDINATOR

Jess is currently an intern at Western Health graduating from the University of Melbourne. She graduated from the Monash University with a Bachelor of Biomedicine (honours in immunology). She has a passion for inclusivity and diversity in medicine. Within medicine her interests lie within Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Oncology. She has enjoyed peer mentoring throughout medical school and shaping the mind of future doctors. Jess describes herself as a fun-loving extrovert who is actively striving to improve the culture within medicine.

Dr Jessie Zhou

IT & memberships OFFICER

Jessie Zhou is a medical intern at Melbourne Health, with a background in pharmacy. She is passionate about mentorship and is a strong advocate for gender equality and diversity in medicine and surgery. Through VMWS, she looks forward to collaborating with an incredible team of women to support and empower individuals at all levels of their medical career to realise their ambitions and unlock their full potential. Key areas of interest include: Medical Education, Technology (AI, digital health), Policy, Multimedia and Research.

Dr Ruby Marslen

Promotions officer

Ruby is an intern at Bendigo Health and recent graduate from Monash University. She holds a strong sense of social justice and passion for women’s health, as well as rural and Aboriginal health. Medical education and doctor wellbeing are also areas Ruby is passionate about and she strives to encourage a positive workplace culture with ongoing learning opportunities. Ruby is excited to work alongside like-minded students and doctors to empower and advocate for the wellbeing and equality of her patients and colleagues alike. Outside of medicine, she loves to travel, hike and enjoys going to live music with friends.

Dr Katrina Harris

Promotions Officer & VIC Rep on AFMW Council

Katrina is a resident at Peninsula health, with a passion for women’s health, wellbeing and equal opportunities. In her previous nonmedical job, she worked in a male dominated industry (Engineering / IT!) and felt that there was a gap at the table. Through VMWS, she is excited to be part of a positive bold force to help empower and support other women. She has held other roles in medical school as the academic representative, where she was involved in working with the entire student cohort and medical admin, and advocating for equal learning opportunities across all campuses. She is interested in working with women and in improving health outcomes with an eventual goal of working in gynecology. In her free time, she is often found on walks along the beach with her dog.

Dr Anne Stanaway

ARCHIVIST

Anne is a GP trainee and is studying her Masters Degree in Public Health (Tropical Medicine) at James Cook University. Anne is passionate about holistic approaches to health and wellbeing and also has an interest in expedition medicine. She spends much of her time in the wilderness and is always planning her next adventure. Being involved with VMWS continues to be an enriching experience for Anne. Through the VMWS she is always learning about new perspectives on issues that affect women, and about ways to create positive change in the community. She is proud to share the wisdom and solidarity of the VMWS community.

Dr Anna Bondorovsky

Newsletter/ Web Content Editor

Born in Moscow, grew up in Sydney and been in Victoria for the past 10 years, having moved here for medical school which I graduated from in 2014. Since then, I have worked around several hospitals in Metropolitan Melbourne. This year is a break year for me, with the plan to undertake a Masters in Reproductive and Sexual Health. When not working or studying, I enjoy baking, reading and doing jigsaw puzzles. As the newsletter/content editor, I will endeavour to bring you the latest correspondence and news from VMWS as well as insights into our members through our creative contributions.

Dr Rosalie Cooper

Newsletter/ Web Content Editor (Shadow) & Archivist (Shadow) & VIC Rep National Council of Women

Rosalie has a long association with VMWS and AFMW from graduation. In the 1990s, she was President and Secretary of VMWS and National Corresponding Secretary for AFMW. After retirement and moving from Emerald to Chelsea, closer to the city, she became VMWS Vice-President in 2015-16, then Treasurer in 2017-2019. She is currently reviewing the organisation’s financial situation with a view to completing the move to the final development of our membership database and automatic annual subscriptions. She also assists our Archivist. She is interested in developing our mentoring of medical students and graduates.

Assoc Prof Deb Colville

General Committee

Deb is a Melbourne ophthalmologist who graduated from Monash in 1975 and is a Fellow of the College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Surgeons (1983). She has a small private practice in Ivanhoe, NSW. Deb was a Director of Ophthalmology at Austin Repatriation Medical Centre and recently retired from the College of Surgeons Council and as Chair of the RACS Women in Surgery Committee, a position she held for nine years. Since 2000, she has been Director of Curriculum Development at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. Deb’s Master of Public Health degree focused on educational program evaluation in health care and she now researches curriculum and public health themes, including ophthalmic public health, gender and curriculum, and women in leadership in vocational education and training. She is interested in ‘doing leadership differently’, developing ways of participation that ‘work for women’ in the profession. “ Arising from the MWIA meeting in Sydney 2001, Deb taught medical students in Sweden and participated in curriculum development for MWIA with its Executive, alongside gender experts from the WHO and UN, in Italy.

Dr Rosalind Terry

Senior Members Rep

Rosalind is a retired doctor, Board Member of AMA (Vic) and seniors representative of VMWS. She began her career as a biochemist and microbiologist in Australia and USA, continuing this while she studied medicine. Residency years included being the first female surgical registrar at St Vincents’ in Sydney and this lead to 10 years in PNG working in surgery, O and G and general medicine in often challenging conditions. Return to Australia was via two years on Norfolk Island after which she became involved in emergency medicine. She feels strongly about supporting female medical students and the equality of women in all fields of medicine.

Dr Shiva Sridhar

Women’s Health Victoria Rep

Shiva is a junior doctor at Monash Health whose passion for leadership and advocacy has motivated her to be a part of VMWS for the last 3 years. Having held the positions of Vice Chair of the Women’s Health Interest Society of Monash (WHISM) and Secretary of the Australasian Surgical Students’ Conference (ASSC), she hopes to utilise all the skills she has gained to work towards empowering both her patients and colleagues. Shiva particularly enjoyed her women’s health rotation and is excited about the prospect of pursuing a career in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In her spare time, you can find her sunbathing at the beach and dreaming of one day standing up on the surfboard!

Student Committee

Lucia Alexander

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Lucia is a medical student at the University of Melbourne. After completing her first year on campus, she will now be based at the Northern Hospital for the remainder of her study. Lucia comes from a small rural town and wishes to eventually work as a General Practitioner in a rural area. Lucia is really enjoying her degree and is very excited for what her future in medicine holds.

Sarah Robinson

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Sarah is currently studying medicine at the University of Melbourne. Following her completion of first year on campus in Parkville, she is now commencing clinical placement at St Vincent’s Hospital in Fitzroy. Sarah is interested in many different fields of medicine, with particular interest in women’s and children’s health, as well as neuroscience and general practice. At this point in time, she is undecided as to where her career in medicine will take her, but she is very much looking forward to the experience of learning within the hospital environment in the coming years.

Mariya Mendis

Deakin Uni Student Representative / IT Officer (Shadow)

Mariya Mendis is a 3rd-year Medical Student at Deakin University. She enjoys spending her spare volunteering and mentoring in her community and academic circles. As a VMWS committee member, she hopes to help promote equality, equity and justice in healthcare systems and the broader community.

Sofiya Fateeva

Deakin Uni Student Representative / Newsletter/ Web Content Editor (Shadow)

Sofiya Fateeva is a second-year medical student at Deakin University. She is an aspiring medic who in her free time does social media on her Instagram and Youtube accounts, where she shows and talks about life as a medical student. In the future, Sofiya hopes to become an anesthesiologist.

Tori Dopheide

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Tori is a second year medical student at Deakin University. Prior to medicine she completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. Tori joined VMWS because she is passionate about empowering women not only in the medical field but also when accessing healthcare. Currently she has an interest in pursuing a career focused on women’s health, but is open to where her career might take her. Outside of medicine, she has a love of politics, horror films and space.

Evelyn Konstantopoulos

MONASH UNIVERSITY STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE / Secretary (Shadow)

Evelyn is a motivated and dedicated final year medical student at Monash University, with a keen interest in Women’s Health and Medical Administration. She has spent time in the Northern Territory volunteering at the Maningrida Youth Centre and elected to study her third and fourth years of medicine in Gippsland. She hopes to work towards improving the equity of medical care across Australia. In 2018 she applied for an intermission from medicine to study Japanese in Kyoto and perform in Shrek the Musical (an amateur version!). She is passionate about international languages and culture, music, swimming, her family and friends.

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