Our Specialists and Therapists
Team @ Dandenong Neurology
He is an Associate Professor at RMIT and Senior Lecturer at Monash University. He is a Senior Consultant Neurologist at Monash Medical Centre and Frankston Hospital. He is assigned supervisor and mentor to RACP trainees.
A/Prof Raghav has a special interest in Movement Disorders which include tremors, Parkinson’s Disease, Tics, Dystonia and Huntington’s Disease. In addition, he is involved in several research projects related to movement disorders at RMIT and Monash University. Several of his research papers and articles have been published in esteemed peer-reviewed medical journals and presented at National and International conferences. He is actively involved in teaching and training of Neurology Registrars and Fellows.
He is also Therapeutic Director at the Yarra Valley Living Centre, home of The Gawler Cancer Foundation. The Foundation runs lifestyle medicine retreats for people living with cancer and multiple sclerosis as well as general meditation and preventative health retreats.
A/Prof Raghav is a level 2 Yoga Teacher who has developed a special Yoga & Wellness program for Parkinson’s Patients and conducts weekly Yoga and mindfulness Classes. He is Visiting Professor at SVYASA Yoga University in Bengaluru, India. A/Prof Raghav has integrated Yoga, Mindfulness, Ayurveda and Naturopathy with mainstream medicine. He enjoys teaching patients and public how to enrich their lives with holistic living through a variety of workshops and seminars.
Hospital Privileges
Monash Health, Frankston Hospital, Jessie McPherson Hospital
Memberships
ANZAN, AAN, RACP, MDSI, IAN, MDSANZ, IPMDS, AMA, SVYASA, AIMA
Dr Tharani Thirugnana Chandran qualified from the University of Leeds with a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. She completed her postgraduate training in Yorkshire in Geriatrics, Stroke and General Medicine, working as a Consultant Stroke Physician and Geriatrician at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
She completed her Neurology training in Melbourne and a fellowship in Stroke Medicine at Monash Medical Centre. She is currently undertaking a Translational Research PhD at Monash University. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Associations of Neurologists and Stroke Society of Australia and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Dr Thirugnana Chandran practices as a General Neurologist with specialist interest in Stroke.
Dr. Salar Mcmodie, MD FRACP, is a Melbourne trained adult neurologist undertook his physician training and speciality neurology training in different Victorian hospitals, followed by fellowship year in movement disorders at The Alfred hospital.
During his fellowship year at Alfred Hospital he was actively involved as researcher and sub-investigator in different multicentre clinical trials and research projects in movement disorders, in particular, Parkinson’s disease and PSP. Salar has a special interest in treatment and management of advanced Parkinson’s Disease, Tremor, Dystonia, spasticity, gait/balance problems and Botulinium toxin injection for treatment of movement disorders. Additionally, he sees patients with other neurological problems including headache, epilepsy, vertigo, neuropathy, stroke and multiple sclerosis.
A compassionate physician, Dr.Mcmodie takes the time necessary to ensure each patient’s concerns are addressed and he takes a holistic approach to the care of his patients, especially in light of the interconnectedness of mind and brain, and how physical illness can have emotional consequences. He concerns himself not only with treating the physical illness, but also minimising its effect on a person’s social life, family and mental health.
Salar holds a public appointment at Northern Hospital and is Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Physicians(RACP), Australia New Zealand association Neurologists(ANZAN) and member of American Academy of Neurology(AAN) and International Parkinson and movement disorder society(MDS).
Salar ensures that patients see him in the first available time and offers short waiting times for new patients to see him for consultation. He can consult patients in English, Farsi/Persian and Kurdish.
A general Neurologist with equal interest in all aspects of adult neurology. Qualified as a neurologist in December 1984 in India and worked in a tertiary care centre attached to a medical college involved with patient care and teaching under and postgraduate medical graduates for next 10 years.
Subsequent 10 years were in Dubai as a specialist Neurologist. In the year 2015 came to Traralgon, Gippsland as an area of need specialist in Neurology and has been in providing outpatient care through Gippsland private consulting suites at Traralgon and supporting medical team at Latrobe Regional Hospital as VMO.
Degrees: MBBS, MD(Gen medicine) DM (Neurology), FRACP.
Membership: ANZAN
Married to Dr. Gayathri and we have a son, Thejaswi.
Hobby: painting portraits and landscapes.
She is a graduate of Monash University.
Her areas of interest are general neurology and movement disorders.
She is also pursuing Ph.D.
Dr. Saman Gardiya Punchihewa Graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1999. He has a special interest in neurology and neurophysiology with an emphasis in electromyography, Nerve Conduction Studies, epilepsy and autonomic studies. Dr. Punchihewa enjoys cricket during his free time.
Hospital Privileges:
Monash Medical Centre, Frankston Hospital, Box Hill Hospital
Board Certifications:
FRACP
Wajih has been extensively trained in Internal Medicine and especially in the field of Neurology. He has worked in various hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. His areas of interest initially included neurological disorders caused by the dysfunction of the immune system, for example, multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica etc. He now considers himself a general neurologist who takes pride in helping the patients with a complex set of problems. He gives particular importance to listening to his patients because he believes that the diagnosis, in most cases, lies in the description of the symptoms volunteered by the patients. He tries his utmost to give ample time to patients to unhurriedly describe their complicated neurological symptoms. He strives to combine the science of Neurology with the art of healing in his clinical practice. By using simple jargon-free language and examples from everyday life, he makes sure that the diagnosis and the plan of management are understood by his patients.
He has been working in a public hospital and in private clinics. He routinely looks after patients with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, headache, stroke and nerve diseases. He has been actively participating in teaching at the under and postgraduate levels. His most prized achievements are the notes of appreciation which his patients continue to express for him.
She is a neurologist and a subspecialist in clinical neurophysiology and neuromuscular disorders.
She obtained MBBS in 2005 with upper second class honors. After basic physician training at Frankston and Alfred Hospitals, and advanced training in neurology at Western and St Vincent’s Hospitals, she received Fellowship of Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Her subspecialty training was on Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular disorders at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, where she had comprehensive training in large/small/autonomic nerve fibre testing, EMG sampling, single fibre EMG and tilt table testing. She has also had training on evoked potentials, sudomotor testing (QSART) and electroencephalography (EEG).
She has been actively involved in research at both Western and St Vincent’s hospitals on stroke and nerve disorders. She is also a PALF (Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum) graduate of American Academy of Neurology (class of 2013). She also has a graduate diploma in public health from Deakin University (2010). Her teaching experience extends from medical students and basic physician trainees to advanced trainees in neurology at the state level.
Dr. Jasinarachchi would be happy to see referrals for electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) including small fibre and autonomic testing. She will consult on neuromuscular disorders consisting of neuropathy, myopathy and neuromuscular junction disorders such as myasthenia gravis.
Hospital Privileges
Frankston Hospital, Knox Private Hospital
Memberships
ANZAN, AAN, RACP
Dr Andrew Ma is a Melbourne trained neurologist who is able to assist patients with a wide range of neurological conditions, including headache, stroke, epilepsy, neuropathy and vertigo.
He has a special interest in movement disorders (such as Parkinson’s disease and tremor disorders). Through additional sub-speciality fellowship training in this field at Alfred Health and Monash Health, he has developed expertise and experience in the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. This also includes expertise in the use of Botulinum toxin injection for the management of chronic migraine, movement disorders (including hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, tremor disorders, spasticity) and axillary hyperhidrosis.
He undertook his undergraduate medical training through Monash University, followed by physician and specialist neurology training at Alfred Health and Monash Health. He subsequently completed a Masters of Philosophy (By Research) through Monash University where he investigated novel techniques to diagnose and assess Parkinson’s disease using CT scans. Through this work, he has published numerous peer-reviewed papers, and was awarded the Professor John Morris Prize at the Movement Disorders Society of Australia and New Zealand annual scientific meeting in 2019 for his research.
He is a member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) and the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN).
She worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist at Peninsula Health for more than 10 years, so brings rich experience and knowledge. She is the Director at Dandenong Psychiatric Group.
She has admission rights at Pinelodge clinic, where she provides both inpatient and outpatient services. She has wide experience having worked overseas, regional area- Ballarat and in metropolitan in acute, subacute and community setting.
She has special interest in adult women mental health covering a wide range of disorders including Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Depression and Anxiety Disorders.
Dr Raghav provides consultations to clozapine patients who are in GP shared care. She also provides Mindfulness based techniques and psychotherapy for various psychiatric disorders. Dr Raghav has also been trained in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation which has been an effective treatment in some of the psychiatric disorders.
During his Neurogenetics Fellowship, Dr. Kanhangad played an integral part in clinical trials in Neuromuscular Disorders.
His main interests include:
I acquired my MBBS in China in 1994. After working in China for eight years with the subspecialty experience in Cardiology and Intensive care, I moved to Australia in 2003. I worked in Baker IDI for five years doing basic cardiology research and reentered the clinical training program in 2010. I worked in The Canberra Hospital, Peninsula Health and Monash Health and completed basic physician training and Geriatric training and received my FRACP fellowship in 2018.
My areas of interest include diagnosis and management of cognitive impairment/dementia, falls, functional decline, incontinence, polypharmacy, pain aged psychiatric disorder, pain management, chronic wounds, cardiovascular disease in the elderly and helping the families and patients with complex psychosocial issues.
I speak Mandarin and English.
He is graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1998.
He has Specialist qualifications in both Geriatrics and Neurology and sees patients referred with issues relating to General Neurology, Geriatric Medicine and Movement Disorders.
Hospital Privileges:
Monash Medical Centre, Kingston Centre, Epworth Hospital and Cotham Private Hospital.
Board Certifications:
FRACP, ANZAN, ANZSGM, RACP and AMA.
He is an Ayurvedic Practitioner.
He has earned a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery degree from University of Lucknow and Post Graduate degree from the internationally reputed Banaras Hindu University in India.
Dr. Yadav is a specialist in the treatment of chronic illnesses, Kareli Panchkarma and neurological disorders. He has treated thousands of patients in India and Australia, many of whom were suffering from serious medical challenges. Dr. Yadav has a passion for combining Ayurveda with traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases and improve the health of his patients.
After nine years practicing as a psychologist, Nadine obtained her Master in Clinical Neuropsychology from La Trobe University in 2017. Since then, she has begun working as a Clinical Neuropsychology Registrar while still maintaining a smaller counselling caseload.
She has been fortunate to experience a range of hospital and community-based neuropsychology settings throughout her training, including a Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service (CDAMS). Her training and subsequent practice has allowed her to gain experience in working with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementias, stroke, acquired brain injury, substance-related cognitive difficulties and neuropsychiatric presentations. She has also undertaken practice with younger people relating to learning difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She enjoys working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and is passionate about helping people to access the support they need to work towards a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Ella is a 3rd generation Chinese medicine practitioner, following the footsteps of her parents and grandmother. She grew up with Chinese medicine and its theories during her early life. With the background from evidence-based studies, Ella is believer of the power of natural healing along with modern research and technology. With strong passion for mental health, women’s health and sports injury management, Ella is able to combine Chinese medicine techniques with modern science to deliver effective treatments.
Whilst much of her clinical experience has grown in areas for stubborn skin conditions, palliative cancer care, neurological rehabilitation and gynaecology, her passion lies in working with any patient to reach their own optimal dynamic state of wellbeing.
She was graduated from Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1990. Being an Associate Professor in China, she has been practising Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine over 30 years. In the 1990s, selected by the Chinese government, she went to Switzerland to promote the use of traditional Chinese medicine to treat many patients.
She is good at acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, combined with the treatment of many complicated neurological diseases, such as: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Hemiplegia, Cerebellar ataxia, Multiple neuromyelitis optical, Epilepsy Headache , Tremors, Stroke with paralysis, Facial paralysis, Huntington’s disease, Multiple sclerosis, Depression and anxiety, Dysfunction of immune system, etc,.
She now engages to combine the science of neurology with natural Chinese medicine and acupuncture in her clinical practice.
She believes that the main force fighting disease is the patient, not the doctor. To teach people how to live and prevent disease is better than cure one’s
condition.
Arpita’s interest into sub-consciousness and it’s effect and important role in the field of mind and body healing motivated her transition from working in the corporate sector for over 18 years and to pursue her training in Clinical Hypnotherapy from the prestigious London College of Clinical Hypnotherapy (LCCH), UK & Asia.
Arpita is trained and holds a Masters in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) from the UK, certified by International NLP Trainers Association (INLPTA) the UK. She is also trained in using Time Line as therapy.
Arpita utilised her acquired knowledge, experience and training in both Clinical Hypnotherapy & NLP to assist patients in (but not limited to) –
Dental-Bruxism, Gagging, Fear of needles and more recently in movement disorders mainly Parkinson.
Arpita is also professionally trained (intern) in Goulding Sleep Talk® for children, a powerful process of positive parenting that empowers and allows parents to improve and balance their childs behavior. She teaches parents to discover the Sleep Talk® process which allows them to improve their children’s behaviors, attitudes and habits
She has actively worked as a therapist in Australia, UK, Singapore and in India to help individuals achieve their desired goals and outcome in a positive way.
Arpita understands and appreciates diversity in individual thoughts, actions and behaviors and modifies and develops strategies to suit individual needs.
Arpita is a Professional member of Australian Hypnotherapy Association (AHA) and is on the National Hypnotherapists Register of Australia, is also a member of BSCH (British School of Clinical Hypnosis) (Assoc), UK and abides by the ethical standards of the associations.
Apart from the above, she has been involved in teaching, training and is also a tutor with the London College of Clinical Hypnosis Asia. She is compassionate and caring and works wonderfully well with children as well.
Arpita provides initial consultation of 20 mins free of charge, to explain and any therapy related queries patients might have.
Waverley Private Hospital would like to introduce Dr Sharmila Chandran, Nephrologist and Renal Transplant Physician. Sharmila’s medical career spans three continents, multiple health networks and
prestigious
International and local institutions. Sharmila remains committed to being at the forefront of nephrology and renal transplantation so that she can provide the highest-quality care to her patients. Sharmila commenced her studies with a medical scholarship at the University of Melbourne. On graduation, she moved to the United Kingdom where she finished her general physician training. She then returned to Melbourne, Australia, to pursue advanced training in general nephrology and renal transplant medicine at Monash Health and St Vincent Hospital. Here, she gained extensive experience in all aspects of general nephrology and dialysis, as well as renal transplantation.
Sharmila completed her specialist training in 2011 and was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She was then awarded a post-graduate research scholarship by Monash University to embark on a PhD in renal transplantation at the Monash Medical Centre. While completing her PhD, Sharmila received several prestigious national and international awards in recognition of the clinical and scientific impact of her research. Her work was published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.
To maintain her clinical skills during those PhD years, she also took on a clinical fellowship in general nephrology and transplantation at Monash Health and was heavily involved in medical teaching and examinations.
In 2015, Dr Chandran moved to Toronto, Canada, to undergo a clinical fellowship in transplantation at the world renowned multi-organ transplant unit of the Toronto General Hospital. Here, she gained international expertise in all aspects of renal and pancreas transplantation.
Today, Sharmila practises in Melbourne, Australia, as a general nephrologist and renal transplant physician. She is committed to providing the highest quality of care to patients in the most compassionate manner. Dr Chandran is still actively engaged in general nephrology and transplant research and is involved in both undergraduate
and postgraduate medical teaching.
Dr Ales Aliashkevich is a highly skilled neurosurgeon, specialising in the surgical treatment of conditions involving brain, spine and peripheral nerves. His conservative philosophy aims to avoid surgery whenever possible by lifestyle modification and non-operative treatment in the first line. However, when all therapy options are exhausted, less aggressive ‘keyhole’-type interventions can provide a better solution than traditional surgery.
His experience in minimally invasive neurosurgery and more recent decade of developing image-guided and robotic strategies have proven the validity of this approach. Spinal fusions are increasingly replaced by motion-preserving interventions, which achieve faster return to normal activities and provide higher level of patient satisfaction in long term.
Spinal and Peripheral Nerve Surgery
Vascular Neurosurgery
Brain and Spinal Tumours
Operates at
Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Warringal Private, Peninsula Private, The Bays Mornington and Holmesglen hospitals.
