We are excited to introduce the 2025 ALA Symposium speakers!

She is only the second female mayor in Freo’s history and said being approachable, positive, and advocating strongly for the community would underpin her approach to the City’s most prominent job. Hannah believes Freo is a place of inclusion, optimism and creativity that has a fantastic future ahead.
The future of Fremantle Port, ongoing economic rejuvenation of the CBD, reviewing the City’s Strategic Community plan and advocating for projects like the Fremantle Oval redevelopment are among the immediate priorities.

Dr Saud Hamza
FRACS, MRCSI, M.B.Ch.B
Breast, Thyroid and General Surgeon

Saud is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin Medical School and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Western Australia and a consultant Breast / General Surgeon at Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group, St John of GOD Murdoch Hospital and Peel Health Campus.

Saud specializes in Breast / Thyroid and General Surgery surgical conditions. After completion of his primary medical degree in 1991, Saud completed a Board in General surgery in 2000 and the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (MRCSI) in 2002.

Saud did win the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) grant for a funded training at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan – Italy on the technique of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy & Axillary Mapping in Early Breast Cancer in 2005 where he mastered this technique and fulfilled his clinical project requirements after which Saud was granted the International Transfer of Cancer Research and Clinical Technology (UICC ICRETT) fellowship. Saud had an advanced subspecialty training in the Breast / Endocrine and General Surgery at the Sir Charles Gairdner hospital in 2008 and Fremantle Hospital in 2009 – both in Perth and the Mater Adult hospital in Brisbane in 2010 after which Saud was granted the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) after successfully passing the fellowship exams in 2010.

Saud is a founding member of the Australasian Breast Surgeons Foundation (BreastSurgANZ), a member of the Australian Society of Breast diseases (ASBD), The Australian & New Zealand Endocrine Surgeons Association (AES), the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES) and the General Surgeons Australia (GSA). Recently, Saud did start the position of the WA representative at the National Breast Cancer Audit at the Breast Surgeons Foundation.

Dr Ruvy Gurfinkle

Dr. Gurfinkel is a specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He is a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Dr Gurfinkel holds a consultant position at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, with special interest in facial, head and neck reconstruction. He is specialised in all aspect of breast aesthetic and reconstruction. He, is well trained in using advanced micro-surgical technique for his reconstructive surgery.

Dr Gurfinkel is accredited at, St John of God Hospitals, Hollywood (Ramsay) Hospitals.

Dr  Gurfinkel holds a position of senior lecturer (clinical) at the University of Western Australia, and is actively involved with the teaching of surgical trainees, hospital residents and medical students.

Dr Gurfinkel is also involved in charity work, including a trip to the Philippines with the “Return Smiles to Kids” operation.

Dr Yvonne Zissiadis 
MBBS, FRANZCR
Radiation Oncologist | Medical Director Genesiscare WA
Hollywood Private Hospital

Yvonne completed her general medical training in Western Australia before moving east to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Victoria to complete her training in radiation oncology. The offer of a fellowship in breast cancer at the Breast Cancer Institute, Westmead Hospital saw her move to Sydney, and this was followed by a position as a consultant radiation oncologist at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick. In 1999, Yvonne moved to Boston for a clinical fellowship at the renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.

On returning to Perth, she began working as a consultant radiation oncologist at Royal Perth Hospital and joined GenesisCare in 2011. Yvonne is Past President of the Australasian Society for Breast Disease and the Oceania Representative of the Senologic International Society. She is conjoint lecturer at ECU and UWA and Chair of the Australian GenesisCare Breast Tumour Reference Group. She is the CMC (Clinical Managers Committee) Chair for Oncology WA alongside the WA Representative to the CLF (Clinical Leaders Forum) for GenesisCare Oncology Australia. She has also been a member of various voluntary committees within RANZCR including the Education & Training Committee and the Research Committee.

Yvonne has a strong interest in clinical research and is an advocate for cancer patients. Whilst Yvonne treats predominantly breast, skin, upper gastro-intestinal and haematological cancers, she is also interested in making exercise a part of treatment for all cancer patients, patient reported outcomes and how a patient’s cancer journey can be improved through treatment.

Valerie Swift
Aboriginal Cultural Guidance Advisor | Telethon Kids Institute

Associate Professor, Valerie Swift is a Mineng – Gnudju mother, grand mother and great Grandmother, she was born at Gnowangerup Mission on Goreng country, is one of 17 Gray-Knapp siblings who all grew up in the Great Southern town of Jerramungup.

Val has worked in health, welfare and education for more than 45 years and has lived in Metropolitan Perth on Whudjuk Noongar Boodja for 28 years, where she has continued this work. Previously the Manager, Aboriginal Health for the South Metropolitan Health Services in Western Australia she has had a distinguished career in health services management driving new initiatives and striving for change to improve effectiveness of Aboriginal health programs. She leads the Urban Aboriginal Ear Health Program at Telethon Kids Institute.

Val is now Co Director of the Djaalinj Waakinj Ear Health Centre and Aboriginal Cultural Advisor within the Telethon Kids Institute’s Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases (WCVID) in Perth, Western Australia, where she consults on and participates in a range of research projects and research capacity building. She has had a distinguished career in health services management, always striving for change to improve Aboriginal health programs.

Val is very active in the WA Aboriginal community and has a track record of engaging and supporting effective stakeholder engagement and establishing Aboriginal advisory groups and promoting cultural competence for organisations engaging with the Aboriginal community. She established and co-ordinates the South Metropolitan Aboriginal Community Advisory Group (ACAG) and the WCVID Our Children’s Health Research Aboriginal Advisors. Through Ms Swift’s leadership the ACAG and the OCHRA groups have facilitated significant engagement in Aboriginal health research within the community.

Val is also a highly respected member of the community as evidenced through her roles as Board Member with Moorditj Koort Aboriginal Corporation, Babbingur Mia Aboriginal Family Support Program and Yarramoup Aboriginal Corporation. She also contributes nationally as a member of the NHMRC Centre for Excellence in Ear and Hearing Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children (CRE_ICHEAR), globally as a member of the WHO World Hearing Forum, a member of the National Ear Health advisory committee and other Senior Aboriginal Leadership groups.

Dr Parshotam Gera
MBBS, M.Med.Sci(UWA), MHM(UNSW), FRACS
Neonatal & Paediatric Surgeon | Laparoscopic Surgeon | Clinical Associate Professor

Mr. Gera completed his fellowship with The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Master of Medical Science from University of Western Australia and Master of Hospital Management from University of New South Wales. He has been trained in Paediatric and Minimal Invasive Surgery at various hospitals including The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and The Sydney Children’s Hospital.
Mr. Gera currently holds public appointments at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Fiona Stanley hospitals in Perth. He is also accredited for private practice at St John of God Hospitals in Murdoch, Midland & Subiaco and Glengarry private hospital.

Besides his clinical practice, Mr. Gera is also involved in teaching programs at the University of Western Australia and is actively involved in the supervision of trainee surgeons. Mr. Gera holds an appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at Curtin University, Western Australia.
Mr. Gera is an active member of The Australia & New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons and The Pacific Association of Paediatric Surgeons.

Presentation Title: Multimodal approaches to Lymphatic Malformations 

Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are benign, congenital vascular anomalies caused by abnormal lymphangiogenesis during embryology, often presenting as fluid-filled cystic lesions.  With a prevalence of approximately 1 in 4000 births, LThey are diagnosed by ultrasound (USS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), while a histologic analysis (rarely required)can confirm lymphatic origin. 

Treatment options range from conservative approaches, such as observation, to sclerotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and surgery. Sclerotherapy, particularly with agents like OK-432, bleomycin, and doxycycline, has shown significant efficacy in reducing LM size and symptoms with minimal side effects. Pharmacological therapies, such as sirolimus, that target the mTOR pathway are also increasingly being used, with a good effect on the burden of disease. While surgical excision remains a choice for symptomatic or large lesions, minimally invasive approaches are often preferred due to lower morbidity. Emerging techniques include gravity-dependent sclerotherapy, electrosclerotherapy, alpelisib, everolimus, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway stimulators (e.g., tankyrase inhibitors, porcupine inhibitors).  

Dr Elizabeth Webb
BAppSc(Phty)(Hons1); MPH; PhD
Fellow | John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University

Dr Elizabeth Webb is a Fellow in the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research within the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of New South Wales and completed her PhD through the University of Canberra. Her PhD involved running a clinical trial which investigated the impact of compression therapy on recurrent cellulitis and the associated costs for patients and the healthcare system, with the primary results being published in the New England Journal of Medicine and subsequently translated into clinical guidelines.

Elizabeth is a lymphoedema physiotherapist with 10 years of experience working within the lymphoedema and palliative care services at Calvary Public Hospital in Canberra, where she shared the role of Lymphoedema Service Coordinator and Senior Clinician. In addition to her clinical work, Elizabeth has worked in the Data Strategies and Discovery Group at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2022) and has guest lectured physiotherapy students at the University of Canberra.

Elizabeth’s research interests include clinical trial methodology, cellulitis, chronic oedema and lymphoedema, and she is currently involved in clinical trials relating to myelodysplastic syndromes.  

Presentation Title: From Prevention to Treatment: Long-Term Results and a New RCT on Compression Therapy for Cellulitis Management

Cellulitis, a common bacterial skin infection, accounts for over 130,000 emergency department visits in Australia annually, with more than half requiring hospital admission. Standard treatment relies on antibiotics to target the infection but fails to address the underlying inflammatory response. Consequently, symptoms such as pain, erythema, and oedema persist, with over 50% of patients experiencing ongoing inflammation following treatment. Long-term morbidity is a significant concern, as up to 50% of patients develop complications such as skin changes, ulceration, persistent oedema, and recurrent infections that impede routine activities. Further, lingering symptoms often lead to unnecessarily extended antibiotic courses.

Oedema plays a key role in the pathology of cellulitis, acting both as a major risk factor for developing the condition and a driver of its severity. Despite its pivotal role, oedema is rarely addressed directly in standard treatment protocols for acute cellulitis. Our previous trial investigating the impact of compression therapy on cellulitis recurrence demonstrated that this intervention reduced the risk of repeat infections by 77% in patients with chronic leg oedema. Now we can provide results from the longer-term follow-up of these patients. Building on this research, we are now investigating a novel application: integrating compression therapy into the acute management of cellulitis. Through a randomised controlled trial, we will assess whether adding compression therapy to standard antibiotic treatment can accelerate infection resolution, reduce antibiotic use, and minimise complications. An initial internal pilot trial will refine procedures, assess feasibility, and provide evidence of successful implementation.

Our longer-term follow-up trial results strengthen the evidence that compression therapy prevents recurrent infections. Our new innovative trial aims to further transform clinical practice by addressing the acute phase of cellulitis, potentially reducing the infection burden and antibiotic use while improving outcomes for patients and healthcare systems alike.

She was appointed a Fellow of Wounds Australia in 2006 and a Life Member of the Australian Association of Stomal Therapy Nurses in 2015. She was awarded a World Union of Wound Healing Societies Life Achievement Award in 2022 and the Western Australian Life-Time Achievement in Nursing Award in 2010. Kerlyn is a Churchill Fellow 1995. Kerlyn has over 130 peer-reviewed publications and texts.

Kerlyn’s research interests include prevention and management of acute and chronic wounds, promotion of recovery and rehabilitation of persons with an ostomy, the development of standards, guidelines and evidence summaries. She has a particular interest in advancing best practice in wound and ostomy care in low resource countries.