AIU Team

MBL (Sydney), MBA (Macq.), MMgtOpsMgt, DipMus, GAICD

MMedUS, PgDMU (Gen), DCR, AMS

Claire Arrowsmith is an experienced sonographer and educator with over 25 years of clinical and teaching experience in ultrasound. Originally trained as a radiographer in the UK, she later specialised in ultrasound and has worked across both public and private sectors in Australia and the UK.

As Director of Education at the Australian Institute of Ultrasound, Claire leads the design and delivery of all educational programs. She also maintains her clinical practice as a senior sonographer with QScan Radiology on the Gold Coast. Claire has presented and facilitated education for organisations including ASA, ASUM, ACEM, RANZCOG, and the Hong Kong Orthopaedic Society.

Her current interests include developing innovative training programs and researching effective education strategies for clinicians using ultrasound in practice.

MMedUS, PgDMU (Gen), DCR, AMS

Claire Arrowsmith is an experienced sonographer and educator with over 25 years of clinical and teaching experience in ultrasound. Originally trained as a radiographer in the UK, she later specialised in ultrasound and has worked across both public and private sectors in Australia and the UK.

As Director of Education at the Australian Institute of Ultrasound, Claire leads the design and delivery of all educational programs. She also maintains her clinical practice as a senior sonographer with QScan Radiology on the Gold Coast. Claire has presented and facilitated education for organisations including ASA, ASUM, ACEM, RANZCOG, and the Hong Kong Orthopaedic Society.

Her current interests include developing innovative training programs and researching effective education strategies for clinicians using ultrasound in practice.

Bachelor of Nursing
Graduate Diploma in Cardiac Ultrasound (QUT)
Master of Medical Ultrasound (CQU)
Currently completing Master of Nurse Practitioner (Cardiology) (Flinders University)

Maryam is an Accredited Medical Sonographer with over a decade of experience in cardiac and general ultrasound. She holds a Master of Medical Ultrasound (Central Queensland University) and a Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography (Queensland University of Technology).

Her clinical expertise spans cardiac imaging and a wide range of general applications, including eFAST, AAA screening, DVT studies, and abdominal ultrasound. She has a strong interest in acute and critical care ultrasound, with advanced skills in Focused Echocardiography in Life Support (FELS) and lung ultrasound.

Maryam is currently completing a Master of Nurse Practitioner (Cardiology) at Flinders University, further broadening her clinical scope and leadership in cardiovascular care.

At AIU, she contributes as a scanning tutor and lecturer, supporting healthcare professionals in developing their point-of-care ultrasound skills across a range of specialties.

After spending three decades performing and training ultrasound, Jennifer knows how to apply all the clinical skills required for optimal performance of ultrasound. In MSK ultrasound, it is about understanding the clinical presentation and applying your sonographic skills to deliver the correct diagnosis.

Jennifer worked as part of the Medical Team of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, providing MSK and general ultrasound to the 2,500 athletes and members of the Team Village. Jennifer has travelled twice to Cambodia as part of Radiology Across Borders to train Radiologists and GPs in the use of MSK ultrasound. In addition to her working commitments, Jennifer is an Accredited Examiner and Assessor for ASUM and has been examining for the ASUM Diploma of Medical Ultrasound for over twenty years. She is currently studying for Certification in Global Health Radiology.

Jennifer has presented at National Conferences for ASA and ASUM in diverse subjects Chest ultrasound in Trauma and Abdominal Vascular Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome. She has lectured at ASUM DMU Preparation Course. She has presented in New Zealand and in Australia in MSK Ultrasound at various workshops including ASUM, RACGP, and ACSEP.

Jennifer is a Master of Medical Ultrasound with Distinction, specialising in MSK ultrasound of the upper and lower limb.

Jennifer holds a Diploma of Medical Ultrasound (General) awarded from ASUM. Jennifer started her professional life as a Radiographer, holding an Associate Diploma of Medical Radiography. Jennifer has Training and Assessment Qualification Certificate IV TAE 40116. She is an Accredited Medical Sonographer.

AMS Cardiac (Hons) (QUT)
General Ultrasound (QUT)
Vascular DMU (ASUM 2002)
Bachelor of Radiation Science (Medical Imaging) (Charles Sturt University)
Certificate in Education (Online, Distance & Open Learning) (Charles Sturt University)

Anne Pacey is an experienced Cardiac and General Sonographer with over 30 years in ultrasound, including 20 years specialising in cardiac sonography in Canberra, ACT. She has worked across a range of clinical settings, including Canberra Cardiology, Imaging Morayfield, and Imaging Maleny, bringing extensive expertise in cardiac imaging and diagnostics.

MD FCICM GradCertCritCareEcho (University of Queensland)
CCEeXAM® Testamur (National Board of Echocardiography, USA)
Senior Intensive Care Specialist
Mater Health Brisbane

Dr. Nyikovics is a Consultant Intensivist and Supervisor of Intensive Care Medicine Training at Mater Health in Brisbane. He leads the Mater Critical Care Echocardiography Fellowship Program, a collaboration between the ICU and Cardiology departments, and is actively involved in advancing ultrasound education within the critical care setting.

After earning his MD in Hungary, Dr. Nyikovics completed his specialist training in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest, working as a Specialist Anaesthetist. Following two years of work experience in the UK, he relocated to Australia, where he achieved Fellowship with the College of Intensive Care Medicine (FCICM) of Australia and New Zealand. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Echocardiography from the University of Queensland and has successfully passed the National Board of Echocardiography’s Examination of Special Competence in Critical Care Echocardiography (CCEeXAM).

Dr. Nyikovics has been a key contributor to ultrasound education with the Australian Institute of Ultrasound since 2020, participating in several critical care ultrasound teaching programs. He is also a faculty member of the Critical Care Echocardiography Course (CICM training course) and the Critical Care Ultrasound Course, as well as a regular instructor for the Basic Assessment and Support in Intensive Care (BASIC) Course. His expertise in echocardiography and critical care makes him an invaluable educator and mentor for healthcare professionals.

Dr. Guimaraes completed her medical training and residency in Bahia, Brazil. This was followed by cardiology fellowship by the Brazilian Medical Association. She then completed a sub-specialty in Advanced Echocardiography at the University of the State of Sao Paulo, Heart Institute. Lizzy developed an interest in ultrasound teaching whilst training in a busy tertiary hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In Australia, whilst working as a General Practitioner in Victoria Point, Queensland, she applied POCUS to assess patients in the surgery. She invested her experience in teaching and training clinicians to use bedside ultrasound as a physical examination tool, improving patient outcomes. Her current interest involves research and discoveries in the field of education and methodology for clinicians which could make a difference in the lives of many.

MBBS, FACEM, CCPU

Kylie graduated UQ medicine 1987, worked at RBWH, Bundaberg, Laidley, PAH and Ipswich. FACEM in 2005, and is currently Director of Emergency Medicine Training at Ipswich. She has been practising bedside ultrasound since 2002 and is an enthusiastic proponent of education in this area. Currently Kylie is researching lung ultrasound courtesy of a grant from Queensland Emergency Medicine Research Fund.

MBChB, PGCertCPU (Otago), CCPU (ASUM), FACEM

Dr. Dass is a Senior Staff Specialist and Clinical Lead in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) at Redcliffe Hospital Emergency Department in Brisbane. With nearly two decades of PoCUS expertise, he has been at the forefront of advancing ultrasound applications in emergency medicine since 2004.

Dr. Dass holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinician-Performed Ultrasound from the University of Otago (2012) and has completed multiple CCPU units through ASUM since 2015. He specialises in ultrasound-guided procedures, particularly nerve blocks and regional anaesthesia, to provide safe and effective pain management for emergency department patients.

As an Emergency Medicine Clinician Lead at the Australian Institute of Ultrasound (AIU), Dr. Dass shares his passion for PoCUS by training clinicians worldwide in bedside diagnostics, procedures, and pain management. He also co-leads the ACEM-accredited Special Skills in Ultrasound program at Redcliffe Emergency Department, a six-month term designed to train the next generation of emergency physicians.

Dr Gaetani is one of the Clinician Leads at AIU for the Advanced Emergency Medicine courses.  He is an Emergency Physician who completed his training at Liverpool Hospital in NSW and is currently working as the co-director of emergency medicine training at Campbelltown Hospital in Southwest Sydney. Dr Gaetani has obtained CCPU (ASUM) in 9 scanning modalities and has completed a post graduate diploma in clinical ultrasound and advanced echocardiography. He is an active member of EMUGs and is involved in advancing Point-of-Care Ultrasound within the FACEM curriculum as part of ACEM’s Emergency Department Ultrasound Committee. He is also involved in developing POCUS and procedural guidance modules for NSW Emergency Care Institute and emergency procedures app for LITFL / WHO / IFEM. Dr Gaetani is passionate in helping learners integrate Point-of-Care Ultrasound into their clinical armamentarium especially with procedural guidance and acute pain management.

MA, MB BChir, FRCP (Lond), FRCS (Ed), FRCEM, FACEM, DipIMC, PGCert TravMed, DiMM

Dr. Duncan McAuley is a highly experienced Emergency Medicine Specialist currently based at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital. He also serves as a Retrieval Physician with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Queensland and as the Director of Clinical Services at the RAAF Role 2 Hospital, 1EHS, Amberley. Dr. McAuley graduated from Cambridge University and St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, initially pursuing General Medicine before specialising in Emergency Medicine. Since becoming a consultant in 2005, he has developed extensive expertise in trauma care, massive transfusion protocols, and the use of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in critical care.

An early adopter of ultrasound in Emergency Medicine, Dr. McAuley participated in the initial credentialing processes for UK Emergency Physicians. Since moving to Queensland in 2010, he has worked across diverse clinical and prehospital settings with LifeFlight and RFDS. His passion lies in applying ultrasound in austere and remote environments, as well as in wilderness and military medicine, with a particular focus on whole blood transfusion and advanced PoCUS techniques. He is currently completing formal credentialing with ASUM to further enhance his ultrasound expertise.

Dr. McAuley is also a dedicated educator, contributing as an instructor in EMST, APLS, and (H)MIMMS courses, while mentoring prehospital registrars and teaching ultrasound techniques to medical professionals. Beyond clinical practice, he has supported expedition medicine on ventures to Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Kilimanjaro, the Simpson Desert, and Arctic cruises. His wide-ranging experiences and commitment to education make him a valued member of our faculty.

Dr. Moisey is Emergency Medicine Staff Specialist at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW. He has been Clinician lead in Training and research in POCUS in Emergency Medicine. He is CCPU Committee member for ASUM. His interest as an Emergency Physician, POCUS provider and educator is developing the next generation of Emergency providers by modelling best practice.

FRCPC FACEM RDMS CCPU

Jonathan is a Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine at Robina and Gold Coast University Hospitals. He completed his medical training in Canada, including a one year Acute Care PoCUS fellowship at McMaster University, where he worked as Consultant until 2022. He subsequently moved to Australia and completed a year as the Ultrasound Fellow at Gold Coast University Hospital. Jonathan’s non-clinical interests are focused in medical education, with a particular focus in point-of-care ultrasound.

Dr. Weerapperuma graduated from the University of Bristol in 2010 in the UK. He worked there for 2 years prior to coming over to Australia. He completed his Emergency Medicine training in 2021. He has completed his CCPU in AAA, BELS, Lung and EFAST. Sudath currently works as an Emergency Physician based at the Mater Adults Hospital in Brisbane where he is one of the clinical leads for ultrasound and works at St Andrew’s Ipswich Private Hospital. He has been passionate about teaching point of care ultrasound and how to integrate it into clinical practice. He is the Clinician Lead for Advanced Emergency and Critical Care courses at the AIU.

Dr. Zoneff is an Emergency Medicine Specialist working on the Gold Coast in both the public and private sector. She found her love of ultrasound when she did her first course at AIU in 2014. She completed a six-month ultrasound special skills term in 2017 at Gold Coast University Hospital and took a special interest in lung ultrasound at this time, publishing a paper on the prevalence of B Lines in healthy volunteers. She has multiple CCPUs and is the Ultrasound Educator for the Emergency Medical team at Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast.

Dr Jackie Chua is a graduate of the University of Queensland. She obtained her DRCOG in the United Kingdom before returning to Queensland for her speciality training in Obstetrics in Gynaecology. She became a Fellow of the Royal College of Australian and New Zealand Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2005. She subsequently developed an interest in ultrasound and trained in the sub speciality for the Certificate in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ultrasound in Medicine. She joined as a Director of QUFW in 2008. She is a Senior SMO at the Mater Mothers Hospital in the Centre for Maternal Fetal Medicine. Dr Chua is a member of the Australian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine, International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Australia Association of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Ultrasonologists. She is the only Obstetrician Gynaecologist with sub-specialisation in COGU practicing in Queensland. Her special interests include fertility and endometriosis.   

Associate Professor Robert Cincotta is an Obstetrician and sub-specialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine. His major interests are in fetal therapy, prenatal diagnosis and the management of complicated pregnancies. He is particularly interested in multiple pregnancies and has extensive experience in fetal laser surgery for Twin Twin Transfusion syndrome and introduced this service in Australia. He initially graduated and trained in Melbourne at the Royal Womens Hospital and the Mercy Hospitals. He undertook further training in the UK at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital and then moved to the Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane where he became director. He then established Queensland Ultrasound for Women. He maintains an appointment at the Mater’s Maternal Fetal Medicine Department and has published extensively on various aspects of Maternal Fetal Medicine. He has been chairman of examiners for Maternal Fetal Medicine and is still an examiner for this subspecialty. He has also served as a member of the Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council.

Dr Gopinathan is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist with over 30 years of experience in the field. She graduated with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in India, followed by Diploma and a MD in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Beena was awarded MRCOG in the UK followed by FRCOG in 2011 and FRANZCOG in 2016. She has extensive Obstetrics and Gynaecology experience spanning across the different countries, cultures and ethnicities as she has worked in India, Middle East followed by working at Lyell McEwin Hospital, SA and now as Consultant Obstetrician & Gynecologist at Gawler Health Services, SA. Beena is actively involved in teaching, supervising junior doctors, research, audits and publications on Intrapartum Ultrasound. She is passionate about integrating and teaching Intrapartum Ultrasound into clinical practice and is the leading Clinician Lecturer for the Intrapartum Ultrasound course at the AIU.

MB, BS; DRCOG; MRCOG; FAGO; FRACOG; CBioEth; FRCOG; FRANZCOG

Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide.
Senior Visiting Medical Specialist, Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit, Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.

Works in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Adelaide where he is a dedicated teacher and Examiner of V year medical students and of post graduate RANZCOG Trainees and is a Training Supervisor for Prevocational Trainee Medical Officers.

He has recently retired from 40 years of private practice and from public hospital practice where he worked as a SVMS in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit of the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital but remains involved in clinical practice by providing locum cover in provincial and teaching hospitals as well as performing reaccreditation visits of RANZCOG training centres in Australia and New Zealand.

He continues with his annual commitment to three perinatal centres in Indonesia where he holds an Honorary Professorship of the University of Udayana and in the Feto Maternal Medicine Division at Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali and is an External Examiner for the Indonesian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

He has published over 60 papers in referred journals and has written book chapters in four editions of “High Risk Obstetrics – Management Options” and is an associate editor for two journals and is a reviewer of submitted papers for ANZJOG and BJOG.

He is the Convenor of the RANZCOG Birth Master Class Workshops which since 2012 have taught over 200 senior trainees and obstetric consultants the “Art of Complicated Vaginal Birth”.

Dr Twigg completed her FACEM-PEM in 2020 after a fellowship in simulation education. She has a CCPU in Rapid Cardiac Assessment, AAA, eFAST and Vascular Access. Sonia works at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. She is passionate about providing excellent emergency care, teaching medicine in fun and creative ways and using Point of Care ultrasound.

Dr. Dawson is a Rural Generalist who lives and works in the Torres Straits in Far North Queensland. She works between General Practice, Hospital Medicine, Anaesthetics and Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine. She incorporates POCUS regularly into her bedside clinical practice and is passionate about the use of ultrasound in rural, remote and resource limited settings. Sandi is the Clinician Lead for Rural Medicine courses at the AIU.

Dr. Bell is a Musculoskeletal Medicine Physician Specialist from New Zealand with a special interest in Interventions in Pain Management, POCUS and Acute & Chronic Musculoskeletal problems in adults, particularly Spinal Pain. He works in a range of rehabilitation, pain management and musculoskeletal medicine settings, as well as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago. Iain is one of a handful of Doctors in New Zealand holding CCPU from ASUM, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing training and competence in Ultrasound. He is the Clinician Lead for MSK and MSK Injection courses at the AIU.

Dr Chin is a Musculoskeletal Medicine Physician from New Zealand with experience working in both public & private healthcare settings in Christchurch and Wanaka. He takes a special interest in Interventional Pain Management, particularly in the spine, and keeps up to date as a member of the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society. Jason currently works as a Senior Clinical Lecturer for the University of Otago, teaching in post-graduate courses. He is also involved in POCUS education for clinicians both in New Zealand and in Australia, teaching at the Australian Institute of Ultrasound.

BSc (Med), MBBS, M.Med, FRANZCR

Colin completed his medical training and residency in Sydney Australia, for which he was awarded the Greg Monaghan Award for Intern of the Year. This was followed by a cell and molecular biology postgraduate research degree for which he was awarded the National Health and Medical Research Council Medical Scholarship. He then completed his radiology training in Sydney, followed by two subspecialty Diagnostic and Interventional Musculoskeletal Fellowships at the University of British Columbia, Canada and a Paediatric Imaging Fellowship at The Children’s Hospital, Sydney. He is the current Chair of the MRI Reference Group in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) since 2017 and member of the Safety, Standards and Quality Committee. He is a regularly invited speaker for the Australasian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM), Australian Sonographers Association, Australian Institute of Ultrasound and Alexandra Academy for Clinical and Emergency Sonography. Colin is the Lead of MSK stream for the Scientific Committee of the Australasian Society of Ultrasound ASUM 2020 50th anniversary.

Colin is passionate about teaching and advancing knowledge in musculoskeletal imaging. He was an instructor in anatomy, radiology and medicine for Australian and New Zealand universities. He has over fifty international and scientific international conferences and multiple journal publications. Colin has helped Sports and Exercise specialists and physiotherapists diagnose and treat elite athletes. He was appointed MSK radiologist in the Medical Team, 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.