Advisory Committee Chairs

Professor Beena Kumar

Anatomical Pathology Chair

Beena Kumar is the Program Director of Pathology Monash Health, Victoria, Australia. She has held medical leadership roles within the Department of Pathology, the Anatomical Pathology and the Diagnostic Genomics Unit.

She is a specialist anatomical pathologist with more than twenty years of specialist experience. She has keen interest in breast, haematolymphoid and neuropathology pathology and is the designated pathologist for Monash Breast Screen at Monash Health.

Beena holds an academic position within the School of Clinical Sciences, affiliated with Monash University. She is involved in medical research and has worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and the University of Melbourne.

Prof William Rawlinson

Biosecurity Chair

Qualifications: AM FAHMS BSc(Med) MBBS PhD (Cantab) GCM FRACP FRCPA FASM FFSc

Director of Serology and Virology Division (SAViD), Director Organ and Tissue Donor screening laboratory, Director NSW State Reference Laboratory for HIV, Chair Biosecurity Quality Assurance Program (QAP) RCPAQAP, Deputy Chair Serology Quality Assurance Program (QAP) RCPAQAP

William Rawlinson is a clinician scientist recognised internationally for translational research into human CMV in pregnancy and other immune compromised clinical states. He established, and oversees, serology and virology clinical research programs, statewide transplant donor screening, and national quality programs for serology and biosecurity. The laboratory he directs studies pathogenesis of congenital CMV infection, clinical application of research findings to pregnant women and neonates, and novel antivirals. He is conjoint professor at UNSW with over 400 publications in basic research, diagnostic and clinical virology.

Dr Chris Farrell

Chemical Pathology Chair

Qualifications: BSc (Med), MBBS, FAACB, FRACP

Chris is the Clinical Director at Liverpool in Sydney. He trained in chemical pathology at Royal North Shore Hospital and Laverty Pathology. After obtaining Fellowship in 2012, he continued with Laverty Pathology, eventually becoming Director of Clinical Chemistry and Laverty Pathology.

Chris has a keen interest in the education and training of pathologists and scientists. He was previously the NSW/ACT education representative for the Australasian Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (AACB) and is currently on the AACB Board of Examiners. In his research, he is currently interested in the use of laboratory data to answer clinical questions, streamline laboratory workflows and improve analytical quality.

Dr Shaun Donovan

Cytopathology Chair

Dr. Shaun Donovan commenced in the role of Chief Executive Officer of Diagnostic Services in March 2017. He is a graduate of the University of Tasmania Medical School and underwent his Anatomical Pathology training at the Royal Hobart Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Having a long association with the University of Tasmania medical undergraduate course, Dr Donovan has provided lectures and tutorials in gastrointestinal, breast, liver and male genitourinary pathology.
In addition to his duties as CEO he is the State Supervising Anatomical Pathologist for Diagnostic Services, maintaining a clinical workload reporting the full spectrum of histopathology and cytopathology and providing many pathology review meetings for referring doctors in addition to his administrative role.

Dr John Giannoutsos

Haematology Chair

Dr Giannoutsos obtained his MBChB in South Africa at the University of Cape Town/Groote Schuur Hospital, following which he completed a B Mus at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Subsequently, he trained in laboratory haematology followed by clinical haematology training at Groote Schuur Hospital and then worked as a haematologist in the United Kingdom. After a period of registrar training in haematology in Australia, he obtained the FRCPA in haematology in 2007. In 2009 he was appointed staff specialist in haematology at Nepean Hospital, where he is currently employed as part of the New South Wales Health Pathology service.

Topics on which Dr Giannoutsos has published in peer-reviewed journals include bone marrow pathology, while abstracts, posters and presentations include morphology, various clinical case reports and quality assurance. Dr Giannoutsos is a member of the Haematology Clinical Stream for NSW Health Pathology whose functions include the roll-out of digital morphology in NSW and is involved with a web-based morphology training project. He assumed the role of chair for the Haematology Advisory Committee of the RCPAQAP at the end of 2017.

A/Prof Frederick J Lee

Immunology Chair

Qualifications: BSc, MBBS(Hons), PhD, FRACP, FRCPA

Frederick is a Senior Staff Specialist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, the current Clinical Stream Directorfor Immunology at New South Wales Health Pathology and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. 

Frederick holds a doctorate from the University of New South Wales for studies in the field of antiretroviral therapy and has been involved with the RCPAQAP since 2014, when he co-ordinated the transition of the Immunology Program to its present headquarters.

At his diagnostic site, Frederick oversees autoimmune, immunochemical and flow cytometric tests, and he has a particular interest in HIV diagnostics. He maintains an active role in vocational training as the current Chief Examiner (Immunopathology) of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) and a member of the Committee for Joint College Training of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) for Immunology/Allergy. 

Dr Michael Whiley

KIMMS Chair

Qualifications: MBBS, FRCPA, FAACB

Michael provides high-level expert advice on clinical strategy and support needs. He works with the executive at NSW Health Pathology on reform initiatives that enhance quality and sustainability of their services, and works closely with the Chief Pathologist and network teams on clinical governance matters.

Michael has nearly 25 years of public pathology and leadership experience and has held senior roles across three states and territories as well as New Zealand. He served as Senior Director at Pathology Queensland for 10 years and has held various roles with ACT Pathology and recently spent just over twelve months as Acting Director of our Pathology West network.

He is a member of the Royal College for Medical Administrators and Fellow with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.

Dr Juliet Elvy

Microbiology Chair

Qualifications: BMedSci, BMBS, MRCP, FRCPath, FRCPA

Juliet is a Consultant Clinical Microbiologist based at both Wellington Southern Community Laboratories and Medlab Nelson Marlborough, New Zealand. 

She completed her training in the southwest UK in 2011 and moved to New Zealand in 2012. In her role as a clinical microbiologist, she has responsibility for a number of clinical microbiology laboratories across the South Island of New Zealand as well as the Wellington region. She is a fellow of both the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and the Royal College of Pathologists (UK). Her particular interests include antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, antimicrobial stewardship and Choosing Wisely. She is passionate about quality and has been chair of the RCPAQAP Microbiology Advisory Committee since 2018. She is a key member of the New Zealand National Antimicrobial Testing Committee and the New Zealand Microbiology Network. 

Dr Eric Lee

Molecular Genetics Chair

Qualifications: MBBS, FRCPA (Genetics)

Eric is the medical laboratory director for Virtus Genetics, a private pathology provider of reproductive genetic testing. He is a member of the RCPA Genetics Advisory Committee and deputy chief examiner for the RCPA Medical Genomics examinations. He has been chair of the RCPAQAP Molecular Genetics Advisory Committee since 2022. Eric is experienced in the development and interpretation of a wide range of molecular and cytogenetic tests.

Dr Meryta May

Serology Chair

Dr Meryta May graduated from The University of Queensland in 1995 and is a paediatric infectious diseases physician and microbiologist. She joined Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology in 2004 after completing her paediatric infectious diseases training in Sydney at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, and Liverpool Hospital. Prior to this she worked in rural Queensland and at both of Queensland’s tertiary paediatric hospitals.

She has a particular interest in infectious disease diagnostics and has published on a wide range of paediatric infectious disease topics. As a member of ANZPID (Australia and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases) special interest group she has contributed to national guidelines for fungal infections in the immunocompromised and C. difficile infections in children.

Dr May is a member of ASID and the National Certification Committee for the eradication of polio. She is an editor for the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health and consults clinically at Queensland Children’s Hospital, Wesley Hospital and St Andrew’s Hospital.

Dr Michael Spies

Synovial Fluid Chair

Dr Michael Spies is a Rheumatology Staff Specialist at the Department of Rheumatology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he provides care for patients in the Gout and Crystal Arthritis Clinic. He also has a keen interest in education and training and is the current Network Director of Physician Training for the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Basic Physician Training Network. Dr Spies is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. He is the current Chair of the Synovial Fluid RCPAQAP, having succeeded A/Prof Neil McGill. The program provides quality assurance and teaching of synovial fluid examination for crystals to laboratories throughout Australia and further afield. Distribution of synovial fluid samples, yearly on-line teaching and in-person workshops are included in the program. The synovial fluid crystal teaching activities are assisted by world-class photographic and computer equipment in the Department of Rheumatology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.