National Allergy Council Project Co-leads

Maria Said has been a member of Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia since 1993. As a volunteer, she became CEO of the organisation in 1999 and then in 2004 she became a paid employee of Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia. Maria is a registered nurse with experience in emergency and paediatric nursing.

As an advocate for individuals who live with the risk of anaphylaxis, Maria has presented on the recognition, management and emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. She shares information on the mission of the organisation, the consumer perspective and, allergic disease including food allergy and anaphylaxis, to teaching and health professionals, the food industry, federal and state government departments and the Australian community.

Maria is an associate member of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and holds a position on several working parties. She is a committee member of the European Academy of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Patient Organisation Committee.

As CEO of Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, Maria has been called to assist State Coroners as an expert witness in up to ten inquests or coronial investigations. The unfolding of these investigations has resulted in change throughout Australia.

In 2022, Maria was awarded the title of Member of the Order of Australia for her work in allergy and anaphylaxis.

Dr Preeti Joshi is a paediatric clinical immunology/allergy specialist. Preeti is a Staff Specialist at the Department of Allergy and Immunology at The Children’s Hospital, Westmead.

Preeti graduated with honours from the University of Sydney in 1990 before completing her specialist training in paediatrics. She was awarded her fellowship in 1997. Preeti completed a PhD in the development of allergy in children before working in New York with Professor Hugh Samson, a world expert in food allergy.

Preeti has an active role in teaching and research in addition to running a busy practice in clinical allergy and immunology. Her special interest includes paediatric food allergy, eczema and allergic rhinitis. She has wide experience in the management of many allergic and immunologic conditions in children. Preeti is also a member of the Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia Medical Advisory Board. Preeti is a previous Co-chair and Director of the National Allergy Council.

Kylie Hollinshead is a Registered Nurse and Allergy Educator at Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) in 1998, and has since obtained a Master of Advance Nursing in Education and post registration certificates in allergy and paediatric nursing.

Kylie previously worked with the NSW Anaphylaxis Education Program and in the Department of Allergy and Immunology at the Children’s Hospital Westmead. She is an Associate Member of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and member of the ASCIA anaphylaxis committee. She has been involved in the development of the National Allergy Strategy and implementation of the Strategy through the National Allergy Council projects, policy development and allergy education programs.

Dr Melanie Wong is a Paediatric Allergist, Immunologist and Immunopathologist. She is a senior staff specialist and head of the Department of Allergy and Immunology at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Melanie is a current Director of the National Allergy Council.

Melanie has had longstanding involvement with both the National Allergy Council and the National Immunodeficiency Strategy. She is a past President of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

Sally Voukelatos is a dietitian and worked in the public hospital setting for 10 years.  In 2004, Sally joined Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia as a volunteer, providing phone support and coordinating the Victorian Support & Education Group for 6 years. In this time, she represented Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia on government working groups addressing anaphylaxis training and policy development (schools and hospitals) and a Food Allergy Pilot Study of food businesses.

In 2018, Sally joined Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia as one of their team of Allergy Educators and is currently involved in providing phone support, face-to-face education, government submissions, resource development and policy review.

Sally is a member of the National Allergy Council Advisory Committee. Sally assisted with the coordination of the inaugural Allergy 250K Youth Camp in 2018 and participated in the 2019 camp as a volunteer.

Sally is an Associate Member of the Australasian Society of Clinical immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

Dr Vicki McWilliam (BSci. MND. PhD. AdvAPD) is a senior dietitian in the Department of Allergy and Immunology at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, a Clinician-Scientist Fellow in the Population Allergy Group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne.

Vicki is one of Australia’s leading paediatric allergy dietitians with more than 20 years of clinical experience and over a decade specialising in food allergy. Her expertise has seen her not only involved in the care of children and families, but teaching, training, resource development, service delivery review and policy work in the area of food allergy.

She was responsible for the development and implementation of the first food allergy specific menu at the Royal Children’s Hospital which was awarded with a Victorian Public Healthcare award of commendation in 2009. She is an active member of the Dietitians committee of ASCIA and was part of the National Allergy Council’s Food Service working party which she now co-leads.

Vicki is passionate about improving service delivery and care for families living with food allergy and her research interests focus on exploring dietary interventions for the prevention and treatment of food allergies.

Katie is a paediatric immunologist and works at Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH), Randwick.  Katie is an active member of ASCIA, the peak professional body for immunologists in Australia and New Zealand. She is the current chair of the ASCIA anaphylaxis committee, chair of the 33^rd ASCIA conference and a member of the ASCIA paediatric committee.

Katie has recently been involved in the development of the Australian Commision on Safety and Quality in Health Care Acute Anaphylaxis Clinical Care Standard.

Dr Brynn Wainstein is a consultant specialist in Paediatric Allergy and Immunology. Brynn qualified in South Africa in 1996 before migrating to Australia and completing his specialist training. He was awarded his RACP fellowship in 2005. He is a Staff Specialist in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick and has been in private practice since 2006. He has a PhD from UNSW on the diagnosis of peanut allergy in children.

Brynn is an expert in paediatric allergy and immunology. He has a particular interest in food allergy. His other interests include allergic conditions such as eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma, recurrent hives and insect sting allergy. In addition, Brynn is a specialist in the investigation and management of children with immunodeficiencies, recurrent infections or fever and autoinflammatory diseases. Brynn has published a number of research papers in peer reviewed journals and has authored or co-authored 2 textbook chapters. Services available include allergy skin testing and desensitisation (Immunotherapy). Food challenge procedures will also be available in conjunction with the Immunology Department at Sydney Children’s Hospital and on-site (for selected patients).

Briony is a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Allergy and Manager of the NSW Anaphylaxis Education Program based at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, providing education and support to health professionals, registered training organisations, schools, preschools and children’s services across NSW. Briony has over 25 years’ experience as a paediatric nurse and has 15 years’ experience in paediatric allergy.

Briony is passionate about paediatric allergy and works closely with Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, the National Allergy Strategy, ASCIA and the Centre for Food Allergy Research (CFAR). She is an active member of the ASCIA paediatric committee and the ASCIA anaphylaxis committee. 

Wendy has a medical degree and worked for many years in general practice. In 2015 she completed a Graduate Certificate in Allergic Diseases through the University of Western Sydney. She then worked part time in the allergy department at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and at the Centre for Food Allergy Research (CFAR) until 2021. Wendy has done volunteer work for Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) for 18 years and since the start of 2021 has been employed there as an Allergy Educator.

Two of Wendy’s three teenage children are at risk of anaphylaxis to multiple foods (egg, dairy, fish, kiwi fruit, sesame seed, cashew, and pistachio) and so she has many years’ experience with the daily management of food allergies.

Wendy is an associate member of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA). She has been involved with the National Allergy Strategy (now National Allergy Council) since its inception in 2015 on steering and project committees and is passionate about improving the lives of people living with allergy.

Dr William Smith is a Senior Consultant and Head of Unit, Clinical Immunology & Allergy, Royal Adelaide Hospital, and Consultant Physician, Clinical Immunology & Allergy, AllergySA.

Dr William Smith is a clinical immunology and allergy specialist in private practice and at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He completed his PhD at the University of Adelaide and a NHMRC CJ Martin postdoctoral research fellowship in London and Perth.

Dr Smith has continuing roles in clinical medicine, teaching and research, and is a co-investigator in several clinical trials on angioedema and urticaria. He is author or co-author of more than 80 published papers. He has served on the council of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), is a member of the ASCIA Drug Allergy Working Party and is a Past President of ASCIA. He has chaired working parties responsible for the ASCIA Skin Prick Testing manual and the ASCIA Immunotherapy manual. Research interests include food allergy, drug allergy, allergy mechanisms, immunotherapy, angioedema and urticaria.

Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas is a Clinical Immunologist/Immunopathologist at the adult tertiary Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and Pathwest Laboratory Medicine in Perth, Western Australia. 

 After a doctorate in Biochemistry, a European Marie-Curie Fellowship and a post-doctoral position at Oxford University, Michaela moved to Australia in 2004, where she completed her Basic and Advanced Physician training in Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology in 2012. Since early 2014 she has been the Group Leader of a Microsurgical Transplantation Immunology Laboratory with the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, UWA, at the Harry Perkins Institute in Perth.

Clinically, she oversees the drug allergy services at two major hospitals and is the project co-lead for the National Allergy Council drug allergy project. Michaela is also the immediate past president of ASCIA.

Tiffany Ma is a trained Dietitian, graduating with a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics. Tiffany is an Allergy Educator at Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) and in her role she provides guidance and support to people with allergies and is involved in resource development to improve awareness and education about allergic diseases.

Tiffany is an Associate Member of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and a member of the ASCIA Dietitians’ Committee. She is a project co-lead for the National Allergy Council Drug Allergy and Australian Digital Health Agency (My Health Record) projects.

Vikki Jayewardene is a trained Dietitian, graduating with a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics. Vikki is a member of Dietitians Australia.

Vikki is a Project Officer at Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA). She is a project co-lead for the National Allergy Council Drug Allergy and Australian Digital Health Agency (My Health Record) projects and supports the work of the Shared Care for Allergy project. In her role at A&AA, Vikki is responsible for acquittal of projects and reporting on impact to funders.

Vikki previously worked for NSW Health and Cancer Council NSW on health promotion and public health projects targeting childhood obesity, food policy, fruit and vegetables promotion and cancer prevention. Vikki also worked as a clinical Dietitian, with a focus on childhood nutrition and diabetes.