IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please see the bottom of this page for the steps we are taking to ensure your safety in this practice
Sydney North Neurology and Neurophysiology is your comprehensive neurological consultation, neurophysiological and medical botulinum toxin service. We have 8 neurologists, each with varied interests including headache (severe headache and migraine clinic), neuromuscular conditions, movement disorders (eg. Parkinsons disease), epilepsy, multiple sclerosis/neuroimmunology, neurogenetics, hyperhidrosis and general medicine. All are skilled neurophysiologists in nerve conduction/EMG and/or EEG. Our team includes administrative support staff, a neurophysiology technician, and a trainee neurology registrar/fellow.
Find us
Associate Professor Karl Ng | Specialist neurologist and Neurophysiologist | Sydney
MBBS (Hons 1), PhD, CCT Clinical Neurophysiology (UK), FRCP, FRACP
Conjoint Associate Professor – Sydney Medical School, the University of Sydney
Director – Sydney North Neurology & Neurophysiology
Consultant Neurologist and Senior Staff Specialist – Director Neurophysiology, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSLHD
Specialties: Injection therapy for chronic migraine/excessive sweating/movement disorders, nerve conduction/EMG and EEG, peripheral neuromuscular disorders and multiple sclerosis. Director – Headache Clinic, Hyperhidrosis Clinic (SNNN)
Dr Karl Ng is a conjoint associate professor at the Northern Precinct of Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney. He completed his medical degree with first class honours at the University of New South Wales, and attained accreditation in Neurology from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He has undertaken 3 years post-fellowship training in Clinical Neurophysiology at the prestigious National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, University College London culminating in accreditation of a second specialty in the UK in this area. He has completed a doctoral thesis in peripheral axonal excitability in peripheral and central neurological disorders including multiple sclerosis. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and Royal Australasian College of Physicians, board director of the charitable Brain Foundation, NSW representative of the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society, and member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society. He is active in the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists as councillor and committee member of the Clinical Neurophysiology interest group. Dr Ng is Director of SNNN, Head of the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology at Royal North Shore Hospital, has organised specialty training conferences in neurophysiology for the Australian association, and speaks at international meetings. He has over a hundred publications in high-end international peer reviewed journals, is an invited reviewer for these learned societies, and is Associate Editor of BMJ Neurology Open and the Internal Medicine Journal.
Associate Professor Kishore Kumar | Specialist and general neurologist | Sydney
MBBS, FRACP, PhD
Conjoint Associate Professor –University of NSW
Consultant Neurologist and Staff Specialist – Concord Repatriation General Hospital, SLHD
Specialties: General neurology, Parkinson disease, dystonia, inherited neurological disorders.
Dr Kishore Kumar completed his medical degree at the University of Adelaide, and attained accreditation in Neurology from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He undertook a Neuromuscular Fellowship at the Royal North Shore Hospital and was trained in neurogenetics, nerve conduction studies and electromyography. He was awarded the P.K. Thomas Clinical Fellowship to the Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom, by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists. He has a PhD in neurogenetics with work completed at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Sydney University and the University of Lubeck, Germany. He has over a hundred journal publications, and is first author of a book entitled ‘Neurogenetics’ from the ‘What Do I Do Now’ series (Oxford University Press). He has presented at many national and international meetings. He is an invited reviewer for several international journals, and on the editorial board of the journal Movement Disorders. Dr Kumar is continuing his research as a NHMRC Early Career Fellow, conducts research at the Garvan Insitute of Medical Research, and has been appointed a staff specialist at the Concord Repatriation General Hospital. In addition to his teaching and research, he is interested in seeing patients with a broad range of neurological conditions.
Dr Robert Boland-Freitas | Specialist and general neurologist | Sydney
BSc (Med), MBBS, FRACP, PhD
Consultant Neurologist and Staff Specialist – Blacktown Hospital, WSLHD
Specialties: General neurology, headache, myopathy including muscular dystrophies, neurophysiology, injection therapy.
Dr. Robert Boland-Freitas completed his medical degree at the University of New South Wales, and attained accreditation in Neurology from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He undertook a Neurophysiology Fellowship at the Royal North Shore Hospital, where he trained in nerve conduction studies and electromyography. He has completed PhD studies under the supervision of A/Prof. Ng (University of Sydney) researching muscle diseases using novel neurophysiological methods, with a focus on the myotonic dystrophy. For this work, he was nominated for the Peter Bancroft Prize. Dr. Boland-Freitas has been appointed as a staff specialist Neurologist at Blacktown Hospital.
Dr James Lee | Specialist and general neurologist | Sydney
BSc (Med), MBBS (Hons 1), FRACP, PhD
Clinical Senior Lecturer – Sydney Medical School, the University of Sydney
Consultant Neurologist and Staff Specialist – Royal North Shore Hospital, NSLHD
Specialties: General neurology, headache, myopathies including inflammatory myopathy, neurophysiology, injection therapy.
Dr James Lee graduated in medicine with 1st Class Honours. He has trained at the Royal North Shore Hospital in general neurology and neurophysiology. He is a scholar of the University of Sydney and Australian Government Research Training Program and a Doctor of Philosophy with postgraduate studies on nerve and muscle excitability in myopathic disorders, specifically inclusion body and inflammatory myopathy, and has several publications in this area. Dr Lee also received the Peter Bancroft prize. Dr Lee is a Staff Specialist at Royal North Shore Hospital and VMO Neurologist at Sutherland Hospital. James is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin.
Dr Tania Farrar | Specialist and general neurologist | Sydney
MBBS, FRACP
Consultant Neurologist and Staff Specialist – Royal North Shore and Westmead Hospitals, NSLHD/WSLHD
Specialties: Epilepsy, seizure disorders and EEG.
Dr Tania Farrar is a clinical lecturer for the University of Notre Dame, School of Medicine, Sydney and a tutor in Neurology for the University of Sydney. She completed her medical degree at the University of Notre Dame and attained accreditation in Neurology from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She undertook an Epilepsy Fellowship at Westmead Hospital and was trained in complex epilepsy assessment and management, surgical epilepsy evaluation as well as cranial and intracranial EEG monitoring. She has presented her research in Australia as well as overseas and has been 1st author on publications including articles on the assessment of patients with seizures. Dr Farrar is undertaking further study and research as a PhD candidate on the role of ketogenic diet therapy in refractory epilepsy.
Dr Ruaridh Cameron Smail | Specialist and general neurologist | Sydney
MA (Oxon), MBBS, MRCP, FRACP, MPhil
Consultant Neurologist and Staff Specialist – Royal North Shore (locum), NSLHD
Specialties: General neurology, headache, movement disorders and stroke, neurophysiology, injection therapy
Dr Ruaridh Cameron Smail is a UK medical graduate. He achieved a first-class honours degree in Neurosciences from Oxford University, before completing his medical degree at University College London and is an associate clinical lecturer with Sydney Medical School. Ruaridh has a Masters of Philosophy from the University of Sydney studying both sporadic and monogenic forms of hemiplegic migraine, as well as the effect of therapies like CGRP antagonists, using novel nerve excitability techniques. He has undertaken fellowships in neurophysiology and stroke. He is interested in seeing general neurology cases, headache, movement disorders and stroke.
Dr Jonathan Baird-Gunning | Specialist neurologist and General Physician | Sydney
MB ChB, BSc MedSci (Hons), PGDip(TransMed), FRACP
Consultant Neurologist, Staff Specialist and Visiting Medical Officer – Northern Beaches and Blacktown Hospital, NSLHD/WSLHD
Dr Jonathan Baird-Gunning is dual accredited as a general physician and neurologist. He has 2 hospital appointments and is clinical associate lecturer with the ANU. With a diploma in translational medicine through the University of Edinburgh, he is undertaking a Masters in Public Health. Being additionally a generalist, he is ideally placed to assess patients with multiple co-morbidities, or those that do not fit easily into a sub-specialism.
Dr David Manser | Specialist neurologist and General Physician | Sydney
B.Sc (Adv), MBBS (Hons 1), FRACP
Consultant Neurologist and Fellow in Clinical Genetics –
Westmead Hospital, WSLHD
Dr David Manser is a Neurologist with experience providing general and subspecialist care in multiple major metropolitan teaching hospitals in Sydney, and regional and remote settings. He received First Class Honours for research work in genetic forms of Parkinson’s disease. He completed a clinical fellowship in Neurogenetics with a focus on mitochondrial diseases, supported by the Mitochondrial Foundation. He is currently undertaking further fellowship training in Clinical Genetics to pursue dual specialist registration. He has an interest in all areas of general neurology and neuroophthalmology, and expertise in diagnosis, counselling and management of inherited neurological conditions.
Dr Mitchell Lycett | Neurophysiology Fellow | Sydney
B.Sc (Adv), MBBS
Fellow in Clinical Neurophysiology –
Royal North Shore Hospital, NSLHD
Dr Mitchell Lycett is a final year trainee in neurology subspecialising in clinical neurophysiology. Having majored in pharmacology and human physiology in Bachelor of Science prior to medicine, he attained an academic merit prize during undergraduate training in medicine. He is a currently a Masters HDR student at the University of Sydney studying muscle and nerve excitability techniques with A/Professor Ng.
Past joint SNNN/RNSH neurophysiology fellows :
Mid 2007 to mid 2008 Susanne Winter
2009 Kishore Kumar, PhD (USyd)
2010 Christina Liang, PhD (USyd)
2011 Karen Sank
2012 Roula Ghaoui, PhD (USyd)
2013 Jessica Hafner
2014 Jessica Hafner – discontinued Mar 2014
2015 Robert Boland-Freitas, PhD (Peter Bancroft prize, USyd)
2016 James Lee, PhD (Peter Bancroft prize, USyd)
2019 Ruaridh Cameron Smail, MPhil (USyd)
2021 Jordan Weastell
2022 (no trainee)
2023 Mitchell Lycett, MPhil candidate (USyd)
Associate staff
- Ms Jessica Kennedy, Practice Receptionist and Manager
- Ms Rebecca Akladious, Practice Receptionist
- Ms Amelia Hook, Practice Receptionist
- Ms Amy Waters Dip Health Sciences (Clin Neurophys), EEG technician
**COVID-19 precautions**
These are challenging times, and at SNNN, we want to reassure our patients that we are doing all we can to ensure our practice is a safe environment.
This includes: – All our staff are fully vaccinated – Telehealth (video or phone) consultations using very easy to use high-speed platforms, compatible with computers, hand-held devices (Apple and Android). This means you can have your consultation from virtually anywhere – Regular disinfection and cleaning of all areas – Appropriate social distancing measures in the waiting area with restricted accompanying members – Negative pressure consulting room, with on-site Telehealth to the doctor to minimise the face-to-face interaction phase
We understand your concerns, so please call the practice if you are uncertain if you should attend for any reason.
Research and training
Associations:
University of Sydney | The Royal Australasian College of Physicians | Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists | Royal College of Physicians | Australian and New Zealand Headache Society | International Hyperhidrosis Society | The Brain Foundation | NSW Government Health