Doctors

Dr Ashwin Shukla is an Australian trained Geriatrician, working with SA Geriatrics, who provides both public and private hospital services to the southern region of Adelaide, through Flinders Private Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre and Noarlunga Health Service.

Dr Shukla is a Lecturer at Flinders University of South Australia, Clinical Supervisor and mentor for Physician Trainees at Flinders Medical Centre and Supervisor for Advanced Trainees in Geriatric Medicine.

Dr Shukla is actively involved in representing the needs of older people. He is involved in research and is the local lead investigator for the Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry. He is a member of Southern Adelaide Clinical Human Research and Ethics Committee (HREC), American Geriatric Society and British Geriatric Society. He is also currently a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM) South Australian division.

Expertise includes:

Dr Deeksha Rao is a Consultant Geriatrician who practices in Flinders Medical Centre and consults at Flinders Private Hospital in outpatient suites. She obtained her initial medical qualification in India in 2004 and trained in the United Kingdom subsequently for 3 years.

She obtained her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) in 2015 after completing the Basic Physician and Advanced training in Geriatric Medicine at Flinders Medical Centre and Repatriation General Hospital. She is actively involved in teaching in her role as Clinical Lecturer at Flinders University and is also a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM).

Expertise includes:

Dr Elita Santosaputri is an enthusiastic and passionate Geriatrician. She puts her patient’s best interests at heart and strives to deliver high quality and individualised patient-centred care.

Dr Santosaputri completed her medical degree at Flinders University in 2010 and worked at various hospitals across Adelaide before obtaining her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2019. She has a breadth of clinical experience including acute, sub-acute, and ambulatory care, slow-stream rehabilitation, perioperative medicine, psychogeriatric, as well as community and residential care outreach services.

Currently, she works publicly within the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network and consults privately at SA Geriatrics, Flinders Private Hospital. She is a member of Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine and is actively involved in the supervision of Geriatrics Advanced Trainees and junior doctors.

Expertise includes:

• Diagnosis and management of cognitive impairment and dementia
• Assessment of complex older patients with multiple comorbidities
• Polypharmacy and medications rationalisation
• Optimisation of general health and function to maintain independence

Dr Popescu is an Australian trained physician (Geriatrics and Acute & General Medicine, Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians- January 2022) , practising within the Geriatric Department at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Flinders Private Hospital and Stirling Hospital, working in both inpatient and outpatient settings, acute, subacute, restorative and rehabilitation, as well as RACF support.

This is enriching over 15 years of medical experience in Infectious Diseases (Specialist recognition in all countries of the European Union).

Her scientific work on frailty was awarded the ‘Katherine Lucero’ prize for the best Advanced Training research project at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine Conference (October 2021).

Areas of interest include:

• Frailty prevention
• Healthy ageing
• Community-based restorative care
• Perioperative geriatric medicine
• Diagnosis and management of cognitive impairment
• Dementia care

She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM) and of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID). Actively participating in teaching of the junior medical officers and medical university students at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and University of Adelaide.

She is fluent in French and Romanian.

Dr Alfred Yapp is an Australian trained geriatrician providing private hospital services through SA Geriatrics at Flinders Private Hospital and public services at Gawler Health Service. Additionally, he holds a Clinical Diploma in Palliative Medicine. He is a lecturer at Flinders University of South Australia, plans pre-vocational and vocational training within the Barossa Hills Fleurieu LHN and is actively involved in mentoring medical trainees.

Areas of interest and services offered to individuals over 65 years of age include but are not limited to:

• Diagnosing and managing memory disorders and dementias
• Diagnosing and managing neurodegenerative and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease
• Mood and psychological welfare of the older person
• Holistic future planning for chronic conditions
• Oncogeriatrics and care for cancer survivors
• Orthogeriatrics

Dr Yapp is a member of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine (ANZSGM) South Australian division.

As part of a commitment to ongoing education and self-development Dr Yapp takes part in Clinical Supervisor Training workshops, and is enrolled in a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma through TAFE SA.

Dr Stephanie Wong is a Consultant Geriatrician at Flinders Private Hospital in the outpatient suites, also practicing in the public sector at The Royal Adelaide Hospital. She completed her medical degree at the University of Adelaide in 2014 and has worked at various hospitals in Adelaide before obtaining her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2023.

Stephanie is passionate about delivering patient-centred care and has experience in acute, sub-acute and ambulatory care, rehabilitation, perioperative care, community geriatrics and psychogeriatrics. She also has an interest in palliative care and completed a Clinical Diploma in Palliative Medicine in 2022.

She is actively involved in teaching trainees and medical students and is a Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Adelaide.

Expertise includes:

• Diagnosing and managing cognitive impairment and dementias
• Falls assessments and falls prevention strategies.
• Managing complex and multiple comorbidities in the elderly
• Managing polypharmacy and medication optimisation
• Frailty assessments and management

Dr Christopher Nirmal holds a Post Graduate Degree in General Medicine from India and a Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (Adult Medicine). He has also been certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (USA).

Dr Nirmal has been working in the field of General Medicine for many years, previously in India and Brunei before coming Australia in 2006.

Over the last 14 years he has worked across various hospitals in South Australia including Mount Gambier & Districts Health Service, Flinders Medical Centre and Lyell McEwin Hospital. Currently he is a Visiting Specialist at Flinders Private and Ashford Hospitals.

While at Flinders Medical Centre he had been involved with teaching medical students and held the post of Junior Lecturer at Flinders University.

In addition to he practice of General Medicine, he has specialist interest in post-operative medicine, medical management of patients with ischaemic heart disease, congestive cardiac failure and hypertension.