A/Prof Debbie Kors
Associate Professor Debbie Kors is the founder of Westside Medical Centre, which first opened in April 2010. She had previously worked in Laurieton for many years, where she successfully ran Camden Haven Medical Centre. Debbie’s goal in setting up Westside Medical Centre was to create a friendly practice which offered the highest quality, personalised care to its patients, as well as being a centre of excellence in medical teaching. She is proud to work with such a great team of dedicated doctors, nurses and receptionists who share her aspirations and who willingly give their time and effort in supporting those who are training to be our doctors and nurses of the future. She is also very pleased to now work with Drs Suzanne Lyon and David Chessor as co-owners and directors of Westside Medical Centre.
Associate Professor Kors has greatly enjoyed medical teaching. She was the senior medical educator for the Port Macquarie node of North Coast GP Training Ltd from 2004 until 2016 and continues to coordinate and provide GP registrar training within Westside Medical Centre. She is Associate Professor of Primary Health Care at the UNSW Rural Clinical School and won the prestigious national award of GP Education and Training Supervisor of the Year in 2010 in recognition of her efforts in medical education.
Debbie loves all aspects of General Practice and is a proud advocate of the profession.
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, First Class Honours, Monash University
- Masters of Family Medicine (clinical), Monash University
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Diploma of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Certificate of Family Planning
- Graduate Diploma of Medical Education , Sydney University
Dr Suzanne Lyon
Dr Lyon is one of our permanent GPs. In July 2019 she became a co-owner and director of Westside Medical Centre, and has been part of the team since 2012. Originally from Queensland, she moved to the Mid North Coast to complete her specialty training in general practice and is now proud to call herself a Port Macquarie local.
Suzanne loves the diversity of general practice and caring for all types of patients, from babies through to seniors. As an avid traveller, she particularly loves being able to provide up to date travel and immunisation advice to anyone planning an overseas adventure.
Suzanne also works as a Lecturer for the University of New South Wales Medical School teaching medical students.
Dr Lyon looks after Westside Medical Centre patients at St. Agnes, Mary Knoll and Mt. Carmel Hostels. When she’s not working, there’s a good chance you’ll find Suzanne squeezing in some knitting, or reading a good book with cup of coffee in hand.
- Certificate of Dermoscopy, Skin Cancer College Australasia (2015)
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (2014)
- Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine - James Cook University (2014)
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - University of Queensland (2008)
- Bachelor of Pharmacy - University of Queensland (2003)
Dr David Chessor
Dr David Chessor joined Westside Medical Centre in January 2015 as a permanent GP, and became a co-owner and director in July 2019. He’s been a resident of the Mid North Coast for almost 10 years where he completed his specialist training in general practice working in Laurieton and Kempsey. David was both GPET Registrar of the Year, and RACGP Rural Registrar of the Year in 2013.
Dr Chessor also loves to teach. One day a week he is a Lecturer at the University of New South Wales where he teaches medical students, and prior to that was a medical educator with North Coast GP Training betweenwhere he taught registrars who are training to be specialist GPs. He has also spent significant time in roles that aim to improve the health system more broadly. In 2014 he was the Chair of General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) and served on their board from
David sees Westside Medical Centre patients who live at Emmaus Nursing Home.
In his spare time, David loves spending time with his kids re-enacting scenes from Bluey, pottering in the garden and strutting around the practice in his overly revealing cycling clothes.
- Bachelor of Arts UNSW 2004
- Bachelor of Science UNSW 2004
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery UQ 2008
- Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine JCU 2014
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 2014
A/Prof Alexander (Sandy) McColl
Associate Professor McColl moved directly to Port Macquarie, Australia from Canada in 1998. He has qualified and worked as a physiotherapist, anatomic pathologist and presently as a family doctor at Westside Medical Centre.
A/Prof McColl joined Westside in September 2010. He has a special interest in musculoskeletal medicine, dermatology and gerontology.
A/Prof McColl was formerly Head of the UNSW Rural Clinical School where he develops curriculum and teaches undergraduate medical students – the next generation of Australian doctors. He also has an interest in research completing major projects in rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury, clinical practice guidelines for rotator cuff injury, and screening for colonic carcinoma in regional Australia.
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Science (Physiotherapy-Honours)
- Doctor of Medicine
- Fellow of the College of Family Physicians Canada
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Fellow of the American College of Pathologists
Dr Meredith Wyatt
Meredith has been a GP in Port Macquarie since 2004. She enjoys all aspects of general practice especially the opportunity for continuing care of patients and their families over a long period. Getting to know people over time is a real privilege.
Her areas of interest are broad and she is comfortable looking after babies and young children as well as "somewhat older" patients which chronic and complex disease....and everybody in between. Meredith enjoys her role as supervisor of General Practice registrars who are completing their specialist training in General Practice and teaching medical students.
Meredith has found a good balance between her work and family life working 3 days a week. She has 2 school age daughters and enjoys hiking, geocaching and planning great holidays.
- Bachelor of Medicine, University of Newcastle 1998
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (2003)
Dr Evangelia (Valia) Francis
Dr Evangelia (Valia) Francis is one of the permanent GPs at Westside. She joined the practice in February 2014 as a registrar and has never wanted to leave since!
Originally from the coastal town of Kavala, Greece, Dr Francis finished high school in the International School of Karlsruhe, Germany where she had the fortune of meeting her very patriotic scottish biology teacher who convinced her to undertake her medical studies in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. She lived and worked there for 9 years before embarking on a search for warmer weather and a more satisfying career. She found both and so much more in her 'beloved' Port Macquarie where she also had the massive honor of becoming an Australian citizen on Australia day 2014.
Dr Francis enjoys all aspects of General Practice but is especially interested in skin medicine, women's health and medicine of the elderly - Dr Francis regularly visits Mingaletta Nursing Home where she is taking new patients. She is also involved in teaching medical students as a Conjoint Lecturer in the Rural Medical School of Port Macquarie as well as teaching registrars. It is a very fulfilling aspect of her work that has been greatly inspired and supported by the senior educators in Westside Medical Centre.
When not at work, Dr Francis tries to fight waves with surf or paddle boards (so far they always win!), is training hard to become the next Masterchef winner, and enjoys reading books and learning new languages. And for those who wonder, 'Valia' is a nickname that her older sister gave Dr Francis as a baby and it has stuck with her since!
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (2015)
- Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery - Edinburgh 2006
- Bachelor in Sciences (First class Honors in Neuroscience)- Edinburgh 2003
- Diploma in Child Health- Sydney 2013
- Diploma of the Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaeclogists- Scotland 2008
- Diploma of Family Planning & Sexual Health- Sydney 2013
Dr Kate Moriarty
Dr Kate Moriarty is currently on extended maternity leave and is not expected back until late 2022.
Dr Kate Moriarty grew up in Port Macquarie, and after completing her studies and hospital training in Newcastle, she couldn't resist the urge to return to the beautiful Mid North Coast to commence her specialist training in General Practice. She spent 12 months in Kempsey, before joining us at Westside in February 2016.
Kate enjoys all aspects of General Practice, and loves that no two days are ever the same. She has a special interest in Paediatrics, Women's Health and Dermatology. She also has an interest in teaching, and is looking forward to expanding on her teaching experience under the guidance of the amazing medical educators here at Westside. When she is not at work Kate enjoys playing netball, camping or reading a good book.
Kate is one of our GP Supervisors, overseeing the training of registrars who are training to be specialist GPs, and a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales.
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (2017)
- Bachelor of Medicine (Honours) - University of Newcastle
- Diploma in Child Health - University of Sydney 2014
Dr Mark Stewart
Dr Mark Stewart graduated with honours from the University of Newcastle in 1998 and has worked in general practice since 2002 and in Port Macquarie since 2004. He is a fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practice and won the Tony Buhagiar and Monty Kent-Hughes Medals for his result in the fellowship exam in 2003.
When asked if he’s going to specialise, he tends to respond “I already have” and if pushed further with “No, you know what I mean, like a heart specialist or something”, he’ll usually say he can’t think of anything more boring. Family medicine is his main interest. Caring for the multitudinous health problems of up to four generations of the same family never leaves room for ennui. He also has particular skills in completing forms for Centrelink, Department of Housing and other obscure government agencies.
Of course, medicine is his part time hobby, with his main interests in life being bushwalking, acapella singing and roaming the country in his caravan with family in tow (they don’t seem to protest too much.)
- Bachelor of Medicine (Honours) - University of Newcastle 1997
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 2005
- Family Planning & Sexual Health Certificate 2003
Dr Sharon Sykes
Dr Sharon Sykes has lived in Port Macquarie since 2007 following 18 years serving in the Royal Australian Air Force. She graduated from the University of QLD Medical School in 2000 and gained her FRACGP in 2010.
She sees her role in General Practice as 'firstly keeping people healthy and secondly treating people when they are sick'. She is highly skilled in preventative health measures including skin checks for early detection of skin cancers as well as managing chronic health conditions.
As a veteran herself, she is determined to improve the overall health of other veterans and supports them in both medical and social spheres. She is active in strategic health planning, sitting on the Board of Directors of the North Coast Primary Health Network. She has previously been a Medical Educator and remains active in teaching and supervising General Practice trainees and medical students.
- MBBS
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Med Lab Sci)
- FRACGP
Dr Elizabeth Ryrie
Dr Elizabeth Ryrie joined the team at Westside Medical Centre in January 2019. She completed her medical studies at the Australian National University and spent her years as a junior doctor in Canberra. During this time she completed a Diploma in Child Health. Inspired by its reputation of excellence in medical education and the promise of a better climate, she moved to the Mid North Coast in 2015 to undergo her specialist General Practice training.
After working in clinics in Port Macquarie, North Haven, Kempsey, and completing her General Practice training, she is honoured to be part of the Westside team as a permanent GP.
Dr Ryrie enjoys the variety and continuity of care that General Practice offers. She is particularly interested in paediatrics, women’s health, and palliative care. As well as working at Westside, Dr Ryrie helps staff the Wauchope Palliative Care Unit.
- Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) 2018
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Australian National University) 2012
- Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (University of Sydney) 2007
- Diploma of Child Health 2017
Dr Geoff Arthurson
Dr Geoff (he/him) grew up in regional NSW and studied medicine at UNSW. He completed his hospital training in Port Macquarie before moving back to Sydney to train as a pathologist. Missing the opportunity to meet new people and help them achieve their health and wellbeing goals, he switched specialties and started training to be a General Practitioner. During this time, Dr Geoff also worked as a medical educator with the University of Notre Dame, where he developed a passion for medical education.
Geoff enjoys the breadth of general practice medicine, and has special interests and additional experience in psychological (mental health) medicine, addiction (drug & alcohol) medicine, and medical education.
Outside of medicine, Geoff enjoys bike riding and running, playing trumpet (and eventually the tuba), eating, and playing dinosaurs with his son.
Bachelor of Science (medicine) Honours — UNSW (2012)
Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery — UNSW (2012)
Graduate Diploma of Clinical Education — Flinders University (2020)
Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (2021)
Dr Judith Gardiner - Women's Health only
Dr Judith Gardiner is an experienced GP/Obstetrician offering Women's Health services at Westside Medical Centre since 2013.
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) - Monash University
- Advanced Diploma Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (DRANZCOG.Advanced)
- Certificate of Family Planning
Dr Iona Cherian - GP Registrar
Dr Iona Cherian grew up in Edmonton, Canada and immigrated to Australia in 2013 to study Medicine at the University of Wollongong.
She spent her first two years working in Wollongong while completing her internship and residency. She then went on to work in Sydney at Nepean Hospital doing internal medicine rotations. She has spent the last year working in Laurieton as a GP registrar and is excited to continue her training now at Westside Medical Centre.
In her spare time Dr Cherian enjoys swimming and traveling with her husband.
Dr Ryan Barnett - GP Registrar
Dr Ryan Barnett grew up in south-east Queensland and studied exercise science before moving to Western Australia to study medicine at the University of Notre Dame. He moved to the mid-north coast in 2018 and has since been based around Port Macquarie, working at the Base Hospital for three years including a year in paediatrics before moving into General Practice in 2021.
His medical interests remain around preventative health and paediatrics however enjoys the variety that general practice brings. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys an outdoor lifestyle including almost any sport, time at the beach, camping, or time in the garden.