Meet Our Doctors

Associate Professor Anthony Byrne is an experienced Respiratory Physician (Pulmonologist) and Researcher that is highly respected locally and internationally. He obtained his initial Bachelor of Applied Science through the University of Sydney prior to completing  his medical degree at the same University. He continued his postgraduate studies by obtaining a Master of International Public Health and then working as a Junior Medical Officer.

In 2017, A/Prof Byrne completed his doctoral studies on the chronic respiratory sequelae of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) with research in Peru. He works as a thoracic physician and is rapidly developing a national and international reputation in chronic respiratory disease related to TB and more recently, COVID-19. In the last ten years he has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in journals such as the Lancet, Lancet Global Health, International Journal of COPD, International Journal of TB and Lung Disease and Respirology. He has also been invited to speak at several educational and scientific meetings including Harvard Medical School in Boston, the Asia Pacific Conference of the Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the NSW Tuberculosis Advisory.

Through his training, A/Prof Byrne has developed sound skills in the practice of respiratory medicine. He has extensive experience with assessing sleep disorders, tuberculosis, chronic respiratory disease, asthma and advanced lung disease.

A/Prof Byrne currently works as a Senior Staff Specialist in Thoracic Medicine at St Vincent’s public and private hospitals and is practicing as a Respiratory Physician at St Vincent’s Clinic in Sydney and SomaHealth Sleep & Respiratory. He is a Cochrane author and associate editor for “Cochrane Clinical Answers” and an Associate Professor of Medicine (conjoint) at the University of New South Wales. He is a member of the NHRMC Tuberculosis Centre of Research Excellence, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Harvard Medical School of Global Health and Social Medicine Tuberculosis Research Group. A/Prof Byrne is also the newly elected President of the NSW branch of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Dr James Di Michiel obtained a Bachelor of Science through the University of Sydney, after which undertaking a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at University of Notre Dame Sydney from 2007 – 2011. Following completion of his medical degree Dr Di Michiel soon became a resident medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred, St George and Sutherland Hospitals in Sydney.

Dr Di Michiel completed his Respiratory Specialist training at Concord and St Vincent’s hospitals, having significant exposure to many subspecialty areas including airways disease, bronchiectasis, pleural disease, interventional pulmonology and lung transplantation. He was awarded the Tracey Robinson award for the best original project by a Respiratory Trainee for work in primary ciliary dyskinesia and bronchiectasis, and is continuing research via a Masters of Medicine in the area of Sleep Medicine.

In the last six years he has published 4 papers, 5 research presentations as well as guest speaking at several hospitals and universities nationally and internationally. In 2019, Dr Di Michiel was admitted in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians specialising in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine.

Areas of special interest include airways disease and bronchiectasis, sleep apnoea, respiratory failure and interventional pulmonology. Dr Di Michiel also has special interest in international health having spent time working and performing medical research in the developing countries of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Dr Corinna Pan obtained her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science from the University of Melbourne after which she became a resident medical officer at Royal North Shore Hospital.

Specialising in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine with sub-specialty interests in respiratory failure and palliative care medicine, specifically in advanced lung disease and motor neuron disease (MND). She is an integral part of the renowned MND multidisciplinary team headed by Professor Dominic Rowe at MQ Health, and regularly offers her expertise in respiratory failure management.

Dr Pan also subspecialises in a range of neurological and non-neurological sleep disorders such as parasomnias, narcolepsy/cataplexy, restless leg syndrome, obstructive/central sleep apnoeas, insomnia and circadian disorders. She also manages common respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, interstitial and occupational lung diseases and bronchiectasis. She is skilled with bronchoscopy, complex lung function and sleep study interpretation.

After completing her specialist training at Royal North Shore Hospital, Concord Repatriation General Hospital and St Vincent’s Public Hospital, Dr Pan has previously consulted at St Vincent’s Public Hospital and currently consults at Sutherland Hospital, and is pioneering the development of a Respiratory Supportive Care Clinic at Sutherland Hospital for patients with advanced lung disease and respiratory failure. She is also currently completing a MPhil looking to research new models of care for breathlessness.

She enjoys mentoring physician trainees and medical students, and holds a Conjoint Lecturer position with the Department of Clinical Medicine at Macquarie University. She is committed to integrating multidisciplinary chronic care and research translation into clinical practice and teaching.

Dr Pan is also a native speaker of Mandarin.

Dr Xiao Hu obtained her Bachelor of Medicine from from the University of New South Wales in 2010, completing Respiratory advanced training in 2017 and Postgraduate Sleep and Respiratory Failure at Westmead Hospital in 2019.

Dr Hu has worked as Staff Specialist at Nepean Hospital and Westmead Hospital, and is currently a Visiting Medical Officer at Canterbury Hospital. Her special interests are in complex Sleep Disorders and Airways Disease. With a special interest in Sleep Apnoea research, Dr Hu has several publications, two of which are associated with REM-related obstructive sleep apnoea. She has also presented numerous scientific research articles at Sleep and Respiratory Conferences.

Dr Hu is also a native speaker of Mandarin.

Dr. Daniel Ishak obtained his Bachelor of Medical Studies and Doctor of Medicine from the University of New South Wales in 2014. He has completed respiratory advanced training in 2021-2024 at St George Hospital, Sutherland Hospital and Gosford Hospital.

Passionate about providing exceptional patient care and driving innovation in respiratory medicine, Dr. Ishak is driven to bridge the gap between clinical practice and research to elevate patient care outcomes.

Since 2022 Dr. Ishak has been involved in several research papers for Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, including Diagnosis of COPD and appropriate inhaler prescribing, technique, and adherence; as well as Pilot Virtual Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) Model of care.

Dr. Ishak also speaks Arabic.

Dr Mina Shehata is a dedicated Respiratory and Sleep Physician who obtained his Doctor of Medicine at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

After completing his studies in 2017, he has since trained extensively at Westmead, Sutherland and Concord Hospitals. His expertise spans a wide range of respiratory and sleep disorders including respiratory failure, asthma, COPD and sleep medicine.

As a researcher, Dr. Shehata has presented at national and international conferences, including the Asia Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) and the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ). His research interests include pulmonary function testing, bronchodilator responsiveness, pleural procedures, and pulmonary embolism.

Dr Shehata currently serves as a Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Sydney and a Conjoint Associate Lecturer at UNSW, where he enjoys guiding medical students and junior doctors. He is also actively involved in nurse education, playing a key role in the Respiratory Nursing Course at South Western Sydney Local Health District (SLHD).

Dr Emily Liu is a Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Physician with extensive experience across public and private hospital settings in New South Wales. She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (with Honours) and Bachelor of Medical Science from the University of Tasmania, following a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Life Science at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.

Dr Liu completed her specialty training at leading institutions including Concord, Westmead, St George, Sutherland, and Nepean Hospitals. Her clinical experience spans general respiratory conditions, pleural disease, tuberculosis, respiratory failure, and sleep-disordered breathing, with a particular interest in non-invasive ventilation and managing patients with motor neuron disease.

Currently appointed as a Staff Specialist in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at St George Hospital and practices privately at SomaHealth Sleep & Respiratory, Southern Interventional Respiratory, St George Private Hospital, and Hurstville Private Hospital.

Dr Liu has presented her research at national and international conferences and has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications in the areas of respiratory failure, endobronchial ultrasound, and sleep hypoventilation. She remains actively involved in teaching medical students and trainee doctors and is a supervisor for basic physician training. She also contributes to quality assurance through her role on the Safe Use of Medicines Committee at St George Hospital.

Dr Liu is fluent in Mandarin and has a strong interest in international medical education and research. Outside of medicine, she enjoys cooking, playing volleyball, and planning adventurous travels.

Dr Usama Mohamed is a Respiratory and Physician with over 15 years of international clinical and academic experience across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. He completed his PhD in 2014 and holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Cairo University, a Master of Science in Chest Diseases with a focus on viral respiratory tract surveillance, and a PhD in Pulmonary Medicine from Cairo University.

Dr Mohamed is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) and the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP), and holds the MRCP (Respiratory) from the United Kingdom. In 2024, he completed the Global Clinical Scholars Research Training (GCSRT) program at Harvard Medical School, with a focus on clinical research and evidence-based practice.

Currently based at SomaHealth Sleep & Respiratory, St Vincent’s Public and Private Hospitals in Sydney, Dr Mohamed specialises in the management of airway diseases, particularly asthma and COPD, as well as Long COVID. He is involved in clinical service development for Long COVID patients, integrating advanced diagnostic tools such as oscillometry and proteomics into multidisciplinary care models.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr Mohamed remains actively involved in academic medicine as an Associate Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Cairo University. He regularly presents his research at international conferences, including the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), and has delivered numerous invited talks and poster presentations.

Dr Mohamed has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications and presented more than 20 case reports and abstracts at leading global conferences such as CHEST, ERS, and ATS. Fluent in both Arabic and English, he is passionate about providing culturally competent care and advancing evidence-based respiratory and sleep medicine.

Dr Alexandra Dollman is a Specialist Respiratory and Sleep Physician. She graduated at the University of Adelaide in Medicine in 2010 and in 2012 moved to London where she completed a Masters of Science in Aviation Medicine at Kings College London and also obtained a Diploma of Aviation Medicine through the Royal College of Physicians Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

In London, she conducted research at the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital. She then returned to Australia in 2014 where she completed physician training in Sydney and then went on to undertake Specialist Sleep Medicine training at Canberra Sleep Clinic and Respiratory training at Prince of Wales and St Vincent’s Hospitals. Dr Dollman has worked as a Fellow at Northern Beaches Hospital in 2019 and then across several hospitals in Adelaide in 2020. Since then, she has returned to Sydney and holds a Senior Staff Specialist position at Macquarie University Hospital where she is also involved in teaching at the medical school and is a Senior Conjoint Lecturer.

Dr Dollman has a special interest in sleep disordered breathing and complex respiratory failure, particularly in ventilatory respiratory support. She has experience working in 6 different sleep laboratories and enjoys a multidisciplinary approach to managing sleep conditions, working closely with CPAP technicians, sleep psychologists, sleep dentists, ENT surgeons, respiratory physiotherapists and weight loss specialists. She is also trained to manage general respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, lung cancer and interstitial lung disease.