Practitioners

Prof. Neil Simon is a neurologist with subspecialty expertise in peripheral nerve and muscle disease, nerve trauma, spinal medicine, clinical neurophysiology, and nerve and muscle imaging.Prof. Simon is widely published with over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and textbook chapters in relevant fields. Prof. Simon regularly speaks at national and international meetings in the fields of neurology and neurophysiology.Prof. Simon is a Consultant Neurologist and Head of Neurology at Northern Beaches Hospital, Sydney, and Managing Director and Principal Neurologist at Northern Beaches Neurology. He is appointed as Clinical Professor at Macquarie University.

Interests and expertise:

• Nerve conduction studies/EMG
• Peripheral neuromuscular disorders
• Injection therapy for movement disorders and migraine including EMG guided Botox injection
• Multiple Sclerosis
• General Neurology (Headache, epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders)

Dr Skulina obtained his medical qualifications with first class Honours from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany in 2002. He trained in Neurology and Neurophysiology at Zurich University Hospital in Switzerland and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney completing his training in Neurology and Neurophysiology in 2008. He has undertaken Stroke and Neurophysiology fellowships at Royal Prince Alfred hospital and worked as a research fellow at The George Institute for Global Health.

Dr Skulina has completed a doctoral thesis in Neuroimmunology at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry investigating the role of lymphocytes in Multiple Sclerosis.

Dr Skulina is a Consultant Neurologist at Macquarie University Hospital and Clinical Lecturer in Neurology at Macquarie University.

Christian works in our Dee Why clinic on Wednesdays.

Dr Alexis Selby is a Neurologist and Neurophysiologist. She has a particular interest in Headache Disorders and Migraine. She also has an interest in Botulinum Toxin Injections, General Neurology, Neuromuscular Disorders, Neuroinflammatory Disorders, Peripheral Nerve Disorders and Epilepsy. She completed her Neurophysiology Fellowship at Westmead Hospital.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the International Headache Society, the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society and the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists. In 2017 she was awarded the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists Jim McLeod award. She is a visiting Neurologist at the Northern Beaches Hospital.

Alexis works in our rooms at Dee Why on Mondays and Tuesdays, and at the Northern Beaches Hospital on Thursdays. She offers Telehealth appointments, including for those patients with Headache Disorders.

Northern Beaches born and bred, Ben (he/him) graduated from Davidson High School in 2001. He then proceeded with studying arts/medicine and completed a PhD at the University of New South Wales. Ben was also awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study biostatistics at the John’s Hopkin Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, USA.

Since completing his tertiary education, Ben has been exposed to a diverse range of pathologies, having worked at Gosford, Wyong, Royal Darwin and Liverpool Hospitals. In 2022, he completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Liverpool Hospital.

Ben performs nerve conduction studies and EMG. His interests include peripheral nerve pathology, neuromuscular disease (especially motor neurone disease) and functional neurological disorder.

Ben is also a VMO neurologist at Bankstown, Gosford and Wyong Hospitals.

Dr Tejas Patel is a Consultant General Neurologist with an interest in all general neurological presentations.  He has a subspecialty interest and expertise in movement disorders (such as tremor, Parkinson’s disease and dystonia), clinical neurophysiology testing (nerve conduction studies and EMG), stroke, headache, botulinum toxin injection therapy for various neurological conditions and functional neurological disorders.

Dr Patel performs comprehensive neurological assessments and is committed to ensuring optimal care for the patients and their carers.  He has trained and worked at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Gosford District Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital, Nepean Hospital, Orange Base Hospital, and Concord Repatriation General Hospital.

Besides English, Dr Patel is fluent in Gujarati and Hindi.

Dr Patel works as a Consultant Neurologist at the Northern Beaches Hospital and Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, and periodically visits Orange and Goulburn to provide neurological services to these regional centres.  He is actively engaged in teaching junior medical staff and medical students at these affiliated hospitals.

Tejas works in our Northern Beaches Hospital clinic on Thursdays.

Dr Gerbis is a general neurologist with an interest in all general neurological presentations including headache, stroke, epilepsy and dementia, and sub-specialty interests in neurogenetic and neuroinflammatory disorders.

She received her medical degree from the University of Sydney and completed neurology training at St Vincent’s Private, Royal North Shore and Sydney Adventist hospitals. She has undertaken sub-specialty training in Neurogenetics and Neuromuscular disease, having worked as the Neuromuscular Fellow at Royal North Shore Hospital. She also received sub-specialty training in multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory disorders of the nervous system, when she held the position of Neuroimmunology Fellow at Royal North Shore Hospital.

Dr Gerbis is passionate about clinical research and is currently a PhD candidate with the University of Sydney. She is also involved in medical education, having taught medical students on hospital wards and in clinics. She volunteers as an examiner for the University of Sydney Northern Clinical School, and is an adjunct clinical lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, School of Medicine.

Special Interests:

• Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders
• Stroke
• Headache
• Injection therapy for Neurological conditions
• Teleneurology

Dr Jason Gu received his medical degree from the University of New South Wales and undertook neurology training at the Sydney Adventist Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital. He completed his fellowship at Royal North Shore Hospital with specialized training in neurogenetics, neuromuscular disease and neurophysiology.

As well as working for the NBN clinics, Dr Jason Gu is currently a Staff Specialist Neurologist at The Wollongong Hospital where he runs the Movement Disorders and TIA clinic. He has private experience in neurophysiology, botox injection and deep brain stimulation. Dr Jason Gu also provides a busy integrated teleneurology service to the Port Macquarie region.

Interests and Expertise:

• Nerve Conduction Studies/ EMG
• Headache
• General Neurology

Dr Baird-Gunning completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Glasgow. During this time, he conducted research at the Institute of Neurological Sciences and was subsequently accepted onto the West of Scotland Academic Foundation Programme. He continued his Physician’s Training in North East of Scotland Deanery prior to coming to Australia.

Dr Baird-Gunning is a double accredited Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He completed his General Medicine Training in Canberra and received the Australian National University Dean’s Award for his contribution to Medical Education in 2016. He was awarded the Dr William Coupland Award for Best Physician Trainee in 2018. Dr Baird-Gunning established a translation research collaboration at the John Curtin School of Medicine evaluating biomarkers and potential drug targets for Multiple Sclerosis whilst employed as the ANU Fellow of Medicine in 2018.

In 2019 Dr Baird-Gunning moved to the Royal North Shore Hospital where he completed his formal Neurology Training and continued to undertake subspecialty training in Clinical Neurophysiology.

Dr Baird-Gunning is a Consultant Neurologist at Northern Beaches Hospital.

Emily is a general neurologist and epileptologist with special interests in epilepsy, treating neurological disorders in women and pregnancy, stroke, and headache including botulinum toxin for migraine. She completed neurology training at St Vincent’s Hospital, Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, and Royal North Shore Hospital.

Emily then undertook sub-speciality training in epilepsy and seizure disorders, gaining expertise in EEG interpretation.

She is passionate about teaching and has previously been awarded the UNSW / St Vincent’s registrar tutor of the year, and has held a conjoint lecturer position.

Leon is a neurologist with a subspecialty interest in stroke and vascular neurology. He also has experience in managing a broad range of other general neurological conditions (including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, headache, and neuropathies).

Leon earned his medical degree from the University of New South Wales, before completing his general physician training in the Illawarra region (Wollongong Hopsital) and subsequent neurology training across Sydney (Campbelltown Hopsital) and the Central Coast (Gosford Hospital). Leon further honed his skills in stroke/ vascular neurology by completing a fellowship year at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney. Leon is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP). He has also completed a Master of Medicine degree at the University of Sydney, to further solidify his knowledge in the field of Internal Medicine and Neurology.

Leon holds a Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) position at Gosford Hospital. Additionally, he has lent his expertise through locuming in various locations across Australia, including Canberra, Cairns, Darwin, Launceston, and Rockingham.

Beyond the clinic, he is involved in the mentoring, education and examination of medical students and trainees in the field. He has held conjoint lecturer positions with the University of New South Wales and University of Newcastle.

Leon has been involved in publishing scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented his work at conferences. Leon is member of several professional organisations (such as the Australia New Zealand Association of Neurologists, American Academy of Neurology, Australasian Stroke Academy and International Movement Disorder Society).

In his free time, Leon keeps active with badminton and soccer, and enjoys traveling to explore new cultures and cuisines.

Leon is multilingual, fluent in English and Malay, with a basic proficiency in Cantonese and Indonesian

Dr Grace Swart is a neurologist with subspecialty expertise in neuromuscular, neuroimmunology, and neurophysiology. She trained at Royal Prince Alfred, St Vincent’s, and Concord Hospitals in NSW. She was awarded a prestigious fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States, where she developed further expertise in peripheral nerve, muscle, nerve pathology, and neurophysiology, and was nominated Assistant Professor in Neurology for her scholarly activity. She has multiple publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented her work nationally and internationally in the areas of peripheral neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, nitrous-oxide myeloneuropathy, and HIV dementia. She is currently completing a PhD in inflammatory neuropathy at the University of Sydney. She has been praised by her patients and colleagues as a truly compassionate and caring physician.

Dr Serge Geara is a consultant Neurologist with interests in neuroimmunology, motor neuron disease, mitochondrial disease and neurogenetics. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Sydney and Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience at the American University of Beirut.

Dr Geara’s clinical training is complemented by active involvement in academic research, with a particular focus on multiple sclerosis, autoimmune encephalitis, and MOG-antibody associated disease (MOGAD). He is completing a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Translational Neuroimmunology, where his work contributes to improving diagnostics and treatment strategies for inflammatory and demyelinating disorders.

In addition to his clinical and research roles, Dr Geara is a dedicated contributor to the medical community. He is the acting treasurer and an active board member of Australian Lebanese Medical Association (ALMA), NSW Chapter, supporting health education and professional networking across communities.

Outside of medicine, Dr Geara is an avid basketball player and fan, a lover of jazz and classical music, and a passionate language learner, speaking five languages fluently (English, French, Arabic, Armenian and Spanish) with some grasp of Portuguese and Russian languages.

Interventional Neurologist | Stroke & Neurovascular Specialist

Dr. Khalil is an interventional neurologist specialising in the diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of complex cerebrovascular conditions, including stroke, brain aneurysms, chronic subdural hematoma and carotid artery disease. With extensive training in both neurology and endovascular surgical techniques, Dr. Khalil combines clinical expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver personalised, evidence-based care.

Dr. Khalil is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in Neurology having completed intensive training at St George and Liverpool Hospitals. She is also accredited to perform interventional neurology by the Conjoint Committee of Interventional Neuroradiology having completed fellowships at the Royal Prince Alfred, Westmead, Royal North Shore and John Hunter Hospitals, where she developed advanced skills in cerebral angiography, mechanical thrombectomy, embolisation and other endovascular procedures.

With a strong focus on clinical care and timely intervention, Dr. Khalil is committed to improving outcomes for patients experiencing neurological conditions. She participates in ongoing clinical research, having published her research in internationally recognised journals, and contributes to education and training of the next generation of clinicians in the fields of neurology and neurointervention.

Dr. Khalil currently practices neurology at Northern Beaches Hospital, stroke neurology at Gosford & Wyong Hospital and is affiliated with the New South Wales Telestroke Service, where she collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive neurovascular care.

Dr Chao Wang is an Australian-trained Neurologist and Neuro-otologist and a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Sydney. He completed Neurology specialist training at Concord Hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital, followed by a two-year Fellowship in Neuro-otology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. His subspecialty expertise is in the diagnosis and management of vertigo and imbalance, but he also enjoys seeing a broad range of neurological conditions.
Chao holds appointments as an Honorary Visiting Medical Officer (Neurology) at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Northern Beaches Hospital. In addition to his clinical work, Chao is actively involved in research. He completed his PhD with the University of Sydney in 2025 on the applications of machine learning for the diagnosis of vertigo. He was awarded a Research Scholarship by the Passe & Williams Foundation, and has presented his research at conferences in Australia and overseas.
Chao consults in English and Mandarin.
Dr Chao Wang report vestibular function tests for Northern Beaches Neurology.

Dr. Nimalan Harinesan is a leading neurologist specialising in multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune neurological disorders, and neurophysiology. He completed his Bachelor of Science and medical degree at the University of Sydney, followed by clinical training at Concord, Liverpool, and Westmead Hospitals.

Dr. Harinesan further honed his expertise through a prestigious fellowship in Autoimmune Neurology and Advanced Clinical Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota—a globally recognised centre for research and patient care in autoimmune neurological disorders. There he was involved in cutting-edge clinical and translational research, focusing on immune-inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), including autoimmune encephalitis, neuromyelitis optica, stiff-person syndrome, paraneoplastic neurological syndromes and MS.

Dr. Harinesan has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in autoimmune neurology. He has also presented his research at international conferences, sharing his expertise with the global medical community.

Dr. Harinesan is committed to delivering personalised, evidence-based care to patients with complex neurological conditions. His approach integrates the latest advancements in neurophysiology and autoimmune neurology to provide comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services.

Areas of Special Interest

• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neuroimmunology
• Neurophysiology
• Neuromuscular medicine
• General Neurology

Dr Gerard Tao is a neurologist with subspecialty expertise in the management of movement disorders, which includes conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and related conditions; and tremor. He is also highly skilled in the use of botulinum toxin therapy for cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, chronic migraine, tremor, and bruxism. In addition he also has broad experience in managing a range of general neurological conditions including headache, epilepsy, and stroke.

After completing his medical degree at The University of Melbourne, Dr Tao completed his post-graduate clinical training through The Royal Melbourne, The Alfred, and Northern Hospitals in Victoria, including a dedicated Fellowship in movement disorders at The Alfred Hospital. Dr Tao is also undertaking a further Fellowship in Sleep medicine at the prestigious Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. His research interests have also lead to him undertaking a PhD in sleep dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease, through Monash University.

Dr Blake Giarola is an Australian-trained, CCINR-recognised Neurointerventionalist specialising in minimally invasive treatment of stroke and complex neurovascular disease.

He completed advanced neurology training through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians before undertaking multiple Interventional Neuroradiology fellowships across leading Australian centres and internationally at Lariboisière Hospital, Paris. He was awarded the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists Interventional Neuroradiology Scholarship and is certified by the European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy.

Dr Giarola’s practice focuses on complex cerebrovascular disease incorporating:

• Cerebral aneurysm treatment
• Dural arteriovenous fistula management
• Intracranial and carotid artery stenting
• Idiopathic intracranial hypertension and venous stenting
• Middle meningeal artery embolisation for chronic subdural haematoma
• Mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke

As a neurology-trained interventionist, he brings a comprehensive understanding of stroke and brain disease to both diagnosis and endovascular treatment.

MBChB (Hons), MRCP, FRACP, MIPH (Hons), DTM&H

Michael Mina is a specialist in Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine and General Medicine at the Northern Beaches Hospital (Head of Department), Blacktown and St Luke’s Hospital (Chair of Medical Advisory Committee).

He has a clinical and research interest in hepatitis, HIV and tuberculosis and has published in these fields. He has worked overseas in Europe, Africa and Asia and also spends time working amongst Aboriginal communities in the Top End and Central Australia. Michael has qualifications from both the UK and Australia including MB ChB (Honours), FRACP, PhD, MRCP, DTM&H and MIPH (Honours).

Dr Ragavan (Raj) Manoharan is a highly skilled neurosurgeon with advanced sub-specialisation in spinal surgery. He is dedicated to delivering innovative and effective treatments for complex spinal conditions, with a focus on minimally invasive techniques. Dr Manoharan operates at Royal North Shore & North Shore Private Hospitals, and consults in St Leonards, the Northern Beaches and the Central Coast. Dr Manoharan is the Supervisor of Neurosurgery Training at Royal North Shore Hospital and is the surgeon lead in multiple spine health quality improvement projects across the campus.

Education and training

Dr Manoharan graduated from the University of New South Wales with 1st Class Honours in Medicine. He has further advanced his expertise with:

• A Graduate Diploma in Applied Anatomy by Dissection from Sydney University.
• A Master of Surgery (MSurg) from Sydney University.
• After completing his neurosurgical training in Sydney, he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2021. He further honed his skills through dual fellowships in complex spine surgery at:
  • Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney (Accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Post-Graduate Fellowship & Training; the Australian Orthopaedic Association & the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia).
  • University of Toronto Spine Program, Canada (Combined Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Spine Fellowship at Toronto Western Hospital).

Surgical expertise

Dr Manoharan specialises in the management of spinal conditions, including:

• Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Reducing recovery time and improving outcomes for patients.
• Motion Preservation Surgery: Techniques aimed at maintaining natural spinal movement.
• Spinal Deformity Surgery: Correction of scoliosis and other complex spinal deformities.
• Complex Revision Spinal Surgery: Addressing challenging cases requiring re-operations.

Lyn brings a wealth of knowledge to Northern Beaches Neurology, with over 25 years experience as a neurophysiology technician.

She has worked in major Sydney adult and paediatric hospitals, performing EEG, evoked potentials, nerve conduction studies, vestibular function testing, and intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring.

Catherine is a UK trained Clinical Physiologist. She has been working in the field of Neurophysology for over 25 years. During this time she has gained experience in a broad range of routine and more complex or prolonged investigations. This experience includes EEGs, nerve conduction studies, multimodal evoked potential studies and intra-operative monitoring. She is skilled with adult and paediatric patients.