Dr Sandra Brown

Divisional Director, Sub Acute Services

Dr. Sandra Brown has worked for Northern Health since 2009 and was appointed Divisional Director, Sub Acute Services in 2017.

Sandra manages the delivery of geriatric medicine, palliative care and rehabilitation services across all Northern Health campuses, working closely with relevant site managers.

She has trained as a geriatrician and nephrologist, and has a passion for the delivery of excellent sub-acute and general medical care. Her work is inspired by a vision of safe and excellent patient care in an inclusive team, working closely with nurses, allied health and other ancillary staff.


Professor William van Gaal

Divisional Director, Emergency Services; Director, Cardiology
MD, MSc, MBBS, FRACP, FCSANZ, FESC

A Prof William van Gaal

Professor William van Gaal is a Cardiologist and Nuclear Physician who joined Northern Health in 2007. As the inaugural Director of Cardiology, William was instrumental in establishing Northern Health’s Cardiology Unit, providing a new and more local service to cardiac patients within the northern community.

William is motivated by achieving better access, service, outcomes and experience for patients by introducing evidence-based change into workplace practice. He is skilled in the areas of Interventional Cardiology, non-invasive imaging and cardiovascular research, having trained at both The University of Melbourne and Oxford University in England, where he received his Masters in Evidence Based Medicine.

William has also spent time as a Lecturer with the University of Melbourne and continues to foster the growth and development of junior doctors and cardiovascular research in Melbourne’s north.


Dr Lachie Hayes

Divisional Director, Ambulatory and Community Services; Chief Medical Informatics Officer
MBBS, FRACP, FRCPA

Dr Lachie Hayes

Lachie commenced at Northern Health in 2009 as the inaugural Director of the Clinical Haematology Service and was appointed to his admin role as Divisional Director, Ambulatory and Community services in late 2014. More recently in 2016 he accepted the position of Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) and is part of the leadership team responsible for moving Northern Health into the Digital Hospital era.

After graduating from the University of Adelaide, Lachie commenced his training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital before moving to Melbourne. He completed his haematology training in the Haematology Units of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Austin Hospital, then undertook additional post-fellowship training at the Royal Children’s and Royal Women’s Hospitals to become a dual trained Clinical and Laboratory Haematologist with a unique breadth and depth of clinical experience in both malignant and non-malignant haematological disorders in adults and pregnant women.


Dr David Tran

Divisional Director, Women’s and Children’s Services

Dr Tran is a Paediatrician who completed his specialist training in Melbourne in 2013. He was appointed as Clinical Director of Paediatrics at Northern Health in 2016 having previously worked here as an intern, registrar and consultant.

David has a strong interest in the supervision and training of the future generation of doctors, and continues to mentor interns, GP trainees and physician trainees as well as being a Senior Clinical Lecturer through the University of Melbourne.  He hopes to continue to elevate Northern Health as a highly sought-after training site for the junior medical staff.

As Divisional Director of Women & Children’s services, David is responsible for the Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatric and Neonatal service at Northern Health. He is committed to delivering the best possible care to the Women and Children of Melbourne and is a staunch advocate for health equality – particularly to the families of our northern community.


Dr Yana Sunderland

Divisional Director, Medicine
MBBS FRACP

Dr Yana Sunderland

Dr. Yana Sunderland completed her basic Physician training in Western Australia at Fremantle Hospital and then went on to do advanced training in General Medicine at The Royal Darwin Hospital. She completed her Geriatric training at Northern and Austin Health and has worked as a consultant in both Geriatrics and General Medicine at Northern Heath since 2010.

Yana is engaged in perioperative medicine and was responsible for establishing the PRIME service for perioperative assessment of patients requiring joint replacement at Northern Health. Yana has a strong interest in medical education and was the supervisor of HMO 2’s from 2010 – 2013. Her passion for education and training ensures our medical staff are well supported in providing outstanding health care and continuously improving their knowledge and skills.

Yana has also worked as the regional examiner for the FRACP clinical exam at Northern Health from 2012 – 2014 and has been extensively involved in physician training with the central North West Consortium of basic physician training. She was appointed Director of the Consortium in 2013 and continues in the role.

Yana is dedicated to ensuring that the medicine service at Northern Health provides high quality and timely patient centred care to our community. She will work closely with general medical and speciality staff to constantly look at improving the quality of care provided at Northern Health.


Professor Don Campbell

Divisional Director, Hospital Without Walls Program

Professor Don Campbell is Medical Director Hospital Without Walls and Staying Well Program, Northern Health, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Professor (Research) in the Faculty of Art Design and Architecture at Monash University and President of the Adult Medicine Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He is also a member of the Clinical Expert Advisory Group (COVID-19 Response) for the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.

Professor Campbell’s clinical and research interests are focussed on creating the hospital without walls, and devoted to furthering the role of design and systems thinking in innovation in healthcare delivery. He has previously acted as Medical Counsel assisting Hazelwood Coalmine Fire Board of Inquiry where he made two formal submissions to the Inquiry, one on the health ill effects of smoke exposure and the second advising on improvements to health systems of care in the LaTrobe Valley.

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A/Prof. Prahlad Ho MBBS(Hons) PhD BMedSc FRACP FRCPA


Divisional  Director -Cancer Services and Specialist Clinics
Program Director- Diagnostic Services

Associate Professor Prahlad Ho is a laboratory and clinical haematologist who went through most of his training at Northern Health, commencing as an intern in 2006.  Prahlad was the Director of Clinical Haematology at Northern Health and was instrumental in expanding the Thrombosis Service. He was also the inaugural Director of Northern Pathology Victoria and is currently the Program Director of Diagnostic Services and Divisional Director of Cancer Services and Specialist Clinics.

Prahlad is the Treasurer of the Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand (THANZ) and the Vice-President of the Australian/New Zealand chapter of the International Union of Angiology.

Prahlad is actively involved in clinical and laboratory research and has published in multiple international peer-reviewed journals. He heads the Haematology Research Group and is the Principal Investigator in numerous malignant and non-malignant clinical trials. He is an adjunct Associate Professor (Research) at Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University.

Prahlad is committed to service excellence in diagnostic and cancer care, as well as ensuring our community has continuous access to an efficient, safe and equitable healthcare.

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Mr Dennis Gyomber, FRACS, MBBS

Divisional Director, Surgery

Dennis Gyomber’s journey at Northern Hospital began over 25 years ago as an intern working at the Emergency Department. Dennis worked as a Consultant Urologist at Northern Hospital and Austin Health prior to taking on the role of Divisional Director of Surgery at Northern Health. He holds an MBBS from the University of Melbourne with a Postgraduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy and a FRACS in Urology from the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.

Dennis is the Chair of the Selection Committee, Board of Urology, the former Chair of the Victorian Regional Training Committee (Urology), the former Deputy Chair of the Victorian Regional Training Committee and has served on the Medical Advisory Committee as a Urology Representative at John Fawkner Hospital. In addition, he is the Chair of the Surgical Services Committee at Northpark Hospital and was a reviewer for the World Journal of Urology 2020.

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A/Prof. Vinay Lakra

Divisional Director, Mental Health

Vinay Lakra joined as the inaugural Divisional Director of Mental Health in 2022 after the transition of mental health services from the Royal Melbourne Hospital to Northern Health. Prior to this for over 10 years, he was a Clinical Director at North Western Mental Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Vinay was the President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) from May 2021 to May 2023. He was a member of the Victorian Board of the Medical Board of Australia during 2021-2024 and previously served as the Deputy Chief Psychiatrist of Victoria (2016-2019). He is also a Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, holds a Masters in Health Management from University of New South Wales and is a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors.

His interest and expertise include issues of access and equity; leadership and management; clinical governance systems; patient safety and quality; assessment and training standards for doctors; and supervision and mentoring of junior doctors and early career psychiatrists. He also continues to be involved in clinical practice in general psychiatry. His research interests are improving access to treatment for people with severe mental illnesses including improving their physical health outcomes.