About Us
A little bit about us The Shoalhaven Medical Association was founded over 50 years ago. The purpose of the Shoalhaven Medical Association Incorporated is to enhance healthcare provided to the Shoalhaven community.It does this by supporting medical education and professional networking opportunities for the Shoalhaven’s medical professionals and trainees. We are an independent, not for …
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Schedule
- Bill & Pat Ryan Memorial Session
- Morning Session
- Afternoon Session
- Main Meeting Room
This session outlines paediatric speech pathology practice in the Shoalhaven, covering assessment and
intervention for speech, language, literacy, voice, stuttering and swallowing difficulties in children.
It focuses on supporting neurodiverse clients, including autistic children, and the communication and social challenges they experience.
The session also examines environmental language barriers, the impact of emerging communication technologies on early language development, implications for future literacy, and clear guidance on when and what to refer, within local services and community contexts across lifespan.
Vision plays a critical yet often overlooked role in children’s learning and development. Around 20% of
school-aged children have uncorrected refractive errors, with another 20% experiencing binocular vision disorders that affect reading, attention, visual-motor skills and classroom performance.
As children assume their vision is normal, these issues are often missed or misattributed to behaviour or learning difficulties. This presentation explores paediatric eye care, the optometrist’s role in early identification, and case studies highlighting the impact of timely intervention.
This presentation covers hearing, types and prevalence of hearing loss, assessment processes, and available support options. It focuses on recognising hearing concerns, understanding diagnostic pathways, managing hearing loss through hearing devices and assistive technology, and practical communication strategies for families.
It also outlines the role of Hearing Australia, established in 1947, which provides services to children and young adults up to 26 years, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients, with eligible children accessing free support through the CSO Program.
- Main Meeting Room
Join Robert Rose from Rose Optometry for an update on optometric practice and its expanding role in detecting eye and systemic disease.
This presentation covers childhood myopia as a progressive condition, contemporary screening and risk stratification for diabetic retinopathy, and evidence-based management of dry eye disease.
It highlights advances in imaging and diagnostics that support earlier detection, monitoring and decision-making, and offers practical guidance on when optometric assessment adds value to patient care in primary health settings.
Hearing loss is a common yet under-recognised condition that significantly affects communication, wellbeing and quality of life.
Framed by the patient question, “My hearing is down, how can you help me?”, this presentation explores the audiology care journey. It examines the audiologist’s scope of practice beyond hearing aids, viewing hearing through a biopsychosocial lens and supporting GPs with complex presentations such as middle ear dysfunction, tinnitus, hyperacusis, vertigo, otalgia and outer ear conditions. Referral pathways and funding options are also outlined.
- Main Meeting Room
Professor Stuart MacKay is an Honorary Clinical Professor at the University of Wollongong and Honorary Fellow at the University of Western Australia. He provides ENT, head and neck, thyroid and sleep surgery through Illawarra ENT Head and Neck Clinic and The Woolcock Institute of Sleep. A fellowship-trained airway surgeon, he is recognised as a leading Australasian specialist. He was chief investigator of the NHMRC-funded SAMS trial published in JAMA and a recipient of a Garnett Passe Rodney Williams research grant.
Dr Smita Agarwal is a comprehensive ophthalmologist with a special interest in refractive and complex
cataract surgery, including post-corneal refractive cases, and anterior segment disease. She has extensive experience with a wide range of intraocular lenses, providing personalised treatment aligned to patient
lifestyle and ocular health. Dr Agarwal is former Head of Ophthalmology at Wollongong and Shellharbour Hospitals, works across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions, and holds academic appointments at the University of Wollongong and University of Sydney.
Dizziness and vertigo are common presentations in general practice and can significantly affect daily functioning, confidence and quality of life. This session provides a practical, clinically focused approach to recognising common vestibular conditions, identifying key clinical patterns and determining when referral is appropriate. Drawing on experience working with leading ENT specialists and neuro-otologists, the
presentation offers a clear framework to support improved diagnostic accuracy, management decisions
and patient outcomes in everyday clinical practice.
