NAVIGATION
Sydney Brain & Spine

The Team

Emma Winder

Practice Executive
Clinical Nurse Specialist

Emma qualified as a Registered Nurse with Honours in Auckland, New Zealand.  Her love for the job in operating theatres lead her to becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist.  Her multi specialties as a Clinical Nurse Specialist were primarily Liver Transplants, Vascular and Upper Gastro-intestinal.  At the age of 24 she was invited to travel to Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) hospital in Sydney to co-ordinate their Liver Transplant Unit.  After working at RPA, Emma worked as an agency Clinical Nurse Specialist in many hospitals across Sydney.  She was invited to work as a private scrub nurse in orthopaedics and neurosurgery, which led to her committing to Neurosurgery.

After having some time off to enjoy raising her 4 young children, she has returned to work in an Administrative role with years of experience in a surgical environment.

Catherine Haines

Practice Administrator

Catherine first started working in medical administration at the age of 18 and has now accumulated nearly two decades of experience in the field. She got her start in general practice, spending 5 years at a practice in her hometown of Woolgoolga on the Mid-North Coast. She then made the move to Sydney in 2010 and has worked for a variety of specialists including a rheumatologist, renal physician, respiratory physician, and rehabilitation specialist, among others. She has a special interest in all things Japanese and travels to Tokyo frequently.

Michelle Reilly

Senior Surgical Receptionist
Account Manager

Michelle began her career as a medical receptionist in 2009, working in a large GP practice on the Northern Beaches before moving into Radiology where she worked for over 8 years. She also worked for an Ophthalmic surgeon before joining the SBAS team in 2021. Michelle enjoys the interaction with our  patients and finds her work extremely rewarding. She is the newest member of A/Prof Winder’s team. She enjoys keeping fit and spending time with her family and friends.

Naomi Wood

Advanced Practice Nurse
Nurse Practitioner

Naomi has been nursing since 2001, and has worked in the operating rooms for 23 years. Naomi has experience in cardiac, orthopaedic, urology and robotic surgery, however has always specialised in neurosurgery. During this time she has worked in a variety of roles including Clinical Nurse Specialist, Associate Nurse Unit Manager and Clinical Educator. Naomi has a Masters in Clinical Nursing with a specialisation in surgical assisting. She qualified as a Perioperative Nurse Surgeon’s Assistant (PNSA) in 2009 and assists regularly in surgery. Naomi joined Dr Winder’s team as a practice nurse in 2014 as she  wanted to have greater patient contact and to be more meaningfully involved in the  patient’s perioperative journey from start to finish. Naomi has found this role to be extremely rewarding and she enjoys being able to support patients throughout their surgical experience