Dr Dean Boddington - Electrophysiologist

Dean Boddington is a Cardiologist who has subspecialised in electrical cardiology (Electrophysiology). His area of expertise involves working with patients experiencing problems with abnormal heart rhythm. He performs electrophysiology studies and ablation procedures using electrical cables advanced into the heart to track down and potentially eradicate abnormal rhythm. Dean is also an expert in implanting pacemakers and defibrillators (ICD’s) in patients requiring such devices. He works at Tauranga Hospital in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand where he runs the Electrophysiology service. He also has a private practice at Bay Cardiology.

Dean graduated from the University of Cape Town medical school where he went on to specialise in Internal Medicine. He completed specialist training in Cardiology at Auckland Hospital and then did further training as a fellow in electrical cardiology. He is a currently the chairman of Heart Rhythm New Zealand(HRNZ) and is also a member of the European Heart Rhythm Association(EHRA) and also a member of the Heart Rhythm Society(HRS) in the USA. As chairman of HRNZ Dean represents the Electrophysiology services of NZ at both the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand(CSANZ) and also the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society(APHRS).

In his spare time Dean is a board member of Pacific Islands Pacemaker Services(PIPS). This is a volunteer organisation dedicated to sending volunteer teams to the Pacific islands to implant pacemakers and also implantable cardiac defibrillators(ICD). PIPS is passionate about providing life saving services to patients living on the islands, most of whom would die without a pacemaker or ICD. The islands, including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, do not have their own pacemaker/ICD services and are dependent on the visiting volunteer workers. The visiting teams also are involved in training local staff to potentially provide such services in the future.

Dr Martin Stiles - Electrophysiologist

Born and schooled in Hamilton, Martin trained at the University of Otago and returned to Hamilton after a year working at Dunedin Hospital. His initial training in Cardiology at Waikato Hospital was completed at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Training in Electrophysiology was continued at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester and at Green Lane Cardiovascular Service. In 2005 he was awarded a New Zealand Heart Foundation Overseas Training Fellowship to commence a PhD on Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter at the University of Adelaide, before returning to Hamilton in 2008.

At Waikato Hospital and Midland Cardiovascular Services (located at Braemar Hospital) he established a programme of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation and, with the purchase of a 3D mapping system, advanced the service to include further complex radiofrequency ablation including treatment of Ventricular Tachycardia. Since 2012, cryoablation is also offered at these centres.

Martin maintains an active interest in cardiac devices and he implants Pacemakers, Defibrillators and Resynchronisation Devices.

He is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at The University of Auckland and Chairs the Fellowship sub-committee of the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society. He was Chair of Heart Rhythm NZ from 2011-2014. He is on the Cardiovascular Subcommittee providing advice to PHARMAC and has published widely, including in the world’s premier medical journal, the New England Journal of Medicine. He is recently a member of the Scientific and Clinical Documents committee of the Heart Rhythm Society.

Dr Martin Stiles has a keen interest in promoting the profile of Heart Rhythm Disorders in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dr Daniel Garofalo - Electrophysiologist

Daniel is a specialist in Electrophysiology, which is a specialist of heart rhythm disorders and their treatment (catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias and implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators).

He has a joint appointment with Nelson Marlborough DHB and Cantebury DHB where he performs EP procedures currently not available in Nelson.

Originally from Uruguay, he moved to New Zealand in 2002 after University. He did his cardiology training in Auckland before undertaking electrophysiology training at the Hospital Universitario La Paz, in Madrid, and Hammersmith Hospital in London. He became certified in Electrophysiology by the European Heart Rhythm Association in 2014 and undertook a final clinical fellowship year in Waikato Hospital before moving to Nelson in 2015.

Dr Matthew Webber - Electrophysiologist

Matthew is a Consultant Cardiologist in Wellington NZ and has a sub specialty interest in arrhythmia and my practice includes ablation, Cardiac device implantation and hosting arrhythmia education sessions in community and professional settings.
It’s been a great pleasure to align with Hearts4Hearts and the NZ Heart Foundation in the last two years to host AF awareness campaigns in the Wellington region, and I am excited to grow this initiative.

Professor Jon Skinner - Cardiologist

Jon has been New Zealand only specialist in children’s heart rhythm disorders since 1998 when he arrived from the UK. He is based at Starship Children’s Hospital but provides a national consultative service on heart rhythm disturbances in children and adults with congenital and inherited heart conditions. He was born and raised in the UK and worked there, in Germany, Australia and New Zealand. His research is focused on sudden and unexpected death in young people, with a focus on inherited heart conditions such as long QT syndrome. He established and leads the national cardiac inherited disease registry which aims to detect families at risk, protect them and enable them to live full and active lives (www.cidg.org.nz). He chairs the genetic council of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, and the Trans-Tasman Response Against sudden Death the Young (TRAGADY). He is advisor to overseas sudden death and inherited heart condition programs and on the editorial board of Heart Rhythm. He has authored 120 peer reviewed scientific articles. He has written a text book and several chapters in various medical texts.

Irene Gray - Cardiac Registered Nurse

Irene Gray is a registered nurse of 35 years and a cathlab nurse for many of these. She has seen and lived significant change and major technological advancements in the field of cardiology at Waikato Hospital over this time. Currently works at Waikato Hospital as a Clinical Nurse Specialist providing specialist nursing care and expertise in the management of patients undergoing electrophysiology/ablation procedures and cardiac implantable electronic devices for the Midland region.

Anthony Hogan - Cardiac Registered Nurse

Tony is a Cardiac Rhythm Nurse Specialist at Wellington Hospital, New Zealand. He divides his time between two roles, and is also the coordinator for patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

After an earlier career treading the boards in theatre, Tony did his nurse training in the late 1980’s at King’s college, University of London.

He had worked as a student in cardiac units, and knew that was his area of interest from the start. His first job was a cardiothoracic rotation at St Thomas’ Hospital, and he moved between coronary care and cardiothoracic surgery for the next few years.

A stint as service coordinator to cover a staffing gap led to training as a project manager and involvement in a London-wide reworking of the stroke services and the subsequent change management.
Tony came back to the cardiac ward as a staff nurse when he arrived in New Zealand almost six years ago. He moved swiftly into an education role, in conjunction with Massey University.

He was delighted to take up the challenge of concentrating on a specific area of cardiology that can be complex, and is always rewarding, especially in the well-run and supportive environment of pacing and electrophysiology at Wellington Hospital.

Lin Coleman - Cardiac Registered Nurse

Lin has been a registered nurse for 40 years. Lin has held Senior Nurse Positions in Cardiology in both the UK and New Zealand. Lin is passionate about Cardiology Nursing.

Lin immigrated to NZ in 1994 and worked at Green Lane Hospital as a Cardiac Rehab Nurse and a Charge Nurse Manager in Interventional Cardiology

In addition to Cardiac Nursing Lin has had a varied and interesting career, working in two major health projects as a Design and Migration Coordinator. She represented Cardiac services during the building of the New Auckland City Hospital and, having moved to Wellington, took up a place on the project team for Wellington’s new Regional Hospital. Lin’s nursing experience was vital in a role in the Clinical Procurement Team for Wellington Hospital. She has also worked in Primary Care in a Quality role for a Management Service Organisation

Currently Lin is Speciality Clinical Nurse Cardiac Rhythm Management, which is a that role provides specialist nursing care and co-ordination of activities for all arrhythmia patients

Lin enjoys the variety in the role providing support to patient families in addition to carers and health professionals involved in the care of this client group locally and regionally.

Alison van Wyk - Pharmacist

Alison has been with Green Cross Health as Head of Professional Services since October 2010. She has a background in nursing and has many years’ sales, marketing and senior management experience within the pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare supply chain markets both within New Zealand and internationally.

Alison has also been a key leader in helping to develop innovative models of care that promote pharmacists to operate at the top of their scope of practice. Alison has a passion for making more health services conveniently accessible to local communities through community pharmacy and raising the profile of community pharmacists as a key member of the primary health care team. Alison was a finalist in the 2015 Woman of Influence awards and has won a number of awards recognizing her efforts in the area of medicines reclassification. In early 2018 Alison was awarded an Honorary Membership of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand.