Eva Fong is a New Zealand-trained urologist specialising in female urology and urogynaecology. She has completed advanced surgical training in New Zealand and the United States, including a fellowship in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at NYU Medical Center.  

 

Dr Fong is an internationally recognised expert in the management of complications related to pelvic surgical mesh and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for women affected by these complications. She is committed to enhancing patient safety, optimising treatment outcomes, and advancing surgical techniques for urinary incontinence and pelvic floor disorders.  

 

As the National Co-Lead of the New Zealand Female Pelvic Mesh Service, she plays a pivotal role in developing national frameworks for surgical safety, specialist care, surgeon training and patient-centred care. Dr Fong is also actively involved in research, clinical audit, and medical education and regularly presents at international conferences.

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Presenting:

- The past present and future of mesh removal surgery 

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- Prolapse repair in mesh removal surgery - staged or concomitant repair 

Tamsin Greenwell was appointed as a Consultant Urological Surgeon at University College London Hospital (UCLH) in 2002 and has led the 8 Consultant Female, Functional, Reconstructive and Adolescent Urology Unit since 2011.

 

She has been:

• Postgraduate Tutor in Urology for University College London (UCL),

• Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS Eng) Raven Tutor in Urology,

• The British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) Director of Education, 

• Member of the Intercollegiate Urology SAC (Speciality Advisory Committee),

• Chair of the Functional, Neuro-Urology and Urodynamics (FNUU) section of BAUS 

• Member of the Board of Directors of the AUA Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS) Section. 

 

She is currently President of the United Kingdom Continence Society, an examiner for the FRCS (Urol), the incoming Chair of the EAU Genitourinary Reconstruction Section, a member of the EAU Video-congress Committee, a member of the EAU Urethral Stricture Guidelines Committee and a faculty member of EUREP.

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Her clinical practice focuses on complex male and female urinary incontinence, male and female urethral strictures, female urethral diverticula, lower urinary tract reconstruction, urinary tract fistulae, and ureteric injury.

 

She continues to have a significant interest in surgical education, in particular, skills acquisition. She is a strong proponent of MDT (multi-disciplinary team) working and encourages all team members to maximise their potential. She has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

 

In her spare time, she has been married to a Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon for more years than she would like to admit and has two university-aged children – who, by some miracle, remain alive and well. She has an extensive shoe collection.

Dr Louise Tomlinson is a specialist gynaecologist with a particular focus in urogynaecology, including the management of maternal birth injury, pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse, and incontinence. Since graduating from the University of Auckland School of Medicine in 1998, Louise has provided compassionate, expert care to women across a wide range of reproductive health concerns.

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She completed her specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRANZCOG). Louise has worked as a consultant in urogynaecology for over 15 years and currently practises part time at Waitematā Health and in private practice at One Six One Gillies Avenue. 

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In addition to her local clinical work, Louise is committed to global women’s health, contributing annually to outreach programmes in the Pacific and supporting a fistula camp in Uganda.

Catherine A. Matthews MD, FACS, FACOG is Professor of Urology and Gynecology at Wake Forest Medical School where she serves as the Division Director and Fellowship Director of Urogynecology and Female Reconstructive Surgery and is the regional committee chair for robotic surgery.

 

Dr. Matthews is an editor for the International Urogynecology Journal and is surgical education chair for the International Urogynecology Association.

 

Dr. Matthews is also a board examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and co-chaired the Urogynecology Prologue from ACOG.

 

She has delivered more than 100 invited international and national lectures and workshops and has received numerous teaching awards. Dr. Matthews has received multiple awards for her excellence in patient care and has been an annual recipient of “Top Doctors in America” for the past 20 years.

 

She has published 150 peer-reviewed papers in pelvic organ prolapse surgery, robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy, and fecal incontinence and is currently the principal investigator of 4 multicenter clinical trials.

 

In addition, Dr. Matthews is collaborating with the Wake Forest Regenerative Medicine Institute on a tissue-reengineered neovagina for women with vaginal agenesis.

 

 

Sue French is the Programme Manager for the National Female Pelvic Mesh Service (NZFPMS), a nationally commissioned service supporting women experiencing complications from pelvic mesh procedures. She is a registered nurse who continues to deliver clinical care within the service, working directly with patients affected by mesh-related harm and supporting the clinical team with complex case management.

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Sue has held senior clinical roles in cardiac and infectious disease critical care, as well as trauma and surgical services, along with national leadership roles for health service improvement and brings nearly 40 years of experience across the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

 

She has led the establishment and ongoing development of the NZFPMS, including implementation of a national, multidisciplinary model of care grounded in restorative justice principles and consumer partnership. Her work spans clinical operations, service design, and system-level integration across Health New Zealand, ACC, and the wider health sector.

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On behalf of Health New Zealand, Sue provides national leadership for the New Zealand component of the Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry (APFPR‑NZ). Delivered in partnership with Monash University and the Centre for Health Outcome Measures New Zealand (CHOMNZ), the registry supports improved patient safety, outcomes monitoring, and evidence‑informed clinical practice.

 

Sue is recognised for her pragmatic, systems-focused leadership and her commitment to improving care for women with complex health needs.

Dr Jackie Smalldridge is a retired Fellow of RANZCOG who had a special interest in Urogynaecology during her medical career. She was a member of IUGA and UGSA and contributed to the field through OASI workshops both in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the Pacific, with publications  related to the development of the Femfit device and vaginal mesh complications long term follow up.

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 She is currently a PhD student at the University of Otago exploring how internalised misogyny in the field of Obstetrics and Gynaecology influences the hidden curriculum of training and professional interactions with colleagues and clinical practice in a qualitative paradigm.

 

She hopes to contribute to further understanding of why patients feel gaslighted by their doctors

Dr Anthony Sayce is a specialist pain medicine physician and Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FFPMANZCA). He is also a qualified GP anaesthetist and a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).

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Dr Sayce completed his medical degree at the University of Sydney before serving in the Australian Army, undertaking multiple overseas deployments in emergency, retrieval, and primary care roles. Following his military service, he undertook anaesthesia training in Sydney and Port Macquarie, where his interest in pain medicine deepened. He went on to provide anaesthetic, emergency, and pain management services in rural and remote Indigenous communities across Australia.

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Dr Sayce completed specialist training in pain medicine at the Princess Alexandra Hospital (Brisbane) and the Gold Coast Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain Centre, gaining experience in multidisciplinary and interventional pain care.

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Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Science (BSc), 1998

• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), 2008

  • Awarded the Grace Cuthbert Browne Prize for Obstetrics & Gynaecology

• Fellow, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP), 2013

• Fellow, Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA (FFPMANZCA), 2022

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Clinical Interests

• Interventional Pain Medicine

• Neuromodulation

• Pelvic Pain

Renee McLaughlin is an Advanced Psychologist with the Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service (QPMS), bringing more than 25 years of clinical experience as a psychologist.

 

For the past five years, Renee has worked closely with women accessing specialist care through QPMS, providing psychological support to patients navigating the complex physical and emotional impacts of pelvic mesh complications. Her work focuses on delivering compassionate, trauma-informed care and supporting patients through their treatment journey with empathy, clinical expertise, and a deep commitment to patient-centred practice.

Yu Hwee is a subspecialist urogynaecologist working as part of the public urogynaecology team at Gold Coast Health and the Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service as well as in private in Brisbane at Greenslopes Private Hospital and Mater Private Hospital.

 

She is the current chair of the IUGA Fellow and Early Career Professionals committee as well as the deputy chair of the RANZCOG CU Examination Committee and has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in the field of urogynaecology.

Clinical Psychologist | Advanced Psychologist, Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service

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Vanessa Wowk is an Advanced Clinical Psychologist with the Queensland Pelvic Mesh Service (QPMS), with over 15 years of experience across public and private healthcare settings. For the past five years, she has worked within the QPMS team, provided psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment for women experiencing the complex physical, emotional, and psychosocial impacts of pelvic mesh complications.

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Vanessa has also worked as the Advanced Psychologist with the Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Interdisciplinary Clinical Service (EPPICS) and practises privately at Robina Therapy on the Gold Coast. Across these roles, she has developed specialist expertise in women’s health psychology, supporting women living with persistent pelvic pain, trauma, and complex health conditions. She is committed to creating a safe, collaborative, neuro-affirming, and trauma-informed therapeutic environment that promotes emotional wellbeing and quality of life.

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Previously, Vanessa spent 10 years as a Senior Psychologist with Gold Coast Health’s Alcohol and Other Drugs Service (AODS), building extensive expertise in the assessment and treatment of complex adult mental health presentations. She is a Board-approved Principal Supervisor for Clinical Psychology Registrars, a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society (FAPS), and is currently completing Standard Certification in Schema Therapy.