Who We Are
At the Mito Medical Network we are passionate about advancing the care of patients. Our team endeavours to serve the mitochondrial community through networking the numerous medical professionals involved in their care and bringing mitochondrial disease into mainstream medicine.
Carolyn Sue AM, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FAHMS
Director
Carolyn is a clinician scientist, appointed as the new Kinghorn Director of Neuroscience Australia in Randwick (NeuRA), after previously holding roles as the Kolling Institute Executive Director, Professor and Director of Neurogenetics at RNSH. She is well recognized internationally for her expertise in mitochondrial disease, movement disorders, and Parkinson’s disease. After obtaining her PhD in mitochondrial genetics, Carolyn established her own mitochondrial disease research group at the Kolling Institute, with the overall goal of improving diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. Since 1994, Professor Sue has been running Australia’s largest specialised mitochondrial diseases clinics dedicated to the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of patients with the illness.
She has published over 180 papers, has written multiple books and book chapters, won numerous awards for her work, especially in the area of mitochondrial disease, an area which occasioned her a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019. Carolyn Sue hold multiple leadership positions in her subspeciality interest areas, including those at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney University, International Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Society, Movement Disorder Society of Australia and New Zealand, Mito Foundation, and its Scientific Medical Advisory Committee, and she has been elected a member of the NHMRC council.
Carolyn Sue, not only brings her extensive knowledge and experience in mitochondrial disease to the network, but her boundless care and desire to serve the mitochondrial community
Amanda Clark
Director
After obtaining her Arts Law degree in 1984, Amanda was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 1985. She has an extensive experience in in commercial and property law, was legal counsel at Mitsubishi Australia Ltd, and has additional interests in intellectual property and elder law.
Amanda now works predominately in her private practice, so she can focus more on the family, with an eagerness to provide much of her vast experience towards a philanthropic role. She has been personally touched by several friends and acquaintances with mitochondrial disease and is passionate to see the quality of care within the mitochondrial community vastly improved, and their management become mainstream within the Australian Healthcare system.
Martine Vanderspuy
Director
Martine has had a lifetime love affair with the sea, reflected in her aerial inspired resin art and paintings. Her skills as a graphic artist, has not only won her many awards, but has created a demand for her work in numerous exhibits around the world. Martine established and has curated her own gallery since 2014, where she helps to raise funds and create awareness about mitochondrial disease. Her son Tom suffers from the illness, so she is a passionate supporter for research into understanding mitochondrial disease, it’s diagnosis, and discovering improved treatments, with the hopes of finding a cure.
Martine not only brings her passion for art and mitochondrial disease to the network, but strong business, marketing, and website design skills, which will help to reach all health professionals nationally.
Dr Karen Crawley MBBS, FRACGP
Director
Dr Karen Crawley is a medical practitioner, currently volunteering in research and education at NeuRA (Randwick), moving across from her previous Research Affiliate role at the Kolling Institute (Royal North Shore Hospital). Dr Crawley has broad-based clinical experience in the areas of general practice, emergency medicine, non-invasive cardiac testing, surgical assisting and has always had a strong interest in patient education. She withdrew from active general practice in 2007 to care for her eldest daughter with MELAS and her attention was immediately drawn towards the overwhelming needs of the mito community. Her work in numerous volunteer roles, including manning the mito helpline (24/7 for 7years), medical and public education, fund-raising, awareness and advocacy, earned her numerous community service awards.
In 2016, Dr Karen Crawley, decided to become more pro-active in improving management of the illness by turning her attention to a volunteer research role, and now as a founding director of the mitomedicalnetwork; with the purposes of reaching out to all healthcare professionals, and advancing care for all mito community members.
Craig Crawley
Managing Director
Craig has spent his 42y engineering career in the water industry. Along the way he has gained vast knowledge and experience in various management roles across the strategic planning, operations and maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure and services.
Craig’s children suffer from mitochondrial disease, so he has been supporting mitochondrial research and pursuing improved patient care for well over a decade. Now recently retired, Craig wants to see mitochondrial disease within the mainstream of health care across Australia. This is so that those with mitochondrial disease can have a greater quality of life through earlier diagnosis and better access to care.
Craig brings his passion and management skills to the network to work with the medical community towards the goal of lifting knowledge and understanding of the illness and having its treatment included in our health care system.
Our Committees
To help reach our goals and objectives, we have established three committees built upon a team of dedicated, discerning and knowledgable individuals well-versed in mitochondrial disease. They bring together a broad and comprehensive base of both the medical and lived experience of the illness into the network.
Clinical Education
and Resources
- Co-chair: Prof Carolyn Sue
- Co-chair: Dr Karen Crawley
- Dr Christina Liang
- Dr Kate Ahmad
- Dr Nick Smith
- Dr Dennis Yeow
- Dr Sameen Haque
Clinical Trials
and Research
- Co-chair: Prof Carolyn Sue
- Co-chair: Dr Christina Liang
- Dr Ryan Davis
- Dr Shanti Balasubramaniam
- Dr Roula Ghaoui
- Dr Eloise Watson
- Dr Christine Wools
- Dr David Manser
Community Outreach
and Engagement
- Co-chair: Karen Crawley
- Co-chair: Amanda Clark
- Pamela Hausler
- Shelley Beverly
- Michelle Watts
- Lisa Holroyd
- Melinda Macauley
- Craig Crawley