San Radiology & Nuclear Medicine has a highly dedicated team of Radiologists and Nuclear Medicine specialists who collectively bring a wealth of experience to the Sydney Adventist Hospital. Our service model centres on the delivery of subspecialty reporting across the full spectrum of diagnostic, nuclear and interventional imaging to maximise patient and referring doctor confidence. Our Radiologists and Nuclear Medicine specialists actively participate in both hospital and community focused educational events, as well as multidisciplinary clinical meetings as part of their commitment to the Sydney Adventist Hospital and broader community.

Dr Lisa Tarlinton BSc(Med) MBBS(Hons) EMBA FRANZCR FAANMS

San Radiology & Nuclear Medicine Clinical Director
Subspecialty interests: Oncology Imaging (including PET/CT), Prostate Imaging

Dr Tarlinton is a dual qualified Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine Specialist, graduating with honours in Medicine and Surgery from the University of New South Wales in 2002 and completing her Radiology training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Nuclear Medicine training at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. Dr Tarlinton completed subspecialty fellowship training in body oncology imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NYC) in 2013/14, pursuing her subspecialty interest in oncology body imaging, including body and pelvic MRI, CT, PET/CT and Ultrasound.

Dr Tarlinton joined the San Radiology & Nuclear Medicine team as Clinical Director in 2017. Dr Tarlinton has strong leadership and management experience, graduating with an EMBA from the University of Sydney in 2011 and was Director of Diagnostic Services at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney from 2014-2017. Dr Tarlinton is a director on the board of the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS).

Dr Tarlinton attends numerous MDT meetings at the Sydney Adventist Hospital and is committed to ensuring that San Radiology & Nuclear Medicine provides the best possible imaging service to patients and referrers.

Dr Sebastian Heintze MBBS FRANZCR DDU Part1 CTCA Level B

Subspecialty interests: Neuroradiology (CT/MR), Cardiovascular Imaging, Prostate Imaging

Dr Heintze graduated from the University of Sydney in 1987, completing his undergraduate training at Royal North Shore Hospital followed by two years in Emergency Medicine and General Practice. He completed his Radiology training in Sydney in 1995 after completing a final combined fellowship year in Interventional Radiology/MRI at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH). Dr Heintze has previously held the position of Staff Specialist Radiologist and Head of CT Imaging at RPAH.

Dr Heintze joined the San Radiology team in 2000 and was appointed CT Supervising Radiologist in 2005. Dr Heintze was instrumental in the introduction of dual source CT technology into Australia in 2006 (with the first scanner of its kind installed at the Sydney Adventist Hospital). Dr Heintze has a special interest in advanced CT applications, Cardiovascular Imaging, body and neuro imaging and is a CTCA Level B Accredited Specialist, as well as being a Committee Member on the Conjoint Committee for the Recognition of Training in CT Coronary as well as a member of RANZCR, RSNA and SCCT.

Dr Heintze conducts the imaging review of the GIT and neurology multidisciplinary meetings at the San.

Dr David Smit MB.BCh FFRad FRANZCR 

Subspecialty Interests: Musculoskeletal Imaging, Prostate MRI and Neuroradiology

Dr Smit completed his medical and specialist training as a Radiologist in South Africa (1993). In 1994, Dr Smit relocated to New Zealand where he worked in both public and private sectors in Gisborne, setting up the first CT scanner in this area. Dr Smit became a Fellow of the RANZCR in 1995. He completed a Fellowship in MRI at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (Toronto, Canada) in 1998-1999, which included Musculoskeletal, Body and Neuro Imaging.

Dr Smit relocated to the Gold Coast (QLD) in 1999 and was a Partner of South Coast Radiology until 2010. He joined the San Radiology team in July 2010.

Dr Smit has a subspecialty interest in all aspects of MRI, including Neuro, Body and Musculoskeletal Imaging. More recently, Dr Smit has developed a strong interest in Prostate MRI and was pivotal in establishing this service at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.

Dr Eisen Liang MBBS FRANZCR

Subspecialty interests: Interventional Radiology, particularly Gynaecological and Oncological Intervention

Dr Liang graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1988. After his internship and residency at Westmead Hospital, he started his radiology career in Hong Kong in 1990. He was awarded the FRCR (London) in 1995 and the FRANZCR in 1997. Dr Liang developed a passion for interventional radiology, which he has been practicing since 1995.

Dr Liang returned to Sydney in 2003 and has been an Interventional Radiologist at the Sydney Adventist Hospital since 2004. Dr Liang is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the USyd Medical School.

Dr Liang has a special interest in gynaecological intervention, including uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE), adenomyosis embolisation and ovarian vein embolisation for pelvic congestion syndrome. He published the results of the first series of UFE performed on Australian women in the ANZJOG (April, 2012).

Dr Liang’s other interests include oncology intervention, renal vascular hypertension and peripheral vascular intervention. He conducts the imaging review for the Gastrointestinal multidisciplinary meeting at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.

Dr Avi Saks BComm MBChB DCH FFRad FRANZCR

Subspecialty interests: General Radiology and Body Imaging (CT/MRI)

Dr Saks qualified as a Radiologist in South Africa in 1989 and worked in both private and public hospitals in Johannesburg from 1989-1993, prior to completing a Fellowship in MRI at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London (1993-1995). Dr Saks relocated to Australia and became a Fellow of the RANZCR in 1998.

Dr Saks has been part of the San Radiology Radiologist team since 2000 and has also worked as a Staff Specialist at Liverpool Public Hospital since that time.

Dr Saks holds Senior Lecturer appointments at both the University of New South Wales and the University of Western Sydney. He is also a Senior Examiner for the RANZCR.

Dr Saks has strong and extensive experience in general imaging as well as a subspecialty interest in Body Imaging (CT and MRI).

Dr Mandy Baillie MB.BCh FRCR FRANZCR

Subspecialty interests: General Radiology and Women’s Imaging

Dr Baillie completed her medical training in South Africa and her specialist training as a Radiologist in Auckland, New Zealand. Dr Baillie became a Fellow of the RANZCR in 1998, and commenced her career at Northshore Hospital in Auckland.

In 2002-2003, Dr Baillie completed a Fellowship in MRI at Auckland Hospital, which included Musculoskeletal, Body and Neuro MR Imaging.

Dr Baillie relocated to Australia in 2007, joining the San Radiology Radiologist Team, as well as being a Staff Specialist at Gosford Hospital.

Dr Baillie has subspecialty interests in General and Emergency Imaging, Women’s Imaging and MRI.

Dr Christopher Wong MBBS FRANZCR

Subspecialty interests: Paediatric Radiology and Paediatric Interventional Radiology

Dr Wong completed a Fellowship in Paediatric Radiology at The Children’s Hospital of Michigan (USA) in 1997. He was a full-time Consultant Radiologist at The Children’s Hospital in Westmead until 2008 and was also a former Director of the Department of Medical Imaging.

Dr Wong has been part of the San Radiology Radiologist Team since 2004, focusing on the development of Paediatric Imaging services at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.

He is a past president of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Radiology. He is currently the Associate Editor (Paediatrics) for the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology, the official journal of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Dr Wong remains active in the affairs of the RANZCR and continues to provide valuable teaching in Paediatric
Radiology to trainee Radiologists. He is also a member of several radiological societies including the Society for
Paediatric Radiology.

Dr Christine Shearman B.Med(Hons) FRANZCR

Subspecialty Interests: Breast Imaging and Intervention, General Radiology

Christine Shearman studied medicine at the University of Newcastle, NSW in 1987 and completed Radiology training as a registrar at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW. She spent a year as a Senior Registrar in Body Imaging at Hammersmith Hospital in London and a year as a Fellow in Bone and Joint Imaging at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in America.

She has since worked as a radiologist in both public and private hospitals, in private practice and at Breastscreen, NSW. For over a decade she has been an Examiner for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Christine joined SAH as Supervising Radiologist in Breast Imaging in February 2018 and undertakes all aspects of Breast imaging including 2D and 3D mammography and tomosynthesis, ultrasound, CT and MRI, as well as procedural work with image guided biopsy and localisations. She is an active participant in the Breast multidisciplinary meetings and Breast Research Group at the San, and is focused on the development of personalised breast imaging for women attending the San.

Dr David McHarg MBBS FRACP BSc FAANMS

Specialty: Nuclear Medicine

Dr McHarg spent his early career in some of Sydney’s major teaching hospitals, including Royal North Shore and Royal Prince Alfred. As an early adopter of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) technology in Australia, Dr McHarg has received training in PET at St Thomas Hospital (London), Peter McCallum Cancer Centre (Melbourne) and Liverpool Hospital (Sydney).

Dr McHarg led Northern Nuclear Medicine to be the first independent private nuclear medicine practice in Australia to introduce FDG PET scans in June 2010; with further expansion in May 2015 to introduce Gallium68 PSMA PET for Prostate Cancer and Gallium68 DOTATATE PET scans for Neuroendocrine tumours.

Dr McHarg has demonstrated his commitment to the field of Nuclear Medicine via his involvement in teaching, medical research and adoption of new technologies during his career, including active involvement in trials conducted by the Clinical Trials Unit at SAH. Dr McHarg also attends numerous MDT meetings at the SAH to offer his nuclear imaging expertise in a multidisciplinary setting.

Dr Brenda Cumarasingam MBBS BSc FRACP

Specialty: Nuclear Medicine

With experience gained across Westmead, Liverpool, and St Vincent’s Hospitals Dr Cumarasingam has had the opportunity to develop tertiary level expertise across various clinical areas. Her interest and exposure to PET led her to undertake dedicated PET training at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Melbourne), Westmead and Liverpool Hospitals.

In addition to expertise in PET imaging, Dr Cumarasingam also has a special interest in Breast Lymphoscintigraphy, having had research papers published and presented extensively on this topic.

Dr Cumarasingam has been an AMO of SAH since 2008 Brenda and has helped nurture the caring and calm clinical environment in the Nuclear Medicine / PET department.