Our Team

Cassandra Irvin Director of Nursing and Clinical Operations

RN, Cert REI Nursing, GradCert Leadership & Management, MHSM

Cassandra is a Registered Nurse with two decades of specialised experience in fertility nursing. Her career reflects a deep commitment to excellence in patient care and clinical leadership within the field of reproductive health.

She has completed the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) Nurse Certificate Course through the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and holds a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management from the Australian College of Nursing. In addition, she has pursued advanced training through a Master of Health Service Management at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Throughout her career, Cassandra has remained passionate about delivering patient care that is safe, effective, and developed in genuine partnership with patients. Her values of kindness, authenticity, and empowerment underpin her approach to both care and leadership. She is dedicated to supporting and developing the profession of fertility nursing, with a strong focus on nurturing high standards, fostering collaboration, and driving continuous improvement.

In her role as Director of Nursing & Clinical Operations, Cassandra is committed to leading with integrity, advancing clinical excellence, and ensuring that patients receive the highest quality of care at every stage of their fertility journey.

Joanne Perrott Clinical Nurse Consultant

RN, RM, MBA

Joanne leads clinic governance, compliance, and continuous improvement at Flinders Fertility, playing a key role in ensuring our systems and processes meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency.

Originally trained as a Registered Nurse and Midwife in Melbourne at the Alfred Hospital and the Royal Women’s Hospital, Joanne has over three decades of healthcare experience. After two decades working across all areas of obstetrics, she moved into fertility nursing in 2006 and has been valued part of the Flinders Fertility team ever since.

Over the years, Joanne has developed deep expertise in fertility and reproductive health, and now applies that knowledge to improving clinical operations and driving sustainable change. Her commitment to excellence is supported by her formal qualifications, including a Certificate IV in Management and Leadership (2011) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Australia.

Joanne is passionate about building robust systems that support both patients and staff, with a strong focus on quality, safety, and streamlining processes. She takes pride in creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, ensuring the clinic runs smoothly and meets all regulatory and accreditation standards.

Sue Conway Patient Care Coordinator

BBiotech (Hons), Grad Cert Social Sciences

After studying Biotechnology at Flinders University Sue commenced her career as an embryologist. She gained experience across the gamut of fertility procedures and was promoted to Laboratory Manager. Her fertility expertise has encompassed patient cycle management, donor program management, and coordinating genetic testing. She brings over a decade of experience to Flinders Fertility in clinic quality management and patient support.

You'll probably see or speak to Sue at several stages of your journey, and behind the scenes, she'll coordinate your care between your doctor, our nurses, and the lab.

Sue is passionate about assisting patients through their fertility journey and feels honoured to be able to support those at their most vulnerable.

Annette Bowshall Fertility Nurse

RN, RM, Critical Care Cert

Annette completed her Registered Nurse training at St. Andrew’s Hospital in Adelaide in 1982. After a stint working in London & travelling for 2 years, she returned to SA to undertake a Critical Care Certificate at Flinders Medical Centre. In 1990, she completed her Midwifery training at the Queen Victoria Hospital & continued to work in that field until 1997. Annette then spent a further 10 years gaining more experience in the Midwifery, Coronary Care & in the Casual Nursing Pool of the hospital.

In 2007, she was fortuitously asked to fill a 6-month leave position at Flinders Fertility & became a permanent nurse here soon afterwards. She particularly enjoyed working in the day surgery areas, including Theatre and Recovery, until the unit moved out of FMC in 2018. She now enjoys the challenges of expanding her fertility experience & has great compassion for all those struggling with their fertility journey.

Mary Furst Fertility Nurse

RN, RM, GradDip Counselling

Mary is a Registered Nurse/Midwife with over 30 years of experience from working in Adelaide and the UK. She completed a Graduate Diploma in Health Counselling in 1995 at Adelaide University and began working in Reproductive Medicine in 2003 with Flinders Fertility.

Her commitment is to provide personalised, client-centered care to assist patients in achieving their goals, with both respect and empathy.

Tahlia Georgeson Fertility Nurse

RN, BHlthMedSc, MClinM

Tahlia is a dedicated fertility nurse, holding a Bachelor of Health and Medical Science with a major in Reproductive Health, followed by a Master of Clinical Nursing.

Her specialised education reflects her long-term passion of helping women and couples navigate reproductive health challenges. Her special interests include follicular scanning, endometriosis, quality patient education and early pregnancy care.

Tahlia enjoys creating meaningful connections with her patients and aims to make their journey as comfortable and positive as possible.

Abbey Maynard Fertility Nurse

RN

Abbey is a Registered Nurse and joins us from Flinders Medical Centre where she worked for over two years in the critical care fields of Haematology and Oncology. Abbey has always had a keen interest in fertility, human reproduction, and women’s health. She is a reliable member of the Flinders Fertility team and is a strong advocate for patients, supporting them through the fertility journey and will always be a smiley face on arrival.

Helen Newman Fertility Nurse

RN, RM

Helen is a Registered Nurse and a Registered Midwife with over 30 years’ experience in Women’s Health. She completed her Nurse, Midwifery training in the UK, and moved to Adelaide in 2005. Helen came to work at Flinders Fertility for a few weeks in 2008 to cover for long service leave and luckily for us she never left!

Helen has a special interest in fertility ultrasounds and preconception education. She believes in providing personalised care to help make her patients feel as relaxed as possible.

Bronwyn Portman Fertility Nurse

RN

Bronwyn is a Registered Nurse who graduated from Flinders University with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2001. Nursing for nearly 20 years, Bronwyn has had a wide range of experience working across many areas at Flinders Medical Centre and at the Blood Service.

Bronwyn came to Flinders Fertility as a Fertility Nurse in July 2011. She is currently a Fertility Nurse Representative (one of only two in all of SA) as part of the Fertility Nurses of Australia. Bronwyn enjoys working in fertility, providing individual and friendly patient care with compassion; and the ongoing education involved in her role.

Sharon Sayers Fertility Nurse

RN, Cert IV Management & Leadership, Grad Cert in Human Fertility & Assisted Reproduction

Sharon completed her training to be a Registered Nurse at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 1991, with a keen interest to pursue her career in the area of women’s health. In 1995, she was asked to cover a 6-month leave position in a Reproductive Medicine Unit and never looked back.

Sharon has extensive fertility nursing experience, and in 2018 completed the Graduate Certificate of Human Fertility and Assisted Reproduction through the University of Technology in NSW. She has a Certificate IV in Frontline Management and has recently completed training to perform fertility ultrasounds. For 5 years, she was one of the South Australian Representatives of the Fertility Nurses of Australasia, providing access to quality professional development and training to the nurses of Australia and New Zealand.

Sharon has a passion for providing personalised care to all people from all walks of life as they work their way through fertility treatment.

Megan Shaw Fertility Nurse

RN, Cert Emergency Acute Care

Megan is a Registered Nurse who prior to moving to fertility nursing worked the majority of her career in paedriatric, general surgical nursing, and adult emergency departments including at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and Flinders Medical Centre here in Adelaide. During her practice as a nurse, she developed a strong passion for women's health, human reproduction, and family care, which saw her move to fertility.

Megan's passion is to ensure the provision of holistic care and to ensure patients are able to be informed and involved decision-makers through excellent education and communication.

Robyn Trenouth Fertility Nurse

RN

Robyn is a Registered Nurse, who completed her training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She then went on to work in many areas, including recovery, psychiatry and special care before making the transition to fertility.

Robyn has worked in two Fertility Centres, gaining invaluable experience in both.

She has extensive experience in Reproductive Health, having worked in this field for over 30 years. Within that time she ran the Donor Egg Programme, worked in Recovery, performed IUI’s, and is proficient with venepuncture.

Robyn has a special interest in fertility ultrasounds and education. She believes in open and honest communication in all aspects of the patient’s fertility journey.

Michelle White Fertility Nurse

RN, RM

Michelle is a Registered Nurse and Midwife who completed her training in 1987. Since then, she has gained extensive experience in general nursing and obstetric care at Ashford Hospital, St Andrews Hospital, and Flinders Medical Centre.

Michelle joined Flinders Fertility in 2007 and has experience in all areas of fertility nursing. Michelle recently completed her training in ultrasound scanning and is committed to providing a high level of personalised care to all her patients.

Michael Barry Scientific Director

BSc, MCE

Michael Barry is the Scientific Director at Flinders Fertility. For over three decades Michael has been pivotal to the success of IVF technology in South Australia, leading innovation and advances in clinical embryology.

He is a science graduate from the University of Adelaide and completed his master’s in Clinical Embryology at the University of Leeds in 2012. His Embryology career began in 1990 at the Reproductive Medicine Unit of the University of Adelaide.

In addition to his role at Flinders Fertility, Michael is an associate lecturer at the University of Adelaide Robinson Institute.

Michael mentors colleagues in Australia and overseas, and loves having the opportunity to meet the many babies that spent the early part of their lives in his care.

His areas of interest are laboratory design and its impact on embryology, the invitro environment of embryos and gametes, embryo biopsy, machine learning's role in quality management, and the implementation and teaching of new technologies.

Chris Osborn Laboratory Manager

B.Btech (Hons),

Chris is the Laboratory Manager at Flinders Fertility, bringing over 12 years of hands-on experience in embryology and assisted reproductive technologies. After graduating with a Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) from Flinders University in 2010, he has worked across several leading fertility clinics in South Australia, gaining deep expertise in a broad range of embryology techniques and laboratory best practices.

What really drives Chris is his love for embryology and the joy of helping people grow their families. He’s deeply committed to providing the best possible care for every patient and always looks for ways to improve how the lab operates. Chris also leads a dedicated team of embryologists and is passionate about building a supportive, skilled, and caring environment—so that every patient has the best chance of success.

Angela Nikoloutsopoulos Embryologist and Workplace Health and Safety Manager

B.Sc.

Angela has been working at Flinders Fertility since 2001.

After completing her Bachelor of Science (majoring in Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology) at the University of Adelaide in 1986, Angela worked for 14 years as a Research Scientist in Human Reproductive Biology in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Flinders Medical Centre. She was involved in a number of research projects, but one of particular interest was developing a non-invasive technique of isolating embryonic cells from peripheral blood of pregnant women in their first trimester to allow prenatal genetic diagnosis. Her extensive laboratory experience and passion for embryology means that she is one of the most senior embryologists in the laboratory team, and is passionate about providing the highest possible standard of embryology and andrology services to our patients.

Angela also serves as our Workplace Health and Safety Manager with a remit to provide a safe and healthy working environment for Flinders Fertility staff, patients, and visitors.

Priya Krishna Embryologist and Projects Coordinator

BSc, BHlthSc (Hons), MBA

Priya's interest in embryology was sparked when she attended a lecture on early embryo development at the University of Adelaide. Priya subsequently went on to do her Honours in Health Science in Reproductive Health.

After graduating, Priya moved to Sydney where she worked in several IVF clinics, returning to her hometown of Adelaide in 2020 to work for Flinders Fertility as a Senior Embryologist. She is using her extensive experience to lead several innovation projects across the business.

Priya loves the patient contact that she gets being an embryologist here and is always happy to answer any questions you have about your embryos.

Rebecca Mackay Embryologist

B.Sc (Hons), MCE

Rebecca joined Flinders Fertility in 2013 as an embryologist after completing her Masters in Clinical Embryology at Monash University in Melbourne. She has a special interest in genetics and has enjoyed helping to establish and coordinate Flinders Fertility’s Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) programme.

Originally from New Zealand, she studied for a Bachelor of Science in 2010, majoring in genetics at the University of Otago and graduating with First Class Honours. Rebecca has worked on several research projects in the field of molecular biology from the phenomenon of mitochondrial recombination in sheep to screening for mutations in patients with unexplained familial hypercholesterolemia. During her Masters degree, she carried out research into the sex-dependent growth differences in bovine embryos.

Rebecca enjoys presenting on various aspects of embryology and has had the pleasure of speaking at a number of ART related conferences and seminars.

Siew Wong Embryologist

BSc, BHlthSc (Hons), PhD

Siew began her embryology career in 2016 before joining Flinders Fertility in 2017. '

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in 2011 and Honours Degree in Health Science in 2012 from the University of Adelaide. She then completed her PhD at the Robinson Research Institute in Adelaide in 2017, where her studies focused on determining how obesity causes anovulation and altered embryo development and testing the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs on improving oocyte developmental competence and offspring susceptibility to obesity. Over the four years of her PhD studies, she has given many oral presentations about her novel research findings, both nationally and internationally.

In addition to her embryology role, Siew is our transport coordinator. This involves managing the complex movement of embryos for patients who have moved to Adelaide from interstate and overseas.

Zara Tsoukatos Embryologist

BSc

After completing a Bachelors degree in Health and Medical Science, Majoring in Reproductive Health, Zara’s passion for fertility arose. Zara had previous experience working in clinical trial biolabs, and is now moving forward to begin her career in embryology.

Professor William Ledger Expert Panel Member and Board Member

MA DPhil BM BCh FRCOG FRANZCOG CREI

Professor William Ledger is a Director of Flinders Fertility and a key advisor to our clinicians on their most complex cases of infertility. Professor Ledger is a medical and PhD graduate of the University of Oxford and a Fellow of both Australia/New Zealand and UK Colleges of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. He is unique in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery by being accredited both in Australia (CREI) and the UK.

Prof Ledger holds roles as Head and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The Royal Hospital for Women and Head of the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of New South Wales. Internationally renowned, his research interests include all aspects of assisted reproduction, particularly ‘Mild’ IVF, and gynaecological disorders including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and premature menopause.

A noted author on reproductive medicine, he has published over 200 peer reviewed papers, and is Associate Editor of the journal Human Reproduction. He is author of 15 books concerning IVF and has co-authored the prestigious Oxford Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Julie Potts Counsellor

DT (Social Work), MAASW (Acc), MANZICA

Julie Potts is a fertility counsellor with decades of experience in counselling individuals and couples. She provides individualised support and guidance during what is often an emotionally demanding time. She has deep experience in donor counselling both for recipients and donors and is available to assist you in total confidence.

Find out more about our counselling services.

Emma Angel Counsellor

B. (Social Work), MAASW, MANZICA

Emma graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work in 1997 and since then has worked in the health, education, and community sectors. She has a passion for child and youth wellbeing and safety, and family support and therapy.

Emma has 10 years of experience as a Fertility Counsellor and is dedicated to providing holistic support for individuals and couples during their treatment at Flinders Fertility. Emma states that her experience of reproductive health has been shaped by all the patients who have been willing to share their stories with her and she continues to view them as the experts!

In 2008 Emma undertook Certs 3 and 4 in Fitness and now splits her work week between Flinders Fertility, a primary school where she is a student counsellor, and an elder care facility where she is a fitness leader.

Emma is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association (ANZICA) and the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

Maria Capone Donor Coordinator

Grad Dip Medical Laboratory Science

Maria has spent more than a decade working in the IVF field, where she specialises in managing surrogacy and donor programs.

Maria began her career in 1990 as an Assistant Medical Researcher at Adelaide University while she was working for a Graduate Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science.

Maria's passion is to assist patients to navigate through donor treatment and she is known for her empathetic and caring approach.

For information about our fertility doctors please click here