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Clinic at the Royal Children's Hospital

Headaches are a common presentation in children and adolescents. Different types of primary headaches include tension and migraine headaches. Migraine headaches may be part of a family history, sometimes have an aura (e.g. visual or auditory change) and are often associated with vomiting and worsened by bright light. Headaches may also occur secondary to other conditions and an assessment for ongoing headaches will involve consideration of these.

A thorough medical assessment is an important part of evaluating headaches in children and adolescents. Keeping a headache diary prior to your child’s assessment can be a helpful part of the diagnostic process.

Severe headaches that are associated with a high fever, concerns regarding drowsiness or a stiff neck should be seen urgently in a local emergency department.

The following practitioners at CPMG can be of service in helping determine the cause of headaches in children and adolescents, and assist in their management:

Daryl is a paediatrician who has worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital for 30 years and currently holds appointments as a general paediatrician in the department of General Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital, associate professor in the University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics, and senior research fellow in the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Daryl is active in research into better ways to treat children with developmental disorders such as autism, ADHD and Tourette syndrome.

Noel is an experienced general paediatrician and clinical pharmacologist. He has a unique background, having worked in general practice for several years before completing his paediatric training. He currently has appointments as a general paediatrician and director of clinical pharmacology in the Department of General Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital and as director of the Australian Paediatric Pharmacology Research Unit at Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

Emily is a General Paediatrician who enjoys managing children of all ages with a family centered, holistic approach. She has a specific interest in managing children with complex genetic or medical problems as well as developmental and behavioural conditions such as autism, anxiety, ADHD and learning disorders. She also enjoys working with children who have constipation, encopresis, wetting issues, sleep problems, headaches and other common paediatric medical conditions.

Fiona is a General Paediatrician who completed her medical education and Paediatric specialist training in the UK.  Prior to moving to Australia she worked for several years as a Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

She has worked within the General Medicine department at the Royal Children’s Hospital since 2014.

CLINICAL INTERESTS
Dr Ian Woodcock has interests in all aspects of paediatric neurology such as headache, tics, migraine and epilepsy, but has particular clinical and research interests in genetic conditions affecting nerves and muscles known as neuromuscular disorders.

Jeremy is an experienced paediatric neurologist who trained in general paediatrics and neurology at the Royal Children’s Hospital. He completed his training at Northwestern University in Chicago. Jeremy has been a Consultant Neurologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital since 2005 and is an Honorary Fellow in neuroscience research at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Julian is an experienced paediatrician who currently holds appointments as a general paediatrician in the department of General Medicine at the Royal Children’s Hospital and as a research fellow in the University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics.

His areas of interest include acute general paediatrics, learning and behavioural disorders and lymphoedema.

Julian also has experience in international child health, working as a WHO consultant in the People’s Republic of China and the Solomon Islands.

Michaela trained as a Paediatrician at the Royal Children’s and The Mercy Hospitals in Melbourne.

During her training Michaela specialised in developmental and behavioural paediatrics, but since then she has continued to work both acute and outpatient settings, seeing children of all ages, including babies.

Michaela’s areas of interests include developmental delay, speech delay, failure to thrive and growth concerns, Autism, ADHD, constipation, encopresis and enuresis, behavioural problems, anxiety, eczema, asthma and urinary tract infections.

Shidan is a general paediatrician with a consultant appointment at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Suzanne is a general paediatrician who cares for children with a wide range of acute and chronic medical conditions from birth to adolescence. In addition to working in private practice, she has appointments at The Royal Children's Hospital as a General Paediatrician as well as a Medical Consultant in Hospital in the Home.

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