DOCTORS
Prof. Shyan Vijayasekaran
MBBS,PhD FRACS
Dr. Tim Cooney
MBBS(Hons),FRACS
Professor Shyan Vijayasekaran grew up in Perth, studied at the University of Western Australia and graduated with distinctions in Medicine and Surgery. He subsequently trained in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in London and Perth. Shyan completed a Fellowship in Paediatric Otolaryngology with Professor Robin Cotton at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, USA. He is one of the few international graduates of this prestigious programme. Shyan was awarded the Charles Ferguson prize by the American Society of Paediatric Otolaryngology in 2005. His PhD thesis is on complex airway and swallowing disorders in children. He is the current president of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Otolaryngology.
​
Shyan also works at Perth Children's Hospital and several other institutions in Perth. He is affiliated with The University of Western Australia, Curtin University and Kasturba Medical College. His clinical and research interests included disorders of sleep, airway, voice, swallowing, management of hearing loss, chronic otitis media and language delay.
​
He has published over 140 papers in peer reviewed journals, chapters in textbooks and is frequently invited to speak at national and international meetings. He spends 1 month a year providing voluntary medical care at several hospitals in low and middle income countries. Shyan has 4 teenage and young adult children and enjoys travel, reading, walking the outdoors, yoga and meditation.
​
Dr Tim Cooney grew up in Queensland, and graduated from the University of Queensland with Honours in 1991. Tim won several prizes in his undergraduate years including the William Nathaniel Robertson Medal, the H.J.Windsor prize, and the Memorial Prize of the Australian Medical Association. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery in 1999.
Following this Tim completed a Fellowship in nose and sinus surgery with Dr Nick Jones at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, UK. He also spent time in several Paediatric US institutions before returning to Australia to commence practice.
Tim is a Senior Surgeon at Perth Children’s Hospital, and works at various other institutions in Perth. He is closely affiliated with the University of Western Australia, being a Platinum Convenor at the Clinical Training and Evaluation Centre. His special interests include nose and sinus disorders, and all aspects of Paediatric ENT. Tim is on the Board of the Telethon Speech and Hearing charity, Perth’s leading research and therapy organisation for children with hearing loss and speech delay.
Tim travelled to Perth on a windsurfing holiday in 1994, where he met his future wife. They have five children, and in his spare time enjoys cycling and marathon running.
​
Tim consults at both Subiaco and Karrinyup rooms for Paediatric ENT and Adult nasal and sinus conditions.
​
​
Dr. Chris Rataphol Dhepnorrarat
MBBS, FRACS
Dr. Darin Bilish
MBChB, FRACS
Dr Chris Dhepnorrarat MBBS FRACS grew up in Perth and after Graduating from Hollywood Senior High School attended Medical School at the University of Western Australia.
​
On Completion of his Training in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in Perth, Chris worked at Royal Perth Hospital for twelve months before undertaking a Fellowship in rhinology, sinus surgery and endoscopic anterior skull base surgery with Professor Dharambir Sethi at the Singapore General Hospital in 2011. In 2012, he undertook a second Fellowship in sinus and anterior skull base surgery at the University of Toronto / Mount Sinal Hospital in Canada working with Professor and Chair, Dr Ian Witterick and Dr Allan Vescan.
​
Chris is one of very few ENT surgeons in Australia to have dual Fellowship training in sinus and anterior skull base surgery. His experience and research have lead to several international presentations, journal publications and academic book chapter publications. Chris has also participated as a lecturer and demonstrator at local and international sinus courses and workshops.
​
Chris was the Head of the ENT Department at Sir Charles Gairdner hospital from 2016 to 2023, and works at several other institutions in Perth as well. His interests include general and paediatric otolaryngology, the management of all aspects of sinus disease and endoscopic anterior skull base surgery. Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and children, as well as swimming and photography.
Dr Darin Bilish MB ChB FRACS grew up in New Zealand and after graduating from the University of Otago in medicine and surgery, he subsequently moved to Perth where he trained in Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. Darin has completed a Paediatric Otolaryngology fellowship at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, and has visited a number of prestigious paediatric ENT units around the world including Cinicinnati Children’s Hospital and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in the US and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, UK.
Darin works at Perth Children's Hospital as an ENT Consultant and Supervisor of Surgical Training for ENT. He is also a visiting specialist with the Western Australian Country Health Service, providing ENT services to rural and remote communities in northern WA. As a full time Paediatric ENT Surgeon, Darin has focused his practice on treating children from newborns up to the age of 15 years old. His special interests include paediatric airway disorders including obstructive sleep disorder.
​
Darin consults at our Subiaco and Karrinyup rooms.
Dr. Hayley Herbert
MBchB FRACS
Dr. David Hall
BSc(Hons) MBBS,FRACS
Dr Hayley Herbert spent her childhood in South Africa, moving to New Zealand as a teenager. She then moved south to the University of Otago to complete her medical degree.
​
Hayley trained in ENT surgery in the North Island of New Zealand and then completed a dual Fellowship training in Laryngology in London UK and in Paediatric ENT at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth.
Hayley’s special interests are Paediatric, Adult airways and voice. She runs a regular multidisciplinary Voice Clinic in conjunction with speech pathologist Kate Baumwol in our Subiaco office.
Hayley is the current WA representative for the Laryngology Society of Australia and is a consultant at Perth Children’s Hospital.
​Hayley is consulting at our Subiaco rooms and is operating at South Perth Hospital and Subiaco Private Hospital.
​
Dr David Hall grew up in Sydney and completed his medical studies and ENT surgical training in Brisbane. After obtaining his Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons he undertook further training in head and neck cancer surgery and microvascular reconstruction at the Royal Perth Hospital gaining experience managing complex benign and malignant head and neck pathology.
David joined Perth ENT Centre in 2013 and is available to manage all general adult and paediatric ENT problems including benign and malignant head and neck pathology, excluding adult hearing loss and tinnitus/vertigo.
He has private hospital operating sessions at Hollywood Private, South Perth and Subiaco Private Hospital. David maintains public hospital appointments at the Royal Perth and Fiona Stanley Hospitals. He is a member of the Head and Neck Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital and participates in the Head and Neck cancer meeting on a weekly basis. As part of his public hospital work he enjoys teaching medical students and junior doctors and is also involved in training ENT registrars.
​
David consults at the Subiaco rooms
Dr. Alessandra
Locatelli-Smith
MBBS,FRACS
Alessandra is a Brazilian trained Otolaryngologist. After completing training and qualifying as an ENT specialist in Brazil in 2018, she moved to Australia for Fellowship training in Paediatric Otolaryngology at Perth Children's Hospital. In 2020, she was qualified by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons as an ENT specialist and gained RACS Fellowship by completing further training and exams in 2022.
Alessandra has special interest in Paediatric ENT and general adult otolaryngology head and neck surgery. She currently holds a consultant position at the Perth Children’s Hospital.
When not at work she loves being outdoors with her family, in close contact with nature and exploring Western Australia's magnificent landscape and crystal-clear ocean.
​
Alessandra consults at both the Subiaco and Karrinyup rooms.
Dr. Phillip Sale
MBBS(Hons),PhD(Melb) FRACS
Phil has trained in ENT centres across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, simultaneously obtaining his PhD in Otolaryngology from the University of Melbourne in 2015. After completing training in Sydney, Phil and his family moved to Perth where he completed a subspeciality fellowship in Paediatric Otolaryngology at Perth Children’s Hospital.
​
Phil is a consultant with the ENT Department at Perth Children’s Hospital, and Country Health Service, providing outreach services to remote communities and First Nations Peoples within the metropolitan areas.
Special Interests
-
Paediatric airway/laryngomalacia (incl surgery )
-
Benign and malignant head & neck pathology
-
Endoscopic ear surgery
Phil consults at the Subiaco Rooms.
​
​
Dr. Aaron Esmaili
BPharm (Honours), MBBS (Honours), FRACS
Dr Aaron Anoosh Esmaili is a Perth based Paediatric and Adult Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon. He is passionate about delivering comprehensive and patient-centred ENT care to the Perth community.
Aaron grew up in Perth, initially graduated with a Bachelor in Pharmacy with First class honours and subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of medicine/Bachelor of Surgery graduating with honours. In his Cohort he was the highest achieving student in multiple disciplines including General Medicine, Paediatric medicine, Psychology and General practice and Family medicine. He was also the highest achieving student overall in the second year of medical school.
He undertook his specialist training in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeon (FRACS) in Mid 2023 having completed his fellowship examination. Following this he worked as a surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital working in high volume head and neck unit, taking the opportunity to gain further post fellowship clinical experience in surgical management of complex head and neck patients.
He was subsequently selected through the highly competitive North American match to undertake the University of Alberta Rhinology and Skull Base Fellowship — the first surgeon from Perth to secure such a fellowship through American Rhinological society match system.
Under the supervision of Professor Wright, Aaron gained extensive experience in complex rhinology and anterior skull base procedures, while also dedicating significant time to septorhinoplasty. This included the treatment of both paediatric and adult patient cohort. He also worked closely with Professor Seikaly and the head and neck oncology team, maintaining and expanding his expertise in major head and neck surgery and open anterior skull base approaches.
Outside of medicine, Aaron values family life with his wife and their two young sons. He credits his wife’s unwavering support as central to his career journey and is proud to return home to Perth to contribute to the community that has supported his training and career development.
Aaron has consultant public appointments at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Fremantle Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital. He operates out of various private institutions throughout Perth.