Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Overview
The Clinical Epidemiology Fellow is a training role within the ANZDATA Registry, focused on delivering timely analyses and projects on kidney replacement therapy. The Fellow provides medical and scientific input into Registry operations, supports nephrology trainees, and contributes to quality assurance through the use of data. The position builds clinical epidemiology capacity across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, with opportunities to present research nationally and internationally.
Current Fellow
Dr Dana Forcey
2025–2026 ANZSN/ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Dana Forcey is a dual-trained Nephrologist and General Physician, and holds a Master of Public Health (Research Methods) from the University of Sydney. She has worked across metropolitan and regional Victoria as well as Central Australia, with a strong commitment to health equity.
As Clinical Epidemiology Fellow, Dana supports ANZDATA working groups and mentors nephrology trainees in research design, data analysis, and the use of registry datasets. Her research interests span health systems improvement, clinical governance, dialysis capacity planning, and equity in kidney care. She has led and contributed to projects improving vascular access outcomes, examining the role of genetic testing in kidney disease, and highlighting the growing strain on dialysis services across Australia and New Zealand.
Previous Fellows
2024 ANZSN/ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Eric Au is a nephrologist and transplant physician at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and an academic with the University of Melbourne. He completed his PhD at the University of Sydney in 2022, with a thesis entitled Improving the health outcomes of people after kidney transplantation, focusing on the epidemiology of cancer and other long-term complications post-transplant.
As the 2024 Clinical Epidemiology Fellow, Eric produced the ANZDATA haemodialysis capacity report, providing important insights into dialysis service provision and planning across Australia and New Zealand. His ongoing academic and clinical work continues to focus on improving outcomes for people living with kidney disease and transplantation.
2021 ANZSN/ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Georgina Irish is Director of Projects and Analytics at ANZORRG, Co-chair of the ANZOD Working Group, Executive Director of the Transplant Epidemiology Group (TrEG), and a Nephrologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She first joined ANZDATA as the Clinical Epidemiology Fellow in 2021 before moving into her current leadership roles in 2022.
Georgie contributes internationally to registry science as a member of the International Society of Nephrology’s SharE-RR committee, supporting the development of renal registries worldwide, and the Transplant Society’s Global Data Harmonisation Committee. She provides clinical and epidemiological expertise to the ANZDATA and ANZORRG teams, advancing both local and international efforts in kidney health data and transplantation research.
2017 ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Matthew Sypek is a nephrologist working across adult and paediatric renal medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. He completed sub-specialty training in adult nephrology at the Alfred Hospital, Monash Health, and Oxford University NHS Trust, before undertaking post-fellowship training in paediatric nephrology.
He served as the ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow from 2017-2020 and was the Executive Editor for the Registry. His clinical and research interests include paediatric and adolescent nephrology, transplant immunology, transplant epidemiology, tuberous sclerosis complex, and the environmental impact of nephrology care.
2015 ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Philip Clayton is a Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Epidemiologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and Technical Director of ANZORRG. He first joined ANZDATA as the Clinical Epidemiology Fellow in 2015, before moving into senior leadership roles.
Phil has overseen major developments in the Registry, including the modernisation of its database to support international registry-based clinical trials. He continues to provide clinical and epidemiological expertise, supervise trainees and staff, and contribute to the Registry’s ongoing role in advancing kidney health research across Australia and New Zealand.
2014 ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Namrata Khanal is a nephrologist at St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney. She completed her medical degree at the University of Science and Technology, Chittagong, and undertook nephrology training at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation in Karachi through the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan, finishing in 2008.
Since then, Namrata has held nephrology positions in Nepal, New Zealand, and the Northern Territory. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Adelaide, with research spanning chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, and transplantation. Her academic contributions include first-author publications, book chapters, and international conference presentations.
2008 ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Andrew Brunskill has a background in public health and medical informatics, completing his PhD on rates of diabetic complications. As the 2008 Clinical Epidemiology Fellow, his projects examined predictors of late referral among dialysis patients and explored the relationship between dialysis modality and transplant outcomes.
2006–2008 AMGEN/ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Dr Sean Chang completed his medical degree (MBBS) at the University of Adelaide in 1996 and went on to obtain Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP, UK) in 2000. He served as the AMGEN/ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow from 2006 to 2008, contributing to the early development of registry-based research and analyses in kidney disease.
2001–2005 Inaugural AMGEN/ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow
Professor Stephen McDonald was the first ANZDATA Clinical Epidemiology Fellow, serving from 2001 to 2005 and helping establish the fellowship as a cornerstone of registry science in Australia and New Zealand. He is now Executive Officer of ANZORRG and Director of the Adelaide EpiCentre (Centre for Clinical Epidemiology). In his clinical role, he is a Senior Staff Nephrologist at the Central Northern Renal and Transplantation Service, and Clinical Director of Renal Services for the Country Health SA Local Health Network. He Co-Chairs the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce.
Stephen’s research focuses on using clinical quality registries to improve kidney care, particularly access to and outcomes of dialysis and transplantation. His leadership spans projects in data linkage, biostatistical and qualitative methods, consumer involvement in research, and improving equity in transplantation. In 2025 he was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to renal medicine as an administrator, researcher, and clinician.
