Clinical Immunology
We provide a 24-hour, seven day a week diagnostic and management service for inpatients and outpatients of Royal Perth Hospital, specialising in immunological conditions such as:
- Immune deficiency disorders including HIV infection.
- Vasculitis syndromes and autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as SLE.
- Severe allergy and anaphylaxis
Note: Drug hypersensitivity clinic referrals should be referred to Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Dr David Nolan
Dr David Nolan is a Consultant Physician and Head of Department in the Royal Perth Hospital Department of Immunology. After undergraduate training at the University of Melbourne and Austin Hospital (1990) and registrar appointment at Royal Darwin Hospital (1995-1996), David moved to Perth to work at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (1997-1998) before commencing work at Royal Perth Hospital in 1999 with a Clinical Research Fellow position from 2000-2006, followed by Consultant appointment that has been ongoing since that time. He also served as the Director Research at Royal Perth Hospital, and an adjunct Associate Professor at the Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Murdoch University.
Dr Mina John
Dr Mina John graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1991. She completed postgraduate training for fellowships in clinical and laboratory immunology at Royal Perth Hospital, where she currently works as a consultant Clinical Immunologist and Immunopathologist.
Her research interests have been in understanding viral-host immune interactions, with an emphasis on T cell immunology in HIV disease, including a period of research at the Institute of Molecular Immunology, Oxford before returning to WA in 2003.
She has had experience in the laboratory and clinical management of general immunological diseases, including primary and acquired immunodeficiency, autoimmune diseases and allergy
Dr Matthew Krummenacher
Dr Matthew Krummenacher graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2012. He completed his post-graduate training in Perth, having also undertaken part of his training in Adelaide.
He is a specialist physician in Clinical Immunology/Allergy and an Immunopathologist.
Matthew has interest in all aspects of clinical immunology, including autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, and allergy. His research interests include laboratory testing for autoimmunity and allergy.
Dr Elina Tan
Dr Kevin O’Connor
.
| Clinic name/ condition | Location | Day | Face to face | Is Telehealth available? | Procedure |
| General Immunology | O Block, Goderich Street, Desk 2 | Tues, Wed, Thurs | ✔ | ✔ |
X |
| Telehealth | Telehealth | Fri | X | ✔ | X |
| Immunology Nurse Practitioner | O Block, Goderich Street, Desk 2 | Tues, Thurs & Fri | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Nurse Review |
O Block, Goderich Street, Desk 2 | Mon - Fri | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Urgent Nurse Review |
Telehealth | Mon - Fri | X | ✔ | X |
| Immunology Psychology |
H Block, Level 4 | Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Allergy Clinic |
H Block, Level 4 | Mon, Wed, Fri | ✔ | ✔ |
X |
| SCig Home Treatment |
Medical Day Unit, Level 2 A Block | Fri | ✔ | ✔ | X |
| Immunology JABS Clinic |
O Block, Goderich Street, Desk 2 | Wed & Thurs |
✔ | X | ✔ |
Please discuss with your health care provider if you prefer a video or phone call appointment.
The Royal Perth Bentley Group (RPBG) Department of Clinical Immunology has responded to patient requests to offer a better alternative to daily oral therapy.
The alternative is long-acting injections every two months.
RPH has provided a specialist HIV Service since 1986 and is the largest tertiary HIV service in Australia. It has a caseload of about 1700 people, with 10% considered complex and vulnerable, and the service receiving about 50 new referrals a year.
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) can expect to live a normal, healthy life if they remain on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with near-perfect adherence.
This treatment has been in the form of daily oral therapy until the development of long-acting antiretroviral therapy (LAI ART) which was made available in Australia in 2022. This treatment is delivered as two injections administered every two months.
Currently, just under 200 individuals are receiving LAI ART at RPH with a further 100 on the waitlist to commence. Interest is not slowing down!
The RPH Injectable HIV Therapy Clinic, often referred to as the JABS clinic, began as a feasibility trial in 2022. Results highlighted the shame and stigma that continues to surround HIV, how this increases the burden of daily treatment and how LAI ART can be a powerful tool to break the association between HIV stigma and treatment avoidance as well as a motivating factor for engagement in care.
When the trial ended, a two-year implementation project, due to conclude in March 2025, was undertaken to assess barriers and facilitators to embedding this treatment into the existing service.
The JABS trial has received international recognition for being one of the first in the world to investigate LAI ART in a ‘real-world’ setting with the inclusion of complex patients.
The RPH HIV Service has continued to demonstrate excellence through striving to do better for their patients. RPH is the largest single-site provider of LAI ART in the country and the team are seen as leaders within the space. The team were finalists in the WA Health Excellence Awards and winners of the person-centred care award at the RPBG Nursing and Midwifery Awards.
The implementation of LAI ART was a direct response to listening to patients and recognizing the importance of adapting to new treatment models to ensure access to the best possible care and treatment.
This initiative also demonstrates a commitment to clinical excellence, with the RPH HIV Service’s lead consultants Dr David Nolan and Dr Mina John and HIV Nurse Practitioner Leah Williams, continuing to be recognised as HIV clinical care experts within national and international forums.