Dr Paola Villanueva MBBS, FRACP

 

Clinical Interests:

Asthma, eczema, infections, constipation, continence, bed wetting, developmental & learning difficulties, sleep problems, infant growth, skin concerns, allergies.

 

Background and training:

Paola obtained her medical degree from Monash University with honours, and PhD degree from the University of Melbourne. She has completed her Paediatric training at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Monash Children’s Hospital and Royal Darwin Hospital. Paola has a broad range of skills and experience in paediatric clinical practice. She obtained additional experience in newborn medicine at the Royal Women’s Hospital as well as Paediatric Infectious diseases & Immunology at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, UK.

 

Paola is committed to a collaborative approach to healthcare, working together with other health professionals, schools and community services to provide the best possible care for each child and their family.

 

She has a strong interest in clinical education and has completed a Simulation Education Fellowship at The Royal Children’s Hospital, developing a multidisciplinary training course for healthcare professionals caring for very ill children. She is currently a Lecturer in Medical Education and Paediatric Teaching Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

 

Research:

Paola is undertaking post-doctorate research at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Royal Children’s Hospital, and was awarded a PhD by the University of Melbourne. Her doctoral research focused evaluating the safety of BCG vaccination and how to prevent adverse events. Her work involved vaccine safety surveillance within a large international clinical trial, collaborating with clinician researchers in Australia, Brazil, the UK, the Netherlands and Spain. Paola has authored several scientific papers and presented her findings at various conferences nationally and overseas, such as the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, World Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and the international Vaccine Congress.