Find the specialist that best suits your needs.
Meet Our Team
Our interdisciplinary team of lifestyle medicine physicians, registered nurses, health coaches, dieticians, exercise physiologists and psychology care will empower you to whole-person health. We know how chronic illness affects the quality of life and how lifestyle medicine leads to better health, healing and hope. Let us help you address the root causes of your chronic illness or disease.
MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Dr Andrea Matthews
MBBS, FRACGP, BSc.App (Biomed).
Dr Matthews is the ELIA Lifestyle Medicine Centre Medical Director and completed her Bachelor in Applied Science (Biomedical) UTS (University Medal), whilst working full time at the Sydney Adventist Hospital Pathology as Scientific Officer; MBBS through the University of Sydney; Internship and Residency completed at Royal North Shore Hospital Sydney; Certificate in Sexual & Reproductive Health; Fellowship in General Practice through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP); International Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM/ASLM); Partial Cert III in Outdoor Recreation and is currently undertaking her Post Graduate Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine.
When not caring for patients she enjoys spending time with family, tramping in New Zealand, exploring new plant-based recipes and training her dog Ollie.
MEDICAL DOCTOR
Dr Andrew Pennington
BSc(Hons), BMed, DRANZOG Adv, FRACGP, FARGP.
Dr Pennington completed his BSc(Hons) from the University of NSW in 1999, and following this completed his Bachelor of Medicine at Newcastle University in 2004. He was an intern at Royal North Shore Hospital and held RMO and SRMO positions at Tamworth Hospital. Dr Pennington completed GP Registrar Training at Wodonga and Kilmore in rural Victoria and obtained his Fellow and Rural Fellow certifications in 2013.
He obtained Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) in 2019 and is practising at Sanctuary Lifestyle Clinic since 2016.
REGISTERED NURSE,
WELLNESS COACH
Erin Keegan
B.Nurs, M.Nurs, GradCert(Haem/Onc), TESOL Cert
Erin is a Registered Nurse with a background in cancer nursing and education. Working as a Nursing Lecturer at Avondale University, she enjoys training the next generation of nurses. Her Master of Nursing specialises in Clinical Teaching with a focus on lifestyle medicine.
Last year she nursed and worked at Cedarvale Health and Lifestyle Retreat where she witnessed first-hand the benefits of lifestyle medicine and a whole food plant-based diet in improving physical and mental wellbeing.
Now as a Wellness Coach, she is passionate about increasing people's control over their own health and assisting patients to stay out of the hospital. She loves exercising near water, eating life-giving food, and travelling with her husband.
REGISTERED NURSE,
HEALTH COACH
Geena Burton
BNurs, RN, GradCert(AcuteCareNurs), MNurs(ClinicalEd)
Geena-Rose Burton is a lifestyle medicine board-certified Registered Nurse with a passion for assisting people to live a full and abundant life.
She has a keen interest in caring for and assisting with the management of heart disease and diabetes patients. Geena is a caring and empathetic nurse, who loves to talk with patients and advocate for them through their health journey.
She is a motivated learner and always eager to keep up with the latest information and evidence-based practice.
DIETITIAN
Jane Freeman
BSc, Grad.Dip.Diet&Nutr, IOC Grad.Dip.Sports Nutr, M.Mgt, Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD).
Jane Freeman is an experienced and highly skilled dietitian, who shares over 25 years of personalising dietary advice around complex needs and preferences. Jane is rigorous and scientific in her approach, as well as sympathetic and practical.
Some of her achievements include Leith’s Diploma of Food and Cookery (Leith’s School of Food and Wine, London; Certificate of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Singapore; International Olympic Committee (IOC) Diploma in Sports Nutrition Lausanne; British Medical Association (BMA) prize for a health education book in nutrition; Dietitian’s Australia Spokesperson (previously British Dietetics Spokesperson).
EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST
Cassandra Wong
AEP, AES
Having graduated from the University of New South Wales with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology, Cassandra has a passion for promoting health and well-being through physical activity. She aims to empower individuals to make sustainable, positive lifestyle changes and promote a holistic approach to health.
Her genuine concern for her client’s well-being goes beyond the scientific aspects of her work. With a caring approach, Cassandra not only tailors effective exercise programs but also provides emotional support, fostering a positive and encouraging environment.
In her free time, you will find her swimming or hiking with her dog Angus.
PRACTICE MANAGER
Claire Lane
Claire is a caring Practice Manager who listens to patients and believes that sometimes even a small step in a better direction is better than no steps at all and that lots of small steps can add up to big improvements over time.
She loves working with a great team, helping people and making quality improvements that help make life easier and safer for patients and clinicians.
Claire enjoys being outdoors and reading books, not too far from her favourite people and a cup of tea.