HIA Professional Network

Dr Phillip Chang specialises in ear surgery in children and adults with particular training and interest in tympanomastoid surgery, cochlear implants and acoustic neuroma surgery.

Following his ENT training in Sydney, Dr Chang completed a series of fellowships with Ugo Fisch in Zurich, David Moffatt in Cambridge and The House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles.

Currently Dr Chang operates at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Norwest Hospital and St Luke’s. In addition Dr Chang serves as the clinical director for a paediatric cochlear implant programme (The Shepherd Centre) and an adult programme (Hearing Implants Australia).

Dr Draghi trained in Argentina and Australia obtaining ENT training and post-training subspecialties in Paediatric Otolaryngology, Otology, Neuro-Otology and Skull Base, as well as implantable solutions.

In 2014, he completed a Fellowship in Otology, Neurotology and Implantable Hearing Aids at St Vincent’s Private Hospital with Dr Chang. He works at St Vincent’s Private Hospital and serves the broader Central Coast and Newcastle region.

Dr Serefli completed a Fellowship in Otorhinolaryngology in 1997. In 2016, he completed a Fellowship in Otology, Neurotology and Implantable Hearing Aids at St Vincent’s Private Hospital with Dr Chang.

He has worked in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas for the past 13 years. He expanded his practice and in 2017 developed a locally based Cochlear Implant program, in conjunction with Wollongong Private Hospital and Hearing Implants Australia. Dr Serefli has two practices that support our cochlear implant recipients, located in Wollongong and Nowra.

Dr. Hannah North is a qualified surgeon with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, specialising in ear, nose, and throat issues. She graduated with honours in Medicine from The University of Sydney in 2005 and completed her ENT training across various Sydney hospitals.

Dr. North has conducted research on inner ear hair cells and has extensive teaching experience, currently instructing medical students at the Westmead Clinical School. She completed fellowships in paediatric ENT and complex ear surgery in the UK and has further enhanced her skills through international training in hearing reconstruction and endoscopic techniques. She has also completed the Advanced Surgeons Course with the Institute of Cochlear Implant Training in Valencia, USA.

Since 2016, she has been practicing in Sydney, seeing patients at Norwest Private Hospital and operating at multiple local hospitals.

Dr North also performs surgeries for our public patients, who do not have cover under Private Health Insurance, DVA or Workcover.

Dr. Rhydian Harris is a dual fellowship-trained surgeon specialising in Ear, Nose, and Throat conditions for both adults and children. He graduated with honours from Guy’s Kings & St. Thomas’ Hospitals in London and completed extensive surgical training, including a fellowship in Otology and Neuro-otology at the Manchester Skull Base Unit.

After moving to Sydney, he pursued advanced training in ear surgery and refined his skills in rhinology through the Sydney Rhinology Fellowship and additional fellowship training at Westmead Hospital. With a strong background in immunology and significant paediatric experience from the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Harris is passionate about childhood ENT conditions. He consults at The ENT Care Hub and Norwest Private Medical Centre, providing operative care at several hospitals in Sydney. He conducts outreach clinics at Port Macquarie ENT and Head & Neck Surgery. Operative care is provided at Westmead Private Hospital, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Hospital, and Sydney Day Surgery Hospital.

Dr Harris also performs surgeries for our public patients, who do not have cover under Private Health Insurance, DVA or Workcover.

Dr Ranga Sirigiri is a fellowship trained ENT Surgeon with special interest in otology and Cochlear Implants. He has done a Paeditric Otolaryngology fellowship from USA apart from training in India.

Dina is a cochlear implant audiologist who specialises in adult assessment and rehabilitation. She is a dual trained speech pathologist and audiologist and combines these skills to assist with auditory rehabilitation training for cochlear implant recipients, with a particular interest in complex case management and optimisation of the patient journey.

She works closely with each of our surgeons across our locations, and assists with maximisation of patient outcomes. In particular, she works on increasing awareness of implantable solutions with Dr Chang at St Vincent’s and Norwest Private Hospitals, with Dr Harris at our Port Macquarie location, with Dr North at Westmead and Norwest Private, and with Dr Serefli in our south coast practices.

She also has a special interest in upskilling and providing education for audiologists and other health professionals, and regularly engages in research and development, educational events for patients and clinicians, and assists with the development and refinement of our outreach programs.

Lilly is a Provisional Implant Audiologist and PhD candidate in auditory neuroscience with expertise in diagnostic audiology, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation. She is currently developing her expertise in rehabilitation following implantable hearing devices, with a particular interest in complex case management and providing care for individuals in rural and remote areas, helping to maximise their hearing outcomes and quality of life.

Her research focuses on auditory plasticity and how the brain adapts to changes in sound, particularly in the context of hearing loss and noisy listening environments. She is part of the Neurodivergent Listening Brain Lab at Macquarie University, where her work explores how auditory processing differs across individuals. Alongside her clinical and research work, Lilly has a strong background in higher education and university governance. She has designed and led university courses in auditory neuroscience, teaching over 200 students about cognitive science, psychoacoustics, and hearing physiology. She is also committed to science communication and public engagement, serving as a research publication editor for Hearing Matters Australia, where she translates complex hearing science into accessible insights.

Alison is our experienced medical receptionist. She has keen attention to detail and ensures everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Alison is dedicated to maintaining order with an air of professionalism.