Academic Staff

Professor Neil Spike AM is a Professor of General Practice at the CDU Menzies Medical Program. Originally from Darwin, he completed his schooling and university education in Brisbane. After working for 12 years as a solo General Practitioner in Brisbane, he transitioned to full-time medical education in 1992. Since then, he has developed nationally and internationally recognised expertise in curriculum development, program evaluation, and the assessment of clinical competence at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Over the course of a decade with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Professor Spike held the roles of Director of Assessment and Executive Director, Standards. From 2004 to 2009, he served as Head of the Department of General Practice and Deputy Head of the School of Primary Health Care at Monash University.

Professor Spike also worked extensively with the Australian Medical Council, serving as discipline head for the MCQ and OSCE writing groups, a senior examiner, and a member of the Board of Examiners. His consulting experience includes a major review of the written components of the fellowship examination for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, as well as assessment consulting for James Cook University, where he reviewed the MBBS course assessment program. Additionally, he facilitated assessment and item writing workshops for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Internationally, Professor Spike has contributed to undergraduate medical education programs in Malaysia and to postgraduate general practice training initiatives in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. He has also participated in the accreditation of multiple university medical programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

His research interests include the assessment of clinical competence (at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels), standards for individual practitioners and educational programs, educational design, vocational training issues, and a wide range of topics related to international medical graduates and their integration into the Australian healthcare system.

A Life Member of the RACGP, Professor Spike was awarded the RCGP Rose-Hunt Medal in 2003 for outstanding service in promoting the College's aims and objectives through patient care, organisation, education, and research. In 2019, he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours for his services to medical education, particularly in the areas of general practitioner standards and training.

Dr Bhavani Veasuvalingam is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education with the CDU Menzies Medical Program (CMMP), where she leads the Assessment Team. Her role focuses on developing and implementing robust, standards-aligned assessment strategies that support student learning, clinical readiness, and program accreditation.

Drawing on a background in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and formal training in medical education, Bhavani brings a unique blend of clinical insight and educational scholarship to her teaching. She has held academic positions at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia and International Medical University, where she coordinated modules on curriculum planning, assessment and feedback, and learning theories in postgraduate health professions education programs.

She has designed and delivered numerous faculty development workshops across Southeast Asia and continues to mentor educators in areas such as feedback practices, workplace-based assessment, and reflective learning. Her research explores clinical competence, learner agency, and the integration of digital tools—including artificial intelligence—in health professions education.

“Assessment is not just a measure of learning, but a lever for growth. At CDU, I’m committed to shaping meaningful assessment experiences that prepare students to meet the healthcare needs of the Northern Territory and beyond.”

Dr Akefe Isaac is the First-year Academic Coordinator for the CDU-Menzies Medical Program. With extensive experience in planning, implementing innovative pedagogical strategies, and leadership in medical education institutions in Australia and internationally, he brings a wealth of expertise to his role.

Isaac is also an experienced biomedical researcher, specialising in uncovering the cellular mechanisms of memory impairment and ageing dementia. He earned his PhD in Neuroscience from the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia, and subsequently completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the same institute before transitioning into medical education.

Prior to joining CDU, he worked as a Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Academy for Medical Education within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland, where he coordinated the Foundations of Medical Research course.

Currently, Dr Isaac is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Clinical Sciences and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Dr Panduka Karunanayake is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medical Sciences at the CDU Menzies Medical Program.

After qualifying as a medical doctor in 1992 and specializing in General Internal Medicine in Sri Lanka, Panduka joined the University of Colombo as a clinician-academic in 2002. With over 30 years of experience as a medical professional and more than 20 years as a university educator, Panduka has contributed significantly to both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. He has worked in teaching and assessment, curriculum design and revision, and program delivery at the national level.

In addition, Panduka has been deeply engaged in medical ethics and professionalism, higher education pedagogy, medical sociology, and the integration of medical humanities into the medical curriculum. Panduka has also been actively involved in providing continuing professional development (CPD) for the medical profession.

Panduka’s biomedical research has focused on clinical infectious diseases, earning the President’s Award for Scientific Research.

Panduka is a SEDA Recognised Teacher (Staff and Educational Development Association, UK) and has served as an MRCP (UK) PACES examiner.

He joined the CDU Menzies Medical Progam in March 2025.

Dr Mangala Kumari joined the CMMP team in October 2024, bringing extensive teaching and research experience from medical universities in India, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. She currently serves as a Senior Lecturer and the Anatomy and Histology Coordinator for the CMMP Medical Program.

Mangala earned her Master’s degree in Anatomy from Manipal University, India, and has since specialized in teaching Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Histology, and Embryology. Dedicated to enhancing students’ understanding of anatomy, she employs innovative teaching methodologies, including interactive large and small group sessions, the flipped classroom model, blended learning, and active learning strategies such as team-based learning (TBL), case-based learning (CBL), and problem-based learning (PBL). She has also played a key role in advancing online distance learning, both synchronous and asynchronous, to expand access to quality education.

She holds a Ph.D. in Medical and Health Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience from the International Medical University, Malaysia, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education from Harvard Medical School, USA. During her tenure in Malaysia, she contributed to two major curriculum revisions for the medical program and held leadership roles, including module/course coordinator, PBL working group member, and Curriculum and Assessment group member. She has continued to serve in similar roles in the United Kingdom, further demonstrating her expertise in curriculum development and academic leadership.

In addition to her teaching and leadership roles, Mangala is an International Research Fellow at SEGi University, Malaysia. Passionate about fostering student success and inspiring future healthcare professionals, she remains committed to advancing medical education through innovation and research.

Dr Polianna Albuquerque is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the CDU Menzies Medical Program. Polianna holds a Doctor of Medicine and a PhD in Medical Sciences from the Federal University of Ceara in Brazil. She has been a Consultant Nephrologist since 2010 and Professor of medicine at the University of Fortaleza in Brazil since 2018.

With over fifteen years of research experience, she has contributed to the Translational Australian Clinical Toxicology Program as an affiliate researcher at the University of Sydney. She was awarded a research scholarship through Brazil’s CAPES Sandwich Doctorate Abroad Program. She contributes to the Brazilian Ministry of Health as a collaborator in training and workshops of co-workers about the management of the victims of venomous animals, including in the Amazon region and inhospitable areas.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked in a task force team attending patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, focused on renal supportive care in Northeast Brazil. She has experience in Emergency Medicine, Nephrology, Tropical diseases, and Clinical Toxicology, where she develops research in non-traditional biomarkers for acute kidney injury. Vast experience in acute kidney injury and toxic agents (mainly associated with tropical diseases and animal toxins).

Dr Albuquerque brings extensive expertise in teaching, research, and medical practice, particularly Nephrology and Internal Medicine. She is passionate about student engagement and dedicated to inspiring and empowering the next generation of medical professionals.

Dr Padraig Strappe is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medical Sciences at the CDU Menzies Medical Program and has extensive experience in teaching Biomedical and medical laboratory sciences at a number of Australian Universities. Originally from Ireland, he completed a PhD in molecular virology at University College London and gained post-doctoral research experience in the UK, Ireland, and Australia.

His teaching interests include enriching the online experience for remote learners and using 3D printing to enhance understanding of biological macromolecules. His research interests include discovery of novel antivirals from natural products and developing recombinant viruses to test the sensitivity of rapid diagnostic tests for emerging respiratory pathogens. Research that is uniquely linked to the NT has been the purification and characterization of crocodile collagen peptides from waste carcass material and their application in ‘in vitro’ wound healing models. Future work will investigate the antimicrobial properties of other crocodile components and collaborate with CDU engineers to manufacture a composite biomaterial which will both promote wound healing and reduce infection as a novel approach to improve wound care in the indigenous population.