Coastal Child Health
Coastal Child Health
Meet the team
Our Paediatricians
Dr Ulrike Schmidt
Dr Schmidt's Paediatric career began at the best hospital in Europe the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, in January 2000. After further training in London she continued her specialist training at the The Sydney’s Children’s Hospital Network. In 2011 she obtained her fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Additionally she is a member of the Neurodevelopmental and Behavioural Paediatric Society of Australasia (NBPSA) and an associate member of The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).
As well as English, Dr Schmidt speaks German and Spanish and gets by with some French.
Allergy & Skin Conditions
Around 40% of children have an allergic diagnosis. This includes anaphylaxis, asthma, eczema, urticaria (whelts), rhino-conjunctivitis (hayfever), food and drug allergies and the management of reactions to insects. Also food protein intolerances can have a major impact on ones health. Dr Schmidt provides skin prick testing in our rooms to diagnose allergic conditions. We can organise a challenge testing at the hospital or at home depending on the result and clinical history.
General Paediatrics
Between birth and the first four years of age, optimising a child's wellbeing (attachment, feeding, growth and development) has strong influence on their academic achievement, mental wellbeing and general health at a later stage in their life. Dr Schmidt loves to advocate for children and their families. At times of complex healthcare, we provide a mix of best evidence at times paired with creative management solutions to help a child and family.
Respiratory Paediatrics
Dr Schmidt has a particular interest in looking after patients with airway conditions, like cough, asthma, chronic lung disease, croup, cystic fibrosis.
Sleep
Sleep is important for one's wellbeing. Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep is associated with behavioural changes and declining academic performance. A critical step is considering why a child is having trouble sleeping and addressing this.
Dr Sharon Hawkrigg
Dr Sharon Hawkrigg is a medical graduate of the University of Western Australia and completed her specialist Paediatric training at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH), Perth. During this time she was awarded both the Paul Carmen Fellowship and PMH Foundation Fellowship to develop her training further in General Paediatrics, Child Protection and Adolescent Medicine. In 2013 Sharon obtained her fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians with dual training in Paediatrics and Child Health and Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. In addition she is a member of the Australian Association of Adolescent Health (AAAH) as well as the Neurodevelopmental and Behavioural Paediatric Society of Australasia (NBPSA).
Sharon has practised Paediatrics across a variety of clinical settings in Perth, Fremantle, the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, Cairns and now settled in the beautiful Northern Rivers region of NSW.
Sharon practices as a General Paediatrician at heart, with particular interests in infant mental health, unsettled babies, headaches and migraines, chronic fatigue, renal medicine, respiratory ailments and both early childhood and adolescent development. Her goal is to provide holistic, patient-centred coordinated care for children, young people and their families.
Practice Staff
Alison Church
Practice Manager
Alison has worked in the Medical industry for 20 years and joined Coastal Childhealth in November 2022. Alison has administration and management experience in both General Practice and Specialist Practice.
As a single mum of two who are both challenged, Alison understands the difficulties many parents face with the processes including NDIS. Alison is always happy to help out when possible.