Directors of Professional Affairs (DPAs) play a crucial role in supporting the College’s key initiatives, providing expert guidance in policy, education, and assessments.  

As both Fellows and College employees, their unique skillsets drive the continuous evolution of the general and Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine training programs while supporting the professional development of Fellows and trainees.

Dr Manisa Ghani

Dr Manisa Ghani is a dedicated Intensivist, Emergency Physician, and Clinician Educator based in Melbourne. Known for her genuine passion for both patient care and teaching, she has built her career around helping others grow – whether they are patients, trainees, or colleagues.

Since joining the College as a DPA in 2022, Manisa has been guided by a simple belief: excellent critical care training should happen by design, not by chance. She is committed to creating supportive, well-structured learning environments where strong relationships form the foundation of high-quality education.

Manisa has played an important role in cross-college initiatives to develop a Standardized Supervisor Training System (SSTS), with a particular focus on supporting supervisors in rural and regional communities. Alongside this work, she contributes to CICM Curriculum Renewal and has spent three months in Fiji offering clinical care and academic support to an ICU in partnership with Fiji National University. She has also helped shape the critical care curriculum at the University of Melbourne’s medical school, reflecting her commitment to nurturing learners at every stage.

At the heart of Manisa’s work is a deep belief in humanity, professionalism, and the power of thoughtful system-level change. Through her many roles, she continues to foster a kinder, more connected future for critical care education – both in Australia and abroad.

Dr Mary Pinder

Mary has been an intensive care specialist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Boorloo for more than 20 years and has been involved with the College for 15 years in a variety of roles including Chair of the Second Part Exam Committee, Chair of the Assessment Committee and President.

She is passionate about trainee welfare and supporting trainees through the training pathway with a particular interest in helping trainees with exam performance.

Mary counts herself very lucky to be part of the Education, Quality and Innovation team and knows she will learn a lot from her team-mates. 

Dr Felicity Hawker

Felicity Hawker FCIM, AM is now retired from clinical work but was the Co-Director of the ICU at RPAH for ten years before moving to Melbourne in 1995 to be the Director of the ICU at Cabrini while working part-time at the Alfred. She was a Board Member of the Faculty of Intensive Care, ANZCA when it was formed in 1993 and served as the inaugural Dean of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of ANZCA and RACP (JFICM) when it was formed in 2001.

After completing her term on the Board, Felicity was appointed as the first DPA in 2008. She was one of many who were instrumental in the formation of CICM from JFICM in 2010. Over the years, her role has involved different College activities, having written many of the policy documents the College uses today. Together with Phil Hart, Felicity authored the College’s first submission to the AMC.

Currently working two days each week. her current role remains in developing and reviewing policies in collaboration with Michelle Gonsalvez, such as the recently developed complaints policy, and as an assistant to the Censor, particularly in the assessment of SIMGs.

Dr Deirdre Murphy

Deirdre has worked as an intensivist in Melbourne for over twenty years and currently works at Cabrini ICU and has a keen clinical interest in cardiothoracic intensive care.

As a Supervisor of Training and CICM Fellowship examiner, Deirdre is passionate about on-the-job learning and helping trainees to get the most out of their training time to become well rounded intensivists.

Deirdre is delighted to be a part of the education, quality and innovation (EQI) team at CICM. Her focus is on continuous improvement of assessment processes, including examinations and workplace-based assessment.

She has recently completed a master’s in clinical education at University of Melbourne with a topic on programmatic assessment which informs her day-to-day work at CICM.