Airell joined the practice in January 2006 after working in the Pilbara and Kimberleys. His medical experience includes anaesthetics, paediatrics, travel/tropical medicine and medical education. Airell is a member of Australian Society of Aerospace Medicine and is a Designated Aviation Medical Examiner. As a rural generalist, his time is divided between general practice and critical care/anaesthetics in Albany and surrounds.

Alec is originally from Dunsborough and completed his medical degree at the University of Western Australia in Perth, graduating in 2020. He worked at Albany Health Campus for two years and Perth Children’s Hospital for 6 months before recently returning to Albany to begin a career in general practice. Outside of medicine, Alec enjoys spending time in nature, fishing, and spending time with friends and family.

Alfred was born and bred in Sydney. He was originally a hospital scientist at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney before moving across for medical school at University of Notre Dame in Fremantle. He graduated in 2016 and completed an internship at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He then worked as a resident and later, a medical registrar in various medical subspecialties at Charlie’s, Hollywood Private Hospital and Albany Health Campus. As such, Alfred’s internal medicine experience and knowledge spanned cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, oncology, haematology, geriatrics and palliative care. He also completed his Sydney Child Health Program while at Perth Children’s Hospital.

After completing General Practice training in Mount Barker and Albany, Alfred obtained his Fellowships from RACGP in both General Practice and Rural Generalist (Adult Internal Medicine). He also practices skin cancer medicine after completing additional training with certificates in Skin Cancer Medicine and Advanced Dermoscopy from Skin Cancer College Australasia. Outside of General Practice, he is a Rural Generalist consultant at Albany Health Campus where he leads a medical team in caring for inpatients admitted under Adult General Medicine. Finally, Alfred is a Senior Lecturer with UWA’s Rural Clinical School in Albany and teaches medical students both at Pioneer and at the hospital.

Alfred is passionate about treating patients as if they are his family and as such, takes the time to educate and patiently work with his patients to achieve their personal health goals. In addition to above areas of interests, he also has special interests in complex diabetes, cardiometabolic risk management, weight loss and chronic disease management. Alfred can consult in Mandarin and Cantonese too. Book an Appointment Please note that Alfred only works 5 days a fortnight at Pioneer due to his other roles.

Graduating in 1999 from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Claire spent 7 years as a Resident Medical Officer gaining experience in various fields before joining the South African National Antarctic Program where she provided medical support for 5 voyages down to the remote subantarctic islands of Marion, Gough and Tristan da Cunha. Deciding it was time to put the sea legs away, she worked as a GP in Pretoria for 14 years and in 2021, together with her husband and two daughters, immigrated to WA. Medicine aside, Claire has a passion for people, travel, cultural diversity and finding spiritual peace in the great outdoors.

David is a practice principal at Pioneer Health. His interests include preventative medicine, mental health, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and skin cancer surgery. He leads the Pioneer Health Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) service. He has trained in obstetrics (including caesarean sections) and is a part of the practice obstetrics team. His other interests include efficiency in health care and diagnostic reasoning. He accepts referrals of patients for whom there is diagnostic uncertainty. David is active in teaching medical students and junior doctors and is often accompanied by junior doctors during consultations at the practice. David is married and has a teenage son. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, reading, traveling, cooking and business development. He also speaks fluent German. David works most days apart from when he is working at the hospital.

Originally from Ireland, Dervla graduated from University College Cork before completing hospital training in Dublin. She has experience working in both Joondalup Health Campus and Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth. She has worked in numerous specialities including Obstetrics, Paediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry and General Medicine. In her spare time she enjoys getting out in nature and exploring all Albany has to offer as well as travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Emma is originally from Bunbury and completed her medical degree at the University of Western Australia in Perth. After completing one year of work at Royal Perth Hospital she moved to Albany. She worked at Albany Health Campus for two years before making the transition into general practice. In her spare time Emma enjoys swimming in the icy waters at Middleton Beach, spending time in her garden and salsa dancing.

Erica is an experienced GP who studied medicine at the University of WA and has worked for many years in the southern suburbs of Perth.

She enjoy all aspects of General Practice, with particular interests in Women’s Health and Counselling and Mental Health.

As well as General Practice, Erica is involved with teaching medical students and GP trainees, a role which she find enhances and refines her clinical work.

When not at work, Erica loves bush walking, swimming and camping, and has recently rekindled an interest in machine embroidery, quilting and crochet. She loves spending time with family and friends, especially if good coffee is involved!

Felipe is originally from Brazil, where he grew up in the far North of the country and was living in Rio before moving to New Zealand in 2004 to study physics. He worked as a natural hazards scientist at a commercial enterprise attached to Macquarie University in Sydney from 2007 to 2015 when he decided to change career to medicine. He studied at UWA and graduated in 2019 and has worked at Albany Hospital for two years, with a brief stint in Port Augusta SA. Felipe is currently training to be a rural generalist and enjoys reading vintage Scrooge McDuck comics to his 3 year old son.

Areas of interest include adult and elderly medicine, women’s post-reproductive health (menopause), men’s health, and chronic disease management.

Gareth completed his specialist GP training in the UK and has been in Albany since August 2023. He was admitted as a Fellow of the RACGP in August 2024.

In his time off Gareth is a keen cyclist and enjoys bushwalking.

James was born in South Africa but has mostly grown up in Australia and moved to live in Albany with his family in 2007. He loves working as a rural GP and has had the privilege of living and working in beautiful Albany for over 15 years. James has enjoyed being a part of the growth of Pioneer and has a particular interest in supervising and training junior doctors, chronic disease management and family medicine. He has special skills in dermatology and skin cancer management and has been a part of the Albany Skin Clinic since its inception. Outside of work James loves spending time with his wife and 4 children, being part of his local church and getting involved in all sorts of musical groups and community theatre.

Jeroen Buis is a medical graduate from the Netherlands, where he graduated as a general practitioner in 2004. Having enjoyed fascinating experiences during internships in Italy, Malawi and the USA, he was keen to move to Australia in 2014, obtaining RACGP Fellowship in 2016. After 5 years in Esperance he and his family decided to move to Albany. Jeroen has a special interest in minor surgery, emergency medicine and child psychiatry. He aims to team up with his patients in order to mutually develop treatment plans. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, reading, playing hockey and squash, as well as spending time with his wife and young daughters.

JJ completed his primary medical degree and a postgraduate diploma in family medicine in South Africa before moving to Australia in 2008. He started his Australian journey in Broome Hospital, where he worked as a District Medical Officer before moving to Albany in 2011.

He has completed his RACGP fellowship and postgraduate diplomas in dermatology and dermoscopy and has also completed his Master of Medicine (MMed) degree in Skin Cancer at the University of Queensland.

His special interests include family medicine, chronic disease management, dermatology, skin checks, skin cancer surveillance following skin cancer and primary skin cancer surgery.

He enjoys the outdoors, gardening, running and spending time with his family.

John is a local Western Australian graduate who has completed his Fellowship in General Practice and a number of advanced courses in dermatology, skin microscopy and skin surgery. His special interest is dermatology, including skin cancer identification and treatment, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of significant skin rashes with immune modifiers and phototherapy. Outside medicine, he enjoys spending time gardening, as well as Jiu Jitsu and strength training.

Jolmer has now been with Pioneer Health for the last 6 years. He is a medical graduate from The Netherlands. After specialising in third world medicine and working in Southern Africa, he moved to Australia with his young family in 2006. After 10 years in rural NSW he became a fellow of the College of Rural and Remote Medicine before moving to Albany.

He has always had a keen interest in small procedural medicine including vasectomies and skin excisions. In the last few years, he has furthered his qualifications in this field and in 2018 he became an Accredited Skin Doctor with the Australian College of Skin Cancer Medicine. With the growing demand for good diagnosis and skin cancer treatment in the Great Southern, Jolmer has decided to focus his work at Pioneer Health on Skin Cancer Medicine. This will mean increased availability for skin checks and excisions at our practice.

When Jolmer is not at work he likes to make the most of the region and his few acres where the family has a milking cow, bees and a nice food garden.