Dr Georgina Hale

When Dr Hale decided on the name ‘Hale Health Medicine’, she wanted to pay tribute to her late parents, Betty and George Hale – Dr George Hale was a well-known and highly respected cardiologist in Melbourne, and her mother inspired her to study what it really meant to have Health – hence the Hale-Health-Medicine. She says, “my parents provided a critically important foundation for me to study widely and comprehensively, to question everything I learned and to stop and think deeply. They were both an enormous inspiration and I am immensely grateful for everything they taught me, gave me and continue to inspire in me.”

Dr Hale gained her medical degree (MBBS) from Monash University, and after working briefly in emergency and family medicine, turned her attention to internal medicine board certification (FRACP). This required an additional eight years of hospital training, which included four years in infectious diseases and microbiology clinical work. After two years of Infectious Diseases specialist practice in the North Shore of Sydney, she turned her interest to a research position in Los Angeles. There, she completed two clinical studies on phytoestrogens (in midlife and menopause) at the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles and then returned to Australia to complete a PhD in the ‘Hormonal Dynamics of Midlife and the Menopause Transition’ – her Midlife Women’s book based on her PhD is coming soon (late 2019).

Dr Hale says, “in addition to diagnosing and prescribing, I have always been interested in WHY at the most fundamental cellular level, symptoms and disease actually occur. I am also often perplexed as to how little we can offer in terms of an explanation for ‘undiagnosed symptoms’ and for the ‘unexplained’ differences in how disease turns out in different people. Scientific research is slowly revealing more details about the microscopic changes and environmental influences that lead to disease and these discoveries are allowing a far more precise and individualised approach to patient management.”

Dr Hale says, “My interest in the underlying cause of diseases especially chronic diseases, led me to the model of medicine taught by the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) in the USA. I saw that IFM was teaching one of the most comprehensive programs available for doctors. A program that helps us understand and incorporate new findings in the sciences of cellular, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms into clinical practice. I don’t see the IFM approach as ‘alternative medicine’ but rather, a medicine that incorporates highly detailed patient assessments, and moves forward with both pharmaceutical and basic medical science”.

Cath Dwyer

Cath is our Office Manager here at Hale Health Medicine. She has many years of experience in medical administration, has studied social work and has worked with the Department of Human Services. Prior to seeking help from Dr Hale, Cath was unwell for many years. Her journey back to health with Dr Hale now stands her in good stead with respect to supporting the clinic patients through their sometimes long and difficult journey back to health. Cath has also recently studied beauty therapy and will be offering multi-faceted, deluxe, relaxation facials at Hale Health Medicine as part of our future emphasis on Women’s Health.