Our Medical Educators
Dr Maya Luks
Medical Educator
I love the different facets of General Practice and contributing to educating current and future generations of GPs!
Dr Luks, a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners since 2019, leads a dedicated medical practice called Adelaide Disability Medical Services. She focuses on improving the health outcomes of those with intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injury or physical disabilities through advanced chronic disease management.
In her role with GPEx as a Medical Educator, Dr Luks takes pride in crafting exam content and offering support to fellow doctors as they prepare for their Fellowship exams. Her training across various practices in Adelaide is a testament to her deep-seated commitment to delivering all-encompassing patient care.
Her recognition extends beyond her immediate clinical responsibilities, epitomised by her achievement of the David Game Prize from the RACGP in 2018, an honour recognising excellence in the Fellowship exams. At the forefront of advocacy for healthcare accessibility, Dr Luks oversees a clinic that has been awarded grant funding to broaden cancer screening avenues for people with disabilities.
Dr Marny Royans
Medical Educator
I believe that everyone deserves compassionate, evidence-based care, whether at the most vulnerable stages of life or in preventing and managing chronic diseases. It is a privilege to support my community through tailored healthcare, and I am equally passionate about mentoring the next generation of GPs, creating and delivering engaging educational content to help shape the future of medicine.
Dr. Marny Royans, a graduate of the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (2010), is a dedicated general practitioner and medical educator. Her areas of expertise include chronic disease prevention, lifestyle medicine, aged care, palliative care, and medical education. She combines evidence-based practice with compassionate, patient-centred care and is committed to advancing healthcare through the education and mentorship of both training and practising health professionals.
A Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP), Dr. Royans balances her clinical work with a pivotal role at GPEx, where she impacts the future of medicine by educating aspiring General Practitioners and contributing to content for Continuing Professional Development. Her dual approach to her career, blending clinical practice with medical education, ensures her influence extends beyond individual patient care to advance the broader medical field.
Dr Sonya Vandergoot
Performance Coach / Organisational Psychologist
I am passionate about talking to doctors and healthcare professionals about their wellbeing and/or exam preparation and being able to support and make a difference. Understanding organisational psychology and human behaviour, especially as related to communication and conflict resolution, I find so fascinating.
Sonya brings an integrative approach to performance coaching, uniting her healthcare expertise as a former registered nurse with a deep understanding of human behaviour and psychology. As a registered Organisational psychologist, her focus is on unlocking the inherent growth potential within each individual. She employs her extensive knowledge to foster self-development, awareness and learning, enrich interpersonal relationships, and devise effective communication, conflict resolution and exam preparation strategies. In her role as both an organisational psychologist and a performance coach, Sonya supports individuals as they navigate through the complexities and pressures of modern workplace environments and exam processes, with an emphasis on individualised practical solution-focussed strategies, together with stress management and personal development.
Her academic path is as impressive as her professional one. Sonya served as the Masters Placement Coordinator and lecturer at the School of Psychology, as well as Human Factor lecturer at the Adelaide Health Simulation and Skills Centre, Medicine Learning and Teaching unit (MLTU), at the University of Adelaide. Simultaneously, she dedicated herself to doctoral research, investigating the effective transfer and retention of training, conflict resolution, and leadership skills in the workplace, publishing several articles in the Journal of Interprofessional Care and the Performance Improvement Quarterly. Sonya believes in the pursuit of flourishing and wellbeing, inspired by her own experiences and ongoing personal and professional growth.