Who is Banksia Paediatrics?

Your Trusted Central Coast Paediatricians, that's who!

Banksia Paediatrics was born from an unusual partnership: an experienced developmental paediatrician and an airline captain.

The paediatrician brought years of clinical expertise and a vision for child-centred care. The pilot brought a career steeped in aviation’s culture of systems, accountability, and human factors; principles that had transformed aviation safety but were slower to take root in medicine.

One conversation turned into a shared mission: “What if we built a paediatric practice where families received world-class clinical care supported by aviation-level reliability and teamwork?”

Today, Banksia Paediatrics on the Central Coast of NSW delivers exactly that.

Why do Families Choose Banksia Paediatrics?

Expert paediatric care for ADHD, autism, developmental delay, and other neurodevelopmental, behavioural and complex medical concerns, as well as acute or chronic illnesses for newborn babies, infants, children and adolescents.

Clear communication so you always know what’s happening and why.

Team-based support that connects paediatricians, schools, and allied health.

Continuously Improving our systems and processes, and providing ongoing training to support our staff.

Local and trusted: families across Sydney, Gosford, Terrigal, Erina, Woy Woy and the wider Central Coast choose our paediatrician for their children.

At Banksia Paediatrics, we’re not just here to treat your child, we’re here to guide your whole family with compassion, clarity, and care.

Request a referral today and take the first step towards peace of mind and a healthier future.

Meet Our Central Coast Team

Caring professionals dedicated to your child's health.
Banksia Paediatrics Core Vales

What are Our Core Values at Banksia?

Growth

At Banksia Paediatrics, we help Central Coast children, families, and our team grow together. By always learning and improving, we create a caring place where kids and families can thrive.

Transparency

Time is everyone’s most valuable asset. When we communicate and act transparently, we help others make informed decisions. This way, they can use their time more wisely.

Accountability

We take full responsibility for our actions. This mindset allows us to continually improve our systems and processes. 

Compassion

At Banksia Paediatrics, our paediatricians and staff show compassion by listening, being kind, and supporting Central Coast families without judgment. We build trust and comfort so children and families can feel cared for and thrive.

Resilience

We see challenges as chances for children to grow. With courage and support, kids build confidence and strength to thrive now and in the future.

 

Caring for Your Kids

Our Journey: Milestones and Memories

At Banksia Paediatrics, our story is just beginning, but our passion has been around for a long time. We will grow with the families we serve, making a positive impact on children’s health and family life. Join us as we mark our key moments and milestones that will shape our journey in paediatric care on the Central Coast.

Starting Strong: Opening Day

In November, 2025 we open our doors, ready to support families and provide expert care for little ones in our community.

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Dr. Dannielle Gregson

Developmental Paediatrician

Dr Dannielle Gregson is an experienced paediatrician who cares for children from birth to 18 years with a wide range of medical, developmental and behavioural concerns. She has a particular focus on developmental, social and behavioural presentations, including ADHD, autism, sleep difficulties and learning challenges. Her approach centres on helping families feel heard, supported, and clear on what is happening and what to do next.

Danni studied medicine at The University of Western Sydney and completed a Master of Public Health at The University of New South Wales. She has worked in paediatrics since 2014, completing her training at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. She has extensive experience as a Community Paediatrician across South-Western Sydney, and continues to work at Kids Health Space Oran Park.

Danni is known for her thoughtful, compassionate and practical approach. She places a strong emphasis on understanding each child within the context of their family and environment, and works closely with families to explain concerns clearly and develop realistic, individualised plans they can move forward with confidence.

She collaborates closely with parents, allied health professionals, educators, GPs and others involved in a child’s care to ensure a consistent and well-coordinated approach.

As a mother of two young boys, Danni understands the realities of parenting and the uncertainty that can come when concerns arise. She believes that all children are good inside, and takes a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach that focuses on building each child and family’s capacity over time.

Dr Gregson, Dr Dannielle Gregson, Dr Danielle Gregson

Dr Shahnaz Akter

General Paediatrician

Dr Shahnaz Akter, known as Dr Shaz, is a General Paediatrician who cares for infants, children and adolescents with a wide range of medical, developmental and behavioural concerns. She takes a holistic, family-centred approach, with a strong focus on understanding each child and ensuring families feel heard, supported, and clear on what to do next.

Dr Shaz completed her medical degree in Bangladesh in 2005 and has worked in paediatrics since 2006. After moving to Australia in 2012, she undertook specialist training through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, achieving Fellowship (FRACP). She has worked across both tertiary and regional paediatric settings, with experience in inpatient and outpatient care, neonatology, emergency paediatrics, and developmental and behavioural paediatrics.

She supports families with a broad range of common paediatric concerns, including feeding and growth challenges, nutrition, recurrent infections, asthma, eczema and allergy-related conditions, as well as learning, behavioural, attention and emotional regulation difficulties.

Dr Shaz is known for her warm, thoughtful and practical approach. She places a strong emphasis on clear communication and shared decision-making, helping families understand what is happening and providing clear, realistic plans they can follow with confidence.

Alongside her work in private practice, Dr Shaz is a Staff Specialist Paediatrician at Manning Base Hospital in Taree. She lives on the Central Coast with her family and, as a mother of two, brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her care. She works closely with parents, educators, GPs and other professionals involved in a child’s care to support consistent and well-coordinated care.

Thomas Paavola

Paediatric Dietician & Nutritionist

Tom is a highly experienced paediatric dietitian who supports children and families with a wide range of nutrition, feeding, and growth concerns from infancy through adolescence. He provides care for children with fussy eating, feeding difficulties, growth concerns, gut health issues, food intolerances, chronic disease, and metabolic health challenges. Tom also works extensively with children experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammatory bowel disease, and has a particular interest in paediatric gut health, fussy eating, weight concerns, and family based nutrition care.

Tom completed a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at The University of Newcastle and is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian. Prior to joining Banksia Paediatrics, he worked as the Lead Dietitian at Australia’s largest gastroenterology clinic, where he managed both children and adults with inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. His additional training under Dr Jessica Turton strengthened his skills in metabolic health, diabetes management, and individualised nutrition interventions. He has also worked extensively in chronic disease management, migraine nutrition therapy, and sports nutrition for active children and teens.

As a clinician, Tom brings warmth, empathy, and a strong commitment to helping families feel confident and supported. His personal experience with chronic pain shapes his compassionate and holistic approach to care. Tom works closely with parents, paediatricians, allied health professionals, educators, and sporting communities to create practical, evidence based strategies that fit into everyday life. He is passionate about helping children build positive lifelong relationships with food and about empowering families to understand their child’s nutritional needs so they can grow and thrive together.

Thomas Paavola Paediatric dietician

Sophie Simmons

Early Intervention Practitioner & Keyworker Specialist
Nurture Intervention

Sophie Simmons is an experienced Early Intervention Practitioner and Keyworker who supports young children and their families through developmental, behavioural, and learning challenges. She works across both direct therapy and family support, helping children build skills while guiding parents, educators, and carers with practical strategies, advocacy, and coordinated care.

Sophie holds a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and a Graduate Certificate in Inclusive Education, with further training in counselling. With over eight years of experience working alongside allied health professionals in multidisciplinary clinics, schools, and early learning settings, she brings a warm, collaborative, and holistic approach to supporting each child’s development and participation in everyday life.

Thomas Abood

Managing Director

Thomas is the Managing Director of Banksia Paediatrics and is responsible for ensuring the practice delivers a clear, consistent and reliable experience for every family.

He focuses on designing and maintaining the systems, structures and processes that support high-quality care. His work centres on reducing uncertainty for families by ensuring communication is clear, processes are well organised, and every step of care is coordinated and dependable.

Thomas is particularly committed to creating a model of care where families feel heard, supported, and confident in what comes next. He works closely across all areas of the practice to ensure that, regardless of which clinician a family sees, they can expect a consistent standard of communication, organisation and follow-up.

Before his role at Banksia, Thomas worked as an airline pilot, where he developed a strong foundation in safety, structured decision-making, and managing complex systems. He brings this same focus on reliability, clarity and accountability into the way the practice operates.

He is deeply aligned with the values of growth, transparency, compassion, resilience and accountability, and integrates these into both the culture and day-to-day operations of the practice.

Through his leadership, Thomas aims to define and uphold a standard of paediatric care where families feel understood, supported, and clear on the path forward.

Denai Redfern

Practice Manager

Denai is an experienced medical administrator and practice manager with over 15 years’ experience across specialist medical and healthcare environments. She has worked extensively in high-demand practices and is known for her calm, compassionate approach, sound judgement, and exceptional attention to detail.

Denai is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the practice, ensuring families experience a clear, well-organised and supportive journey from their first interaction through to ongoing care. She focuses on creating structure and consistency across all aspects of the practice, so families know what to expect and feel confident at each stage.

She places a strong emphasis on clear communication and coordination, helping ensure appointments, information and follow-up are managed in a timely and reliable way. Her work is centred on reducing uncertainty for families, so they feel informed, supported and never overlooked.

Denai plays an important role in maintaining the standard of experience across the practice, ensuring every interaction reflects a high level of care, professionalism and respect. She brings the values of growth, transparency, compassion, resilience and accountability into her work each day through thoughtful communication, proactive problem-solving, and a genuine commitment to high standards.

Through her leadership in operations and patient experience, Denai helps ensure the practice runs smoothly, allowing families to focus on their child while feeling supported and clear on what comes next.

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