Dr Mrin Nayagam
Dr Mrin Nayagam is an award winning general practitioner and the founder of the Silver Linings Charitable Trust (SLCT). She is a director of the Silver Linings Charity Limited, which is the trustee of the SLCT. Mrin worked as a family doctor for almost 25 years on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, at the Village Clinic in Mount Eliza, since 1998, where she is a practice principal. Mrin has therefore seen and met many disadvantaged people from the local community during this period. This inspired her to begin the 15 Tubs Appeal in 2006 through the auspices of the Village Clinic, Mount Eliza, which aims to collect non-perishable food for distribution to the disadvantaged in her local area at Christmas. Striving to continue offering assistance to those in need throughout the year, she established the SLCT. All profits from the sale of Mrin’s book, Silver Linings: True stories of resilience from a General Practice, will be donated to the SLCT to support the financially disadvantaged in her local community. Mrin is a former board member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and (former) inaugural chair of the Women in General Practice Committee RACGP/Victoria Faculty. She is a affiliate of the Department of General Practice at Monash University and was awarded the Excelling in Teaching Award in 2014, 2015, and 2017. She is married to Dr Prakash Nayagam. Together, they have two adult children and two grandchildren.Dr Prakash Nayagam
Dr Prakash Nayagam is a physician practicing on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, in both the public and private sector. After qualifying in Sri Lanka and training in the U.K., Prakash currently works in internal, geriatric and peri-operative medicine, based at Beleura Private Hospital, Mornington, in Victoria, Australia.
He was a former chairman of the Medical Staff Association at Peninsula Health as well as the Peninsula AMA sub-division.
He was an honorary senior lecturer in medicine at Monash University and an IMG teacher at AMA House. Currently, he is an examiner for both the FRACP and AMC examinations.
Prakash also currently sits on the medical advisory committees of three hospitals on the Mornington Peninsula.
His special interests are peri-operative medicine, stroke, Parkinson’s Disease and medical politics.
Along with his wife, Dr Mrin Nayagam, Prakash has two adult children and two grandchildren.
Dr David Nayagam
Dr David Nayagam is a researcher at Melbourne’s Bionics Institute (formerly the Bionic Ear Institute), where he investigates the safe and efficacious use of bionic devices focussing on applications in the eye.
His group of scientists, surgeons, clinicians, pathologists and engineers developed and successfully implanted a suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis (a ‘Bionic Eye’) into blind patients in a world-first clinical trial of its kind in 2012 to 2015. David led the safety evaluations of the prototype implants and ensured device functionality in patients intraoperatively and long term. He is reprising this role for the studies leading to a second clinical trial which aims to improve patient outcomes with an upgraded implant.
David has a multidisciplinary background in neuroscience and electrical engineering and completed his PhD in neurophysiology at the University of Melbourne. From 2007 to 2008 he was an astronaut candidate with the European Space Agency, reaching a final interview as one of the top 20 applicants worldwide. Subsequently, David was invited to join the inaugural Australian Space Industry Innovation Council, which provided direct ministerial advice and contributed to the development of Australia’s first national space policy. He is a regular science commentator on ABC 774 radio and holds an honorary appointment in the Department of Pathology at the University of Melbourne.
Outside of work, David enjoys hang-gliding, SCUBA diving, camping, hiking and photography. He also plays lead guitar in the grossly underrated Melbourne band, ‘Perpendicular Columns of Rock’. He is a devoted husband to fellow neuroscientist, Dr Bryony Nayagam, and the proud father of two young children.
Romy Nayagam
Fondly known by his friends as a ‘dreamer’, Romy Nayagam can be found most weekends exploring the formations of unknown landscapes. With his camera (or drone) in hand, he finds there is something special about capturing a blanket of stars and finding oneself beside the enormity of natural wonders. Romy has his grandmother to thank, for first introducing him to photography at a young age, which has enabled him to share his vision of our pale blue dot.
Romy is an avid marketer, sporting and outdoor enthusiast. After completing his university education in 2010, majoring in Commerce (Marketing/Management), he travelled extensively throughout Asia and Europe with a desire to discover varying cultural nuances and natural beauty.
He has always been a sporting aficionado, reaching representative levels in both cricket and table tennis. Sharing in Premiership success with two cricket clubs still remains two of his proudest sporting achievements. Rock climbing, hiking, camping and football are other interests close to his heart.
For the last seven years, Romy has been working for Dulux Group in Melbourne. Beginning his career there as a graduate, his many roles have taken him to New Zealand, Germany, England and Scotland. He has helped launch brands in the UK and New Zealand, which he found to be a challenging, yet ultimately rewarding experience.
Romy couldn’t be more proud of his mother and wishes her all the best in reaching this goal of hers.
