Call us on (08)65585161
This is Hera.
A bespoke menopause and women’s health clinic which strives to change the way all women think about their overall health, enabling them to act pre-emptively, confidently, and scientifically.
Our goals are to:
Help restore and maintain our patient’s biopsychosocial capacity enabling them to have fulfilling relationships, careers and long, healthy lives.
Advocate for women within their community and workplace to ensure equality and allowances for all stages of reproductive life particularly during the Perimenopause & Menopause.
Ensure the highest quality and delivery of compassionate care by maintaining and reviewing professional standards and keeping up to date with current evidence by ongoing education.
At Hera we prefer to consult with our patients face to face. After all, humans need real connection, particularly when it comes to the nuances involved in menopause medicine and women’s health.
We live in a vast state in Western Australia, and so for those living rurally, we understand that it may be difficult to make the journey to attend your Hera appointment in person. We are therefore able to offer video telehealth appointments for these patients if required. We are also happy to offer phone or video telehealth for all patients for follow up appointments.
Ideally, if at all possible, we encourage our patients to come in to the clinic for their appointment, so we can make a connection and get to know you better!
Dr Sunita
Chelvanayagam
MB BCH BAO LRCP
and SI (NUI) FRACGP*Books are temporarily closed aside from very complex cases *
Dr Sunita Chelva is a Menopause Specialist and Women’s Health GP and a founder and principal of Hera Menopause & Women’s Health. She has over 16 years general practice experience and is passionate about menopause medicine as well as all aspects of women’s health.
Sunita comes from ‘a long line of strong determined women’ and is a great believer in the importance of caring for women in the wider community.
Knowing that the menopausal transition can be a time of great distress, her knowledge, expertise and lived experience mean that her patients receive high quality, tailored care throughout. Sunita believes that all women should be educated and empowered to live their best lives well beyond their reproductive years.
Sunita completed her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2002. Initially commencing surgical training in Perth before redirecting her path to general practice, Sunita is proficient at both IUD & Implanon insertion and removal.
She holds FPA certification in Reproductive and Sexual Health and is a member of the RACGP, Australasian Menopause Society and International Menopause Society. She attends regular educational meetings and conferences keeping herself up to date with current scientific information.
Sunita enjoys giving educational talks to clinicians, workplaces, and women in the community about menopause and dispelling the myths surrounding it. She has also recorded a few podcasts on her favourite subject and loves to advocate for all things related to hormones and menopause on social medial platforms regularly.
When she’s not busy consulting, Sunita enjoys spending time with her family and two dogs in the great outdoors surrounded by nature.
Qualifications and Education
2002 MB MBCh BAO LRCP and SI (NUI) Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Arts of Obstetrics Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
2009 FRACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
2018 Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health FPWA
Memberships and Courses
Member of Australasian Menopause Society
Member of the International Menopause Society'
Member of the RACGP
Member of IAPMD Professional Community
Dr Michelle Cotellessa
MBBS and FRACGP*Books are temporarily closed aside from very complex cases *
Dr Michelle Cotellessa is a Menopause and Women’s Health GP and founder and Principal of Hera Menopause and Women’s Health. A highly experienced doctor, she has been a general practitioner for over 25 years.
Her interest in Women’s Health was sparked whilst doing a rotation as a medical student at King Edward Memorial Hospital. She knew this was a field she enjoyed and loved. There was little to no education on menopause during her medical training, but this exposure sparked a special interest in women’s health, perimenopause, and menopause and in the prevention of chronic disease.
Once she became a general practitioner, she realised that there was a great number of women needing supportive and caring menopause management. This inspired her to continue to learn and update her skills and knowledge in this important area of medicine. Michelle is passionate about women being able to talk openly about their personal experiences and gain access to good quality evidence-based information. She always aims to provide this with care and compassion so women can take ownership of their own health and well-being. She wants women for be empowered and educated and essentially, to help women feel like themselves again. “The more women I help the more I love doing this job.“
Michelle ensures she keeps up to date with scientific information by regularly attending conferences, courses, and education both within Australia and Internationally. She is competent in Implanon insertion/removal and Mirena management and removal also.
As a wife and mum of two teenage children Michelle knows too well the challenges that women of today face. Outside of medicine, she enjoys walking, yoga, travel, and a great book when she gets the opportunity.
Qualifications and Education
1994 MBBS Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery University of Western Australia
2000 FRACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
2003 Diploma of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
2003, 2018 Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health FPWA
Memberships and Courses
Member of Australasian Menopause Society
Member of International Menopause Society
Member of RACGP
Member of IAPMD Professional Community
Dr Tahira Bhatti
BN, MBBS, FRACGP DRANZCOG Adv
Dr Tahira Bhatti is a dedicated women's health specialist GP with an interest in menopause management, contraceptive advice, insertion of IUD's and implanon as well as antenatal and postnatal care of pregnant women.
Tahira completed her post graduate medical degree at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, after obtaining her initial nursing degree. She then spent time across hospitals in WA and NSW working in the areas of women's health where she obtained her Advanced Diploma of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
She completed her GP training in Albany, WA, whilst she was working as a GP Obstetrician.
Since moving back to Perth to work as a GP, Tahira still practices GP Obstetrics in regional WA as well as locally.
With a deep passion for empowering women to make informed decisions about their health, she is committed to providing personalised care, support, and comprehensive medical guidance, especially throughout the perimenopausal and menopausal years.
Her goal is to ensure that every woman receives the highest quality of care to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.
Tahira is a member of the Australiasian Menopause Society, RACGP and RANZCOG. She keeps up to date with current practice and guidelines by attending regular conferences and educational meetings.
Outside of medicine, Tahira enjoys spending time with her two young boys and husband. In her spare time, she also loves planning holidays and her friends often refer to her as their ‘unofficial travel agent!’
Qualifications and Education
2008 Bachelor of Nursing, University of Notre Dame Australia
2013 Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, University of Notre Dame Australia
2018 RANZCOG Advanced Diploma of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
2021 FRACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
2023 Australasian College of Dermatologists – Advanced Certificate in Skin Cancer Medicine
Memberships and Courses
Member of Australiasian Menopause Society
Member of RACGP
Member of RANZCOG
Dr Hannah Taufiq
MBChB FRACGP
Dr Hannah Taufiq is an experienced women’s health specialist GP. She has been working for some time in general practice with a focus on menopause as well as in specialist sexual health services.
Hannah trained in England and worked there as a junior doctor before moving to Melbourne and later Perth. During this time she has experienced many different hospital specialties in addition to both rural and metropolitan general practice.
Seeing women of all ages and the struggles they can face, particularly around menopause, has continued to strengthen Hannah’s passion in advocating for and supporting her patients. She firmly believes in the power of listening as well as providing holistic patient centred care. Hannah diligently continues to upskill and stay on top of new developments in order to provide the best level of care possible.
Hannah is competent in Implanon insertion/removal as well as Mirena IUD insertion/removal and management.
When not at work Hannah enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 young children. She tries to keep her mind and body healthy by running, spending time outdoors and when time allows delving into a new sewing project.
Qualifications and Education
2011 MBChB (Hons) Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, University of Liverpool, England, UK
2019 FRACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
2018 FPAA Advanced Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health
2019 Certificate in Skin Cancer Medicine
Memberships and Courses
Member of the Australasian Menopause Society
Member of the RACGP
Fiona Parri
Receptionist & Administrator
Born and raised in Perth, Fiona spent close to 20 years working in home loan lending helping first homebuyers fulfil their dream of owning their own home. After taking some time off to be a
stay-at-home mum, Fiona started working with an After-Hours GP Service and has now been working with GPs for 10 years.
Fiona lives locally with her husband and teenage daughter and is dreaming of a return trip to Europe!
In her spare time, Fiona loves to cook, catch up with friends and her big Italian family.
Elisa Tancredi
Receptionist & Administrator
Elisa moved to sunny Perth from gloomy Melbourne ten years ago and has been working with women’s health specialists ever since.
She lives with her furry boys Lennon and Zeppelin and in her spare time loves doing crafts, puzzles, and treasure hunting for vintage things.
She has been teaching herself Spanish and most recently completed a Certificate in Herpetology, with hopes of working with reptiles someday.
Karen Turner
Receptionist
Until recently, Karen was juggling a full time career in the mining industry whilst caring for her three children, aged parents and the busyness that surrounds family life.
She has lived in three countries, four states and at last count nine homes with her family and is now very happy to call Perth her ‘forever home.’
Karen’s interest in working at Hera comes from lived experience as well as a passion to make a difference in the women’s health space.
