ABOUT DR DOWNS
Dr Downs has been a specialist anaesthetist for 25 years
Dr Downs has been a specialist anaesthetist for 25 years and is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (the highest qualification in Australia) with a Masters in Clinical Ultrasound.
She is credentialed to anaesthetise patients at Prince of Wales Public and Private Hospitals, The Royal Hospital for Women, Castlecrag Private and The Mater Hospital.
Doctor Downs' interests include Patient Blood Management , especially the use of Viscoelastic guided transfusion care whereby the bleeding patient is transfused only with the blood products they need, reducing transfusion requirements whilst improving patient outcomes. She has implemented this at Randwick Campus and has been an invited speaker at many national meetings and spoken on this topic at international meetings in 2023 in Thailand and India, and in 2024 in Hong Kong and for Lifeblood Australia. Her leadership roles have been on postgraduate education committees and departmental leadership at POWPH.
Catherine is also a Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Critical care at UNSW with a keen interest in teaching of both Anaesthesia trainees and Medical students.
She is also the Divisional Doctor (Officer Grade 5) for the Paddington Combined Division of St John Ambulance, volunteering medical aid at events such as the Sydney Marathon.
Qualifications and Awards
Master of Clinical Ultrasound - University of Melbourne 2019
FANZCA - Australian & NZ College of Anaesthetists 1999
Cecil Gray Prize - Australian & NZ College of Anaesthetists 1997
Awarded to the candidate with the best performance in the Fellowship Examination for the Australian
and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. This prize was first awarded in 1961 and named after the
Professor Cecil Gray, a former Dean of the Faculty of Anaesthetics of the Royal College of Surgeons,
London.
Renton Prize - Australian & NZ College of Anaesthetists 1995
Awarded to the candidate with the best performance in the Primary Examination for the Australian and
New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. This prize was first awarded in 1958 and named after the late Dr.
Douglas Renton, one of the founders of the faculties and its first Dean.
MB BS (Hons 1) & University Medal - University of NSW 1992
The University Medal is recognition by the University of outstanding academic achievement at the
undergraduate level. The bronze medal carries on its face an engraving of the arms of the University and
on the reverse, within a wreath of laurels, is engraved the name of the recipient.
Combined Teaching Hospitals Senior Staff Prize - University of NSW 1992
The best performance in the clinical years of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor
of Science combined courses.
The Medical Women's Society of NSW Prize - University of NSW 1992
The best performance by a female student throughout the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
course.
The Wallace Wurth Prize - University of NSW 1992
The best overall performance in the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery course.
Practical Prize in Anatomy - University of NSW 1989
The best performance in Practical Anatomy (including Radiological Anatomy) by a student in Year 2 of
the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Course.
Dux, Year 12 - Holy Cross College, Woollahra NSW 1986
