Dentists at Goulburn Valley Dental Group

Dr Sath Saranathan – BDSc (Melb)
Sath was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia in 1988 after living in Nigeria and Brunei. After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2002 with a Bachelor of Dental Science, Sath moved to Shepparton in 2003 to work with Dr Herb Barlow and purchased the practice in 2006.  
Sath's relaxed nature combined with an eye for detail and passion for high quality dentistry has enabled him to build strong patient relationships over the years. He has developed a keen interest in performing implant restorative procedures, which he now considers his niche specialty in the dental field. He is also passionate about nurturing young dental students and is a senior lecturer with the University of Melbourne's Rural Health Academic Centre.
 Sath has always shown a keen interest in the local community; he has been a club member and a committee volunteer at Central Park St Brendan's since he moved to Shepparton.
He also is a proud father to three young children and enjoys watching Collingwood dominate the AFL in his time off.

Dr Geoff Woodhouse – BDSc (Melb)
Geoff grew up in Maffra and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1980. Upon graduation, his first job was in Tatura whereby he swiftly settled down to purchase that practice in 1982, as well as a Kyabram practice in 1984.
As the pace and focus on family life became his priority, he sold the Tatura practice in 1994. After 27 years of being the principal owner of the Kyabram practice, he sold it in 2011 and joined Goulburn Valley Dental Group as a Senior Associate Dentist.
Geoff has become an integral part of our dental team with his immense wealth of experience and incredible rapport with his patients. Many of those patients followed him from Tatura to Kyabram, and now to Goulburn Valley Dental Group.
His passion lies in all facets of general dentistry, especially in looking after the dental needs of families and those in need. In recent times, he has volunteered his time by providing much needed dental care in Alice Springs, Kenya and East Timor.
In his personal life, Geoff is a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He is always keen for a cuppa and a chat- especially if it's got anything to do with his beloved Collingwood!

Dr Raathika Raj – BDS (UK)
Raathika was born and raised in the United Kingdom and gained her qualifications in 2005 at Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' in London.
She migrated to Australia in 2006 and joined our team in 2007.
Her unique, compassionate approach to her patients alleviates the common fear of dental treatment. Over the years, she has also developed a strong interest in endodontic dentistry.
Raathika divides her time between seeing her patients at the practice and doing an amazing job in raising her and Sath's 3 beautiful children.
Outside of her work commitments, Raathika enjoys interior design, expertly styling children's parties and keeping fit.

Dr Kevin Lai – BDSc (Melb)
Kevin was born in Taiwan and moved to New Zealand to complete his secondary education. He then moved to Australia to study at the University of Melbourne. In 2014, Kevin moved to Shepparton and worked at Goulburn Valley Health Dental Services for one year before joining us in January 2015.
Kevin has a genuine passion for dentistry in general and thrives on providing his patients with the most informative and current available treatment options. He endeavours to provide comprehensive dental treatment with a strong focus on equipping patients with the necessary skills and confidence to manage and improve their oral health.
In his spare time, Kevin enjoys hitting the snow fields in the winter and loves dining out and experimenting with new cuisines.

Dr Tom Mackey
Tom was born and grew up in Melbourne. He attended Xavier College & then Melbourne University, graduating as a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2019.
Tom worked at Goulburn Valley Health as a graduate dentist from 2019 and while he was there, he developed an interest for oral surgery and endodontics. He enjoys camping, hiking, and travelling, as well as playing and watching tennis. Tom supports Essendon in the AFL (but we won’t hold that against him…) and loves watching the Wallabies in Rugby Union. .

Dr Sirisha Kommidi
Dr Sirisha was born and bought up in south India. Sirisha attended university and graduated with a Bachelor in Dental Surgery in 2011. She relocated to Australia in 2014 where she completed her ADC examination in 2017 before working at a private practice in Seymour from 2018 to current. She has two young children, and the family will be relocating to Shepparton to begin working in our Numurkah clinic full time. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 sons where they love going camping together. She also loves cooking Indian cuisine.

Dr Dr Karen Luu –
Dr Karen grew up in Melbourne and went to La Trobe University to complete her degree. She is extremely driven and hardworking which is confirmed by the fact that over the last 4 years she has been working as a casual dental assistant, giving her a good insight into private dental practices. She is extremely strong academically, being awarded the Golden Key Award and being rated as one of the top 5 dental students in her year. Karen is multilingual in Mandarin & Cantonese and likes to cook in her spare time.

Dr Margaret Tran
Dr Margaret grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, attending Mac Robertson’s High School and graduated from La Trobe University. Margaret has extensive recognition as being a leader and a contributor to the dental community including being the President of BOHDS (Bendigo Oral Health and Dentistry Society) as well as currently serving on the ADAVB Recent Graduates and Students Committee. Margaret has a passion for exercise and cooking!

Dr Rutuja Nirale
Rutuja was born in India. She completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2005 and Master of Dental Surgery (Prosthodontics) in 2011. Since then, she worked in both private and public sectors of dentistry in India and Australia. She migrated to Australia in 2012 and settled in Shepparton since 2014. She is passionate about general dentistry with a keen interest in cosmetic dentistry. She is happy to explore and discuss all options of treatment. She is known to be a great listener and has a gentle and compassionate demeanour towards her patients and strives hard to put their worries at rest. She provides very high-quality dental care and is skilful in her work. She received a Gold Medal in her Prosthodontics post-graduation in India. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with two young children and her husband. She loves to cook different cuisines.

Hayley Emmi – BOH
Hayley is a GV local who grew up on a farm near Kyabram.
She graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Oral Health Science however she has over 14 years of dental experience under her belt and she has a special interest in Early Childhood Dental Intervention.
Hayley is married with 3 children and she enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with her young family camping and fishing.
When she isn't doing that, Hayley is a Thermomix Consultant who loves whipping up yummy treats for her beautiful family and sometimes even her colleagues!

Ms Hawrah Al-Bendar – BOH
Hawrah was born and raised in Shepparton, completing her secondary education in the local area. She has since recently graduated from La Trobe University in Bendigo after completing her Bachelor of oral health.
She is very excited to get her career started at Goulburn Valley Dental Group as she enjoys both the hygiene and therapy sides of her role. In her time away from work, Hawrah enjoys travelling either locally or overseas. She loves spending time with her friends exploring new places.

Renee Church – BOH

Renee's passion for dentistry began in secondary college when she completed work experience as a dental assistant. After completing her secondary education, she went on to pursue a career as a dental assistant in Shepparton where she worked for six years.
In 2009, Renee completed a Bachelor Oral Health Science at La Trobe University in Bendigo.
She returned to Shepparton where she worked in a private practice for several years.
Renee is also currently working part-time at Goulburn Valley Orthodontics.
Renee and husband, Brad are raising their three daughters Lola, Ruby and Violet on a dairy farm in the Goulburn Valley.
In her spare time, Renee enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as camping, water skiing and reading.