Meet Dr. Kristy Meet Dr. Kristy

Inspiration

Meet Dr. Kristy

General Practitioner, Mum of 3, and founder of ToxTails, a fundraising event aimed to raise awareness and much-needed funds to those experiencing domestic family violence.

Tell us about yourself.  Anything and everything, we’d love to get to know you

Well, where to start?! I'm a GP working in Port Macquarie, and I split my time between my General Practice work and my cosmetic clinic Port Medical Aesthetics Clinic (PMAC). I’ve been a GP for 7 years, and moved to Port Macquarie with my husband, who is also a doctor, and my 3 children (now aged 7,11 and 12) 11 years ago. Prior to that I lived in Sydney and worked as a doctor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.I absolutely love my work, and during COVID I was the Clinical Director of the largest GP clinic in Port; that was certainly a challenge. But I adore my patients, and I love helping people, and I'm grateful I was given the opportunity to do so during a time that was very difficult for the community. Due to my background in women’s medicine, I have a Masters in Reproductive Medicine and focus on women’s health in my GP domain.I started my own cosmetic company in 2019; PMAC. I wanted something different from the demands of General Practice. What started as a side business soon became the biggest and only Doctors only cosmetic clinic in our region.

Tell us a little more about what you’re doing in the community to help make a difference?

During COVID I became aware of how significant an issue domestic and family violence was in my community. As a GP I hear stories every week about women and children who are suffering. Because of this, I decided to support Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services. Liberty Services supports families experiencing domestic and family violence in Port Macquarie and its surrounds. In 2022, I created the inaugural “ToxTails” charity event; a VIP, invite-only cocktail fundraising event, with all proceeds donated to Liberty. This one-of-a-kind event brings together the local community to raise much-needed funds for Liberty’s services through raffles, fun stalls, and a live auction.

In 2022, over $30,000 was raised. In 2023 we are proud to announce that ToxTails raised over $45,000 for Liberty. It’s the best way I know how to give back to a community I love so dearly, and I know our support goes a long way to help those who really need it. I suppose other than that I consider myself an empowerer of women; it’s an ethos I bring to my medicine every day, and to my staff. I truly believe that if you lift up women, you lift up communities.

In 2021 I became involved with the Stars of Hastings, which is a fundraising event run by the Cancer Council. I had to dance as a local “star”, and was paired with a professional dancer, and perform at our local Glasshouse Theatre. Let's say dancing is not my strong point! I personally raised over $30,000 and won the trophies for Highest Fundraiser and Peoples Choice. Overall we raised over $180,000 for the Cancer Council: money which is poured directly back into the local community to support cancer sufferers. In 2022 PMAC became the gold sponsors for the event, and myself a community advisor, and we raised over $288,000!!

   

Who/What inspires you to do this amazing work?

It’s the women I come into contact with every day through my work who inspire me. I feel so grateful to get to be involved in the lives of my patients, both GP and cosmetic, and share their journeys with them. My office is always full of laughter. And I’m constantly inspired by the team of women I’ve built to work with; I'm so proud of them. They spend so much time on ToxTails with me, and they always have a smile on their faces. My staff are all part time working mothers, and it’s a joy to be able to support them through their own journeys.
My husband and I also spend a lot of time teaching the medical students of the UNSW Rural Clinical School of Medicine. In 2021 we created the Kostalas Excellence Award: a yearly recognition awarded to the medical student who shows the characteristics of kindness and integrity; we believe that we should acknowledge what makes people good doctors, and not just celebrate academics.


What does it mean to you to be recognised as part of the Review International Women’s Day digital campaign this year?
Wow it's such an honour! I have no doubt there were many wonderful women out there as candidates. I absolutely adore Review as a brand so I couldn’t be happier.

What do you love about the Review brand?

I remember that Review was the very first official dress I ever purchased to wear as a doctor. I was going into my internship at Royal North Shore Hospital, and I wanted to dress to impress. I remember putting on a simple, A line black dress and feeling like I actually looked like a doctor (I didn’t quite feel like one on the inside). I've been wearing Review ever since; they make such classic dresses for working women. I have a wardrobe spanning 16 year of Review and I still wear all of them!


What does it mean to you to be a strong, inspiring, woman contributing to make a difference?
I really do hope people consider me to be strong and inspiring. I work really hard to contribute to all the areas of my life; my family, my work, and my patients. Being an inspiring woman to me means being a role model, a leader, and a source of motivation and encouragement for other women. I hope I can say I've achieved some success in my life, both career-wise and through my charity work.
I think I'm a person who is confident, strong, and passionate about what she does. I'm not afraid to take risks, stand up for what I believe in and challenge the status quo.


Are there any specific projects you’d like the Review community) about to raise awareness and support?
I would absolutely love to get the word out about my charity work. The Toxtails cocktail party is a yearly event, and we start preparing for it months and months in advance. If the Review Community gave us a like and follow on Instagram (drkristy_port_aesthetics) they can find out more information about how to support the cause and get behind us!