Clinical & Laboratory Haematologist

Dr Rachel Cooke

MBChB, BSc (Hons), FRACP, FRCPA, PhD

Dr Rachel Cooke is a consultant clinical and laboratory haematologist and Head of Clinical Haematology at Northern Health.

She also holds a clinical appointment at Alfred Health in the Plasma Cell Dyscrasia Clinic and is an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine. Dr Cooke trained in the United Kingdom and Australia, graduating from the University of Edinburgh before completing physician and pathology fellowships and advanced haematology training at Austin Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Her clinical interests are centred on malignant and immune-mediated haematological conditions, particularly multiple myeloma, AL amyloidosis  lymphoma, and chronic leukaemia. Dr Cooke completed a PhD through the University of Melbourne examining CD4+ T-cell fate in multiple myeloma, and she remains involved in translational research, clinical trials, trainee supervision and service development. At Northern Health she has helped expand the clinical trials program, develop new digital care pathways and strengthen quality and safety processes for patients with blood cancers.

Special Interests:

  • Multiple myeloma and plasma cell disorders
  • AL Amyloidosis
  • Lymphoma
  • Chronic leukaemia
  • Immune-mediated haematological conditions
  • Clinical trials in malignant haematology
  • Cellular immunology and translational research

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy – Haematological Tumours / Cellular Immunology (PhD), University of Melbourne
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FRCPA)
  • Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)
  • Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), University of Edinburgh
  • Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences, Immunology Honours (BSc Hons), University of Edinburgh

Sub-Specialised Fellowship Training

  • Bone Marrow Transplant & Clinical Haematology Registrar, Royal Melbourne Hospital
  • PhD research at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the ACRF Translational Research Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital / Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre

Academic, Research & Professional Appointments

  • Head of Clinical Haematology, Northern Health
  • Consultant Clinical & Laboratory Haematologist, Northern Health
  • Consultant Clinical Haematologist, Alfred Health – Plasma Cell Dyscrasia Clinic
  • Consultant Clinical Haematologist and Partner, Northern Blood & Cancer Care
  • Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne
  • Principal Investigator on active haematology clinical trials, Northern Health

Memberships

  • Royal Australasian College of Physicians
  • Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
  • Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group
  • Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand
  • European Haematology Association
  • American Society of Hematology

Awards & Career Achievements

  • NEMICS grant – “Improving outcomes for patients with chronic haematological malignancies at Northern Health”
  • Leukaemia Foundation Australia PhD Scholarship
  • Erasmus/Socrates grant to study at Leiden University, The Netherlands

Research Interests

Multiple myeloma, T-cell biology, immune dysfunction, plasma cell disorders and clinical trials. 

Consulting Locations

  • Northern Blood & Cancer Care – Northern Private Hospital, Epping

Hospital / Clinical Appointments

  • Northern Health / Northern Hospital Epping
  • Alfred Health

Northern Blood & Cancer Care

Specialist Blood & Cancer Care in Melbourne

Northern Blood & Cancer Care brings together a highly experienced team of haematologists, medical oncologists and specialist physicians, with consultations available at Northern Private Hospital in Epping.

Contact our team to arrange an appointment or discuss a referral.