A little bit about Dr Ryan Fuller

I am a proud South African from Johannesburg, blessed to have incredible support from a loving family to pursue my passion in healthcare. I was raised in Edenvale, matriculated from King Edward VII School Summa Cum Laude & completed my medical training at UCT (Cape Town), Chris Hani Baragwaneth, in London & at Sterkfontein. I’m passionate about animals, kind humans, the Springboks, Proteas & Liverpool Football Club. I’m also a proud Old Edwardian and member of the deceptively talented Racing Snakes 6th League Squash Team. When I have time my interests are travel, history, reading about innovation and I sometimes enjoy fly fishing.

Why I Became an Old Age Psychiatrist

For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by science and medicine. A close family member has a learning disability & I wanted to become a medical doctor to learn how to help. During medical school I found psychiatry fascinating & was inspired by great teachers who used different models of thinking to solve complex problems that many patients suffered with. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of patients who recovered from serious mental health problems when they had early access to specialized teams & treatment. Medicine has afforded me the privilege of learning from passionate & brilliant teachers & doctors who’ve been dedicated to the ideal of service to others. The professional framework & ethical principles always provide tremendous support for lifelong learning & teaching. While research was an early goal, I’ve found clinical practice to be very rewarding, humbling & never dull. As an Old Age Psychiatrist (or Psychogeriatrician), I am passionate about understanding the complex relationship between physical, mental & spiritual health within family systems

My Interests and Focus Areas

I am passionate about evidenced-based treatments, whether this is medication-related or non-medication related. In this regard I am also passionate about systemic, cognitive behavioural & cognitive stimulation therapy. Most of my clinical time is spent helping people in crises, reducing polypharmacy & safeguarding their rights. My special interests are value-based health care & digital innovation in health. I’m currently completing an MBA in International Health Management through the University of Cumbia & Robert Kennedy School, Zurich. I’m also enjoy teaching & training. We’ve found that when appropriately applied, the Balint-style group learning can be an incredible tool to assist professionals across several disciplines to make sense of complex cases. I’m also passionate about public-private partnerships as a vehicle to improve quality care for all South Africans. As a healthcare professional, I have a privileged position to foster relationships between stakeholders.

Previous Experience

• Founder & Senior Clinician Memorycare Group medical practice (2012 – to date)
• Memory Clinics at Akeso Clinic, Parktown & Akeso Clinic, Alberton
• Pioneered Psychiatric Clinic at Primvilla Care Centre, Primrose, Johannesburg (2016 – to date) for patients with severe & enduring mental health problems, many of whom suffer with agitated dementia syndrome & need specialized long term care
• Together with Dr Lolita Mostert, developed Psychiatric Clinic at Wigwam Care Centre, Rustenburg (2018 – to date) for patients with severe mental health problems
• Specialist Psychiatrist to Alberton Pioneer Integrated Care Consortium (2018 – to date). A multidisciplinary team of General Practitioners, allied, palliative & community nurse providers led by Dr Adri Kok (Specialist Physician)
• Specialist Private Consultant, Geriatric Psychiatry, Discovery Health (2011 – 2015). Pioneered South Africa’s first private Senior Care Coordination Program to assist older people with complex multimorbidity, impaired quality of life at risk for repeated hospitalizations
• Scientific Chair, World Congress Healthy Aging (2015)
• Specialist State Psychiatrist (2011 – 2012), Forensic Rehabilitation, Sterkfontein Forensic Hospital.

Credentials and Training

• 2010 Certificate of Specialist Training, General Adult, Liaison & Old Age Psychiatry
• Clinical Research Fellow (part-time), Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
• Approved under Section 12 of the Mental Health Care Act
• 2005 Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, United Kingdom
• 2002-2010 Charing Cross Higher Psychiatric Training Scheme, London, United Kingdom
• 2000 Internship, Chris Hani Baragwaneth Hospital, Johannesburg
• 1999 Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery, University of Cape Town