Dr Challis Paterson
General Practitioner
B.ExNS, MD, FRACGP
Dr Challis Paterson brings a fresh perspective to medicine in the field of General Practice. With a strong passion for the foundational pillars of health, and as Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP, 2025), Challis combines conventional medical expertise with an integrative understanding of a person’s health needs across a lifetime, and across all aspects of life.
Challis's ever-curious approach to medicine is founded on the appreciation that optimal health encompasses an entire way of life (a lifestyle, not a trend) - including nutrition, daily movement, quality sleep, stress management, nervous system regulation, appropriate light exposure, social connection with community and aligning with the natural cycles. Her treatment philosophy focuses on addressing root causes rather than simply managing symptoms, leading to more real and meaningful outcomes for her patients.
With a special interest in women's health, Challis is passionate about empowering women through whole-person heart-centred care. She understands that women are physiologically, hormonally, and metabolically unique, requiring personalised approaches to their healthcare.
Challis’ journey in health began with a Bachelor of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences from the University of Queensland (UQ), followed by her Doctor of Medicine degree, which she completed in 2018 also at UQ. Prior to becoming a GP, her years in the public healthcare system had a particular focus on paediatrics and paediatric surgery, and have given her a comprehensive understanding of the practice of medicine across different life stages.
Challis does take bookings for children and male patients also.
Her areas of interest include:
· Menstrual health & hormonal management
· Premenstrual syndrome (PMS & PMDD)
· Perimenopause and menopause support
· Emotional wellbeing
· Pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum care
· Baby checks and children’s health
· Lifestyle and longevity medicine
· Metabolic Health
· Circadian alignment
· Skin checks and excisions
Drawing on her personal experiences with health challenges in her younger years, Challis understands that knowledge can be freeing, thus patient education is a cornerstone of her practice. Through education, Challis seeks to empower her patients to be proactive and autonomous in their own health journey.
Challis lives on the sunny Gold Coast and loves getting out to the beach in the mornings for a walk or a swim. She’s an avid reader and will often have her nose in a book whilst soaking up some sunshine and sipping a coffee. She loves the creativity of cooking, which is a love language she’s learnt from her mother.
A “forever student”, Challis is enthusiastic about continually expanding her current knowledge and skill-set, particularly into the areas of circadian biology, autonomic nervous system regulation, and energy medicine. This ongoing commitment to professional development ensures her patients receive the most current and aligned care available.
At Vera Wellness, Challis continues her mission of providing compassionate, whole-person heart-led care that acknowledges and addresses the unique health needs of a person at every stage of life.
Her ethos is simple - that health is wealth, and healing is always available to us when we return to the innate intelligence of our bodies.
