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Travels From:
New Zealand
Fee Range: E
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Dr. Tony Fernando is a psychiatrist, sleep specialist, educator, former Buddhist monk, and speaker who brings a rare combination of clinical expertise, academic achievement, and lived wisdom to every audience.
Born and trained initially in the Philippines, Tony earned his medical degree from the University of the Philippines before completing his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in sleep medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Since moving to New Zealand, he has practiced as both a consultant psychiatrist and sleep specialist while teaching at the
University of Auckland, where he became a much-loved senior lecturer in Psychological Medicine. His teaching skills were recognized with more than a dozen awards from medical students, along with the University�s Butland Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence.
Tony is Australasia�s only psychiatrist formally trained in insomnia, and he is also a sought after expert in the unusual field of sleep-related violence, advising on both clinical care and medico-legal cases.
His contributions have been recognized beyond academia. In 2012, he was honoured by the
President of the Philippines for his services to sleep medicine and medical education. In 2015, the New Zealand Medical Association awarded him its Chair�s Award, the Association�s highest distinction, for his work on physician wellbeing.
Driven by a deep interest in compassion, Tony completed his PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Auckland, focusing on why doctors lose compassion in medicine. His research has been published widely, and he has co-organized national conferences on compassion in
healthcare.
Tony�s interest in compassion is not only academic. He has been ordained temporarily as a Buddhist monk, in Myanmar and New Zealand, experiences that deepened his meditation practice and his understanding of kindness in action.
These insights inspired his book, Life
Hacks from the Buddha (HarperCollins, 2024), a NZ bestseller, which makes Buddhist
psychology accessible to modern readers.
Outside universities and hospitals, Tony has given back to the community in unique ways. For three years, he taught mindfulness and emotional balance weekly to inmates at Mt Eden Correctional Facility, and he continues this work today with men at Manila City Jail. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he recorded guided meditations for prisoners confined to their cells 23 hours a day.
He is also known for running courses and workshops on sleep, happiness, positive psychology, stress management, and wellbeing, drawing from both science and Buddhist
wisdom.
Outside of medicine, Tony has his own stories of courage and perseverance. Despite a lifelong fear of deep water, he trained in ocean swimming and has crossed Auckland Harbour several times. He has even competed in Ironman relay competitions. These personal challenges, shared with honesty and humour, make him relatable to audiences who face their own fears.
Audiences find Tony approachable, humorous, and deeply human.
Despite his many achievements, he speaks with warmth and humility, often weaving stories from medicine, prison work, and monastic life with insights from psychology and neuroscience. His goal is simple: to help people live with more compassion, balance, joy, and good sleep.
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