Staff
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Clinical Professor Peter Katelaris MB BS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FRCP (Lond), FGESA, AGAF Peter Katelaris is the Head of the Gastroenterology Department at Concord Hospital. In a long, multifaceted career, he has been a clinical academic gastroenterologist, researcher, teacher and mentor. He has been active in national and international clinical guideline formulation, working parties, clinical governance and collegiate activity over many years. For example, he is the lead author of the World Gastroenterology Organisation Helicobacter pylori guideline and co-author of the WGO Reflux Guideline and Asia-Pacific Guidelines for both H. pylori and reflux disease. He is an inaugural assessor for the national Recertification in Colonoscopy Committee, that ensures high standards of colonoscopy metrics are maintained. Throughout his career he has done philanthropic medical work, currently as a board member of ANZGITA, a volunteer organisation that engages in medical teaching and capacity building to improve standards of digestive disease healthcare in the Indo-Pacific region. He is one of only two gastroenterologists in Australia ever to have been a recipient of the three major career awards of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, namely, the Young Investigator Award, The Outstanding Clinician Award and the Inaugural Fellowship of the Society. He is recognised by his peers as a very experienced clinician, endoscopist, researcher, mentor and educator. |
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Professor Rupert Leong is a leading gastroenterologist renowned for his expertise in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and advanced endoscopic management. He heads the IBD Services at Concord Hospital and holds professorial appointments at University of Sydney and Macquarie University. He completed his medical degree at the University of Western Australia, followed by specialist training in gastroenterology and clinical immunology. He was awarded the Amy and Athelstan Saw Overseas Fellowship to subspecialise in interventional endoscopy, endoscopic haemostasis, and IBD at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong. He earned his MD with a focus on IBD epidemiology and was recognised with the inaugural Australian Chinese Medical Association Young Achiever Award and the American Gastroenterological Association Fellowship for research excellence. Professor Leong has published extensively, including as senior author of national and international clinical guidelines. He is the founding director of IBD Sydney, IBD School, and IBD Masterclass, and serves on editorial boards of leading gastroenterology journals. He has received numerous honours, including the NHMRC and RACP Career Development Fellowships, GESA Career Development Award, GESA Emerging Leader Award, the Nimmo Lectureship (Royal Adelaide Hospital), Trans-Tasman Lectureship (RACP and NZSG), and Twilight Lectureship (South African Association of Gastroenterology). He has supervised many PhD and Masters students to completion. |
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Dr Mayenaaz (Naaz) Sidhu Dr Sidhu is a gastroenterologist with sub-speciality expertise in general and advanced endoscopy procedures including management of small bowel disorders, colonic polyps (FOBT screening) and hepato-biliary disorders. Dr Sidhu also has expertise in ERCP and therapeutic tissue resection techniques such as endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Dr Sidhu also has a strong research focus and has published heavily in national and international peer-reviewed journals. |
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Dr Aviv Pudipeddi is a Staff Specialist Gastroenterologist at Concord Hospital and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. He completed his medical degree with first-class honours at UNSW and undertook advanced training at Royal Prince Alfred and Concord Hospitals. Dr Pudipeddi completed his PhD from the University of Sydney, focusing on optimising biological therapies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), supported by a NHMRC Postgraduate Research Scholarship. His research has earned multiple national and international awards, and he remains actively involved in IBD research in both investigator-initiated and clinical drug trials. He established the Intestinal Ultrasound service at Concord Hospital and serves as a convenor of the Sydney Gut Club and a member of the GESA IBD Faculty and Young GESA committees. Dr Pudipeddi is passionate about education and is committed to regular teaching for medical students and junior doctors. He strives to provide high quality, compassionate and personalised care to achieve the best outcomes for his patients. |
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DR Sudarshan Paramsothy Dr Sudarshan Paramsothy is a Consultant Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist with a subspecialty interest in inflammatory bowel disease. He completed an NHMRC postgraduate scholarship funded PhD evaluating faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in ulcerative colitis, and subsequently undertook post-doctoral Advanced IBD fellowships at both the University of Chicago Medicine Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital New York. He is now based at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney co-managing their IBD service. He is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and remains active in IBD teaching, supervision and research, involved in collaborative clinical and translational research studies in IBD, FMT and the gastrointestinal microbiota. |
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Dr Emily He is a Staff Specialist at Concord Hospital with a special interest in liver disease, including viral hepatitis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), advanced chronic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney and holds a PhD in bowel cancer screening and prevention. Her academic focus is on translational epidemiology and modelling, using large-scale observational data to improve cancer prevention and health service delivery. Dr He leads the Direct Access Colonoscopy (DAC) service at Concord Hospital, which enhances timely access to colonoscopy for appropriate patients. She is a member of the executive team of the NSW ACI Gastroenterology Network, supporting statewide service improvement, and contributes to national cancer guidelines in bowel and liver cancer. She is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care while driving research and innovation in gastroenterology and hepatology. |
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Dr Kostas Brooks is a Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist and Gastrointestinal endoscopist based in Sydney. After graduation, he completed his Physician Training at Concord Repatriation General Hospital with Advanced Training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Prince of Wales Hospital followed by subspecialty advanced endoscopy training at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. Dr Brooks is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and proficient in gastroscopy, colonoscopy, double balloon enteroscopy, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. He is currently practicing at Concord Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital. He is committed to education, has presented lectures across multiple universities across Sydney and is a Conjoint Lecturer at the University of New South Wales. He has previously published in significant academic journals and presented at local and international conferences. Dr Brooks has extensive experience and knowledge in pancreaticobiliary disease and has a special interest in the management and endoscopic treatment of Barrett's Oesophagus. |
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Assoc Prof. Viraj Kariyawasam is a Senior Gastroenterologist with Public and Private practice. He is an Associate Professor at Macquarie University and Western Sydney University. He completed his Ph.D. on the use of thiopurines in IBD at the University of Sydney and is committed to advancing medical research and finding innovative treatments for his patients. His passion for teaching and research is evident in his numerous publications on Inflammatory Bowel Disease, contributing significantly to the academic and scientific community. Viraj takes pride in providing high quality comprehensive patient care, which is highly personalized and readily accessible. He provides this service for privately insured patients at Pennant Hills Day Surgery and Norwest Private Hospital. |
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Dr Karen Waller is a Staff Specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology with a special interest in liver diseases. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney School of Public Health in 2022, supported by an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship, and continues an active research program.
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Dr Rachael Jacob is a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist with a subspeciality interest in advanced liver disease. She completed her medical degree at Bond University and holds a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Sydney. Dr Jacob undertook her physician and specialist training in gastroenterology across Royal North Shore, Liverpool and St Vincent's Hospitals, and was awarded her fellowship from the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 2022. She then undertook a liver transplant fellowship at the Australian National Liver Transplant Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where she continued to work as a consultant transplant hepatologist for two years. Dr Jacob is currently completing a PhD at the University of Sydney, investigating sarcopenia and frailty in chronic liver disease and liver transplantation. She is actively involved in clinical research and medical education and is passionate about improving outcomes for patients with complex liver conditions. |
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Dr Hunter Wang is a Gastroenterologist and Interventional Endoscopist at Concord Hospital and Sydney Adventist Hospital. He manages a broad range of gastrointestinal and liver conditions, with expertise in early gastrointestinal cancers, pancreaticobiliary diseases, Barrett's oesophagus, complex polyps, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Dr Wang completed advanced endoscopy fellowships at Westmead Hospital and Zhongshan Hospital (Shanghai), focusing on complex endoscopic resection techniques. He holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Sydney for research on endoscopic innovations. An active member of GESA, ESGE, ASGE and ESGE, Dr Wang has published and presented widely. He is dedicated to evidence-based, holistic care and is passionate about education, teaching students and trainees across his hospitals. Procedures: Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy, Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR), Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD), Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), cholangioscopy, balloon enteroscopy. He is fluent in Mandarin. |
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Dr. Shim is a Gastroenterologist at Concord Repatriation General Hospital (CRGH) and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She also serves as a Visiting Medical Officer at Macquarie University Hospital. Dr. Shim obtained her medical degree from the University of New South Wales and completed her gastroenterology training at CRGH and Nepean Hospital. She subsequently undertook a two-year fellowship specialising in GI motility at Royal North Shore Hospital. In 2009, Dr. Shim was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She holds full accreditation for gastroscopy and colonoscopy from the Gastroenterological Society of Australia. Special Interests Dr. Shim manages a broad spectrum of gastrointestinal and liver disorders, including bowel cancer screening and viral hepatitis. Her particular expertise lies in reflux disease, chronic constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. She leads an oesophageal function test clinic and performs oesophageal high-resolution manometry and 24-hour pH monitoring, at both CRGH and Macquarie University Hospital. Research Dr. Shim's research focuses on Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction and their psychological manifestations. She has served as the principal investigator in several clinical trials related to eosinophilic oesophagitis and gastroparesis. |
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Dr Mark Bonnichsen is a staff specialist gastroenterologist & hepatologist performing interventional endoscopy at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, maintaining clinical, research, academic teaching and supervision roles. He is a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Sydney. He obtained his medical degree with first class honours from the University of New South Wales in 2012. He is accredited for Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy, ERCP and EUS and performs cholangioscopy and interventional EUS procedures. He completed endoscopy fellowships locally at Liverpool Hospital and internationally at Singapore General Hospital, an internationally ranked pancreaticobiliary centre. He has multiple publications in high impact factor, peer reviewed journals and is an invited reviewer for endoscopy journals. His clinical interests are colorectal cancer screening, pancreatic and biliary cancer, endoscopic mucosal resection and pancreaticobiliary endoscopy. He is passionate about quality, compassionate care of patients and improving systems to ensure prompt access to endoscopy. |
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Associate Professor Alice Lee is a senior staff specialist and has been the lead in liver services over the past 2 decades. Graduate from the University of Sydney with PhD in hepatology, her main interests are viral hepatitis and liver cancer. With a strong focus on equity of care and evidence-based medicine, she head a strong hepatology service providing the full range of services in a multidisciplinary setting. She remains a well rounded gastroenterologist with cross area appointment at Canterbury hospital. She has been a Principal Investigator in the pivotal clinical trials in hepatitis B, hepatitis C and continue to remain active in studies ensuring patients have access to the most current options in treatment. Outside of the clinical duties, she is a medical volunteer with a strong humanitarian focus on global health equities providing leadership liver diseases in resource |
