Our Team

A/Prof Chris Byrne
Head of Department, Visiting Surgeon

Professor Byrne is a specialist colorectal surgeon who completed undergraduate training at The University of Sydney, then trained in colorectal surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and St Marks Hospital, London. He operates at RPA, The Mater and Sydney Day Surgery. His areas of expertise include colorectal cancer including laparoscopic surgery, recurrent pelvic cancers, perianal sepsis, endometriosis and pelvic floor surgery as well as hernias. His research interests include inflammatory bowel disease, patient preference, pelvic floor disorders, perianal sepsis and trauma. He consults on Mondays, Tuesdays and alternate Thursdays.

Dr Kirk Austin 
Visiting Surgeon

Dr Kirk Austin is a specialist colorectal surgeon at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australasia and New Zealand. His areas of expertise include pelvic exenteration surgery for locally advanced and recurrent pelvic cancer, open and laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, and endometriosis; perianal sepsis and fistula surgery, interventional and diagnostic colonoscopy. Dr Austin's other interests include robotic surgery for benign and malignant colorectal pathology.  Academically, his research interests are in surgical and quality of life outcomes after pelvic exenteration. He has co-authored several book chapters on pelvic exenteration surgery and is involved in a number of ongoing research trials.

Dr Cherry Koh
Visiting Surgeon

Dr Cherry Koh is a Colorectal Surgeon who underwent subspecialty training at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford (UK). Whilst in Sydney, she learnt about laparoscopic surgery and pelvic exenteration for advanced pelvic cancers. In Oxford, she worked on the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and the Oxford Pelvic Floor units which allowed her to consolidate her laparoscopic skills in addition to learning about TEMS (Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery) and the management of complex re-operative surgery for IBD. Dr Koh also has a wide academic interest including quality of life after complex pelvic surgery and pelvic floor disorders.

Dr Peter Lee
Visiting Surgeon

Dr Lee graduated from the University of NSW Medical School in 1995. He trained in Sydney and obtained his fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2005. He completed his fellowship with the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand. He travelled to the UK to further his surgical training in pelvic exenteration and laparoscopic colorectal surgery. He has completed a Masters of Surgery in colorectal surgery in 2012. Dr Lee performs: laparoscopic surgery, pelvic exenteration for recurrent rectal cancer and complex pelvic cancers, endoscopy and colonoscopy, LIFT procedure for anal fistula. He has experience and completed training for robotic surgery.

Prof Michael J. Solomon
Visiting Surgeon, Director SOURCE

Professor Michael Solomon is the Academic Head of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at RPA. He is a Clinical Professor of Surgery, Chairman of the RPA Institute of Academic Surgery, Head of the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe) both for RPA and the University of Sydney and is currently on the Board of the Cancer Institute NSW. He is a past President of the CSSANZ and was previously the Chairman of the Training Board in Colorectal Surgery. Professor Solomon's surgical expertise is in complex surgery for rectal and recurrent malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease and complex fistula as well as minimally invasive colorectal surgery.

A/Prof Christopher J. Young
Visiting Surgeon

Professor Young is Head of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He is a member of the Training Board in Colon and Rectal Surgery and the RACS Board of Surgical Research. He is past Chairman of the RACS Board In General Surgery. He operates at RPA and Concord Hospitals. Professor Young's interests include surgical education and decision making. His colorectal interests include rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and pelvic floor dysfuction. He underwent specialty colorectal training at RPAH, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Concord Hospital and at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA.

Dr Kheng-Seong Ng
Visiting Surgeon

Dr. Kheng-Seong Ng is a Colorectal Surgeon with appointments at Royal Prince Alfred, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, and Concord Hospitals.

He recently completed his Colorectal Fellowship as the Notaras Scholar through the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand, with clinical posts at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the John Goligher Colorectal Unit, Leeds, United Kingdom.

Dr. Ng has a wide clinical interest spanning all fields of colorectal surgery. He performs both minimally and maximally invasive surgeries for malignant and benign colorectal disease, including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and pelvic floor disorders. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (University of Sydney) for his thesis on hindgut dysfunction following rectal surgery, and his research has attracted funding from the NHMRC and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. His current research program is supported by the Concord Institute of Academic Surgery, and focuses on outcomes of colorectal malignancy, improving surgical efficiency through innovation and technology, and novel treatments for pelvic floor dysfunction

Associate Professor Jonathan Hong
Visiting Surgeon

Associate Professor Jonathan Hong is a Colorectal Surgeon who has a strong commitment to the continuous improvement of training and standards in surgery. He has been an enthusiastic teacher of medical students, trainee surgeons and colleagues throughout his career. He is particularly interested in assessment of technical and professional skills within a competence based surgical education framework.

Associate Professor Hong has undertaken extensive training in both Colorectal and General surgery, predominantly at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He also has international experience having spent 2 years completing the Colorectal Surgical Fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto, Canada, as well as a visiting Scholar at The Wilson Center for Medical Education at Toronto General Hospital.

In addition to being the Deputy Director of Surgical Education at the IAS, Jonathan completed a Masters of Philosophy in 2019 exploring the use of MRI to personalise the surgical approach to rectal cancer treatment. He recently completed a Graduate Diploma of Surgical Education. 

Dr Nabila Ansari
Visiting Surgeon

Dr Nabila Ansari is a colorectal surgeon who attained her fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2012.

She then completed two years of clinical fellowship including 12 months at Basingstoke Hospital in the UK where she became experienced in managing patients with peritoneal malignancy. She is a member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and NZ.

Dr Ansari has been a colorectal consultant at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse since 2017. Dr Ansari leads the Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy service at RPA and has a specific interest in patients with peritoneal cancer. Dr Ansari manages both benign and malignant colorectal conditions. She performs open, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery