Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Dr Simon Edmunds, RPBG HoD

Dr Simon Edmunds is consultant gastroenterologist and Head of dept of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Royal Perth Hospital.

He completed Gastroenterology training in the UK at Guy’s Hospital, becoming proficient in ERCP and learning Endoscopic Ultrasound, a new technique at the time.

He also performed two years of laboratory research into liver and biliary diseases.

Following this, he spent a year in the USA at Duke University Medical Centre, learning advanced ERCP and endoscopic techniques in addition to undertaking further Endoscopic Ultrasound training.

He returned to Perth to a position at the Royal Perth Hospital where he has been a consultant since 1991.  Since then, he has overseen many advances in the ERCP and EUS services at RPH, from fibreoptic endoscopes through to current advanced equipment enabling complex ERCP/EUS guided techniques

He maintains a strong interest in hepato-biliary and pancreatic diseases and continues an active research interest in ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound, having numerous publications in the area. He is involved in general gastroenterology clinical care at RPH.

He has extensive experience in performing interventional endoscopy, and is acclaimed, and has demonstrated techniques, at both National and International levels.

 

Dr Kannan Venugopal

Kannan Venugopal is a consultant gastroenterologist and the clinical lead in Inflammatory bowel diseases at RPH. Additionally, he headed the unit from 2016-2023, and in 2019, under his leadership, the dept of Gastroenterology was awarded the Director General’s plaque for “Excellence in WA health initiatives”. Kannan trained in India and moved to Australia in 2003.

He completed advanced training in gastroenterology in Perth and subsequently undertook 2 committed IBD fellowships- in Perth and in Edinburgh, Scotland and returned to Perth in late 2011 to take up his position as specialist gastroenterologist at RPH.

He is widely published in gastroenterology journals and takes a keen interest in teaching and research. He leads multiple clinical trials at RPH.

He also runs a busy capsule endoscopy service (easily the largest in WA) at RPH and supervises advanced trainees and fellows. He also works privately at SJOG, Subiaco and Hollywood private Hospitals.

 

Dr Justin Chin

Dr Justin Chin is a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist who is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He graduated from the University of Western Australia and completed his postgraduate physician and gastroenterology speciality training in Perth. He went on to complete clinical fellowships at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Kings College Hospital, London, with a focus on liver transplantation, advanced liver disease and management of liver cancer.

He has a keen interest in research and continues to be actively involved in clinical research, with several peer-reviewed publications in the field of hepatology. He is also accredited to perform a range of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures.

Dr Chin has consultant appointments at Royal Perth Hospital, Bentley Hospital and St John of God Hospital, Subiaco/Mt Lawley.

He also consults from his private rooms in Wembley. He is committed to providing high quality medical care with an emphasis on a holistic and compassionate approach.

 

Dr Tim Mitchell

Dr Tim Mitchell is a locally trained gastroenterologist and hepatologist. 

Following advanced training in Perth, Tim completed clinical fellowships in hepatology at Fiona Stanley Hospital and King’s College Hospital in London with an emphasis on viral hepatitis, liver transplantation and advanced chronic liver disease. 

Tim has public appointments at St John of God Midland Public Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital where he is a member of the liver cancer multidisciplinary team.

He also attends the liver transplant clinic and listing meeting at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He is actively involved in clinical research, with a particular interest in alcohol related liver disease, portal hypertension and viral hepatitis.

 

 

Dr Sherman Picardo

Dr Sherman Picardo is a gastroenterologist who specialises in the management of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honours from the University of Western and completed his gastroenterology training in Perth.

He went on to complete a Masters (Biostatistics) at the University of Newcastle as well as two post-graduate fellowships in the management of IBD at Royal Perth Hospital as well as the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

He is actively involved in clinical research as an investigator for several clinical trials and is currently completing a PhD in improving the detection of colorectal dysplasia and cancer at Curtin University. Dr Picardo has trained in Intestinal Ultrasound and runs a dedicated intestinal ultrasound clinic for patients with IBD at Royal Perth Hospital.

This enables assessment of bowel activity without needing to undergo colonoscopy and is a preferred mode of assessment by many patients. He is a national trainer for intestinal ultrasound through GENIUS (Gastroenterology Network of Intestinal Ultrasound Australia).

 

Prof Krish Ragunath

Krish Ragunath trained in the UK and started his clinical academic career in 2003 at Nottingham University Hospital. After having established a centre of excellence in Endoscopy at Nottingham he moved to Australia in 2019 under the Global Talent Initiative. He is currently Consultant Gastroenterologist and Interventional Endoscopist at Royal Perth Hospital. He is also Professor of Medicine and Director of Research at the newly established Medical School at Curtin University. His clinical and research interests include Barrett’s oesophagus, reflux disease, achalasia, pancreatic disorders, and minimally invasive endoscopic therapy of early GI neoplasia.

He is an Endoscopy and Research Faculty member of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, Associate Editor for ‘Digestive Endoscopy’ journal, international member of the Editorial Board for 'Endoscopy', 'Gastrointestinal Endoscopy', and Translational Gastroenterology & Hepatology journals. He was the recipient of the prestigious British Society of Gastroenterology, Hopkins Endoscopy Prize 2010. Other academic laurels include the Professor Anne Ferguson medal and oration at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh 2017, conferred Fellowship of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Japanese Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Krish has clinical appointments at RPH and at Hollywood private Hospital.

 

Dr Adam Doyle

Dr Adam Doyle is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist. He graduated from UWA medical school and completed his basic physician training at Royal Perth Hospital before training in gastroenterology and hepatology at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash Medical Centre. He subsequently completed two fellowships in clinical and transplant hepatology at Toronto General Hospital, Canada. 

He has published multiple research articles in peer-reviewed journals and is the principal investigator for clinical trials in hepatocellular carcinoma at Royal Perth Hospital.

He is also the clinical lead for the RPH prison telehealth hepatitis C treatment program. 

Dr Doyle has a clinical interest in all aspects of liver disease, viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and autoimmune liver disease.

 

 

Dr Shankar Menon

Dr Shankar Menon is an adult gastroenterologist and hepatologist who has received training at numerous institutions, both locally and overseas.

After graduating from the University of Western Australia, he went on to complete his basic physician training and subsequently advanced training in gastroenterology and hepatology. Following this, he completed two clinical and research fellowships in inflammatory bowel disease, one at Royal Perth Hospital and the other at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. 

He has a special interest in the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease and is involved in clinical trials exploring future IBD therapies at Royal Perth Hospital. He has also been involved in the setup and delivery of faecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection at RPH.

He has accreditation in colonoscopy, gastroscopy, and capsule endoscopy from the Conjoint Committee for the Recognition of Training in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Gastroenterological Society of Australia.

Dr Menon is also accredited at Bentley hospital and at St John of God Hospital in Subiaco.

 

Dr Melissa Jennings

Dr Melissa Jennings is graduate of Newcastle university in NSW and completed her gastroenterology training at Royal Prince Alfred and Concord Hospitals. After her GE training, she completed an interventional endoscopy fellowship at RPH and then undertook a further fellowship at Trinity College/St James Hospital Dublin in ERCP. 

Since returning to RPH as a consultant, she continues to have an interest in ERCP and interventional endoscopy including spy glass technique.

She is the supervisor for medical students attached to the gastroenterology unit. She is a member of the National colonoscopy recertification committee that oversees colonoscopy compliance and performance among practitioners across Australia.

She is also accredited at Hollywood hospital and St. John of God hospital, Mt Lawley. 

 

 

 

Dr Kenji So

Dr Kenji So graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2003 and completed his advanced gastroenterology training in Perth. He attained his specialist qualification in 2011, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP).

In 2011, Dr Kenji So embarked on a two-year clinical and research fellowship in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Gastroenterology in Exeter, UK, with a focus on complex IBD management, IBD pharmacogenetics and general luminal gastroenterology.

He has a keen interest in inflammatory bowel disease, as well as providing services in general adult gastroenterology (including gastroscopy and colonoscopy) and nutrition. He leads the RPH home parenteral nutrition (HPN) team.

Dr So is accredited and provides endoscopy and consultative services at St. John of God hospital in Midland in addition to his RPBG commitments. 

 

 

Dr Nick Kontorinis

Dr Kontorinis graduated from the University of Western Australia and completed his medical and gastroenterological training in Perth. He then did fellowships at Mt Sinai Hospital in New York in the fields of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation from 2002 to 2005. 

He is appointed as a consultant at the Royal Perth in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St John of God Subiaco and St John of God Mt Lawley. He was Head of Department and Director of Physician Education at RPH. 

He is actively involved in clinical research, medical student and post graduate training and regularly participates in several national and international meetings.

His areas of interest and expertise include:

• liver disease including metabolic fatty liver disease
• alcoholic liver disease
• auto-immune liver disease
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• cirrhosis, liver failure, portal hypertension and liver transplantation
• general gastroenterology (gastroscopy and colonoscopy)

 

Dr Wendy Cheng

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Chiang Siah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Puraskar Pateria  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Marcus Chin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Jee Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Niroshan Muwanwell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loveinder Madahar, Liver Nurse Practitioner

Loveinder is a former Engineer and had taken up nursing studies since moving to Australia. He has been working as a nurse in WA since 2005. Loveinder has a very wide clinical exposure from working in Stroke, Neuro-surg, Endocrine, Dermatology, Immunology, Plastics, ENT, Haematology, Hepatology, aged care, and rehab to name a few.

Throughout his years as a nurse, he has been recognised as a great nurse manager, a team player, and an excellent clinician.

As a nurse practitioner, Loveinder decided to move from Haematology to Hepatology and has become a valued member of our team.

He takes a holistic approach in supporting his patients and their families. His current work involves liver cancer, chronic and advanced liver disease. He also manages the Hepatology clinical trials portfolio at RPH.