I was born and brought up in the UK and studied medicine in Edinburgh before moving to New Zealand in 2008. I completed gastroenterology training in 2017 following spells in Waikato and Christchurch. I then undertook an advanced fellowship at the Edinburgh IBD unit, where I cared for complex patients with inflammatory bowel disease as part of a highly specialised unit, performed a high volume of endoscopy and took part in further research in this area.

I have been a consultant at Waikato Hospital since 2019 where I care for patients with a broad range of GI disease and continue to pursue these research interests.

After multiple international moves over the years, my family and I are excited to have made the Waikato home, and I am passionate about providing outstanding gastroenterology services for our local community.

Areas of Expertise
  • Diagnostic & Therapeutic Endoscopy (including chromoendoscopy)
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s disease & ulcerative colitis)
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Dyspepsia
  • Coeliac disease
  • Gastrointestinal cancer
  • Oesophageal manometry
  • Gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Liver disease
Current Employment

Consultant Gastroenterologist – Waikato DHB

Qualifications
  • FRACP (2017)
  • MBChB (2006)
  • BSc Med Sci (Hons) (2003)
Training
  • Advanced Gastroenterology Fellowship, The Edinburgh IBD Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh (2018-2019)
  • Advanced Training in Gastroenterology at Waikato & Christchurch Hospitals (2014-2017)
  • Basic Physician Training in Wellington & Melbourne (2010-2014)
Research
  • Lead Investigator of Multinational Research Project: Validation of a disease severity index for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
  • James M Fulforth, Amanda J Chen & James D Falvey. Early referral for endoscopy is the most appropriate management strategy in cases of food bolus obstruction. Emergency Medicine Australasia. (2019)
  • Jones GR, Lyons M, Plevris N, Jenkinson P, Bissett C, Din S, Fulforth J, Henderson P, Ho GT, Kirkwood K, Noble CL, Shand AG, Wilson D, Arnott IDR, Lees CW. IBD prevalence in Lothian, Scotland, derived by capture-recapture methodology. Gut (2019)
Memberships
  • Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
  • New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology
  • European Crohn’s & Colitis Organisation
I am a Southern Cross Affiliated Provider
I am a New Zealand trained gastroenterologist and I have lived in the Waikato with my family for over 15 years. After completing my specialist training, I undertook an advanced Fellowship in inflammatory bowel disease and functional bowel disorders with Professor Peter Gibson at Box Hill Hospital in Melbourne. During that time I participated in the clinical management of complex patients, endoscopy, breath testing and research.

I have been working as a consultant gastroenterologist at Waikato Hospital since 2008 where I manage a wide variety of patients with gastrointestinal disease and perform high quality endoscopy. I am the clinical lead for the infusion centre and I have been able to pursue teaching and research interests. I have subspecialist expertise in managing diseases of the bowel and I am well known for my excellent communication skills, thoroughness and empathetic nature.

Areas of Expertise
  • Diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy (including chromoendoscopy for bowel cancer screening in inflammatory bowel disease)
  • Gastroscopy
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease)
  • Coeliac disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Functional gastrointestinal disorders
  • Anaemia and gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Colorectal cancer surveillance
  • Reflux and dyspepsia
Current Employment

Consultant Gastroenterologist at Waikato Hospital
Director of the Cambridge Specialist Centre

Qualifications
  • FRACP (2007)
  • BHB, MBChB (Auckland 2000)
Training
  • Undergraduate degree from the Auckland School of Medicine
  • Physician Training (2001– 2003), Waikato Hospital
  • Advanced Gastroenterology Training (2004 – 2006), Waikato Hospital and The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne
  • Senior Clinical Fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (2007), Box Hill Hospital, Melbourne
Research
  • My published research includes a review on the management of coeliac disease and studies on FODMAP malabsorption, non-coeliac gluten intolerance, iron in inflammatory bowel disease and thiopurine drug monitoring.
  • I am the principal investigator and sub-investigator for several international multicentre clinical trials at Waikato Hospital.
Memberships
  • Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
  • New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology
  • European Crohn’s & Colitis Organisation
  • The International Bowel Ultrasound Group
I am a Southern Cross Affiliated Provider
Having grown up in Malaysia, I went on to study Medicine at Trinity College, Dublin. I graduated from Trinity in 2002, and continued to work and study in Ireland. I was awarded my MD by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2011 for my work in inflammatory bowel disease biology, and went on to complete my specialist gastroenterology training (CCST) in Ireland in 2012.

Following my studies in Ireland I undertook an advanced interventional Endoscopy/ERCP fellowship at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Since 2014, I have worked as a consultant gastroenterologist at Tauranga Hospital. In February 2016, I became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Areas of Expertise
  • Gastroscopy – diagnostic and therapeutic
  • Colonoscopy – diagnostic and therapeutic (EMR/large colonic polyp removal)
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Fatty liver
  • ERCP
Current Employment

Consultant Gastroenterologist, Tauranga Hospital, Bay of Plenty DHB

Qualifications

MB Bch BAO (Dublin), MRCP (Ireland), MD (Ireland), CCST (Gastroenterology/General Medicine – Ireland), ERCP fellowship (Western Australia), FRACP (NZ)

Training
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Perth, Western Australia
Research

With my colleagues at the Clinical Trial Unit at Tauranga Hospital, I take an active part in clinical trials in IBD, acting as a sub-investigator and principal investigator. I have presented research at numerous international meetings, and I am the author of a number of peer-reviewed publications as well.

Memberships
  • Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
  • Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
I am a Southern Cross Affiliated Provider
I am a gastroenterologist who works at Waikato Hospital. I spent my early childhood in Hong Kong and I am multilingual in speaking fluent Mandarin and Cantonese. I completed an overseas fellowship in liver transplant at University of Alberta Hospital in Canada prior to returning to Hamilton as a gastroenterologist. I have a strong passion for both gastroenterology and liver diseases with subspecialty interest in portal hypertension and fatty liver disease.
Areas of Expertise
  • Endoscopy – diagnostic and therapeutic gastroscopy and colonoscopy
  • Portal hypertension and fatty liver disease
  • Hepatitis B and C
  • Cirrhosis management
  • Fibroscan
  • Coeliac disease
  • Dyspepsia and reflux disease
  • Inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome
Current Employment

Consultant gastroenterologist at Waikato Hospital

Qualifications
  • MBChB 2009 (Auckland)
  • FRACP
Training
  • Otago University Medical School (MBChB)
  • Advanced gastroenterology and hepatology training (FRACP) in New Zealand
  • Transplant hepatology fellowship at University of Alberta Hospital, Canada
Memberships
  • American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)
  • European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
  • New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology
I am a Southern Cross Affiliated Provider

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