Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery
Overview of Service
The Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Department at Royal North Shore Hospital is a team of skilled surgeons specialising in treating complex upper gastrointestinal conditions. They provide comprehensive care for adult patients, offering advanced surgical treatments for a wide range of benign and malignant upper GI disorders. This includes oesophageal, gastric, hepato-biliary and pancreatic conditions. Members of the department offer open and minimally invasive procedures. The department is a tertiary referral centre delivering expert care for complex and high-risk cases. Members of the department work closely with specialist interventional radiologists, gastroenterologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists. All members of the department contribute to the Acute Surgical Unit emergency roster.
Areas of Expertise
- Robotic Surgery
- Open and MIS surgery for benign conditions (gallstones, hernias, benign tumours)
- Open and MIS surgery for malignant conditions (Oesophago-gastric, hepato-biliary, and pancreatic)
- Areas of expertise include:
- Treatment of neuroendocrine tumours
- Oesophageal and gastric cancer
- Primary and secondary liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Simple and complex abdominal wall hernias
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
- Obesity surgery
Key Areas of Education
- Professor and Chair of Surgery, Northern Clinical School
- Accredited supervisor of higher degree research (University of Sydney)
- Master of Surgery program, University of Sydney
- Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
Achievements
- Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Hepatic, Pancreatic and Biliary Association (Positions held: Board Member)
- Sydney Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society (Positions held: Chairman, Board Member)
- Australia and New Zealand Gastro-Oesophageal Surgeons Society (Positions held: Founding Secretary)
Affiliated Organisations
- Sydney Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society
- The Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Hepatic, Pancreatic and Biliary Association (AANZHPBA) Australia and New Zealand Gastro-Oesophageal Surgeons Society
- University of Sydney
- Macquarie University
- Notre Dame University
- Monash University
- Cancer Institute, NSW
- SERT Institute
Meet our Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons
Clin. Prof Jaswinder Samra, OAM
MB ChB, D Phil (Oxon), FRCS (Eng & Ed), FRACS
Head of Department
Clin. Prof Jaswinder Samra has a special interest in pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma and undertakes a broad range of laparoscopic surgery.
MB BS FRACS MD
Director of SERT Institute
Professor and Chair of Surgery Northern Clinical School
Board member of the AANZHPBA
Prof Tom Hugh has a special interest in gallstones, liver tumours, and abdominal wall and groin hernias.
Clin. Assoc Prof Garrett Smith
BMed MS FRACS
Royal Australian College of Surgeons Supervisor
Supervisor – ANZGOSQ Oesophago-Gastric fellowship
Clin. Assoc Prof Garrett Smith has a special interest in oesophago-gastric cancer, laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, hernia surgery, weight loss surgery, anti-reflux and hiatus hernia surgery.
BSc (Med) MBBS FRACS
Assoc Prof Steve Leibman has a special interest in gallstone disease, hernias, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, hiatus hernia surgery, robotic surgery, and surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancer. He also performs a range of laparoscopic weight loss operations including sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass.
BHB MBChB PhD FRACS
Prof Anubhav Mittal has a special interest in gallstones, hernias, liver tumours and pancreatic cancer.
BSc(Med)Hons MBBS PhD FRACS
Dr Kai Brown has a special interest in tumours and diseases of the liver, pancreas and gallbladder, as well as abdominal wall hernias. He also has an interest in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery.