GESQ - Key Persons
Dr Arjun Gandhi is a final year Gastroenterology & Hepatology Advanced Trainee at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. He is currently working as the Hepatology fellow gaining experience in both acute and chronic liver disease as well as liver transplantation. Arjun completed his Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Queensland before moving to Perth to complete his MBBS. He undertook his residency and basic physician training at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. His first year of Gastroenterology advanced training was at the Gold Coast University Hospital and his second year was at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Arjun has a keen interest in medical education and remains actively involved with teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, with an appointment with the University of Queensland as a Senior Lecturer. Arjun will also be coordinating the State-Wide Queensland Gastroenterology Education Program (QGEP) for 2023.
Dr Christine Welch graduated from St Andrews University with BSc(hons) in 1994 and Manchester University in 1996 with MBChB. She subsequently completed dual specialist training in Gastroenterology and General Medicine in the UK. Christine has an interest in medical education and holds a certificate in Medical Education from University College London.
In 2009 Christine moved to Townsville, north Queensland with her husband and three children to take up a Staff Specialist position at the Townsville University Hospital. Soon after arriving, she set up an EUS service performing both diagnostic and therapeutic services which until recently was the only service in north Queensland. From 2009 to 2014 Christine worked full time as a Staff Specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Townsville University Hospital. She continues to work part-time at TUH. She is a senior lecturer at JCU, has been involved in research and teaching, and is a partner in a busy private practice.
Christine has a particular interest in liver and pancreatic disease, as well as interventional endoscopy, specifically diagnostic and therapeutic EUS in addition to ERCP. Her interest in teaching and travel, particularly in developing countries has led to her involvement in a couple of ANZGITA trips to Nepal which she hopes to continue in the future.
Outside of work she enjoys outdoor activities, is involved in her local church and in her spare time is currently completing a graduate diploma in divinity.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of Committee
Dr Saad Khan is a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and the Wesley Hospital, subspecialising in interventional endoscopy.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2010, Saad completed advanced specialty training in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Austin Hospital, Peninsula Health and Victorian Liver Transplant Unit. He subsequently completed two years of dedicated interventional endoscopy training in Australia, at the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital and Austin Hospital, as well as a third fellowship at the world renowned St Michael's Hospital Therapeutic Endoscopy Centre in Toronto, Canada.
Saad has a special interest in advanced therapeutic endoscopy including ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound, per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), Zenker's diverticulum myotomy, resection of large polyps, pre-malignant gastrointestinal neoplasia and early-stage cancers, surveillance and treatment of Barrett's oesophagus as well as palliation for late-stage cancer.
Job Titles:
- President
- Director of IBD / Mater Hospital
A/Prof Jakob Begun obtained his MD and PhD in genetics at Harvard Medical School. His advanced training in Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) was at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) where he developed a keen interest in the microbiome - immune system interactions and novel therapies for IBD. He is the Director of Gastroenterology at the Mater Hospital Brisbane and IBD Group leader at the Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland. He runs a basic and translational laboratory investigating the interaction between innate immune functions of the gut and the microbial community. He also performs clinical research on the use of intestinal ultrasound in IBD, real world effectiveness of IBD therapeutics, and identifying barriers of care for adolescents and young adults with IBD at the Mater Young Adult Health Centre. He is the chair of the Australia New Zealand IBD Consortium, the past chair of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia IBD Faculty and the past president of the Gastroenterological Network of Intestinal Ultrasound.
Job Titles:
- Member of Committee
- Yoon - Kyo an / Committee Member