SPRING HILL SPECIALIST GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia
- Specialist
Dr Damien Petersen is a specialist colorectal surgeon at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital at Spring Hill. He completed his medical degree at the University of Queensland in 1991. He undertook surgical training through the Royal Brisbane Hospital programme which resulted in him gaining a fellowship in general surgery (FRACS) in 2001.
Dr Petersen was selected for further sub-specialist training by the Training Board in Colorectal Surgery (TBCRS). The two year programme was undertaken at the Royal Melbourne and Western Hospitals and the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He returned to Brisbane in 2004, commencing private practice at St Andrew's Hospital. In March of 2004 he commenced as a Specialist Visiting Surgeon to the Mater Adult's Hospital. In 2005 he commenced at the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital as a Visiting Medical Specialist. Dr Petersen operates privately at St Andrew's and publicly at the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital.
As a specialist Colorectal Surgeon Dr Petersen has expertise in all conditions of the colon, rectum and anus. He has particular interest in incontinence and pelvic floor disorders, and endometriosis.
Dr Petersen is a member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand. He has been a member of the council of the CSSANZ since 2010.
Dr Towsey is a General Surgeon based at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital at Spring Hill. With an interest in complex abdominal wall hernia, burns, surgical oncology and colorectal surgery, Dr Towsey provides a broad and comprehensive range of surgical services, including colonoscopy and endoscopy.
Graduating with Honours in Medicine, Dr Towsey completed his residency at the Royal Brisbane Hospital before serving in the regular army as a Medical officer. After completing a deployment in 2003 to the Solomon Islands, Dr Towsey transferred to the Army Reserve in order to undertake his surgical training. He completed his surgical fellowship in Queensland in 2008 and the following year completed post-fellowship training in Burns and Trauma. It was during this time he developed advanced skills in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. Since then Dr Towsey has fostered and developed the complex abdominal wall service at the Royal Brisbane Hospital including the introduction of laparoscopic component separation for the management of large, difficult ventral hernia. He continues to advocate the development of new techniques for difficult abdominal wall herniae with several active research projects in the field and by providing training programmes for other general surgeons.
His military career over the past fifteen years as an Army Reserve Surgeon has seen him deployed to Indonesia, Afghanistan, Samoa and Papua New Guinea. In 2005 he was deployed to Indonesia as part of the ADF's humanitarian mission following the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. During 2009 Dr Towsey deployed to Afghanistan as a trauma surgeon. He has also seen overseas service with AUSMAT (Australian Medical Assistance Team) providing humanitarian support to Western Samoa after the October 2009 Tsunami.
Dr Towsey currently has a public appointment at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital as a staff surgeon specializing in burns, trauma and complex herniae in addition to his busy private practice.
His private practice provides the following services:
Hernia surgery, both laparoscopic and open, for groin, ventral, umbilical and incisional herniae
Complex abdominal wall reconstruction, including component separation
Colonoscopy and endoscopy
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomies, including transcystic bile duct exploration
Colon and small bowel resections, both laparoscopic and open
Haemorrhoid surgery including banding, excisional and stapled
Fistula and fissure in ano management
Surgical oncology, including skin cancers, melanoma surgery, sentinel node biopsy, axillary and groin dissection and intra-abdominal tumours
Emergency surgery, including burns and trauma.
Dr Towsey's Private Practice is located at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital, Spring Hill.
Dr Towsey is a General Surgeon with an interest in complex abdominal wall hernia, burns, surgical oncology and colorectal surgery, Dr Towsey provides a broad and comprehensive range of surgical services, including colonoscopy and endoscopy.
Dr Sharyn Van Alphen is an Anaesthetist at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital at Spring Hill and at the Wesley Hospital at Auchenflower. She is a Visiting Medical Specialist at the Prince Charles Hospital.
Dr Van Alphen attended the University of Auckland for undergraduate study. Her anaesthetic training was in Melbourne and Brisbane. She obtained specialist qualification in 2007. She is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetist's and a Member of the Australian Society of Anesthetists.