Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is one of the first 6 Advanced Training (AT) specialties to undertake the AT Curricula Renewal specialty development process.
The Advanced Training Committee (ATC) in Gastroenterology has established a Curriculum Review Group to develop a new curriculum for gastroenterology.

Consultation has now closed
Consultation on the new gastroenterology curriculum has now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. The Curriculum Review Group will consider the feedback and revise the curriculum accordingly. The consultation drafts of the new curriculum can be accessed below.
The new curriculum
At a glance (PDF) – high level overview of the new curriculum
Draft curriculum standards (PDF) – outlines what trainees need to learn
Specialty program handbook (PDF) – how trainees are going to demonstrate their learning
Curriculum Review Group responsibilities
The Group's responsibilities are to:
- evaluate the current state of the training program and make recommendations about how it can be improved
- design and develop a draft new curriculum according to the RACP curriculum model, including curriculum standards and learning, teaching and assessment programs
- plan a consultation on the new curriculum, including mapping relevant stakeholders
- review the draft curriculum and make recommendations for changes in response to stakeholder feedback
- draft a plan for implementing the new curriculum
Members
The Group has representation from trainees, a new Fellow, Aotearoa New Zealand members, a paediatric gastroenterologist and the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA).
Prof George Garas FRACP AGAF | Co-Chair
George is a consultant gastroenterologist/hepatologist and liver transplant physician and a Clinical Professor at The University of Western Australia Medical School. He’s the Head of Department of Hepatology / Liver Transplant at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Head of Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Joondalup Health Campus. George is a member of the Advanced Training Committee in Gastroenterology and supervises physician trainees.
Dr Sara Mgaieth FRACP | Co-Chair
Sara is a consultant gastroenterologist and general medicine physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She also teaches at the University of Melbourne through the Royal Melbourne Hospital Clinical School. Sara is a member of the Advanced Training Committee in Gastroenterology, as well as GESA and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). Sara has an interest in medical education and training.
Dr Samuel Ellison FRACP | Trainee representative
Samuel is a paediatric gastroenterologist based in South Australia who completed his fellowship in 2021. He has served in leadership roles in mentoring basic physician trainees and running the basic training education program. He also sits on the Women's and Children's Medical Education Committee. Samuel intends to draw on his recent experience of the Gastroenterology Advanced Training program to help standardise training opportunities and improve training outcomes..
Dr Cameron Gofton FRACP | Member
Prof Geoffrey Hebbard FRACP | Member
Geoff is the Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Clinical Professor at the University of Melbourne. He’s a member of the RACP Advanced Training Committee in Gastroenterology and Chair of Melbourne Health’s Drugs and Therapeutics Committee. Geoff has supervised physician trainees for more than 20 years and helped develop the current Gastroenterology Advanced Training curriculum.
Dr Hannah Hessamodini FRACP | Member
Hannah is a consultant gastroenterologist in Western Australia. She completed Advanced Training in Gastroenterology in 2018 and has an in-depth knowledge of the current curriculum; having helped establish a state-wide teaching program during her training. Hannah’s clinical interests include the management of functional gut disorders and nutrition, coeliac disease, iron deficiency anaemia and bowel cancer screening.
A/Prof Jacinta Holmes FRACP | Member
Jacinta is Consultant Staff Specialist (Gastroenterology) at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, where she heads up the Gastroenterology Department’s clinical training and research. She is also Consultant Gastroenterologist for the Victoria Statewide Hepatitis Program and Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne. Jacinta is interested in medical education and best practice and is keen to increase training equivalence across settings throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Dr Derek Luo FRACP | Member
Derek is a consultant gastroenterologist at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland. Previously he was the Training Lead for the Hospital’s Endoscopy Users Group in his department. He is currently Chair of the RACP Advanced Training Subcommittee in Gastroenterology. Previously he was the president of the Auckland Chinese Medical Association. Derek’s clinical interests include inflammatory bowel disease, hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease, colorectal cancer screening, and interventional endoscopy.
Dr Sasha Mealing | Trainee representative
Sasha is a dual trainee in gastroenterology and general paediatrics, currently in her final year of Advanced Training in Gastroenterology at Queensland Children’s Hospital. With a background in secondary education and teaching, Sasha has experience in developing and evaluating curricula. She is keen to represent the interests of trainees in the design and development of the new Gastroenterology Advanced Training curriculum to help improve training and training outcomes for future trainees.
Dr Marcus Robertson FRACP | Member
Marcus is a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Monash Health and the clinical lead of Gastroenterology at Dandenong Hospital. His clinical interests include the complications and management of portal hypertension, variceal bleeding and autoimmune liver disease. Marcus completed post graduate studies in clinical education at the University of Edinburgh. He is the Clinical Dean of Dandenong hospital and is involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching.
Dr Harveen Singh FRACP | Member
Harveen completed Advanced Training in Gastroenterology (Paediatrics and Child Health Division) in 2020 and has recently returned from undertaking a Hepatology Fellowship in the Liver Unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, United Kingdom. She is keen to contribute to the design and development of the new Gastroenterology Advanced Training curriculum to improve its utility for paediatric gastroenterologists.
A/Prof James Thomas FRCP (UK) FRACP | Member
James is a Staff Specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. His experience in medical education and training includes working as Director of Clinical Training and serving on local and statewide education bodies. James has a particular interest in trainee assessment and remediation and training program design.
Prof Matthew Links FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group
Matthew is a medical oncologist at Icon Cancer Care Gold Coast and Alice Springs Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Bond University. He is an active member of the RACP Curriculum Advisory Group, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, and the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA). Matthew’s interests include education, quality improvement, and clinical research. He is passionate about improving patient care through education.
Dr Paul Timmings FRACP | Advisor from RACP Curriculum Advisory Group
Paul is a neurologist and holds an Auckland University School of Medicine, Senior Lecturer post. He’s taken active roles in undergraduate, postgraduate, registrar and GP teaching. In 2013, he completed his MD doctoral thesis on photosensitivity in epilepsy. Paul is a member of the Neurological Subcommittee of the NZ Pharmaceutical Management Agency, Chairman of the PHARMAC NPPA committee, member of the NZMOH epilepsy TAG, member of the RACP CAG and helped develop the RACP Research Projects online resource.