About Upper GI West
Upper GI West was founded in 2008 by Mr Alan Thomas and Mr Krishna Epari. The practice has grown significantly during this time to now include additional surgeons, bariatric physician and dietitians.
Our surgeons have subspecialised in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery having first completed their basic General Surgery training - and can offer the latest minimally invasive laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures or traditional open surgery methods, for the services provided at Upper GI West.
Our management of morbid obesity is facilitated with a multidisciplinary approach to assist you in achieving your optimal health results.
We can advise and support lifestyle changes, provide the management of medical conditions, perform surgical and endoscopic procedures, including the follow up and treatment of unexpected events.
We provide expert management across the Upper GI spectrum - including the formal diagnostic assessment, subsequent treatment and management of Upper Gastrointestinal conditions including; reflux disease, hiatus hernias, gallbladder disease, other hernias and their relevant medical and/or surgical treatment approaches together with specialist expertise in gallbladder, pancreas, liver, stomach and oesophageal cancers.
We are here to help you live your best life.
Meet the doctors
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Our surgeons
Krishna is an Australian trained Surgeon. He was born and educated in Hobart where he graduated with Honours from the University of Tasmania. He relocated to Victoria to undertake a Fellowship in General Surgery,...
"Growing up, my father was an anaesthetist and my mother a theatre nurse. I had a fascination with surgery from a young age."
Having moved to Western Australia from Wales in 2004 to undertake a post as an Upper Gastrointestinal Specialist Surgeon at Fremantle Hospital, Alan co-founded Upper GI West with fellow Specialist Surgeon Mr Krishna Epari in 2008,...
"But things have to fall in place and it didn’t quite work out for me. I was pretty good with my hands though and I was very interested in biology, so it lent itself to studying medicine and on to being a surgeon."
Mo is a highly trained Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric surgeon, having completed his training under some of the world’s leaders in both general and upper gastrointestinal Surgery. Mo embarked on his journey to...
"Being able to fix a problem that will have a significant positive impact on someone’s life, that’s what inspired me to become a doctor."
Sanj grew up in Western Australia then moved to Brisbane to attend the University of Queensland’s medical school. On graduating from the University of Queensland, Sanj continued his basic surgery training in Brisbane,...
"Communication is important to me, similar to clinical judgement and technical surgical skills. This is what makes a great surgeon."
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Bariatric physician
Dr Rosalind Reid
After completing her medical degree at the University of Melbourne, Rosi trained as a General Practitioner becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. In addition, Rosi has post graduate qualifications in obstetrics and anaesthetics.
Whilst maintaining her general practice working in a large GP clinic two days per week, Rosi joined Upper GI West in 2012 having developed a special interest in the medical treatment of morbid obesity.
Outside of work, Rosi enjoys spending time with her growing family and likes to run - having competed in multiple running events - including the 2016 Masters Games held in Perth.
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Dietitians
Shannon Finucane
Shannon has completed a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics and is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and a member of the Dietitians Association of Australia.
Shannon has gained expertise in a range of areas including diabetes, weight management, gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerances with a particular interest in bariatric surgery, mental health and eating disorders.
Shannon has extensive experience working in the area of bariatric surgery and as the chairperson of the WA Bariatric Interest group. Nutrition and dietetics is an area that Shannon is extremely passionate about and is motivated to help you achieve your nutrition goals and to improve your overall health and well being.
Savina Rego
Savina is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and a member of the Dietitians Association of Australia with experience working across community, aged care and clinical dietetics since graduating from Curtin University in 2013.
Savina has a particular interest in weight management and chronic disease management, specifically type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Savina is also known online as The Savvy Dietitian. An Instagram page she started with a focus on empowering individuals to create healthy, long lasting habits through understanding food and nutrition.
Sabrah Imtiaz
Sabrah has completed a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics and is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and a member of the Dietitians Association of Australia.
Sabrah enjoys working within multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic, personalised care to patients. She has extensive experience working with patients in the management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and gastrointestinal disorders and has a keen interest in following patients through their journey of weight management and bariatric surgery.
Sabrah is particular in providing a service that encompasses a high level of compassion and sensitivity in order to encourage positive behaviour change. Sabrah loves cooking and exploring new to market products, allowing her to provide healthy and exciting recommendations to her clients.
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Staff
Toni
Medical Secretary to Mr Alan ThomasChelsea
Medical Secretary to Mr Krishna EpariMel
Medical Secretary to Mr Andrew HardleyKelly
Medical Secretary to Assoc Prof Mo Ballal and Mr Sanjeeva KariyawasamRowena
Medical Receptionist for our Bariatric Physician and DietitiansWHY UPPER GI WEST?
Our mission at Upper GI West is to deliver the latest and best care that meets your needs. You will be receiving a comprehensive, state of the art and up to date surgical care.
Our experience in managing complex upper GI surgical problems and complications makes us best placed in treating common straight forward bariatric and upper GI problems to minimize the risk of those complications from happening.
We work with outstanding interdisciplinary specialists to ensure your surgical journey is safe, comfortable and successful. We adopt an enhanced recovery program to facilitate a speedy return to function with lowest complication rate. We are a collegiate team working together to support you through your journey around the clock. The collective experience of surgeons at Upper GI West is superior and unmatched in western Australia.
Members of the team are pioneers, leaders and active contributors to the education and health development at national and international levels. We deliver the latest and advanced surgical techniques covering the breadth of keyhole , mini-keyhole, Endoscopic, robotic and open surgery.
The whole team are devoted to ensure your recovery is seamless and comprehensive.