About AIRS

MBBS, MRCOG, FRANZCOG

Dr Danny Chou is a director of Sydney Women’s Endosurgery Centre (SWEC) and an advanced laparoscopic and robotic gynaecological surgeon. His special interests include difficult and complicated laparoscopic hysterectomy and myomectomy (removal of fibroid), severe endometriosis (with multi-organ involvement, including that of pelvic nerves and plexus) and severe pelvic organ prolapse. He is heavily involved in training and research, both nationally and internationally to continually refine and innovate laparoscopic and robotic gynaecological surgery. Dr Chou has a particular interest in conditions affecting pelvic nerves such as Deeply Infiltrating Endometriosis (DIE) and is the Honorary Treasurer of International Society of Neuropelveology.

MBBS MRMed (UNSW) FRANZCOG

Dr Dean Conrad is a minimally invasive gynaecological surgeon  based in Sydney. After graduating from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), he completed his specialist training at St George and Royal Women’s Hospitals. He then went on to complete a two-year Australasian Gynaecological Endoscopy and Surgery Society (AGES) fellowship in minimally invasive surgery with Sydney Women’s Endosurgery Centre (SWEC).

Dean is staff specialist at The Sutherland Hospital and a conjoint lecturer with the University of New South Wales. He is also an AGES training supervisor for the Sydney Minimally Invasive Gynaecological Surgery (SMIGS) unit, and member of the AGES Education committee. He has a special interest in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic pelvic surgery and specialises in the treatment of fertility and pelvic floor dysfunction, including non-mesh treatments for urinary incontinence. His passion for education has taken him across the country as an educator, proctor and surgical mentor for doctors advancing the knowledge and awareness of endometriosis and pelvic floor dysfunction.

BSc(Med), MBBS(Hons), MS, FRACS

Associate Professor Kim Phan-Thien is a colorectal and robotic surgeon. She specialises in minimally invasive techniques for the management of colorectal and pelvic floor conditions. Kim graduated with honours from the University of New South Wales and went on to train and qualify as a colorectal and robotic surgeon in Sydney. She is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand. Kim is a pioneering robotic colorectal surgeon, and having performed over 500 procedures on the robotic platform, is one of the most experienced robotic colorectal surgeons in Australia. She is certified as a Master Surgeon and is the program director of the Centre of Excellence in Robotic, Minimally Invasive and Colorectal Surgery at Hurstville Private Hospital. Kim is a da Vinci robotic proctor and helps with the training of surgeons in robotic techniques.

Kim is a conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales. She has a passion for teaching, and has been recognised by the University of New South Wales, as well as the Academy of Surgical Educators of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons for her contributions to medical education. Kim is an Examiner to the Court of General Surgery. She is actively involved in research, and has been an invited speaker at numerous scientific meetings. Kim’s research collaborations in Lynch syndrome have led to the NSW Premier’s Award for Excellence in Translational Cancer Research.

MBBS, FRACS, D.E.S. (Laparoscopic and Robotic Bariatric Surgery)

Dr. Mark Magdy completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the University of New South Wales in 2008. As an Australian trained and fully accredited general surgeon, Dr. Mark Magdy is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) with a special interest in bariatric surgery. He completed an international fellowship at a world-leading bariatric unit in North America. The surgeons on this unit are known for inventing some of the bariatric surgical procedures performed today and Mark was fortunate enough to train under these world-renowned bariatric surgeons. Mark is also a member of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO).

Dr. Mark Magdy has focused on the surgical treatments for overweight patients and has presented both internationally and nationally on this topic. Striving to be at the forefront of this surgical field, he has completed research on bariatric surgical procedures and their outcomes. He also regularly shares his expertise and attends conferences, presenting on new and advancing techniques in bariatric surgery.

MBBS, FRACS (Urol)

Dr. Nicholas Mehan is a Urological Surgeon who returned from London in 2021 after pursuing 2 years of specialist training in robotic surgery at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to this he completed specialist Urology training in Australia across multiple hospitals in NSW. He completed his medical degree at the University of New South Wales and is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Dr. Mehan is a member of Sydney Urology Group and consults in multiple locations across Sydney. He is appointment at Nepean Hospital which has one of the highest volume public robotic surgical programmes in Australia. He also operates at Nepean Private Hospital and Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Randwick.

MBBS BSc (Med) FRACS CSSANZ

Praveen Ravindran is a Consultant Colorectal & Robotic Surgeon with Australian Robotic Colorectal Surgery working through Sydney Adventist Hospital and East Sydney Private Hospital. On completion of his General Surgery training in 2017, he was appointed as the Fellow in Robotic Surgery at Liverpool Hospital in 2018 before being awarded a place in the two-year Post-Fellowship Colorectal Surgery training programme through the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ). Starting in 2019, he completed his first year of advanced training with the Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Unit at St George Hospital, where he gained wide exposure to laparoscopic colorectal surgery as well as pelvic floor and functional pathology. He then completed his fellowship with CSSANZ at Liverpool Hospital in 2020, where he gained advanced training in the management of locally advanced Colorectal malignancy and Complex Hernia Surgery. In 2021, he then became the Inaugural Robotic Colorectal Fellow at Sydney Adventist Hospital where he was mentored in Robotic Colorectal Surgery with Associate Professor Craig Lynch and Dr Stephen Pillinger of Australian Robotic Colorectal Surgery, who are one of Australia’s highest volume Robotic Colorectal groups. This is one the first positions of its kind in Robotic Surgery in Australia. Dr Ravindran is a member of CSSANZ and the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

MBBS, FRACS (Urol)

Dr Leslie holds consultant positions in Urology at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and the Mater Hospital. As the Research Lead for Urology and Robotic Surgery at the RPA Institute of Academic Surgery and the University of Sydney, he is actively engaged in research with a particular interest in minimally invasive surgery for both benign and malignant urological disorders.

Dr Leslie completed undergraduate medical training with honours at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). His urological training included rotations at RPA, Gosford, and Westmead hospitals, followed by a fellowship in uro-oncology, transplant surgery and laparoscopic urology at RPA. Dr Leslie then undertook a prestigious two-year fellowship in minimally invasive uro-oncology at the University of Southern California. Working alongside world leaders in robotic surgery he received exposure to the latest techniques in robotic surgery for prostate, kidney and bladder cancer.

Dr Leslie collaborates with a world-class multidisciplinary team of radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and pathologists at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital when caring for his patients with urological malignancies.

He is currently chair of the NSW urological training committee and actively involved in mentoring urologists both in Sydney and throughout Australia in robotic surgery.