Dr James Lavender is a Gastroenterologist with advanced training in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). He completed an IBD fellowship and is undertaking a Master of Philosophy focused on optimising care for patients with complex IBD. He has expertise in intestinal ultrasound as a point-of-care tool to assess disease activity and guide management. Dr Lavender provides comprehensive general gastroenterology care including gastroscopy, colonoscopy and balloon enteroscopy, while maintaining a strong commitment to evidence-based, patient-centred practice. He is actively involved in research, teaching, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Dr Lumsdaine is an Orthopaedic Surgeon with subspecialty training in Hand and Wrist surgery. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgical training in Newcastle, before undertaking fellowships in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Following his Hand, Wrist and Trauma fellowship in London, he was took up a post as a Consultant Surgeon at the prestigious
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, and was awarded the Diploma in Hand Surgery by the British Society for Surgery of the
Hand in 2022.

Dr Lumsdaine continues to be involved in research and education. He is a tutor for the BSSH Diploma in Hand Surgery, and a
Lecturer and Course Coordinator with the University of Newcastle. He is proud to return home to the Hunter, bringing the skills and
experience he has acquired to provide an exceptional service to his community.

Dr Josh McCarthy is a specialist gastroenterologist and hepatologist. 

After earning his medical degree at the University of Newcastle in 2011, Josh has completed advanced training in gastroenterology across a various institutions in Port Macquarie, Lismore, Sydney, and Newcastle, refining his skills in complex clinical environments. 

As a former endoscopy fellow at John Hunter Hospital, Josh focussed on advanced endoscopic techniques, enhancing his ability to deliver comprehensive care in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal and liver conditions. He continues to serve as a Staff Specialist Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at John Hunter Hospital, maintaining an active role in a busy tertiary healthcare setting and contributes to medical education.

Josh’s clinical interests include colorectal cancer screening, advanced polyp resection techniques, quality improvement in endoscopy, and the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Having grown up in the Port Macquarie region, Josh is passionate about providing high-quality, patient-centred care to the Mid North Coast community. Josh provides diagnostic and therapeutic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy at Port Macquarie Private Hospital and Ramsay Surgical Centre Charlestown. 

Newcastle rooms: 

Hunter Gastroenterology
81 Chatham Street
Broadmeadow NSW 2291
Phone: 02 4942 2111
Email: contact@hgut.net.au

Website: Gastroenterologists Newcastle - Hepatologists - Hunter Gastroenterology

Dr Mistry is a fully qualified Plastic Surgeon with extensive experience in both Australia and New Zealand. He is Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS).

Dr Mistry graduated from the University of Auckland in Medicine in 2001. He completed 10 years of specialist plastic surgical training in 2012. He has undertaken fellowships in aesthetic surgery, burn surgery, hand and micro surgery.

Dr Mistry moved with his family to Newcastle in early 2015 to focus on hand surgery at the John Hunter Hospital. He then established his own plastic surgical practice.

Dr Mistry believes in delivering the highest quality of care for his patients. His mix of warmth, humour and honesty makes his patients feel at ease. Dr Mistry takes the time to ensure his patients are well informed and understand their condition and planned treatment.

Dr Moncrieff is an experienced Specialist Plastic Surgeon who is passionate about making women feel great about themselves.

Dr Moncrieff’s focus – breast and body surgery

He is one of only a handful of Plastic Surgeons across Australia with this sole breast and body focus.

His depth of experience in breast and body transformations means he focuses exclusively on breast reductions, breast lifts, breast augmentation, tummy tucks and body lifts.

Dr Moncrieff has performed thousands of surgical procedures over more than two decades in medicine. Over 20,000 of these procedures have been in Newcastle.

His qualifications and background

Dr Moncrieff is a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS).

After working between his practices in Sydney and Newcastle during 2008, he decided to focus solely on the Hunter Region so relocated with his family in 2009. He consults from his state-of-the-art clinic in Charlestown.

Dr Moncrieff graduated from the University of New South Wales in Medicine with Honours in 1997 and completed 10 years of specialist surgical training in 2007.

Professional Memberships:

• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
• Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
• Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS)

The bigger picture

Outside his practice, Dr Moncrieff is a proud father of three boys, including twins, and a patient fisherman. What do those interests mean for you? That he can multi-task, stays very calm under pressure and remains focused for hours – nice traits to have in a surgeon!

Dr Dan Oliver is a Staff Specialist Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Calvary Mater Newcastle, with active roles in clinical research, medical education and mentoring.

His interests include inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal cancer screening, liver disease, and disorders of gut-brain interaction.

With extensive experience in diagnosing and treating a wide range of gastrointestinal conditions, Dr Oliver is dedicated to providing compassionate care, ensuring patients feel understood, supported and valued throughout their healthcare journey. 

Dr Oliver welcomes referrals at his consulting rooms located at Advance Care Specialist Centre, Cardiff.

Pete trained in medicine at University College London and completed general surgical training in the UK. He has since gone on to complete specialist colorectal training in the UK and Australia. Pete is an active clinical researcher, with an Adjunct Associate Professor position at the University of Western Australia, and a senior research position in the Gastrointestinal Research Group at Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI).

Pete sees patients with general surgery and colorectal concerns at Toronto and Cooks Hill.

Dr Michael Potter is pleased to be able to offer a wide range of gastroenterological services including open access endoscopy at Beechnut Medical Rooms. His interest and experience spans the breadth of gastroenterological practice, with a focus on coeliac disease, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease and liver cancer. He is approachable, and committed to delivering empathic and patient-centred care.

Dr Potter completed his medical training at the University of Sydney where he graduated with honours, and his physician training in Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the John Hunter and Calvary Mater Hospitals in Newcastle. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Newcastle for his work in one of Australia’s leading gastrointestinal laboratories, with a thesis examining the role of diet in functional and inflammatory bowel diseases. He is actively involved in medical research, illustrated by his ongoing role as a chief investigator on several local and national research grants.

He works as a staff specialist Gastroenterologist at John Hunter Hospital, and as a conjoint lecturer in the Faculty of Health & Medicine at the University of Newcastle, where he enjoys teaching medical students and junior doctors. 

Dr. Deegesh Shah is the principal Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at OMS Specialists, offering high quality specialist care in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS). Dr. Deegesh operates from various hospitals in the Newcastle, Maitland, Taree, Port Macquarie and Hunter region.

Dr. Deegesh Shah also provides private Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery emergency services at the Lake Macquarie Private Hospital emergency department.

He also holds a Consultant position at the John Hunter Hospital where he is part of the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery unit. In addition to general OMS, he is also a part of the Cleft Lip & Palate, Head & Neck Oncology and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea teams. Dr. Deegesh Shah is also, the Supervisor of Training for OMS trainees in Newcastle and sits on the Regional Surgical Committee for training. He is also a conjoint senior lecturer at The University of Sydney.

Following the completion of his dental training at the University Sydney (BDS), Dr. Deegesh Shah went to the UK in a training position in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery for 3 years. In this time, he attained his Membership of the Faculty of Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, (MFDS RCS (Eng)). Following this, he returned to Australia and completed his medical training at the University of Newcastle (BMed). After the completion of his medical training, he undertook 6 years of general and advanced medical and surgical training. He ultimately completed his advanced surgical training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and achieved his Fellowship in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, (FRACDS(OMS)) from the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

Dr. Deegesh Shah has a dedication to education, research and furthering the growth of the speciality whilst at the same time ensuring the provision of high quality specialist treatment for all patients. He has presented his research at multiple national and international meetings on topics passionate to him. He has also widely published in multiple peer reviewed journals.

Dr. Deegesh Shah is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, a member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and a member of the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Dental Association. He is also a member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and an alumni of the University of Sydney and University of Newcastle.

Vivian graduated from the University of New South Wales and moved to Newcastle for her internship and resident medical officer years. Prior to Dermatology training at John Hunter Hospital, she gained valuable experience in both Emergency Department work and General Practice, which also included a Medical Educator role. Her interest in Dermatology was established in medical school, where she was awarded The Katherine Georgouras Prize in Dermatology and arranged overseas observation posts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Kings College in London and The National Skin Centre in Singapore. Her local training was enhanced with a term at Orange Dermatology where she was exposed to rural aspects of the specialty.

Vivian offers consultations in private practice at Nova Dermatology, and also regularly in public practice at the John Hunter Department of Dermatology where duties include outpatient clinics and teaching dermatology registrars and medical students. As the first dermatologist in Newcastle accredited for Mohs Micrographic Surgery, she has been offering this important service to residents of the Hunter since 2022.

She remains actively engaged in research and teaching – she has published in peer reviewed journals and has attended and presented at national and international dermatology conferences. She lectures to University of Newcastle and University of Sydney students, presents to general practitioners and GP registrars on various dermatology topics.