IBD Information Forum

Dr. Ghaly has been the head of the inflammatory bowel disease unit at St. Vincent’s hospital, Sydney since 2015 and is conjoint senior lecturer at the School of Medicine, UNSW Sydney.  He completed his doctoral studies examining the effect of vitamin D and ultraviolet radiation in inflammatory bowel disease. His ongoing research efforts focus on the relevance of vitamin D to gut mucosal immunity, IBD and bone health as well as the role of diet and microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease. In addition to investigator-initiated research, Dr. Ghaly is involved with a variety of collaborative research projects nationally and is a principal investigator on a range of sponsored clinical trials. He has a clinical interest in bowel ultrasound and established this service at St. Vincent’s Hospital since 2019.  

Dr Hamish Urquhart is a specialist colorectal surgeon with subspeciality training in proctology, complex colorectal cancer, pelvic floor disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr Urquhart is on the board of the NSW training committee for General Surgery and is the Supervisor of Training for St Vincent’s Hospital in General Surgery and is the Deputy Chair of the NSW Training Board in General Surgery. Dr Urquhart is a qualified biomedical mechanical engineer, graduating with first class honours from the University of Sydney in 2004. He has published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at conferences in Australia, Europe and U.S.A on Colorectal Surgery.

Dr Gareth Owen graduated from Sydney University in 1999. He undertook surgical training at Prince of Wales Hospital and then St Vincents Hospital.  He then progressed to specialty Colorectal training at Concord Hospital and again Prince of Wales Hospital. Dr Owen then undertook specialty colorectal robotic training in both Korea and Hong Kong before returning to St Vincents as a Colorectal Surgeon in 2010. Dr Owen is currently the supervisor of Colorectal Surgical training at St Vincents and has previously been the NSW Eastern Network Surgical Supervisor.  He is actively involved in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease multidisciplinary meeting and indeed was a founding member of this combined medical and surgical service. Dr Owen has been involved, as a lead surgeon, in the management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients at St Vincents for over a decade.

Kirsty Leray works as a senior dietitian within the IBD Service at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. She completed her Bachelor of Science (first class Honours in Nutrition) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise Sports Science) at the University of Sydney in 2010. Kirsty is committed to excellence and best practice in IBD nutrition care provision. She is experienced in managing patients requiring Exclusive Enteral Nutrition, the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet, and undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Kirsty is a member of the Dietitian Crohn’s Colitis Australian Network (DECCAN). She is also a Convenor for Dietitians Australia interest groups

Marnie Marynissen is a Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) specialising in wound care and stomal therapy at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Sydney. She began her nursing career as a New Graduate Nurse at St Vincent’s Private in 2014 and moved into her current CNC role in 2019, subsequently completing her Grad Cert in Stomal Therapy in 2020. She brings her expertise in providing person centered care to patients with stomas and complex wounds. With a keen focus on delivering evidence-based interventions and compassionate patient education, Marnie is dedicated to supporting both her patients and the healthcare team to enhance quality of life and promote optimal outcomes.