Dysphagia in Primary Care: When to Worry and What to Do Next

Learning outcomes

• Identify patients with dysphagia, including subtle or intermittent symptoms, who warrant early investigation or specialist referral.
• Interpret red flag features from less urgent presentations to guide appropriate referral timing and pathway.
• Discuss how the correct diagnoses of many causes of dysphagia are readily treatable, and that timely investigation and referral can lead to effective management.

Speaker biography

I am an Upper GI, Bariatric and General Surgeon.

I completed General Surgery training through Monash Health, obtaining FRACS, followed by three years of post-fellowship training through the AANZGOSA program. This included positions at Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand and The Austin Hospital, where I gained extensive experience in both open and minimally invasive surgery.

My clinical interests include gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, hiatus hernia, oesophageal motility disorders, gallbladder disease, and abdominal wall and groin hernia surgery. I also manage oesophageal and gastric cancer and perform metabolic and bariatric (weight-loss) procedures.

I am committed to providing thoughtful, patient-centred care, with a focus on clear communication, technical excellence, and supporting patients through every stage of their surgical journey.

I hold public appointments at both Bayside Health and Monash Health. Privately, I consult in Malvern, Frankston and Gippsland as part of South East Upper GI Surgical Group and operate at Cabrini Malvern and Peninsula Private Hospital.