Meet our panel of medical specialists

Anthony graduated from Auckland University Medical School in 2013. He worked in New Zealand and Australia as a junior doctor. He worked in the Liver Research Unit at Auckland hospital before starting in 2022 as an advanced gastroenterology trainee at Dunedin Hospital. He has an interest in interventional gastroenterology. .. read more »

Laura graduated from the University of Tasmania Medical School in 2017. She has since worked as a junior doctor at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania and has completed a year of Advanced Training in General and Acute Care Medicine with 6 months in Gastroenterology before starting as an advanced gastroenterology trainee at Dunedin Hospital in 2023. Laura has a keen interest in inflammatory bowel disease and has been involved in several research projects in the field. .. read more »

Dana Smith is an IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist working in Gastroenterology at Dunedin Hospital, Te Whatu Ora–Southern, and Gastroenterology Clinical Trials unit at Otago Medical School, Otago University. Since graduating in 2015, Dana has a background of rehabilitation, general surgery, and endoscopy. She continues to progress her career with a strong interest toward IBD nursing and is finishing her Postgraduate Diploma with Otago University in 2021. .. read more »

Professor Roslyn Kemp (BSc Hons, Otago [1997], PhD, Otago, Malaghan Institute [2001]) is a researcher who has a particular interest in colorectal cancer and gut-specific immune responses in health and disease. Her current research focus involves T-cell and myeloid cell subsets in people with colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, and aims to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. In particular she is interested in the tumour immune microenvironment and the interactions between immune cells and tumour associated cells. Roslyn is a member of the Gut Health Network and the Ako Aotearoa Academy for Tertiary Teaching Excellence and is a Council Member of the International Union of Immunological Societies... read more »

Michael studied in Erlangen-Nuremberg and trained in Manchester, London and Regensburg, Germany. He went to Chapel Hill, NC at the University of North Carolina for his postdoctoral fellowship. Michael joined the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago in 2005, taking up a joint clinical position as a Senior Lecturer and Gastroenterologist with Te Whatu Ora–Southern. He was Head of the Department of Medicine from 2016 to 2021. He was promoted to Professor in 2018.   Michael’s research expertise is focused on clinical and basic scientific aspects of inflammatory bowel diseases, with an emphasis on host-microbe interactions. He has several years of experience working with animal models of experimental colitis, and with the administration of clinical trials in patients with IBD. Michael is Director of the Gut Health Network which was established in 2011, and was elected as the President of the New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology in November 2016. .. read more »

Christine is a nurse practitioner in Gastroenterology at Dunedin Hospital, Te Whatu Ora–Southern. Her role includes the diagnosis and management of patients with IBD and is a nurse endoscopist within the department. Christine completed her Master of Nursing at the University of Auckland in 2020 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Science in preparation for the scope of practice change to a nurse practitioner in 2022. Christine has a varied nursing background including experience in surgical nursing, stomal therapy, bowel cancer screening in the UK, endoscopy nursing and developed the role of the IBD CNS and IBD service at Te Whatu Ora-Southern... read more »

Dr Srikantaiah Manjunatha (Manju) is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Te Whatu Ora–Southern, Dunedin and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Otago.  After completing his MBBS from the University of Mysore in India and MD (Medicine) from the prestigious PGIMER (Post graduate institute of Medical Education & Research), Chandigarh, India, he moved to the UK in 1988.  He completed advanced training in medicine and gastroenterology in the UK after obtaining his MRCP (UK) in 1989.  He worked as a registrar, senior registrar and consultant in medicine and gastroenterology for 25 years in the NHS, UK.  He also held honorary faculty positions in the universities of Wolverhampton and Birmingham.  He was elected FRCP (London) in 2009 and served as a national assessor for the JAG (Joint advisory group) for GI endoscopy quality for four years before retiring from the NHS in September 2014 and moving to New Zealand. He was elected FRACP in January 2016. .. read more »