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Executive Committee

Dr Tony Tham

President & Consultant Gastroenterologist

Dr Tham qualified in 1985 from Queen’s University of Belfast. He trained as a gastroenterologist and physician in the Northern Ireland training program. He completed his training as an Advanced Gastroenterology Fellow in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 1995 – 6.

He has been Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist in the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, Belfast since 1997. During this time, he has developed gastroenterology services in the Ulster Hospital, especially in therapeutic endoscopy and ERCP.

He has more than 70 publications in peer reviewed journals. He is the first author of a book entitled “Gastrointestinal Emergencies” which has been published as a 3rd edition and translated into Polish. He has contributed to several other book chapters. He was the Guidelines Editor for Gut. He is on the International Editorial Board of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; Associate Editor of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; Diagnostic and Therapeutic Endoscopy. He has received several awards for being a top reviewer for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Gut.

He was the Head of the School of Medicine, Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (deanery) and is currently Training Program Director for Internal Medicine. He is the Deputy Chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee for internal medicine at the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board.

He is a past President of the Irish Society of Gastroenterology. He is the Chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Clinical Services and Standards Committee. He was formerly the Quality Improvement and Guidelines lead of the BSG. He is an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Queen’s University.

Specialties: Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, therapeutic endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatobiliary disorders, irritable bowel syndrome

Dr Catriona McKenna

Honorary Secretary & Consultant Gastroenterologist

Catriona has worked as Consultant
Gastroenterologist in Antrim Hospital since March 2019.

She has an interest in Nutrition and completed
an advanced Nutrition fellowship in 2017 and currently acts
as Nutrition lead for the trust.

Alongside this, she is involved in post graduate training and acts as faculty for endoscopy
courses in Northern Ireland.

Dr Leah Gilroy

Honorary Treasurer & Consultant Gastroenterologist

Dr Leah Gilroy has recently been appointed as a consultant gastroenterologist in the Belfast trust.  She graduated from Queens University Belfast in 2010 and completed gastroenterology training within Northern Ireland.  She has a masters degree in medical law from Northumbria University.   She has interests in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Transition and Medicolegal work.

Dr Andrew Spence

Committee Member & Consultant Gastroenterologist

Dr Andrew Spence is a consultant gastroenterologist in the Royal Victoria Hospital and clinical lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). Dr Spence graduated from QUB in 2009 and completed junior doctor training in general medicine and gastroenterology in 2023.

During training he completed a Master’s in Clinical Education, a Master’s in Healthcare Ethics and Law and a PhD. His PhD focused on investigating factors influencing the risk of, and survival from, gastro-oesophageal cancer, and he continues research with the QUB Barrett’s oesophagus group.

He subspecialises in neuroendocrine tumours and, as a clinical lecturer, Dr Spence’s main interest is simulation-based education.

Dr Graham Turner

Committee Member (Incoming USG President) & Consultant Gastroenterologist

Dr Graham Turner works as a Consultant Gastroenterologist in Belfast at both the Royal Victoria and Belfast City Hospitals. He is Clinical Lead for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy at the Trust. He has been a consultant since 2006 initially in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry but moved to Belfast in 2009 where he is part of the Regional Intestinal Failure team for Northern Ireland.

Graham qualified from Queen’s University Belfast in 1996 and completed his training in Northern Ireland and was awarded an MD degree at QUB in 2004. He has completed Fellowships in Perth Australia and then at University College Hospital in London with Prof Alastair Forbes.

His clinical interests are Intestinal Failure, Inflammatory Bowel disease and endoscopy including Bowel Cancer Screening.

Dr Rebecca O'Kane

Trainee Representative Committee Member & Gastroenterology Registrar

Dr Rebecca O’Kane is  a ST5 gastroenterology registrar, completing specialty training in Northern Ireland.  She graduated from Queens University Belfast in 2013.  She has an interest in hepatology and will complete an ATP fellowship in Hepatology in Birmingham and Liverpool next year.

Mr Brendan Byrne

Nurse Representative Committee Member & Nurse Endoscopist

Brendan Byrne qualified as an RCN in 1991.   He has worked in Endoscopy for 25 years and has been a Nurse Endoscopist since 2001 with Bowel Screening accreditation in 2009 and currently works in the South Eastern Trust.


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