Executive Committee
Dr Graham Turner
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 Director for Belfast Trust 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. He is also Medical Director for Alliance Clinical Services, who run a comprehensive insourcing service for NHS in the UK.
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 Darragh McCullagh
Honorary Secretary & Consultant Gastroenterologist
Dr Lisa McNeill
Honorary Treasurer & Consultant Hepatologist
Dr Lisa McNeill qualified from Queen’s University Belfast in 2014. She completed her training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Northern Ireland, and completed a Hepatology fellowship at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne. She has worked as a Consultant Hepatologist in the Regional Liver Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital since August 2023. She is a past NI Representative on the BSG Trainee Committee.
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.
Leanne McWha
Committee Member & Gastroenterology Specialist Nurse
Leanne McWha qualified as a Staff Nurse from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2007 and took up a post in the Ulster Hospital. She has worked within Gastroenterology for 13 years and for the last 4 and half years has been working as the Gastroenterology Specialist Nurse in South Eastern Trust.
She has recently completed PG Cert in Gastrointestinal Disorders and has an invested interest in Hepatology and Quality Improvement.
Dr Rachael McBride
Committee Member & Surgeon
Dr Beka Toner
Trainee Representative Committee Member & Gastroenterology Registrar
