About
Dr Douglas Samuel
Dr Douglas Samuel received his undergraduate degrees of BSc(Med), MBBS (Hons) at University of New South Wales in 1995 and also the UNSW Foundation Medal for leadership and fellowship. He trained in Sydney hospitals including St Vincent’s, Royal North Shore, Royal Prince Alfred and Prince of Wales Hospitals. In 2003, he became a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and then spent two post-fellowship years in London at St Mark’s Hospital and University College London Hospitals. During this time, he further developed his subspecialist and research interest in Crohn’s and colitis and colonoscopic mucosal resection of large colonic polyps.
He is a Senior Lecturer at both University of New South Wales (UNSW) and University of Sydney. He researches novel therapies in Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis and early diagnosis of colorectal cancer. He received the degree of Master of Medicine by research (UNSW) for original research in London on optical artificial intelligence techniques in early diagnosis of colonic "pre- cancerous" lesions. He is a clinical investigator on a number of national and international clinical trials.
Dr Samuel holds a Graduate Diploma in Medical Education (UNSW) and has won several “teacher of the year” awards. He has been employed as a teaching consultant developing both undergraduate and postgraduate medical programs. He has led “teach-the-teacher” workshops in Australia and in the UK. In London, he was on the faculty of the National Endoscopy Training Centre "training the trainers" in gastroscopy and colonoscopy. He has presented at national and international gastroenterology conferences and educational events covering general practice and gastroenterology. He supervises the training of specialist consultant physicians for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in both general medicine and gastroenterology.
Dr Sonia Alley
Dr Alley is a visiting Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at the Mayo in Taree and Forster Private hospitals and works as an associate of Dr Samuel. She also is available for weekly telehealth consultations from Sydney. She completed a Bachelor of Medical Science and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Sydney, and then completed her residency, basic physician training and first two years of Gastroenterology Advanced training at Royal North Shore Hospital and then a final year of Gastroenterology training at Blacktown Hospital.
Dr Alley is accredited with the Conjoint Committee for Recognition of Training in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (CCRTGE) to perform diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopy and colonoscopy and is a member of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia.
She writes, 'I chose Gastroenterology because I love the variety it offers, and therefore I am very much a generalist, but I am particularly interested in disorders of gut-brain interaction (previously known as functional gut disorders), colorectal cancer screening and polyp surveillance, coeliac disease, iron deficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic liver disease (in particular alcohol and metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease). I am also passionate about the role of diet in health and disease.
I believe my strength is my empathy and compassion with patients, and I am a strong believer in the importance of the biopsychosocial model of care in Gastroenterological practice. I take the time to listen to, understand, and educate my patients."
