Northern Health’s Department of Gastroenterology has continued to make a significant impact on the local and global stage over the past few months.  

In May 2026, Director of Gastroenterology at Northern Health, Professor Mayur Garg’s presentation on quality indicators for the performance of endoscopy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was selected as one of the best IBD papers at the world’s largest gastroenterology conference, Digestive Diseases Week in Chicago.  

Then in June, Associate Professor Siddharth Sood, Gastroenterologist at Northern Health, presented five posters on behalf of the liver service at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress in Barcelona, the world’s largest hepatology conference.  

Most recently, at Australian Gastroenterology Week 2026, held in Perth from 28-31 August, Northern Health’s team contributed more than 20 accepted abstracts, showcasing the growing impact and influence of the department. 

Highlights of the week included three oral presentations: two delivered by Associate Professor Siddharth Sood on outcomes of an intravenous albumin service for patients with cirrhosis and the Liver at Home program, and one delivered by Dr Michael MacIsaac on outcomes from the Endoscopy Stewardship Program. 

Other highlights included the Postgraduate Course, co-convened by Professor Mayur Garg; Dr Joshua Butt’s invited presentation on Optical Image Enhancement in Endoscopy; and Dr Sarah Lucas’ invited presentation on Iron Deficiency. 

Dr Irene Lu and Dr Sarah Lucas also delivered invited presentations at the Women in Gastroenterology breakfast meeting, highlighting practical avenues for addressing gender disparities in gastroenterology training and career pathways. Their presentations contributed valuable insights into the current landscape and future for women working and studying in the field.  

Overall, more than 20 posters were showcased during poster sessions throughout the meeting, which attracted more than 1,500 attendees. 

“These achievements highlight the continuing contribution by members of the Department of Gastroenterology at Northern Health across research, education and advocacy, enabling Northern Health’s staff and researchers to shape the future of gastroenterology for patients and the profession,” said Professor Garg. 

Congratulations on these outstanding achievements from all of us at Northern Health!