Dr Michael L Talbot. MB ChB FRACS

Dr Talbot is a specialty trained Upper Gastrointestinal, Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Surgeon based at St George Hospital. He consults from the Department of Surgery at St George Hospital, The Illlawarra Family Medical Centre and at the Sydney Institute of Obesity Surgery in Ashfield.

Operations are performed at St George Public and Private Hospitals. Obesity and Hernia surgery are also performed at Holroyd and Sydney Private Hospitals.

Dr Talbot’s medical degree was obtained in Otago New Zealand in 1993. Subsequent to this he underwent Basic Surgical Training at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, with Advanced Training occuring at St George, St Vincent’s, and Liverpool Hospitals.

Following this he underwent training as the Lister Lecturer in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery at The Glasgow Royal Infirmary with further Cancer and Obesity Surgery training in Munich, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Adelaide and Wellington NZ.

He has been working as a University of New South Wales Senior Lecturer in Surgery since 2003 at St George Hospital and until recently at Wollongong Hospital.
Read Full Bio

Dr Vytauras Kuzinkovas. MBBS MD MRCSEd FRCSEd FRACS

Dr Vytauras Kuzinkovas is a Consultant Surgeon, specializing in General, Upper Gastro-Intestinal, advanced Laparoscopic Surgery and Oncology Surgery.

He has VMO appointments at St George Public, St George Private, Prince of Wales Private, Sydney Private, Kareena Private and Sutherland Hospitals.

After obtaining his primary medical qualifications (MBBS), he did a postgraduate doctorate research fellowship at the Department of Surgery at the University of Berne, Switzerland. Dr Kuzinkovas did research in the field of Laparoscopy and Surgical Immunology, culminating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD). He went on to the United Kingdom and completed a specialist surgical training, obtaining a MRCSEd and FRCSEd degrees. The UK surgical qualifications and experience were accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and he was awarded a FRACS.

During his surgical training in the UK – Dr Kuzinkovas has acquired an extensive expertise in managing complex General and Upper Gastro Intestinal surgical cases in particular – obesity surgery, antireflux surgery and radical resections for the gastric and oesophageal malignancies.

He is fluent in English, Lithuanian, German and Russian languages – that might be beneficial and convenient for the patients with multicultural backgrounds.

Dr Kuzinkovas states: “As an Upper Gastro-Intestinal (Upper GI) and Laparoscopic Surgical Specialist I really enjoy doing weight loss surgery and surgery for other gastric and oesophageal problems. I enjoy seeing the resolution of obesity and its related diseases in my patients. Moreover, as weight loss and gastro-oesophageal surgery involves operating on the patient’s upper gastro-intestinal tract, only the experts of this field can achieve the best results for their patients. “
Read Full Bio

Dr Phil Seeley. MBBS (Syd)

Dr Phillip Seeley is now in his fourth year with Dr. Michael Talbot and associates and his interest is in weight loss surgery. He graduated from the University of Sydney in1992 via the Westmead Medical School with residencies at Westmead and Wollongong Hospitals. Subsequently he served as an emergency department registrar at St George Public Hospital which emphasizes a strong foundation in paediatrics.  He was then appointed to the position of hospital Medical Officer at St George Private Hospital where he practiced for seven years covering a variety of specialities from neonatology, obstetrics, orthopaedics, neurolsurgery, colorectal and general surgery and oncology and pain management. In this role, he was the primary contact point for well over one hundred patients on each shift. He was also a member of the emergency response team with experience in many neonatal and cardiac resuscitations.

Since joining with Michael Talbot, life has been somewhat more sedate. His view of weight loss surgery is that whilst it is the best intervention in terms of weight loss and weight maintenance that we have at our disposal, it is far from perfect. He sees his role as the interface between the imperfections and the patient.  “The exciting thing about weight loss surgery is there is so much we don’t know and this opens the door to research and discovery.  Furthermore, our success is measured in terms of the success of our patients, and this is the challenge; to provide successful outcomes and develop protocols that ensure this success. Bariatric medicine is quite different to conventional medicine and our emphasis should be on service and addressing the psychological impediments that society has dealt upon those with excess weight”.
Read Full Bio

Dr Georgia Rigas. MBBS FRACGP

Dr Rigas obtained her medical degree from the University of New South Wales in May 2000. Dr Rigas qualified as a General Practitioner in the United Kingdom in April 2005. After working in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, Dr Rigas returned to Australia where she pursued her interest in bariatrics.

As a Bariatric Practitioner, Dr Rigas undertakes preoperative assessments to ensure patients are in an informed position in regards to their weight management options. She is involved in the surgical process as the surgeon’s assistant and post surgery, she helps patients achieve the most benefit out of their operation by giving the necessary followup care and advice.

As a trained and qualified General Practitioner, Dr Rigas bring a holistic and emotionally aware approach  to bariatric care. Above all, she understands that bariatric surgery is an ongoing, lifelong partnership between the patient, the Clinic and the patient’s regular GP.

When asked why she is involved in bariatrics, Dr Rigas states: “I find it rewarding to be able to tell patients that, due to their weight loss, they no longer need to take their diabetes medications or blood pressure tablets. I go home feeling great about what I do and know that I have made  a positive change to a person’s health and well being”.
Read Full Bio

Debra Parsons. RN Ba Health Sciences (Nursing)

Debra is available as a point of clinical contact, and co-ordinates a lot of pre- and post-operative care. She is responsible for audit and data management, and has a role in post-operative support.