PROFESSOR FALK

Professor Falk is a surgeon with more than 27 years' experience in laparoscopic surgery. He is Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, and Head of Department of Upper GI Surgery at Concord Repatriation General Hospital. He has published innovative research articles on upper gastrointestinal diseases including reflux, hiatus hernia, giant hiatus hernia, splenectomy, oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer and laparoscopic surgery.

Professor Falk (MBBS FRACS FACS) graduated from the University of Sydney in 1979 and obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1986. He is also a Fellow of the Royal American College of Surgeons. He pursued ​post-fellowship training in Upper GI Surgery in the UK from 1987 to 1988, the USA in 1988, and Hong Kong in 1990. He is currently Senior Specialist in Upper GI Surgery at Concord Hospital and the Head of the Department of Upper Gastro-intestinal Surgery/Endosurgery, Associate Professor of Surgery University of Sydney since 1999.

Professor Falk has pursued techniques in improving curability by surgery for oesophageal, gastric and pancreatic cancer, and pioneered advances in keyhole / laparoscopic surgery for the past 25 years. He is employing minimally invasive surgical techniques for gastric and oesophageal cancer resection, as well as laparoscopic removal of GIST tumour, gastric and duodenal polyps and pancreatic cysts. Professor Falk has had extensive experience with hiatus hernia and reflux surgery, with more than 3500 cases completed by laparoscopy. He is referred both straightforward and complex cases and also recurrent problems, statewide.

Professor Falk has long term involvement in Barrett's Oesophagus, Barrett's Carcinoma, and prevention of oesophageal carcinoma. Recent progress has been achieved in diagnosis of laryngo-pharyngeal reflux ("reflux cough") utilising new diagnostic regimens. He has completed multiple reviews of his personal series of oesophageal cancer resections with 45% 5 year survival (compared with contemporary series of 20-25%).

Professor Falk has had a longstanding innovative approach to development in surgery and was recently the visiting guest Professor of the Society of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of England (AUGIS) in Leeds, UK (2016).