South African Society of Endoscopic Surgeons

Trouble Shooting in Difficult Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Christo is a hepato-biliary-pancreatic and general surgeon who obtained the degree MBChB from the University of Stellenbosch in 2004. After internship at 1 Military Hospital and community service in Knysna he spent two years working in Ireland and the UK. During this time he was awarded the DipPEC(SA) and MRCS(Ed) qualifications. On his return to Cape Town, he completed his specialist training in General Surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town. He was also admitted to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh after successfully completing the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh exams in 2014. He followed this with a two-year formal fellowship in hepatopancreatiobiliary surgery with a subspecialist certification in surgical gastroenterology. During his higher training, Christo was awarded two Master’s degrees, both in clinical aspects of surgical oncology. Christo has been the head of Acute Care Surgery, in addition to being a consultant in HPB surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital since 2017. Here he has carved out an academic career where he has been involved in numerous peer review publications in addition to specialist and subspecialist training. In 2019 he had the opportunity to develop his interest in abdominal surgery after being awarded the prestigious SASES J&J award to complete a fellowship in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where he received further exposure to complex laparoscopic general surgical procedures. Christo as a hernia enthusiast has developed a national hernia registry and is a regular proctor to other specialists for laparoscopic hernia repair. In 2021 Christo was promoted to associate professor in Surgery at the University of Cape Town. In 2022 he completed the first robotic hernia case series in South Africa. He is currently the President of the Hernia Interest Group of South Africa and also the director of robotic surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital.

TNT in Rectal Cancer - Why and What Is Happening

Dr. Nadine Harran is a female colorectal surgeon currently working at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC). Dr. Harran is a graduate of the University of Witwatersrand, where she completed her undergraduate and general surgical training, as well as a sub-specialty fellowship in GIT surgery with a special interest in colorectal surgery. Prestigious fellowships include three months at Academisch Medisch Centrum in the Netherlands and two weeks at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS in the United Kingdom. Dr. Harran performs a wide range of colorectal surgeries ranging from cancer, pelvic floor, fecal incontinence, proctology and endoscopy. She has a special interest in laparoscopic surgery and is actively involved in setting up protocols and systems for the unit and has been instrumental in creating an online data management system to assist with future research. Dr. Harran has been in private practice at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre since 2016. She is actively involved in the colorectal societies of South Africa and has presented on numerous occasions at medical societies such as ASSA, SAGES, SASES and South African Colorectal Training weekends. She is also a Board member of Surgicom, a Professional Body that manages and represents Surgeons in Private Practice.

Intestinal Failure, Enterocutaneous Fistula, Refeeding Enteroclysis and Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair