Our Staff

Dr Brian Draganic - Colorectal Surgeon

Dr Brian Draganic is a Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Newcastle and head of the Colorectal Surgical Department at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, Australia.

He graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1990 and completed general surgical training in the Hunter area before completing his Australian Colorectal Fellowship years at Concord and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals, and gaining further experience in the UK before commencing consultant practice in Newcastle.

Since then he has established, developed and led the Colorectal Unit at John Hunter Hospital from a two surgeon Newcastle service to a multiple medical, nursing and allied health unit providing 24 hour sub-specialty colorectal surgical care for patients from the Hunter, New England and mid North Coast regions.

He has leadership roles at John Hunter and Newcastle Private Hospital, is active in clinical research and post-graduate education and his major clinical interests are open and minimally invasive colorectal surgery and endoscopy for cancer, diverticular and inflammatory bowel disease. He has taken care of over 2000 colorectal cancer patients and enjoys every aspect of care, from diagnosis and surgery, to surveillance and palliative care.

He is also a very average triathlete.

Professor Stephen Smith - Colorectal Surgeon

Professor Stephen Smith graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1993. He completed general surgical training in 2001, including a year at Adenbrookes, Cambridge UK. He completed Colorectal CSSANZ Fellowship in 2003 with stints at RPA, Sydney and Royal Melbourne and Western, Melbourne. He completed Masters of Surgery in 2005 at Sydney University, and also completed his PhD. He is currently a VMO Colorectal Surgeon at John Hunter Hospital and the Calvary Mater Hospital, with a particular interest in enhanced recovery in colorectal surgery.

Dr Hasitha Balasuriya - Colorectal Surgeon

Dr Hasitha Balasuriya is a colorectal surgeon who moved to Newcastle with his family in 2022. He graduated from the University of Western Sydney and was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2019 and is a Member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Gastroenterological Society of Australia. He trained at Concord and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals in Sydney as well as rural and regional hospitals in NSW. He gained further exposure to colorectal surgery, undertaking sub-specialised fellowships in Edinburgh, UK (laparoscopic colorectal surgery, advanced endoscopy, trans-anal endoscopic microsurgery), Sir Charles Gairdner, WA (CSSANZ fellowship, sarcoma, organ preservation) and Concord, NSW (laparoscopic and open colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease surgery). He is a keen teacher, researcher, and patient advocate, and prides himself on his technical expertise and bedside manner. 

He has public VMO appointments at John Hunter and Belmont Hospitals, and private appointments at Newcastle Private Hospital and Newcastle Endoscopy Centre.   

Dr Michelle Chen - Colorectal Surgeon

Dr Michelle Chen has joined Newcastle Colorectal Surgery. Dr Chen is taking bookings for new public and private patients, all referrals can be emailed to [email protected].  Dr Chen will operate at John Hunter and Belmont Hospitals, Newcastle Private Hospital, Lake Macquarie Private Hospital, and Newcastle Endoscopy Centre.

Dr Chen studied at UNSW and completed surgical training through the Liverpool Hospital network in 2019. Dr Chen completed two years of CSSANZ training in 2024 at Nepean Hospital and Monash Hospital.She can speak Mandarin and Cantonese.  Dr Chen has an interest in minimally invasive surgery, proctology and inflammatory bowel disease and will be undertaking further robotic training in 2024. She has a keen interest in research and teaching and will be looking to obtain a conjoint appointment with the University of Newcastle.  

Dr Marisol Perez Cerdeira - Upper GI & General Surgeon

Dr Marisol Perez Cerdeira graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) in 2003. After qualifying as a general & gastroenterological surgeon in 2009, she worked as staff specialist general surgeon in Spain for 5 years. Marisol moved to Australia in 2014 to undertake further training in upper gastrointestinal, bariatric and abdominal wall surgery in Adelaide, Tweed Heads and Brisbane. In 2018 she completed a clinical fellowship in minimally invasive oesophagogastric surgery (laparoscopic and robotic) at the Yonsei Hospital in South Korea. Marisol enjoys teaching students and junior doctors and is conjoint lecturer at the University of Newcastle. Marisol has held a public appointment at John Hunter Hospital and Belmont Hospitals since 2019.

Marisol has also dedicated part of her time to provide general surgical services in less privileged areas in Australia and overseas. Marisol's primary motivation is to be able to offer her patients the best possible care. Her patients' quality of life and long term results are her primary considerations. She bases patients' care on a holistic approach, where patients' personal circumstances and their disease are taken into consideration to decide the most appropriate management. Marisol is taking bookings for privately insured patients only in the rooms. Marisol is fluent in Spanish and can communicate in Italian.

Conditions: Abdominal wall hernias (epigastric, femoral, incisional, Spigelian, umbilical, inguinal and ventral),  achalasia, Barrett's oesophagus, dyspepsia, desmoid tumours, gallstones, gastric cancer, gastrointestinal tumours, GIST, hiatal hernia, oesophageal cancer, reflux, swallowing difficulties, small bowel pathology, positive faecal occult blood tests.

Dr Merran Holmes - Colorectal Surgeon

Dr Merran Holmes will be joining Newcastle Colorectal Surgery in March 2025. She graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2012. She completed general surgical training through the Hunter New England Local Health District and was awarded her FRACS in 2022. Following this she has undertaken 2 years of colorectal subspecialty training through the ANZTBCRS program at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney and at Western Health in Melbourne, where she gained experience in managing colorectal cancer, proctology, inflammatory bowel disease and pelvic floor disorders. She is accredited for both Colonoscopy and Upper GI endoscopy with GESA.

Merran has a strong interest in teaching and research. She completed a Masters in Surgical Science in 2016 and is currently undertaking a PhD. She is also a conjoint associate lecturer at the University of Newcastle.