About Me

Welcome to my Web page.

Biography

I grew up in a small seaside village called Muizenberg, which is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. I received my bachelor's degree and medical degree at the University of Cape Town. I completed an internship at Groote Schuur Hospital, where the world's first human heart transplant was performed. My wife and I immigrated to the United States in 1984. During my specialty training at UC Irvine, I became familiar with Kaiser Permanente, and joined the practice in 1990. Kaiser is committed to furthering medical education, and hosts teaching programs affiliated with local medical schools. We have a family practice residency program. In addition, I started a program for the education and treatment of members with hepatitis C, the motility program for study of diseases of the esophagus, and the wireless capsule program to study the small intestine.

About my practice

I work in the majestic facility you see when you drive down the I-405 Freeway in Irvine. As part of a team of gastroenterologists, I am privileged to partner with members to help them achieve the best possible health outcomes. I diagnose members with gastrointestinal diseases, and provide support and advocacy to ensure they get the appropriate treatment. Kaiser Permanente is a strong proponent of primary care prevention and screening. I personally have benefited from early detection and treatment, and urge my patients to take full advantage of Kaiser’s preventive care programs.

How I thrive

My wife is a preschool teacher, and we are the proud parents of a daughter and son-and-daughter fraternal twins – all born at Kaiser Permanente. My delight is our talkative African gray parrot, although the rest of my family finds our two dogs easier. Life balance is one important reason I joined Kaiser Permanente. I work hard for my patients, but also want to spend time with my family. I have been there for my children's school events, sporting activities, and dance recitals. As a family, we spend a lot of time outdoors, and we all enjoy exercise of some kind. To stay fit, I exercise and walk the dogs for about an hour a day. We try to eat well, and buy organic products. With two dancers in the family, a low-fat, low-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet is important. I enjoy music and art. I play some guitar, and am somewhat creative with a paintbrush and canvas.