Medical Advisory Committee

Dr McCosker is a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who has been servicing the Illawarra region for the last fifteen years. He graduated from the University of Sydney in 1978. His Undergraduate and Postgraduate hospital training was at the Royal North Shore Hospital St Leonards.

He spent eighteen months as a Resident at Alice Springs in Central Australia. Most of his Specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecological training was then achieved in the United Kingdom during the 1980’s.

Dr McCosker has an interest in General Obstetrics and Gynaecology and has adopted many new techniques and ideas into his practice over the last fifteen years.

Dr Mario Malkoun is a General and Laparoscopic Surgeon and Endoscopist in the Illawarra. After growing up in Sydney, he completed his undergraduate medical science degree at Sydney University and gained his Honours degree through the Westmead Millennium Institute in human genetics using DNA Microarray, a new technology at the time. He undertook his graduate medical degree at the University of Queensland and graduated with an MBBS in 2004.

Dr Swartz graduated from medical school in 2001 and has been a Gastroenterologist since 2010. Dr Swartz undertook post-fellowship training in Therapeutic and Interventional Endoscopy, with a focus on ERCP and EUS, at the prestigious Duke University Medical Centre in the USA.

He practices in all aspects of general gastoenterology, with a special interest in quality colonoscopy, and diseases of the pancreas and bile ducts. In addition to his private practice at Shellharbour Private Hospital, Dr Swartz has appointments as a Staff Specialist at Wollongong Hospital, and Senior Lecturer with the UOW School of Medicine.

A/Prof Ali Tafreshi is a medical oncologist consulting at Shellharbour Private Hospital. He has extensive experience in treating different solid tumours including gastrointestinal tract tumours, breast cancers, lung cancers, genitourinary tumours, gynaecology cancers, head and neck and brain tumours.

Ali completed his physician training in major hospitals in Melbourne and subsequently worked in comprehensive cancer centres including Olivia-Newton John Cancer and Wellness Centre, Monash Medical Centre and St. Vincent’s before moving to NSW in 2013.

Ali has been extensively involved in research and is currently the principal and co-investigator of multiple international clinical trials. He has multiple publications including practice changing papers in the treatment of lung cancer which have been published in NEJM and lancet oncology. Ali’s aim is to provide holistic approach and personalised therapy to cancer patients and their family in the region. Ali was part of a group from cancer institute that climbed Mt Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for GI cancers and fundraising for cancer research.

Chris joined Healthe Care three years ago with the initial objective of implementing ‘Rehab to Home’ within the Healthe Care Community. He then transitioned into the role of CEO of Mackay Private Hospital. Having driven many initiatives including the introduction of mental health to Mackay, development of NDIS programs at several of our rehabilitation sites and management of several key public hospital contracts, Chris took up his position of CEO at Shellharbour Private Hospital in July, 2019.