Robotic Upper Gastrointestinal,
Pancreatic & General Surgeon
(02) 9480 4250
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Assoc. Professor Christos Apostolou

Assoc. Professor Christos Apostolou

Robotic Upper Gastrointestinal, Pancreatic & General Surgeon

MBChB, MMed (Surg), Cert. Gastro (SA) Surg., FCS (SA), FRACS

Assoc. Professor Christos Apostolou is a specialist general surgeon in the fields of upper gastrointestinal, liver, biliary and pancreatic surgery. Graduating from the University of Cape Town in 1996, he undertook surgical training and qualified as a General Surgeon in South Africa in 2003, continuing with fellowships in tertiary trauma and hepatopancreaticobiliary and digestive surgery.

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BIO

Assoc. Professor Christos Apostolou is a highly regarded specialist general surgeon with expertise in upper gastrointestinal, liver, biliary, and pancreatic surgery. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1996 and completed his surgical training in South Africa, qualifying as a General Surgeon in 2003. Following his initial qualifications, Assoc. Professor Apostolou pursued further fellowships in tertiary trauma and hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery, enhancing his skills and knowledge in these critical areas.

Education

Assoc. Professor Apostolou’s educational background is impressive. He earned his MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) from the University of Cape Town in 1996. After completing his surgical training and qualifying as a General Surgeon in South Africa in 2003, he went on to obtain his MMed (Surg) (Master of Medicine in Surgery) in 2006. Additionally, he holds the Cert. Gastro (SA) Surg. (Certificate in Surgical Gastroenterology) from the South African College of Surgeons, awarded in 2006, and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2012.

Subsequent Appointments

Throughout his career, Assoc. Professor Apostolou has held various esteemed positions. He served as a Visiting Consultant at Groote Schuur Hospital and was an Honorary Lecturer in Surgery while establishing a successful private practice in Cape Town. In Australia, he worked as a fellow in Upper GI Surgery within the South Western Sydney Area Health Service and was awarded his FRACS following an exceptional performance assessment.

Current Appointments

Assoc. Professor Apostolou currently holds appointments at several hospitals, including:

  • Sydney Adventist Hospital
  • Northern Beaches Hospital

Commitment to Patient Care

Assoc. Professor Apostolou is dedicated to providing exceptional patient care by being approachable and ensuring the best possible outcomes for his patients through dedication and expertise. He emphasizes patient satisfaction through continuous communication and feedback throughout the treatment process. This structured format allows for easy scanning while providing comprehensive information about Assoc. Professor Christos Apostolou’s qualifications, expertise, and commitment to patient care.

Qualifications

Areas of Expertise

A/Prof. Apostolou is an experienced Specialist Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon. He holds expertise in upper gastrointestinal, liver/biliary, pancreatic, and bariatric surgery through minimally invasive (robotic/laparoscopic) and open techniques.

Christos undertook his surgical training in Cape Town, with admission to the South African College of Surgeons in 2003. He subsequently completed five years of fellowships in Upper GI/HPB/Trauma Surgery, and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2012, after emigrating with his family to Australia.

He holds a Masters in Surgery from the University of Cape Town, and the Certificate of Surgical Gastroenterology from the South African College of Surgeons. He maintains a strong interest in research, with numerous and ongoing peer-reviewed publications.

He holds the academic title of Clinical Associate Professor with the Australian National University College of Medicine, based at the Sydney Adventist Hospital Clinical School and Senior Clinical Lecturer with Macquarie University Medical School.

He currently holds the position of Head of Department, General Surgery, and Clinical Lead in Upper GI Surgery at the Sydney Adventist Hospital. Previously, he acted as Department Head in Upper GI Surgery at Bankstown Hospital, and served as the GSA/RACS hospital training supervisor on the NSW committee. He has also served on the board of the ANZHPBA and is a member of ANZGOSA, ANZMOSS, GSA, and the AMA.

A/Prof. Apostolou is a highly skilled, fully accredited robotic surgeon and robotic Upper GI surgery proctor, having commenced his robotic journey at the Yonsei University, Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea in 2015. He is also a member of the Sydney Adventist Hospital’s Robotic Steering Committee.

Christos is committed to providing an outstanding level of patient care, with a focus on achieving the best health outcomes and improved lifestyles for patients in the Upper North Shore, through professional specialist care.

Research

Academic Contributions

In addition to his clinical practice, Assoc. Professor Apostolou is committed to education and research.

He is a Clinical Associate Professor with the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology, at the Sydney Adventist Hospital Clinical School, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer with Macquarie University, based at the Northern Beaches Hospital campus.

A/Prof. Apostolou’s main areas of interest lie in robotic surgery and robotic hernia surgery, as well as their adoption in Australia.

Recent Publications

1. Choi JDW, Bradford L, Tang K, Bukofzer M, Dunkin P, Wong H, Ali-Beck A, Spillane A, Van Der Heever J, Murphy C, Kueh J, Woodman R, Needs A, Fok KY, Chen M, Zahid A, Samra J, Lynch AC, Apostolou C, Barto W, Pillinger S.
Robotic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair Is Feasible and Efficient: A Prospective Cohort Study of a Day-Only Protocol From a High-Volume Robotic Surgery Centre Evaluating Short-Term Outcomes.
ANZ J Surg. 2025 Jul 21. doi: 10.1111/ans.70263. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40689536.

2. Pham CT, Lau P, Hew J, Apostolou C, Chung A.
Mesenteric misadventure: An unusual suprapubic catheter complication.
Curr Urol. 2025 Jan;19(1):70-72. doi: 10.1097/CU9.0000000000000095. Epub 2022 Mar 3. PMID: 40313424; PMCID: PMC12042181.

3. NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery; STARSurg Collaborative.
A prognostic model for use before elective surgery to estimate the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (GSU-Pulmonary Score): a development and validation study in three international cohorts.
Lancet Digit Health. 2024 Jul;6(7):e507-e519. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(24)00065-7. PMID: 38906616; PMCID: PMC12056793.

4. PancreasGroup.org Collaborative.
Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries.
Br J Surg. 2024 Jan 3;111(1):znad330. doi: 10.1093/bjs/znad330. PMID: 38743040; PMCID: PMC10771125.

5. Ubels S, Matthée E, Verstegen M, Klarenbeek B, Bouwense S, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Daams F, Dekker JWT, van Det MJ, van Esser S, Griffiths EA, Haveman JW, Nieuwenhuijzen G, Siersema PD, Wijnhoven B, Hannink G, van Workum F, Rosman C; TENTACLE – Esophagus collaborative group.
Erratum to “Practice variation in anastomotic leak after esophagectomy: Unravelling differences in failure to rescue” [Eur J Surg Oncol 49 (5) (May 2023) 974-982].
Eur J Surg Oncol. 2023 Sep;49(9):106993. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2023.106993. Epub 2023 Aug 10. Erratum for: Eur J Surg Oncol. 2023 May;49(5):974-9.

Assoc. Professor Christos Apostolou

Upper Gastrointestinal, Pancreatic, Liver & General Surgeon

  • Sydney Adventist Hospital

    Suite 220, Level 2, Clark Tower
    185 Fox Valley Road
    Wahroonga NSW 2076

  • Northern Beaches Hospital

    Suite 16 Level 7
    105 Frenchs Forest Rd W
    Frenchs Forest NSW 2086