About Upper Gastrointestinal Robotic Surgery

Upper Gastrointestinal Robotic Surgery is an Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgery clinic based in Melbourne, Victoria. Here at UGIRS we have an expert medical team of 5 anaesthetists, 4 surgical assistants, 4 perioperative physicians, 3 gastroenterologists, an endocrinologist, dietitian, wellness coach and 2 office staff, supporting our lead upper gastrointestinal surgeon A/Prof Charles Pilgrim. Associate Professor Pilgrim established the clinic in 2020 and continues to work additionally with the Victorian HepatoPancreato Biliary Surgery Group.

Our ethos is that our patients come first.
We work to ensure that our patient care is exemplary. From your first phone call to book your appointment at our practice, to your initial consultation, to surgery and then aftercare, it is our team approach to care that ensures that you are speaking to the right person or speciality, delivering important information when you need it.

Our Approach to Treatment

Every decision at UGIRS is individualised – what might be the right thing for someone else, or what might be written in a textbook will almost certainly not apply to every unique individual, all of whom arrive with their own history, circumstances, mix of past experiences and expectations.

Risk/benefit analysis is critical to making good decisions – ‘doing the right thing at the right time the right way’. Therefore our advice is always aiming to be what is best for the patient, and that does not necessarily always mean surgery.

At Upper Gastrointestinal Robotic Surgery Melbourne we are always striving to be at the cutting edge of what is available to offer our patients, always looking for ways to improve outcomes and experiences. That pioneering concept is what stimulated our uptake and introduction of robotic surgery and drives us everyday in everything we do.

Dealing with cancer

When dealing with cancer, the single most important thing is to never give up hope. That doesn’t mean ignoring the realities and pretending these situations are not as serious and potentially life threatening as they are. It also doesn’t mean offering surgery when that is futile. It simply means we will be there with our patients throughout their whole journey, if nothing more than to be an expert to discuss things with, and to provide answers, explanations, advice and support whenever we can.

This is of course always aligned with patients wishes – the patient is always the person at the centre of all our recommendations. We know that everyone who comes to see us is more than a ‘patient’, they are someone’s brother, someone’s sister, or someones next door neighbour and they all have loved ones, communities they are part of and lives of their own outside of whatever illness they are faced with.

Our Bariatric Program

Our bariatric surgery program is designed to achieve optimal results for our weight loss surgery patients, with exemplary patient care at the centre of our approach. Our team of bariatric experts will look after you at each stage of your weight loss journey, from your first appointment to taking care of you on the day of your procedure, to exclusive aftercare from our bariatric Dietitian and bariatric Health Coach.

We offer an intensive preoperative phase where your goals and expectations will be considered by a number of specialists and our advice will be based around what is best for you to achieve those goals. Our team approach means its not all about the surgery, but rather all about you so you can come to a realistic expectation about what surgery for weight loss involves, and what is required of you to ensure success. We will be there with you every step of the way because we understand this is a life changing decision.

Our practice is located at Suite 16, Peninsula Private Hospital and Suite 29, Cabrini Medical Centre Malvern.
To make an appointment please call (03) 9509 4811 or contact us online.

About A/Prof Charles Pilgrim

A/Prof Pilgrim offers general and minimally invasive upper gastrointestinal surgery, hernia repair and treatment, specialist surgery for cancer and other disorders of the pancreas, liver, stomach, gallbladder and bile duct, as well as offering bariatric surgery in Melbourne.

UGIRS Team

Our team of medical specialists demonstrate their knowledge, experience, support and dedication every day with their exceptional work and interaction with patients that they are responsible for caring for. Meet the team.

UGIRS Locations

Our main practice is located at Peninsula Private Hospital, Frankston, but A/Prof Pilgrim also consults from Cabrini Medical Centre (Malvern) & Cabrini Consulting Suites (Hawthorn). View locations on map.