Alan Fraser, MD.
Director, Clinical Examinations, University of Auckland

Alan Fraser was trained at the University of Otago and graduated in 1980.  He trained in general medicine at Waikato Hospital for 4 years then moved to Auckland Hospital.  He continued in general medicine but also developed a major interest in gastroenterology.  He obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College in 1990.  He moved to the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, London to a research fellow position. The research interests during the three years in London were the control of gastric secretion, Helicobacter pylori infection and the control of cell turnover in the stomach (MD thesis, University of Otago, 1994).
 
 After taking up a position of Senior Lecturer in Medicine at Middlemore Hospital he continued research interests in Helicobacter pylori infection.  Several publications explored the epidemiology of the infection in NZ and appropriate ways of diagnosing and treating the infection.
 
In 1998, he returned to England on sabbatical, this time to Oxford, to develop a research interest in inflammatory bowel disease - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.  The main topics were the role of azathioprine and methotrexate in treatment and long-term safety issues.  There was also a study of microscopic colitis
 
He was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Auckland, in 2000. He is responsible for all teaching in gastroenterology at the School of Medicine from second year to the final year.  He has been the Director for Clinical Examinations for the last 6 years.  He works part-time in private gastroenterology practice at Mercy Hospital 
 
He is a member of the Executive of the New Zealand Society for Gastroenterology and on the RACP committee to oversee training of gastroenterology registrars.