Dr Dilip Ratnam

BSc, BMBS, PhD, FRACP

Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist

Dr Dilip Ratnam is a Melbourne and UK trained Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist. His clinical expertise covers a wide spectrum of gastroenterological conditions including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable bowel syndrome, GORD, Colon Cancer screening and Coeliac disease and he is an experienced endoscopist. Dilip also has particular expertise and interest in diseases of the liver having completed a PhD in viral hepatitis.

Dilip has a Bachelor of Science from Monash University, and a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery from Flinders University in Adelaide, SA. He undertook his Internal medicine and Gastroenterology training at The Alfred and Royal Melbourne Hospitals and also a year of specialist training in the UK at the Royal Free Hospital, one of London’s two liver transplant centres. He was awarded his fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 2005.

Dilip has been a consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Monash Health since 2008 where he is on the gastroenterology unit executive with a number of leadership roles. He is actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and is an examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. With an position as an adjunct research fellow at Monash University he remains involved in clinical research in liver disease including trials of new therapies, and has been an invited speaker and expert panel member at various meetings and symposia. His research and publications are listed below- link

Dilip’s philosophy of patient care centres around ensuring adequate time and information is given to his patients and encouraging them to be involved in their own management. He believes in personalised care while implementing up to date evidence based developments in the field.

Special interests:

Hepatology/Liver disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy
Colon Cancer screening

Dilip is able to see patients at short notice so please advise the reception staff if you have an urgent patient referral on 03 9088 8784.

Research

Lead Investigator: The Efficacy and Safety of Pegylated Interferon and Tenofovir combination therapy for HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B- An investigator initiated multicentre randomised controlled trial

Co investigator on multiple clinical trials through the Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, Monash Health

Published Manuscripts

Physician testing for HIV in patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine monotherapy for hepatitis B virus.

Lau, J. S. Y., Ratnam, D., & Woolley, I. Sexual Health, 2018 15(1), 89-90.

Tenofovir Therapy for Hepatitis B May Be Commonly Prescribed Without HIV Testing.

Deshpande S, Ko T, Roberts E, Lau JS, Horne K, Williams J, Kiss C, Ratnam D, Woolley I. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr(JAIDS). 2016 Feb 1;71(2):e53-4.

Blood tests for acute pancreatitis.

C Basnayake, D Ratnam. Aust Prescriber 2015 Vol 38(4)

Toll-like receptor 3 and 7/8 function is impaired in HCV patients with rapid fibrosis progression post liver transplantation.

J Howell, R Sawhney, N Skinner, P Gow,
P Angus, D Ratnam, K Visvanathan. Am J Transplantation 2013, Vol 13 (4), 943-54

Cyclosporine and tacrolimus have inhibitory effects on toll-like receptor signalling post liver transplantation

J Howell, R Sawhney, N Skinner, P Gow,
P Angus, D Ratnam, K Visvanathan. Liver Transplantation Liver Transpl. 2013 Oct;19(10):1099-107

IL28B genotype is not useful for predicting treatment outcome in Asian chronic hepatitis B patients treated with pegylated interferon-α.

Holmes JA, Nguyen T, Ratnam D, Heerasing NM, Tehan JV, Bonanzinga S, Dev A, Bell S, Pianko S, Chen R, Visvanathan K, Hammond R, Iser D, Rusli F, Sievert W, Desmond PV, Bowden DS, Thompson AJ.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013 May;28(5):861-6.

Interferon-α restores impaired Natural Killer Cell responses to Toll-Like Receptor 9 in chronic Hepatitis B infection

D Ratnam, W Sievert, K Visvanathan. Cellular Immunology 2012, 279 (1) 109-115

The Efficacy and Tolerability of Pegylated Interferon-α-2a in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Clinical Experience

Dilip Ratnam, Anouk Dev, Tin Nguyen et al
Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2012, 27 (9),1447-53)

Global Perspectives: Australia – Real World Experience with HBV Antiviral Therapy

Dilip Ratnam, Peter Angus. Current Hepatitis Reports 2012, Volume 11, Issue 4, pp 213-220

New Concepts in the Immunopathogenesis of Chronic Hepatitis B: The Importance of the Innate Immune Response.

Ratnam DT, Visvanathan K, Hepatology International May 2008, Vol 2, S12-18

Using natural history to guide management of chronic hepatitis B.

Ratnam DT, Sievert WS, Medicine Today, November 2007, Volume 8, Number 11

Full list of publications

Consulting locations:

KEW:
Main Rooms: (all correspondence)
833 Glenferrie Road
KEW, VIC 3101

HAWTHORN EAST:
Cabrini Specialist Centre
Level 2 / 141 Camberwell Road
HAWTHORN EAST VIC

MOORABBIN:
Holmesglen Private Hospital
Level 2, Suite B3
490 South Road
MOORABBIN VIC

Hospital Locations:

Epworth Hospital Richmond
Cabrini Hospital Malvern
Monash Medical Centre Clayton

Dr Dilip Ratnam | Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist | Kew Hawthorn Melbourne