Mark grew up in Durban and matriculated in the top 30 in Natal. He completed his medical undergraduate training at UCT in 1998, where he was the elected class rep. for five years. He won the Family Medicine class medal, and Frank Foreman prize for the greatest contribution to student affairs. Internship at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg was followed by a year at various secondary hospitals in Cape Town for his community service, and then a year getting some GP experience in Manitoba, Canada. In 2002 Mark returned to Cape Town to specialise in general surgery at UCT. He completed this training in 2006, being awarded the ASSA prize for surgical research, and the Swann-Morton prize for the best surgical registrar.
Super-specialist training in HPB (Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary) surgery started with the 2-year Certificate in Surgical Gastroenterology at Groote Schuur Hospital, with the CMSA exams completed at the end of 2008. In 2009 Mark further expanded his HPB experience and training with a Fellowship in HPB surgery at the HPB/Transplant unit in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Mark joined the Matley and Partners team in 2010. His primary interest is in HPB surgery, and he is accomplished in all aspects of this discipline, ranging from the management of gallstone disease, to complex liver and pancreatic resections. He is a keen endoscopist, including gastroscopy, colonoscopy and ERCP. Mark was the first surgeon in South Africa to perform the ALPPS liver resection procedure. In addition to the HPB surgery, Mark enjoys all aspects of general and laparoscopic surgery, including laparoscopic hernia repairs. He is a believer in team work, and tries to blend the best of modern techniques and technology with some old-fashioned “good bed-side manner”, in addition to careful decision-making and surgical technical expertise.
Mark is married to Tanya and they have two primary school children. Mark’s hobbies include golf, fly-fishing, and scuba diving. Despite more than 25 years in the Cape, he remains a Sharks fan.