Dr William Tam graduated from the University of Adelaide and became a gastroenterologist and Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2000. His PhD research on reflux disease and Barrett’s oesophagus supervised by Professor John Dent led him to train in chromoendoscopy under Professor Yoshio Hoshihara at Toranomon Hospital in Tokyo and in minimally invasive endoscopic therapy with Professor Guido Tytgat at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam.

Dr Tam further advanced his expertise as a Fellow in Gastroenterology at University College Hospital, London, in 2003, a role that also included an honorary lectureship at the University of London. Under the mentorship of Dr Adrian Hatfield, he refined his skills in therapeutic endoscopy, including ERCP and EUS.
Upon returning to Adelaide in 2004, Dr Tam took on key roles at both Lyell McEwin Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He is currently the Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and holds an academic appointment at the University of Adelaide, along with multiple honorary professorships overseas.

Dr Tam is an active member of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) and a past chair of the Endoscopy Faculty. Committed to improving safety and quality in endoscopy, he chaired the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinical Indicators in 2018. His clinical interests include gastrointestinal malignancies, endoscopic imaging, and interventional endoscopy. He also serves on the editorial board of the Endoscopic Ultrasound journal and actively participates in national and international educational meetings.

Beyond his clinical and academic contributions, Dr Tam is a former president of the Australian Medical Association (South Australia) and has served as a board director at both the state and federal levels of the AMA.