Julie E. Bines is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist based at the University of Melbourne on Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052.
She looks after children who have tummy and gut problems. That can mean anything from ongoing digestion issues to gut inflammation, and it can also include kids who need help managing growth and nutrition while they are unwell.
In clinic, Julie works with families dealing with things like diarrhoea, viral gastroenteritis, and longer-lasting gut conditions such as small bowel bacterial overgrowth. At times, this care also covers issues with bile flow, including cholestasis and bile duct obstruction.
Some children she supports may have had a bowel problem that needs careful follow-up, like short bowel syndrome or after small bowel resection. Others may be dealing with malnutrition or vitamin D deficiency, where the focus is on getting nutrition on track and keeping things stable.
Julie also sees children with more sudden or urgent gut situations. Intussusception is one example, where the bowels fold in on themselves and it needs prompt assessment. Even when problems settle, children still often need ongoing checks to make sure the symptoms don’t come back.
There’s more than just the stomach and intestines, too. Some kids have health conditions that can affect the gut, including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). In these cases, Julie’s role is to help families understand what’s going on in the digestive system and what can be done day to day.
Illnesses outside the gut can show up with digestive symptoms as well, and Julie works through those overlaps. That can include when children have pneumonia, myelitis, or polio history, and they’re dealing with sickness affecting appetite, energy, or bowel function.
At times, she also supports children during or after major infections. The list of problems her clinic sees includes COVID-19, and at times severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) history. The aim in these situations is simple: help kids recover safely and manage any gut-related side effects along the way.
Julie’s care is grounded in practical, child-focused support. It’s about making the path forward clearer for families, especially when diagnoses are complex and the health story is still unfolding.