Professor Jonathan Koea grew up in Taranaki and graduated from Medical School at the University of Auckland.

After completing General Surgery training in Aotearoa New Zealand, Jonathan undertook post fellowship training in surgical oncology and hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City.

He is Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland, an examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the subspeciality editor for HPB Surgery for the ANZ Journal of Surgery and maintains a research program in the fields of HPB Surgery, gastrointestinal cancer, Indigenous health and service provision.