Qualifications: MBChB (1982), FRCS(Ed) (1986), MD (1991), FRSE (2008), FMedSci (2005)
GMC Number: 2620877
Clinical Areas of Interest: Service provision and quality of care
Regional Chapter: Scotland
Biography
I am committed clinical academic colorectal surgeon with a focus on clinical management, surgery and research to best understand, treat and prevent colorectal disease. I am Chair of Coloproctology and Honorary Consultant Colorectal Surgeon since 2000. I was first appointed in 1993 to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Colorectal Surgery. I do not have any practice in the private sector. I am the academic lead of the Lothian Colorectal Surgery Unit, a clinical specialist coloproctology practice treating patients with large and small intestinal and anorectal disorders. The clinical practice in the Unit comprises all facets of Colorectal Surgery. The specialisation within SE Scotland means that all patients receive specialist care in our Unit, whether they present in the elective or emergency setting. This, combined with highly trained teams, means we provide excellence in care on a local, regional and supra-regional basis. We have amongst the largest caseloads of colorectal cases in a single Unit in the UK and Europe with a total of 12 specialist colorectal surgeons providing the care outlined above.
I have specialist clinical practice in inflammatory bowel disease, ileo-anal pouch surgery, rectal cancer, salvage surgery and surgery for intra-abdominal and pelvic sarcoma, with outcomes amongst the best in the world. I also have a longstanding interest in genetic disorders predisposing to large bowel cancer (see research below). Through my research interest with cancer families, I have a major interest in prophylactic surgery in genetic conditions for families.
My research interests are themed around the ultimate aim of reducing of morbidity and mortality from large bowel cancer through early detection and prevention. I hold substantial current grant funding including Cancer Research UK Programmatic Funding, MRC and AICR grants. My major interest is in elucidating the genetic basis of large bowel cancer and applying genetic information to prevent the disease as well as to understand disease causation. To this end, my research group (Colon Cancer Genetics Group) is investigating known cancer susceptibility genes and translating this to preventative strategies, as well as discovering new cancer genes. In all we have identified over 20 colon cancer susceptibility genes and have published these in high impact journal, such as Nature Genetics. My H-Index is 56 and my research work has attracted almost 14,000 citations from other researchers. My research interest has also translated into clinical practice with gene mutation testing transferred effectively to national NHS genetics services, and I formulated the UK evidence-based guidelines for surveillance of genetically predisposed groups.
I was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2008. I currently sit on the UK Medical Research Council Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board, the Research Careers Committee of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Melville Trust for the Care and Cure of Cancer. I have previously sat on Grants and Fellowships Committees, including Cancer Research UK and the Scottish Government. I review manuscripts for many high impact journals including Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet.