The 15th Annual Sheffield Gastroenterology Symposium

Professor Pradeep Bhandari has pioneered the field of interventional GI Endoscopy since completing his MB BS 1989 at Rajasthan University, Jaipur, India. For our good fortune he then migrated to the UK where he trained in the Wessex region and worked at various hospitals in the region including, Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton and Winchester. In 2004, he received a visiting fellowship to work at one of the world’s leading endoscopy units at the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo, Japan. Here he was inspired by working with pioneers of new endoscopic techniques involved in diagnosis and endoscopic treatment of cancers. In 2013, he received two prestigious awards; the Hopkins Endoscopy Award for technical innovation in the field of endoscopy, by the British Society of Gastroenterology and the Crystal Award for research in early cancer diagnosis by the American Gastroenterology Association. Prof Bhandari has made Portsmouth into a world famous endoscopy intervention centre of excellence.

Professor Sauid Ishaq: visiting Professor of BCU, an Interventional Endoscopist and Consultant Physician at Dudley Group of Hospitals. I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London. I am a member of the BSG and ESGE. My main interests include advanced endoscopy procedures – endoscopic treatment of Zenker (pharyngeal pouch) , endoscopic resection of complex colon polyps, endoscopic full thickness resection of early colon cancer, under water colonoscopy and polypectomy, small bowel intervention and endoscopic bariatric treatment such as gastric balloon. I also have an interest in Colorectal cancer, anaemia, Peptic ulcer disease, coeliac disease, Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and colitis), irritable bowel syndrome and dietary intolerances.

Dr Noor Mohammed: was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist, Honorary Lecturer at Leeds University and Clinical Lead for Endoscopy in Leeds. He has extensive endoscopic intervention experience with a published track record.

Dr Susi Green: She qualified for Guy’s and St Thomas’ in 1998. She had a special interest in endoscopy throughout her registrar training and completed an advanced endoscopy fellowship at St Mark’s Hospital. She was appointed as a consultant gastroenterologist in Brighton in 2012. She currently leads the regional Significant Polyp and Early Cancer Service, the capsule endoscopy service, the colorectal family history service, the post-cancer treatment service and is endoscopy training lead.

Dr Massimiliano di Pietro: I am a Senior Clinical Investigator Scientist at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant Gastroenterology at Cambridge University. I completed my medical and specialty training at the University of Naples in Italy and completed a postdoc at the Institute of Molecular Cancer Research at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) to study colon cancer biology. I have been in Cambridge UK since 2007, first as clinical lecturer and research fellow, and then as Clinician Scientist and Gastroenterology consultant. I have an interest in early detection of upper gastro-intestinal cancer, with particular attention to oesophageal and gastric cancer and risk stratification of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus. My research focuses on novel imaging modalities and clinical utility of molecular biomarkers.

Professor Andrew Hopper: is a Gastroenterology Consultant at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Sheffield University. After an initial Initial MD investigating the endoscopic diagnosis of small bowel disease, Dr Hopper went on to perform a 18 month advanced endoscopy fellowship at Westmead University Hospital, Sydney, Australia in endoscopic luminal mucosal resection coupled with diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Dr Hopper currently provides specialist high risk therapeutic endoscopy and EUS services to the pancreatic and gastrointestinal networks (benign and cancer) for the South Yorkshire region. Prof Hopper is also the current Panc Soc President. He has active research and fellowship programme with 70 peer review publications including chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, endoscopic giant ampullary adenoma removal and complications of acute pancreatitis.

Dr Mo Abdelrahim is a final-year gastroenterology trainee in the South West region. He completed a 4 years clinical and research fellowship in Portsmouth where he was trained on advanced assessment and resection of early GI neoplasia including Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD). His PhD research is focused on advanced endoscopic resection techniques and novel applications of Artificial Intelligence in endoscopy. He is the winner of multiple awards including the ESGE’s Innovation of the Year Award (2022), BSG’s Sir Francis Avery Jones (Barbers’ Company) Award 2022, and the BSG’s Gut Award in 2021.

Margaret Vance RGN, DIP, MSc (Nurse Consultant in Gastroenterology): Margaret Vance is Nurse Consultant in Gastroenterology for the London Northwest Healthcare NHS Trust and has worked at the Wolfson unit for endoscopy at St Mark’s hospital since 1999, successfully becoming a Consultant in 2002. She leads a team of specialist research nurses and endoscopy nurse practitioners providing gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and capsule endoscopy for the Trust. Margaret has a wide experience of training both nurses and doctors in flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy and developed the first nurse-led theoretical and practical flexible sigmoidoscopy training programme at MSc level for trainee nurse endoscopists in the UK. She was awarded with the Smith and Nephew Research foundation award for her Masters thesis examining the transition from nurse to endoscopist. Margaret was the first female endoscopist and nurse to be accredited as a bowel cancer screener in October 2005. She is a bowel cancer screening assessor and sits on the JAG bowel cancer screening accreditation panel and national bowel cancer screening advisory committee. She is also the first nurse endoscopist to be elected on to the BSG endoscopy section committee in 2021. She has extensive experience and knowledge of the England bowel cancer screening programme and is Deputy Director of the London bowel cancer programme screening hub. She has been responsible for the training and accreditation of endoscopists to deliver the screening service for the Trust. Margaret was also appointed as the London clinical professional advisor to the bowel cancer screening programme in 2021. Margaret been involved in the development and implementation of Wolfson Unit training programmes for both doctors and nurses and is the current Deputy Training lead for Endoscopy. During her time on the Joint advisory group for Gastroenterology, she led on the National Nurse Endoscopist training project and was the nurse lead for the development of the national endoscopy e-portfolio, a competency based assessment tool for accreditation and revalidation for all endoscopists in the UK, now known as the JETS e-portfolio. Margaret has lectured nationally and internationally on training nurses to become endoscopists and demonstrated colonoscopy skills on international programmes, including being a visiting lecturer in Hong Kong, Singapore, Amsterdam, Hungary and North America. She has represented the Trust in local and national media on Channel 4 and Sky News, the Daily Telegraph, Nursing times and more recently on BBC2 Horizon on the role of screening for the UK Population.
Margaret has been the chief endoscopist on several research trials including detection of dysplasia in patients with an Ileoanal pouch, comparison of virtual colonoscopy to conventional flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, the development and efficacy of nurse-led rectal bleeding clinics and has assisted as an expert endoscopist on major research trials performed within the Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy St Mark’s Hospital.

Professor Reena Sidhu: I am an Honorary Professor of Gastroenterology with the University of Sheffield since 2018 and a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. My primary interest is the small bowel and undertook my research on modern modalities to investigate the small bowel. I lead our quaternary device assisted enteroscopy service , one of the largest in the UK and co-lead our capsule endoscopy service , one of the largest in Europe. In 2012, I was awarded the prestigious British Society of Gastroenterology Hopkins Prize, the first female ever to have won this. Our Small bowel team and unit has won several national awards; British Society of Gastroenterology National GI Care awards (2011) & the Medipex award (2013). Our endoscopy unit has also been recognised as a World Endoscopy Organisation (WEO) accredited unit. I have been leading the new BSG Sedation Guidelines.

Dr Daniel Pearl: is a consultant gastroenterologist at Somerset NHS Foundation trust. He qualified from UCL Medical School 1999 and CCT’d from Wessex deanery in 2012. His PhD was awarded in 2014 for ‘lipidomic analysis and cytokine profiling in ulcerative colitis’.
Since his consultant appointment he has developed an interest in the management of complex clinical nutrition disorders. He is co-lead of the clinical nutrition service and director of the bowel cancer screening programme in Somerset. He leads the capsule endoscopy service and is the local lead for the NHS colon capsule pilot. He chairs a weekly large polyp MDT and has a weekly EMR training list. He is an accredited consultant mentor and has a seat on the local clinical ethics committee. His passion is developing innovations within endoscopy, learning new techniques and supporting the next generation of consultants to develop their skills. He lives in Somerset with his wife and 2 children. Walking the southwest coastal route is their passion.

Professor Nigel Trudgill: is a Consultant Gastroenterologist based at Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust. He is the chair of the BSG Oesophageal Committee, author of several high impact papers in Upper GI, author of BSG Guidelines on Upper GI motility and pH monitoring.

Dr Hey Long Ching is a Sheffield Teaching Hospitals GI Consultant with an interest in Endoscopy training and non-endoscopic training skills. He undertook his MD in capsule endoscopy. He is the first author of the recent ESGE Guidelines on Non-endoscopic training skills for Endoscopy teams.

Sister Shannon Berry: qualified at University of Leeds in 2015 with a BSC Hons in adult nursing after completing her research dissertation in; ‘The experience of people with learning disabilities in general hospital settings’ . Prior to becoming a nurse Shannon worked for Bradford Social services for 20 years and gained experience with both adults and children with learning disabilities and mental health disorders. Shannon managed the Behaviour Evaluation and Support Team, providing residential and outreach care to children with complex behaviours and their families. Shannon also managed a looked after children participation service and delivered training for Bradford Children’s safeguarding board. In her first year of nursing Shannon received an award Commending Excellence in the Emergency Department (CEED) in recognition of her work with patients with learning disabilities, dementia and mental health needs. More recently Shannon has worked with endoscopy matron to design and implement a complex patient service receiving recognition from BSG as 2022 Nurse Service development award. In addition Shannon has recently studied Mental capacity Act and Best Interests Assessor at Masters level. Shannon now works as a Senior Sister /Complex patient Nurse at Endoscopy pre assessment and conducts MDT on a weekly basis to discuss patients who need additional support to complete their endoscopy journey

Dr Sunny Raju is a Clinical Fellow at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals with an extensive publication track record and former BSG Trainees President. He is this years recipient of the BSG National Leadership and Management Award.

Dr Sabina Beg is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust, with a specialist interest in all things endoscopy. Following training in the East of England deanery, she undertook endoscopy based research at the University of Nottingham. She has been involved in various endoscopy related endeavours, including running an endoscopy training course in Mauritius funded by a BSG International award and co-authorship of the BSG position statement on quality in UGI endoscopy. She is a member of the BSG International Committee, with the aim of trying to foster increased international collaboration and the development of educational resources.

Dr Abdul Al-Toma. MB ChB, M.D, Ph.D, FRCP(London): is a consultant gastroenterologist and interventional endoscopist at St. Antonius Hospital, the Netherlands. He is a bowel cancer screening endoscopist and performs ERCP and cholangioscopy. He has a special interest in small bowel enteroscopy and video capsule endoscopy. He was responsible for the introduction of motorized spiral enteroscopy in the Netherlands and established a training centre for this technique for Dutch and international endoscopists. He is a board member of the European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) and also of the Netherlands Coeliac Disease Society. His areas of research interest include celiac disease and small bowel enteroscopy. He earned his Ph.D. in 2007 on the management of complicated coeliac disease. He has made significant contributions to refractory coeliac disease research and publications. He is the leading author of the ESsCD guideline for coeliac disease and gluten-related disorders (UEG Journal 2019).

Dr Nick Burr Wakefield-born, bred, and now employed. After studying biology at Newcastle, he qualified in medicine at the University of East Anglia in 2010. He then moved to Leeds on the clinical academic pathway to complete his specialist training and MD to investigate colorectal cancer in patients with IBD. He recently took up a clinical academic consultant post at the Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust. Clinical subspecialist interests include therapeutic endoscopy and IBD. Research activities include post-endoscopy cancers and exploration of long-term outcomes for IBD and CRC using population datasets.
Professor Bu’Hussain Hayee: is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at King’s College Hospital and has been Clinical Director since 2020 and Co-Director of the King’s Institute of Therapeutic Endoscopy. He trained at Guy’s Hospital (GKT Medical School), graduating in 1999, and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2015. His PhD, awarded in 2010, examined the role of innate immunity and neutrophil function in Crohn’s disease. In 2011, he was awarded a travelling fellowship to Yokohama, Japan, to study advanced endoscopic techniques and now has research groups in Bariatric Endoscopy, POEM, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence as well as endoscopic imaging, supported by NIHR project grant funding. He is Clinical Director of the London Endoscopy Academy and a member of the British Society of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association (Fellow), American and European Societies for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation and the Association for Bariatric Endoscopy.

Professor Bu’Hussain Hayee: is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at King’s College Hospital and has been Clinical Director since 2020 and Co-Director of the King’s Institute of Therapeutic Endoscopy. He trained at Guy’s Hospital (GKT Medical School), graduating in 1999, and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2015. His PhD, awarded in 2010, examined the role of innate immunity and neutrophil function in Crohn’s disease. In 2011, he was awarded a travelling fellowship to Yokohama, Japan, to study advanced endoscopic techniques and now has research groups in Bariatric Endoscopy, POEM, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence as well as endoscopic imaging, supported by NIHR project grant funding. He is Clinical Director of the London Endoscopy Academy and a member of the British Society of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association (Fellow), American and European Societies for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation and the Association for Bariatric Endoscopy.

The Bardhan Lecture is by Professor Pradeep Bhandari. 

Professor Pradeep Bhandari has pioneered the field of interventional GI Endoscopy. He completed his MB BS 1989 at Rajasthan University, Jaipur, India

For our good fortune he then migrated to the UK where he trained in the Wessex region and worked at various hospitals in the region including, Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton and Winchester.

In 2004, he received a visiting fellowship to work at one of the world’s leading endoscopy units at the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo, Japan. Here he was inspired by working with pioneers of new endoscopic techniques involved in diagnosis and endoscopic treatment of cancers.

In 2013, he received two prestigious awards; the Hopkins Endoscopy Award for technical innovation in the field of endoscopy, by the British Society of Gastroenterology and the Crystal Award for research in early cancer diagnosis by the American Gastroenterology Association. Prof Bhandari has made Portsmouth into a world famous endoscopy intervention centre of excellence.