Members of Research Committee

Charles Knowles (Chair)

Charles Knowles

Current position

Professor of Surgery and Hon. Consultant Colorectal surgeon, Queen Mary University of London / Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.

Medical school

• University of Cambridge, UK
• General surgical and colorectal training
• F.R.C.S (England) 1996
• Ph.D Univ. of London 2000
• F.R.C.S (Gen Surg: Colorectal) 2005

Clinical interests

Surgical management of benign (degenerative and inflammatory) coloproctological and pelvic floor conditions.

Research interests

1. evaluation of new technologies for the treatment of chronic GI diseases (especially focusing on neuromodulation);
2. development of GI diagnostics for deeper phenotyping and treatment stratification;
3. pathogenesis and management of gastrointestinal neuromuscular diseases
4. development of new trial methodology for evaluation of complex interventions

Member of the Research Committee since

2016

Additional information

Professor Knowles is Deputy Director of the Blizard Institute within Barts School of Medicine and Dentistry and Honorary Professor of Experimental Therapeutics at UCL. He is also Director of the National Bowel Research Centre. He is Chair of the several research committees including those of European Society of Coloproctology, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland and International Continence Society. He is also Chair to UEG-led international working groups in anorectal physiology and GI neuromuscular diseases. He serves as a member of the Rome IV committee for anorectal disorders and is on the global expert panel for Medtronic. He has authored > 190 peer reviewed publications as well as contributing major international colorectal and general surgical texts.

Tom Pinkney (Assistant Chair)

Tom Pinkney

Current position

Senior Lecturer and Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Academic Department of Surgery, University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Medical school

University of Birmingham (graduated in 2000)

General surgical and colorectal training

Trained in West Midlands, UK. Laparoscopic Colorectal Fellowship (Ethicon), QMC Nottingham 2011. IBD Surgery Fellowship, QEHB Birmingham 2012,

Main clinical and research interests

• IBD surgery
• Clinical trials
• Surgical site infection

Member of the Research Committee since

2014

Additional information

• Member Research and Audit Committee, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI)
• Member IBD Sub-committee, ACPGBI
• Associate Editor, Colorectal Disease

Muhammad Imran Aslam ³

Muhammad Imran Aslam

Current position

• Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon
• Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Warwick Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire

Year of first medical qualification

2001

Location of medical training

East Midland Postgraduate Deanery

Date joined University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire

2020

Membership of Professional/National/Regional Bodies

• ACPGBI - Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland
• Early Year Consultant Network (EYCN) – ACPGBI
• UEG - United European Gastroenterology Society
• ASCRS - American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons

Other professional details

MBBS, FRCS (London), PhD

Member of the Education Committee since

2015

Special interests

Clinical: Minimally invasive colon and rectal surgery, Incisional hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction, Parastomal Hernia Repair, Minimally invasive Anal Fistula Treatments (VAAFT, Fistula Plug, Advancement Flaps & LIFT), Endoscopic Pilonidal Sinus Surgery (EPSiT).

Research: Surgeon stress and fatigue associated with Robotic Surgery, Serum biomarkers for early detection of cancer and dysplasia, Pre-operative optimization, Parastomal hernia treatments and quality of life.

Education: Serious gaming for surgical education, Virtual reality and simulated training

Erman Aytac ²

Erman Aytac

Current position

Associate Professor of Surgery, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey (since 2015). Chief of General Surgery, Acibadem Atakent Hospital,Istanbul, Turkey (since 2020).

Medical school

Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey (graduated in 2006)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey (graduated in 2011)
• Research/clinical research/clinical fellowship, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA (graduated in 2016)

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Pelvic floor and intestinal motility disorders
• Minimally invasive and complex abdominopelvic surgery

Member of the Research Committee since

2019

Additional information

• Primary and co-investigator in numerous national or international research studies. His studies have received awards from the Eczacıbaşı Scientific Research and Medical Award Fund, the Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery, and the American College of Surgeons.
• Involved in numerous national and international medical/surgical meetings as a member of organising committee (including chairperson) and as an invited speaker or presenter.
• Works as an editorial board member or reviewer in many prestigious national/international journals.

Sue Blackwell

Sue Blackwell

BA (Hons) Modern History, MA Peace and Conflict Studies

Sue Blackwell is an experienced PPI representative, with a particular interest in PROMS and parastomal hernia.

She is the Patient Co Chief Investigator on the @PROPHER study, an international prospective cohort study on parastomal hernia treatment.

She is also the first patient to receive a research grant from the Bowel Disease Research Foundation for the @PAPooSE study looking at patient experiences of pregnancy following stoma formation.

Her current colorectal PPI work includes the NIHR funded @PoPSTER_Study; and @ROSSINI2Trial the first surgical MAMS RCT. She is also a member of the Patient Liaison Group of ACPGBI.

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Pamela Buchwald

Pamela Buchwald

Current position

• Associate Professor in Surgery Lund University since 2013
• Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Skåne University Hospital since 2016

Medical school

Uppsala University, Sweden 2000

General surgical and colorectal training

• Helsingborg Hospital, Sweden
• Skåne University Hospital, Sweden including pelvic floor unit
• St Mark's Hospital (ESCP fellow)
• Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Exenterative surgery
• Diverticulitis

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Additional information

Pamela Buchwald has been the Swedish national representative of ESCP and has been on the board for the Swedish Colorectal Surgical Society. She is currently on the national board for colorectal surgical training for consultant surgeons and is involved in research collaborations such as SCANDIV-trials, PelvEx and 10Ten. She is part of a regional working group to improve IBD surgical pathways. She currently supervises five PhD students and her main fields of clinical and scientific work are colorectal cancer and diverticulitis.

Dragomir Dardanov

Dragomir Dardanov

Current position

Senior Assistant Professor of Surgery, University Hospital Alexandrovska, Medical University - Sofia, Bulgaria. Since 2014.

Medical school

Medical University - Pleven, Bulgaria. Graduated in 2002.

General surgical and colorectal training

• General surgical training - University Hospitals in Pleven and Sofia, Bulgaria (2003-2008)
• Clinical fellow in colorectal surgery - St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland (2012)

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer surgery
• Surgical anatomy
• Complex abdominal and pelvic cancer surgery
• Proctology - perianal fistula, pilonidal disease

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Additional information

• President of Bulgarian Society of Coloproctology since 2019
• ESCP National representative of Bulgaria (2013-2015)
• ESCP Eastern regional representative (2016-2018)
• European Board of Surgery Qualification (EBSQ) on Coloproctology 2015
• European Board of Surgery Qualification (EBSQ) on Surgical Oncology 2012
• Specialty anatomy, histology and cytology 2014
• PhD degree (with dissertation 'Clinico-anatomical investigations on connective tissue structures surrounding the rectum in relation to rectal cancer surgery') 2008
• Specialty general surgery 2008

Audrius Dulskas

Audrius Dulskas

Current position

Surgical oncologist, National Cancer Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania (since 2014)

Medical school

Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania (graduated in 2008)

General surgical and colorectal training

Vilnius University Hospital, Vilnius, Lithuania

Main clinical and research interests

• Functional outcome following cancer treatment
• Surgical oncology
• Organ preservation techniques

Member of the Research Committee since

2019

Additional information

PhD thesis in 2016 – Pelvic organ dysfunction following rectal surgery for cancer

Member of journal editorial boards:

• Annals of coloproctology
• Lithuanian Surgery

Alaa El-Hussuna¹

Alaa El-Hussuna

Current position

Associate professor of surgery, consultant surgeon, Aalborg University Hospital/ Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

Medical school

Saddam College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq (1996)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Consultant surgeon, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark (2016-now)
• Training in colorectal surgery: Aalborg and Randers University Hospitals, Denmark (2016-2019)
• ESCP training fellowship in colorectal surgery, St. Vincent Hospital, Dublin, Ireland (2017)
• Training in general surgery Hvidovre, Hillerød and Herlve University Hospitals in Copenhagen - Denmark (2007-2013)

Main clinical and research interests

• Measuring surgical outcome
• Pre-operative optimization in IBD patients
• The effect of biological treatment on post-operative outcome in patients with IBD
• Surgical stress response
• Chronic stress and development of colorectal cancers
• Perianal fistula in Crohn’s disease
• Surgical wound healing

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Founding member of the Cohort Studies Sub-Committee (2014)

Additional information

• Ph.D Thesis: The effect of pre-operative biological treatment on post-operative outcome in patients with Crohn’s disease (2018)
• Master degree in information technology, IT-University, Copenhagen, Denmark (2003)
• Lead #OpenSourceResearch collaboration
• Lead 2017 ESCP snapshot audit
• Member of expert panel in Danish autoimmune disease association (FAIM)
• Foundation of Danish Collaborative Research Network (2014)
• Member in editorial board: Current Updates in Hepatology and Gastroentrology, SciTz Gastroenterology and SM Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and many other journals
• Reviewer in many surgical journals: British journal of surgery, colorectal diseases, world journal of gastroenterology, Langenbeck's archives of surgery, International journal of surgery, Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology and reviewer of ESCP-ECCO guidelines
• Invited speaker in many international conferences among them ESCP and ECCO meetings
• Supervisor of many research projects in Copenhagen and Aalborg University Hospitals
• Physician/surgeon in different missions, Doctors without borders (MSF) in Africa 2004-2005

Zoe Garoufalia (Young ESCP)

Zoe Garoufalia

Current position

Colorectal Research Fellow, Cleveland Clinic, Florida, USA

Medical school

School of Medicine of the Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece (graduated in 2013)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Transplantation Unit, Laiko University Hospital, Athens, Greece
• Second Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Laiko University Hospital, Athens, Greece
• Colorectal Department, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK

Main clinical and research interests

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Minimally invasive colorectal surgery
• Anal Fistulae
• Colorectal Cancer

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Additional information

PhD Candidate, Member of ESCP Communications sub-committee, Candidate Member of ASCRS

Member of ASCRS Social Medial Committee

Twitter: @ZGaroufalia

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-garoufalia-805989a8/

Nikolaos Gouvas 

Nikolaos Gouvas

Current position

Assistant Professor of Surgery, Medical School - University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

Medical school

University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece (graduated in 2004)

General surgical and colorectal training

'Konstantopouleio' General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Pelvic floor diseases 

Member of the Research Committee since

2019

Additional information

• Member of Greek Gastrointestinal Cancer Study Group (GIC-SG), Co-ordinator of Scientific and Educational Events and Manager of Research Projects - Multicenter Registries
• Lead Investigator for the International Multicenter Clinical Trials, MECCLANT-C and MECCLANT-R
• PhD thesis on Laparoscopic vs Open Surgery for Rectal Cancer

Dion Morton OBE

Dion Morton OBE

Current position

Professor Morton is Barling Professor of Surgery and Head of the Academic Department of Surgery at the University of Birmingham in the UK. He was given an honorary consultant appointment at the University Hospital Birmingham in 1996, and was appointed Professor of Surgery in 2006. In 2015, he was appointed Barling Professor of Surgery.

Medical school

He received his degree in Medicine from Bristol University, UK in 1985.

General surgical and colorectal training

He undertook his surgical and colorectal training at University Hospital Birmingham and in the West Midlands region of the UK.

Main clinical and research interests

His primary research interests are clinical and translational research for colorectal cancer and the development of clinical trials in surgery.

Member of the Research Committee since

He was Chair of the Research Committee from 2012 - 2018

Additional information

He was Director of the Birmingham Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (2008-2019), Director of Clinical Research at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2012-2019). He is past President 2015-17 of the Society for Academic and Research Surgery. He is currently Director of the West Midlands Genomics Centre.

He has had a leading role in developing trainee led surgical research, first establishing the West Midlands Research Collaborative in 2009, and subsequently helping to establish a national network of trainee collaboratives across the United Kingdom. He has led the RCS (eng) Clinical Research Initiative, establishing 12 Surgical specialty leads and 8 Surgical Trials Centres across the country.

Ionut Negoi (Guidelines Committee representative)

Ionut Negoi

Current position

Senior Lecturer of Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Romania, 2016. Attending Surgeon, Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania, 2013.

Medical school

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Romania, graduated in 2006

General surgical and colorectal training

• 2006-2012: Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania
• 2017: Observer Fellowship in Colorectal Surgery, St. Mark’s Hospital, London, UK
• 2015: Observer Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery, Department of Surgery, L'Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l'Appareil Digestif / European Institute of Telesurgery, Hôpitaux Universitaires, Strasbourg, France
• 2014: Observer Fellowship in Surgical Oncology, Department of General Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Main clinical and research interests

• Colon and rectal cancer
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Liver metastasis
• Global surgery research

Member of the Research Committee since

2021

Additional information

• Ph.D. thesis, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, 2012
• Reviewer: Oncotarget, World Journal of Gastroenterology, BMJ Open, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases International.

Simon Ng 

Simon Ng

Current positions

• Professor, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
• Honorary Consultant, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR

Medical school

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with Honors, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, Hong Kong SAR (1995)
• Doctor of Medicine (with Commendation), Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, Hong Kong SAR (2013)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Basic and Higher Surgical Training and Colorectal Training: Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR
• Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1999)
• Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong (1999)
• Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (General Surgery) (2002)
• Fellowship of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Surgery) (2002)
• Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (2011)

Main clinical and research interests

• Minimally invasive and robotic surgery for colorectal diseases
• Advanced endoscopic therapy for colorectal diseases
• Multimodality treatment for colorectal cancer
• Colorectal cancer screening
• Biomarkers for colorectal cancer
• Enhanced recovery after surgery
• Integrative medicine (combined Chinese and Western medicine)

Member of the Research Committee since

2021

Additional information

Professor Simon Ng graduated from the medical school of CUHK in 1995 with seven distinctions and was awarded an honours degree and double Gold Medals. He passed the Joint Specialty Fellowship Examination in General Surgery in 2002 with highest marks and won the Li-Shields Medal. In 2013, Professor Ng received his Medical Doctoral Degree with Commendation from CUHK for his research thesis on the long-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer.

Professor Ng is currently Associate Dean (Student Affairs) of the Faculty of Medicine, and Professor of the Division of Colorectal Surgery, CUHK. He is the President of the Hong Kong Society for Coloproctology, a Council Member of the Hong Kong IBD Society and the Hong Kong Society of Robotic Surgery, an Honorary Member of the Korean Association of Robotic Surgeons, a Board Member of the Asia Pacific Endo-Lap Surgery Group, a Governing Council Member of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Coloproctology, a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), a Member of the ASCRS International Committee and Membership Committee, and a Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Colorectal Disease.

Professor Ng has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including first-authored publications in top-notched journals such as The Lancet, Gastroenterology, and Annals of Surgery. His research work in colorectal surgery has earned him a number of international and national awards, including the Northern California Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Award of the ASCRS (2008), the International Guest Scholarship of the American College of Surgeons (2010), the GB Ong Travelling Fellowship (2011), the British Journal of Surgery Prize of the European Society of Coloproctology (2011 and 2014), the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh China Medal (2014 and 2016), the Ministry of Education Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award – First-class Award in Natural Sciences (2014), the State Natural Science Award - Second-class Award (2016), and the Outstanding Fellowship of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK (2019).

On the pedagogical side, Professor Ng had received eleven Teacher of the Year Awards of the Faculty of Medicine from 2005 to 2018, and the Master Teacher Award in 2011. In recognition of his outstanding performance in the surgical profession and his contribution to the community, Professor Ng was selected as one of the awardees of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong in 2010. 

Gabrielle van Ramshorst

Gabrielle van Ramshorst

Current position

Consultant surgical oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. Since October 2019.

Medical school

Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands. Graduated in 2004.

General surgical and colorectal training

• General training at Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2009-2016)
• Dutch Cancer Society sponsored clinical fellowship at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2016-2018).
• Previous position: locum consultant surgical oncology, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, United Kingdom (2019)

Main clinical and research interests

• Locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer
• Gynaecological oncology
• Pelvic reconstruction and sexual function
• Peritoneal carcinomatosis
• Retroperitoneal sarcomas
• Abdominal wall hernia

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Additional information

• PhD Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Wound failure in laparotomy (January 2014)
• FEBS (Coloproctology) 2018
• FECSM 2018
• FESGO 2019
• Member International Committee, Surgical Society for Oncology (SSO)
• Member Mesh in Pelvis guidelines, European Society for Coloproctology
• Associate editor, Colorectal Disease
• Editorial fellow, International Journal of Gynaecological Cancer

Antonino Spinelli (ex officio -Secretary)

Antonino Spinelli

Current position

Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit, Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
Full Professor of Surgery, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy

Medical school

• Graduation in Medicine and Surgery, 2001, Università Degli Studi di Milan, Italy
• Specialisation in General Surgery, 2007, Università Degli Studi di Milan, Italy
• PhD on Enhanced Recovery protocols in colorectal surgery, 2011, Università Degli Studi di Catania, italy

General surgical and colorectal training

• University of Berlin – Charitè, Germany
• Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Main clinical and research interests

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Rectal Cancer
• IBD Surgery

Member of the Education Committee since

2019

Additional information

Professor Spinelli serves as Associate Editor for both the two highest impact Journals dedicated to Colorectal Surgery (Colorectal Disease, the Official Journal of the European Society of Coloproctology, and Disease of the Colon and Rectum, the Official Journal of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery), and as well for the Journal of Anus, Rectum and Colon (JARC, Official Organ of the Japanese Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery).

Additionally, he is Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis (Official Journal of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization) and Coloproctology (Journal of the German Society of Colorectal Surgery).

Patricia Tejedor (Young ESCP)

Patricia Tejedor

Current position

Colorectal Consultant Surgeon, University Hospital ‘Gregorio Marañón’, Madrid, Spain. Since 2021.

Medical school

University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. Graduated in 2012.

General surgical and colorectal training

• Basic Surgical Training - University Hospital ‘Fundacion Jimenez Diaz’, Madrid, Spain.
• Higher Surgical Training and Colorectal Training - Colorectal & Robotic Surgery Fellow, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Robotic surgery
• Proctology and pelvic floor dysfunction
• Clinical trials

Member of the Research Committee since

2020

Additional information

PhD Thesis: ‘The role of 3D-EUS on diagnosis, classification and treatment of sphincter defects after childbirth’.