Background

He is Professor of Paediatric Gastroenterology in the Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology and Director of the International Academy of Paediatric Endoscopy Training as well as one of the leading Children’s hospitals in London.

He was appointed as Consultant in 1995 at the Royal Free Hospital, London, working in the department of one of the founders of modern day paediatric gastroenterology, Professor John Walker-Smith. He moved in 2004 where he has established what is now regarded as one of the premier units for paediatric endoscopy worldwide.

His interests include all aspects of paediatric gastroenterology especially those involving the oesophagus and stomach. His technical specialty and passion is endoscopy training and interventional endoscopy. He has pioneered the use of minimally invasive endoscopic treatments for reflux in childhood over the past 10-15 years.

Training

Graduated from Aberdeen Medical School in 1985 and started paediatric gastroenterology training in 1987. In the early 1990s he spent 5 years in Australia, as a Clinical Research Fellow in gastroenterology and cystic fibrosis at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane with Professor Ross Shepherd, resulting in his Medical Doctorate on cystic fibrosis genetics and energy expenditure. Further training was received at The Boston Children’s Hospital and Toronto Sick Kids’ Hospital.

His first position when he moved back to the UK in 1994 was as a Child Health Lecturer in the Liver Transplant Unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital with Professor Deirdre Kelly.

Clinical interests and areas of expertise

• All areas of paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition
• Specific interests in paediatric endoscopy, minimally invasive endoscopy, gastro-oesophageal reflux and recurent abdominal pain in children

Research interests

He heads a large research group and has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles including original research studies in the area of infant and childhood gastro-oesophageal reflux and endoscopic advances, and more than 40 invited reviews.

He is author of more than 50 paediatric gastroenterology chapters in international textbooks and is co-author/editor of 10 paediatric textbooks including one of the standard texts for MRCPCH, ‘Concise Paediatrics’ and a major text for undergraduate paediatrics, ‘Easy Paediatrics’. ‘Practical Pediatric Gastrointestinal Endoscopy’ is now considered to be the definitive text in this area. 2017 has seen the publication of a further definitive text: ‘Disorders of the esophagus and stomach in infants and children’ with 130 chapters and 1500 pages.

He has lectured at over 500 National and International meetings.

He is an Associate Editor of JPGN, recently fulfilled the role of ‘Expert Advisor’ to the NICE on GORD in children published in 2015 and has led on the Europe-wide Guidelines for Paediatric Endoscopy published in 2017.