Congratulations and welcome to our newest BSG Officers!
President
Prof Colin Rees is Professor of Gastroenterology at Newcastle University and an Honorary Consultant at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust. His research interests include endoscopy and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, prevention and early diagnosis (COLO-SPEED https://colospeed.uk/). He has led many large endoscopy studies recruiting around 20000 patients and believes the UK should be a world leader in endoscopy and CRC research. Colin was BSG VP Endoscopy from 2015-17 and established the BSG Endoscopy Quality Improvement Programme (EQIP). He has a strong interest in patient reported experience measures and led development of the Newcastle ENDOPREM. Colin has a strong faith, belief in social justice and has held a Newcastle United season ticket for over 30 years supporting them through thick and thin.
President Elect
Dr Harriet Gordon is a Consultant Gastroenterologist, she has been a Consultant in Winchester since 2000. Her involvement with the BSG began with the training committee when programme director, and since then has been BSG Workforce Lead, and then Director of the Medical Workforce Unit RCP. Since then, she has continued to address the medical workforce crisis as Chair of the RCP Flexibility and Wellbeing group and the AoMRC Flexible Careers Committee, looking at opportunities throughout a medical career and into retirement. She set up the RCP Emerging Women Leaders Programme in 2018 and was an elected member of SWiG. She was an elected member of BSG council and a BSG Trustee, and then an RCP Censor.
Treasurer
Dr Allan John Morris is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Glasgow University Medical School and Clinical Lead for Gastroenterology for Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board. He is Director of the West of Scotland Endoscopy Training Centre and has an international reputation for education and quality in delivery of all types of gastrointestinal endoscopy. He was visiting Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1995, developing advanced endoscopy practice. He has written several original papers, reviewed articles and contributed to national guideline development in the field of GI endoscopy.
A recognised national expert in luminal gastroenterology, he receives referrals of complex patients with inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome ,celiac disease, anaemia and capsule endoscopy. Dr Morris has held several senior positions in UK and European Gastroenterology including Scottish and British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and Joint Accreditation Group endoscopy (JAG) council member, Endoscopy Committee Secretary of the BSG and board member of the European Society for GI Endoscopy.
Chair of Research
Prof Debbie Shawcross is a Clinician Scientist and Professor of Hepatology and Chronic Liver Failure at the Institute of Liver Studies and James Black Centre, King’s College London. She works as a Consultant Hepatologist on the King’s Liver Unit with a specialist interest in hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure syndromes and the complications of cirrhosis. She joined the EASL [European Association for the Study of the Liver] Scientific Committee and Governing Board in October 2022 and was elected Vice Secretary General of EASL in June 2023. She is an advocate for high quality education and training in gastroenterology and hepatology having been a Health Education England London Gastroenterology Training Programme Director for 10 years, British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Mentor and an active member of the BSG Supporting Women in Gastroenterology. She is Chair of the BSG Research Committee.
Her research programme characterises the immunobiology of chronic liver failure focusing specifically on the gut-liver-brain axis in the context of the gut microbiome as a driver of immune dysfunction, inflammation and encephalopathy. She is leading the field in clinical trials of therapeutic gut microbiome manipulation and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in Europe and is Chief Investigator of the NIHR-funded EME UK multicentre randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of FMT (capsules) [PROMISE Trial] in patients with metabolic-associated and alcohol-related cirrhosis.
Vice President Endoscopy
Dr Pradeep Bhandari was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Portsmouth(UK) in 2005 and Professor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 2012. He has authored more then 200 peer reviewed publications and has authored several International and national Guidelines as well as book chapters. He has recieved several awards for his work in the field of endoscopy. These include Hopkins Endoscopy prize (from British Society of Gastroenterology), Barbour Freeland Award (from Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh) and Crystal awards (ASGE) . His work of use of Artificial Intelligence in detection of Barrett’s neoplasia was recently awarded the ‘Innovation of the Year’ award by the ESGE.
He sits on the UEG Research committee, specialist advisor to NICE and is the current chair of the ESGE Research committee.
His key areas of interest are advanced diagnostics, endoscopic resections and Third space endoscopy.
He has lectured at various National and International meetings and has a passion for endoscopic innovations, cricket and football.
Chair of Clinical Services and Standards Committee (CSSC)
Dr Matthew Kurien is a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Gastroenterologist at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. Since qualifying in 2003, he has made significant contributions to the field, recognised through prestigious awards, contributions to guidelines, and securing over £1.3 million in research grant funding.
He is currently co-leading a Yorkshire Cancer Research funded clinical trial (DETECT-CRC) investigating whether high-street pharmacies could improve bowel cancer detection rates in socioeconomically deprived communities.
Dr Kurien has also demonstrated a strong commitment to education, and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education from the University of Nottingham in 2010. He currently serves as the Medical Lead for the Lower GI Cancer pathway at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, and is an active member of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Colorectal Committee. He is to become the Chair of the BSG's Clinical Services and Standards Committee (CSSC) in June 2024.
CSSC Deputy QI Lead
Dr Monica Bose is a Divisional Director and Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Harlow, Essex. She is just completing a 2 year role as a planned care clinical lead at Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS.
She has until recently served as the East of England CSSC Chair and RCP speciality representative in the East of England Region.
Dr Bose has been a Medical Trustee at St Clare Hospice in Harlow since 2019 and is currently Vice Chair of the board of Trustees at the Hospice.
Dr Bose has demonstrated a strong commitment to collaborative service development and in 2021 the PAHT IBD team was short listed for an HSJ award based on improvement work in the service facilitated by the introduction of a specialist pharmacist. This model has been shared across other areas of the Trust with significant benefits to patient care pathways and was designed with the support of service commissioners.
Dr Bose has completed the HEE/Yale Global Strategic Healthcare Diploma and the Kings Fund Top Managers Programme and is interested in how NHS Transformation plans can support new ways of working within more integrated and diverse teams to improve quality of care and outcomes for our patients and sustainable & fulfilling work life balance for all colleagues working in the field of Gastroenterology.
Deputy Guidelines Lead
Dr Elizabeth Bird-Lieberman (MB BChir, PhD Cantab, FRCP) is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Oxford. Her particular clinical interest is in endoscopy. She is a JAG trainer, Academic foundation lead in Oxford for HEE, bowel cancer screener and PI for the EMIC and Regimen studies and local PI for the TIP study.
2025 BSG Membership Fee Increase
After four years of freezing our membership fees, we are making a small increase to annual membership fees.
Apply for the Web Education Online Deputy Editor role
The BSG Education Committee is looking for a BSG member to join the BSG Education Online Editorial team as a Web Education Online Deputy Editor.
BSG LIVE 2025 Abstracts
Submit your abstract between 2nd December 2024 and 24th January 2025 for your chance to present your research as a poster or oral at BSG LIVE'25 in Glasgow taking place from 23rd - 26th June 2025.