Story
It is a privilege to be part of an organisation where continuity and continuous improvement are valued, in our people, innovations and approach to treating patients. The most important measure of our work is the impact we have on patients’ lives and we are proud that the recurring events igniting the virtuous circles described are benefitting patients
OUR PEOPLE
Professor Robin Phillips was a Resident Surgical Officer at St Mark’s before becoming a Consultant Surgeon in 1987, followed by the hospital’s Clinical Director from 2004. When he retired in 2017, a Research Fellow he had supervised was appointed as a St Mark’s Consultant and inherited his patients. This surgeon, Mr Phil Tozer, is now an international leader of complex proctology and leads the aptly named ‘Robin Phillips Fistula Research Unit.’ He has continued the tradition of supervising the next generation, and we welcomed back one of his Research Fellows, Mr Kapil Sahnan, as a Consultant in 2023.
Mr Tozer explains,
Dr Andrew Latchford was a Research Fellow, and then Endoscopy Fellow, at St Mark’s twenty years ago working on desmoid research. He is now a Consultant at the hospital supervising Dr Ben Zare, the latest Research Fellow to be progressing this area of work.
Dr Zare reveals,
A combination of hard work and circumstance may see Ben back at St Mark’s in the future, completing yet another full circle.
OUR INNOVATIONS
The Ileo-anal pouch was developed by surgeons from St Mark’s in the 1970s. It remains a key option for patients with ulcerative colitis, a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and familial adenomatous polyposis, a rare, inherited cancer predisposition syndrome.
St Mark’s has recently undertaken pouch surgery using minimally invasive robotic technology, contributing new knowledge to an area of surgery it originally pioneered.
Mr Miskovic shares,
A medical illustration of the Ileo-anal pouch operation; image courtesy of Steve Preston, Head of Media and Digital Production, St Mark’s
OUR PATIENTS
Kay Crook, St Mark’s Paediatric Gastroenterology Clinical Nurse Specialist, describes the hospital’s patient-centric approach to treating and managing patients,
If you received or read our 2020 seasonal appeal, ‘Showing guts through Covid-19,’ you will be familiar with Oliver’s story #thekidwithabag
Oliver was a teenager on the cusp of adulthood who underwent major surgery during the Covid-19 pandemic for IBD, but he was also a student that aspired to study medicine.
With personal and professional support and guidance from his St Mark’s team, Oliver started his journey to becoming a doctor this year.
FINAL WORDS
