How our team works

Mr Paul Wilkerson

I studied medicine at St George's Hospital and undertook my surgical training in London. I have been a consultant upper GI surgeon in Bristol since 2015, specialising in minimally invasive and endoscopic treatments of oesophageal and gastric disease. As well as providing upper GI cancer care, I am working to improve care quality for Barrett's oesophagus (a condition that is linked with an increased risk of developing oesophageal cancer). I am the surgical lead for emergency laparotomy as part of a multidisciplinary team working to improve quality of care for high risk emergency surgery. I am also the Medical Information Officer for the Division of Surgery, and am driven to integrate digital change into how we deliver clinical care.

Ms Jenni Wheat

Having graduated in medicine from the University of Wales, College of Medicine and Cardiff University, I completed my specialist surgical training in Wales. During my training I completed an MD in the health economics of oesophageal and gastric cancer care through Cardiff University. After a few months as a locum upper GI consultant at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, I undertook a fellowship at Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge. Here I focussed on oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery, including minimally invasive oesophagectomy and endoscopic management of Barrett's oesophagus and early oesophagogastric cancer. 

In 2021 I was appointed as a consultant oesophagogastric surgeon at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals of Bristol and Weston, where my clinical practice includes general and emergency surgery, and specialist upper GI benign and cancer surgery.

Mr Dan Titcomb

I graduated in medicine from the University of Bristol and completed my specialist surgical training in the South West region. I was awarded an Association of Upper GI Surgeons travelling fellowship in 2009, to train in advanced minimally invasive upper GI cancer surgery at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo. I have also undertaken minimally invasive training courses in Versailles and Gothenburg. I was appointed as a Consultant Upper GI surgeon in Gloucestershire in 2009 before taking up my Consultant post in Bristol in 2010. I have a special interest in the management of dysplastic Barrett's oesophagus and helped establish the endoscopic service for this condition after my appointment. I also have a special interest in minimally invasive oesophagogastric cancer surgery and have been international faculty helping train colleagues to perform these surgical techniques in both the United Kingdom and Europe.

Mr Sean Strong

I graduated in medicine from the University of Southampton and undertook my specialist surgical training in the South West region. During my training I completed a PhD at the Centre for Surgical Research at the University of Bristol, which included a research fellowship award from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. My research interests have included maximising recruitment to trials in surgical oncology. After completing my specialist training, I undertook a fellowship at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. This focused on minimally-invasive and robotic techniques for the treatment of oesophago-gastric cancer.

Mr Ben Byrne

I graduated from Cambridge University in 2004, and undertook my clinical training in both the Wessex and Severn regions. I gained sub-specialist surgical training through a Royal College of Surgeons Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Fellowship at St Thomas' Hospital in London in 2019-20. Alongside my clinical training, I completed a PhD at Imperial College London, using mixed methods to study the performance of surgical units. I subsequently continued to conduct surgical research at the University of Bristol examining the relationship between clinical trials and usual practice. I started working as a consultant in Bristol in 2020. My research profile is available  here. I am also clinical governance lead for the GI and endoscopy service at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Dr Stratis Alexandridis

I finished my training in Gastroenterology medical specialty at the largest Cancer Insititute in Northern Greece focused on the treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasia and continued my training in interventional endoscopy in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. I pursued additional training in Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) in Amsterdam Medical Centre under the guidance of Professor Paul Fockens, previous UEG president and pioneer of interventional endoscopy. I also undertook further additional training in Endosocpic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) and magnifying endoscopy in Japan under the guidance of leading experts (Professors Toyonaga and N Uedo for ESD, and Professor Y Sano for magnifying endoscopy) in the University Hospital of Kobe and Osaka International Cancer Institute.

I have a special interest in diagnosis and surveillance of Barrett's oesophagus with magnifying endoscopy as well as interventional endoscopic treatment of early cancerous lesions of the upper GI tract. I am currently the endoscopy training lead in University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

Mrs Ruth Harding

I am the lead Upper GI Nurse Specialist at UBHW and have been in this role for 10 years since my relocation from the north-west. I graduated from the University of Liverpool with Bachelor of Nursing Degree (Hons) in 2000 and worked for 12 years as a sister in general surgery and colorectal surgery, before moving to the south-west to be closer to family.

I have developed and run a nurse led clinic service in Bristol, caring for patients with oesophago-gastric and hepatobiliary cancers.  Our specialist nursing team have been involved in leading many service improvements here including our prehabilitation service.

Miss Carly Pillinger

I graduated in Adult Nursing from the University West of England in 2009. I have 6 years experience working on the specialist Upper GI surgical ward here at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. In 2015 I took up the role of Upper GI CNS. As part of the specialist nursing team we aim to support patients and improve patient care and experience, whilst being involved in many service improvements within the multi-disciplinary team. 

Miss Trudy Reed

I graduated in Adult Nursing from City University,  London in 1999 and worked as a Staff Nurse and Senior Staff Nurse in Hepatology at UCLH for 5 years before moving to Bristol to take up a post in Upper GI Surgery. I was the Upper GI Ward Sister at the Bristol Royal Infirmary for 10 years, whilst completing a Masters in Advanced Nursing Practice. In 2014 I became an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Upper GI surgery, responsible for managing the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Programme. In 2016 I took part in Heath Education England's pilot Accelerated Non-Medical Endoscopy training programme and have worked as an Endoscopist at UHBW since. I help provide the diagnostic and therapeutic service across the Bristol Royal Infirmary and South Bristol Community Hospital sites. I have a special interest in Barrett's oesophagus (early changes in the cells of the oesophagus, see information pages here) and help deliver the Barrett's Oesophagus surveillance programme.

Mr Andy Boult

I have worked for the NHS since 2004 and have spent the last 8 years specialising in post-operative physiotherapy. I take great satisfaction in my job and feel very grateful to be part of such a fantastic team.

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Mr Tom Lunn

Mrs Michelle Brack

I started my nursing career in Suffolk as a nursing assistant in 2002. I studied Adult Nursing at the University of West England, graduating in February 2010. I worked as a Registered Nurse in vascular, urology and thoracic surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Royal Devon and Exeter hospitals. I have worked in pre-operative assessment and surgical admissions as a senior staff nurse for over six years, including mentoring students and implementing video pre-operative assessments and the associated electronic patient record. In my current post, I am an Enhanced Recovery Nurse Practitioner, helping improve patient pathways and accelerate recovery after surgery across several specialties including oesopahgo-gastric surgery.