Colorectal Surgery Team

Consultant Colorectal Surgeons at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Consultant Surgeons

Professor Chris Cunningham

BSc (Hons) MBChB MD FRCSEd

Chris Cunningham has been a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Oxford since 2000.

His major areas of clinical practice are the management of rectal cancer and pelvic floor disorders. He has a particular interest in organ-preserving approaches in early rectal cancer through local excision (transanal endoscopic microsurgery [TEM]).

He teaches and lectures on all aspects of rectal cancer management, pelvic floor disorders and minimally invasive surgery and has published widely on these topics. He is co-investigator in several studies of rectal cancer management in the UK.

At a national level, he has held posts with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, The Association of Coloproctology of UK and Ireland, the NHS National Cancer Action Team, Low Rectal Cancer Programme (LOREC) and the Department of Health LAPCO programme for training laparoscopic colorectal surgeons.

He is currently a member of NICE Interventional Procedures Advisory Group, the NHS Colorectal Cancer Clinical Reference Group and the Policy Group of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Special interests

Management of colon cancer
Management of rectal cancer, including transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), total mesorectal excision (TME)
Minimally-invasive, laparoscopic and transanal surgery
Management of faecal incontinence, obstructed defaecation and pelvic pain
Pelvic floor surgery, including prolapse surgery
Surgery for haemorrhoids, fissure and fistula
Colonoscopy

Professor Simon Buczacki

MA MB BChir PhD FRCS

Simon Buczacki is the Richard Blackwell Pharsalia Professor of Colorectal Surgery with simultaneous appointments at Oxford University Hospitals and the University of Oxford.

Simon graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2000 and then undertook his surgical training in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. During this time he carried out a PhD at the Cancer Research UK, Cambridge Institute in the laboratory of Professor Doug Winton.

Following on from his doctoral studies he obtained a highly competitive post-doctoral Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship to enable him to carry out both clinical work whilst also developing his own basic science laboratory group.

He was appointed as Honorary Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital in 2015 where he also led the Aerodigestive Programme for the Cambridge Cancer Centre.

In 2018 he was recruited to the world-famous Cambridge Stem Cell Institute as a Group Leader.

In 2020 he was appointed as the inaugural Richard Blackwell Pharsalia Professor of Colorectal Surgery at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford.

He currently leads a research group in the Old Road Campus Research Building funded by a highly prestigious Cancer Research UK Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellowship.

He has published widely including major papers in Nature, Science and Cell Stem Cell. His current research interests focus on tumour evolution and cancer cell identity and his laboratory is investigating the relationship between intratumoral genetic heterogeneity and cell behaviour.

Simon has been an active medical teacher for over two decades, currently as a Fellow at Linacre College.

Special interests

Management of colon and rectal cancer
Management of small bowel neuroendocrine tumours
Colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy
Pilonidal disease

Mr Ian Lindsey

MBBS FRACS

Ian Lindsey qualified from the University of Melbourne in 1988 and undertook his surgical training in Australia. On arrival in Oxford, he began research into pelvic dysfunction for which he received numerous prizes. He was appointed consultant colorectal surgeon in Oxford in 2002.

He has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, including five randomised controlled trials, 12 book chapters, a textbook of pelvic floor disorders and given numerous international invited lectures. He is Honorary Program Secretary for the UK National Pelvic Floor Society and is internationally recognised for his major contribution to the understanding and developing of new treatments for colorectal pelvic floor disorders.

He is the current Clinical Lead for the Department of Colorectal Surgery.

Special interests

Management of faecal incontinence, obstructed defaecation and pelvic pain
Pelvic floor surgery, including prolapse surgery
Management of colon and rectal cancer
Minimally-invasive, laparoscopic and transanal surgery
Hernia surgery
Surgery for haemorrhoids, fissure and fistula
Colonoscopy

Mr Oliver Jones

MA BM BCh DM FRACS

Oliver Jones undertook junior doctor training in Oxford, Glasgow, Cambridge and London, including St Marks Hospital. He undertook registrar training in the Wessex region before completing his training at the world-renowned Royal Brisbane Hospital in Australia. This gave him a unique experience in complex laparoscopic (keyhole) colorectal surgery for benign and malignant disease, offering safe surgery with improved cosmetic results and faster recovery compared to conventional surgery.

He was awarded an MD degree for his research into mechanisms of faecal continence and defecation, their disorders and treatments. His research won prizes including the BJS Prize at the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI), the Norman Tanner Prize at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and culminated in the election as a Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons.

Mr Jones has published a book and almost a hundred journal articles and book chapters. He is currently the Colorectal Lead for Endometriosis in Oxford (the EndoCaRe Centre Oxford). He is chairman of the Pelvic Floor Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). He is the current Clinical Director for Surgery.

Special interests

Management of faecal incontinence, obstructed defaecation and pelvic pain
Pelvic floor surgery, including prolapse surgery
Surgery for haemorrhoids, fissure and fistula
Management of colon and rectal cancer
Minimally-invasive, laparoscopic and transanal surgery
Surgery fissure, fistula and haemorrhoids including HALO, DG-HAL and haemorrhoidectomy
Colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and upper GI endoscopy
Surgery for endometriosis where it involves the colon or rectum

Mr David James

MBBS BSc (Hons) PhD FRCS

Mr James qualified from Imperial College School of Medicine in 2003 with Distinction in Surgery. During his time in medical school, he also completed a BSc (hons) 1st Class Degree and was awarded the Huggett Prize for best BSc.

Following junior surgical training on the St Mary's Hospital Basic Surgical Rotation, Mr James completed a PhD investigating the ergonomics of robotic surgery under the supervision of Professor the Lord Darzi at the prestigious Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Imperial College, London. He subsequently undertook his higher surgical training in the Oxford Deanery. Mr James was awarded the ASGBI Gold medal for outstanding performance in the FRCS examination in 2016.

Mr James then undertook two highly prestigious world-renowned Colorectal Fellowships. The first year was spent training at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. The second year was at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland, Australia.

During his Fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic, Mr James was trained in robotic colorectal surgery, advanced and recurrent rectal cancer and complex tertiary referral colorectal surgery.

Whilst in Brisbane, David gained experience in advanced minimally-invasive colorectal surgery. He has published a book chapter, numerous peer-reviewed clinical articles and has presented nationally and internationally on colorectal surgery.

Special interests

Robotic surgery
Colon and rectal cancer surgery
Minimally-invasive surgery
Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS)

Mr Bruce George

MS FRCS

Mr Bruce George is Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Oxford.

He qualified from St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College in 1984 and trained in general and colorectal surgery in London and Oxford. He was awarded the Moynihan Prize by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland in 1992 and the Arris and Gale Lectureship in 1994 by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He has been the Chief Examiner in Surgery for medical student final examinations since 2017.

His major clinical interests include inflammatory bowel disease, complex abdominal fistulae and the surgical management of short bowel syndrome. He is one of the few surgeons in Europe offering continent ileostomy reconstruction.

He is President of the Kangaroo club, a patient-run association for people with ileoanal pouches and a trustee of the charity OCCTOPUS which supports education, research and new technology in colorectal diseases.

Special interests

Crohn's disease
Ileo-anal pouch construction for ulcerative colitis
Continent ileostomy (Kock pouch) reconstruction
Complex abdominal and anal fistulae
Colorectal support to small bowel transplant team
Proctology
Colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy

Mr Stephen Boyce

BA MBBS FRCS PhD MEd

Stephen Boyce has medical degrees from the Universities of Cambridge and Newcastle upon Tyne. Most of his consequent training in surgery was in Scotland; in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He was awarded a PhD in cancer biology from Edinburgh University and a Masters in Surgical Education from Imperial College London. He undertook specialist minimally-invasive colorectal surgery Fellowships in Sydney and Brisbane.

He has been a Consultant Surgeon since 2015. His predominant interest is in minimally-invasive techniques for treating patients with rectal cancer, including robotic surgery.

Special interests

Management of colon cancer
Management of rectal cancer, including transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), total mesorectal excision (TME)
Minimally-invasive, laparoscopic, robotic and transanal surgery
Colonoscopy

Ms Helen Jones

MMedScim FRCSEd Dip Obstetrics MBChB

Helen Jones is a Specialty Doctor in Colorectal Surgery.

Her major area of clinical practice is proctology. She is also involved in research.

Special interests

Surgery for haemorrhoids, fissure and fistula
Surgery for pilonidal disease

Mr Nicholas Symons

MBChB MSc FRCS PhD

Mr Nick Symons qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2003 with a medical degree and a MSc in Physiology. He started his surgical training in London and took time out to study patient safety and surgical outcomes at Imperial College London, culminating in a successful defence of his PhD thesis.

He completed his training in general and laparoscopic surgery at both the Royal London and Royal Free Hospitals and then undertook a fellowship at the renowned Basingstoke Peritoneal Malignancy Institute. This fellowship provided extensive experience and training in the management of locally advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer, appendix tumours, including pseudomyxoma peritonei and peritoneal mesothelioma as part of the European Peritoneal Surface Oncology Training Programme.

Mr Symons has been involved in surgical research collaboratives for many years and was the Chair of the London Surgical Research Group from 2015-2018.

He has published numerous research papers and authored the Royal College of Surgeons of England's guidelines for the management of high-risk surgical patients.

Special interests

Locally advanced and recurrent colon and rectal cancer
Minimally-invasive colorectal surgery
Colorectal support for gynaecology oncology surgery and other pelvic and abdominal tumours
General proctology including anal fistula, fissure and haemorrhoids
Cleft-Lift procedure for pilonidal sinus disease

Ms Kat Baker

MBChB MD FRCS

Kat Baker completed her surgical training in Bristol and Australia, with a specialist fellowship in minimally-invasive colorectal surgery at the world-renowned Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. This included training in robotic colorectal surgery, which she now offers in Oxford.

Kat completed an MD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Bristol, with a Royal College of Surgeons Research Fellowship. Her research investigated Aspirin's potential role as an adjunct to radiotherapy in Colorectal Cancer. For this, she led an NIHR portfolio adopted study and was awarded the Royal Society of Medicine John of Arderne Medal and the Royal College of Surgeons Rosetrees' Prize. Having completed her MD, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in New York, for which she carried out research at Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, investigating colorectal cancer outcomes.

She is a Past President of the Dukes' Club (the UK Colorectal Surgery Trainees' Society) and spent four years on The European Society of Coloproctology, Education and Training Committee, working with surgeons from across Europe. She has delivered numerous national and international oral presentations and is widely published in peer reviewed journals.

Special interests

Minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery
Colorectal cancer
Crohn's Disease
Ulcerative Colitis - including robotic subtotal colectomy, proctectomy and ileo-anal pouch surgery
General proctology - anal fissure, fistula, haemorrhoids
Pilonidal sinus surgery
Colonoscopy