FACULTY
ICENI Centre President, Clinical Directors & Faculty
Professor Roger Motson
Mr Gregory Wynn
Mr Barry Whitlow
Mr Adam Howard
Ms Emma Thomson
Mr Tim Williams
Honorary Director: Mr Chrys Dimitriou
Professor Roger Motson (President)
ICENI CENTREProfessor Roger Motson has been performing laparoscopic surgery since the mid 1980s and was appointed Consultant Surgeon at Colchester General Hospital in 1984.
He has developed techniques for laparoscopic common bile duct exploration and incisional hernia repair and has extensive experience of laparoscopic upper gastrointestinal, hernia and colorectal surgery.
He has led the drive at Colchester for a multi-disciplinary education centre, running laparoscopic courses in Colchester since the early 1990s, as well as teaching laparoscopic surgery both in the UK and abroad.
Mr Gregory Wynn
Lead Clinical Director, Consultant General Surgeon
ICENI CENTREMr Greg Wynn has been a consultant at Colchester since 2009 after completing the Laparoscopic Colorectal Fellowship here. He has also completed clinical fellowships at Hong Kong’s Minimal Access Surgery Training centre and more recently in Rio de Janeiro for training in natural orifice surgery.
His other interests include organ preserving treatments for rectal cancer including transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) and laparoscopic skills training using virtual reality simulation. He has published widely on training, rectal cancer and minimal access surgery.
In 2017, Mr Wynn was invited to Myanmar (Burma) to teach and train their surgeons.
In July 2018 Mr Wynn became Clinical Director of the ICENI Centre.
Mr Barry Whitlow
Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology
ICENI CENTREMr Barry Whitlow (MD, MRCOG) is a Consultant and Honorary Senior lecturer at Colchester University Foundation trust / Anglia Ruskin University.
He leads the Colchester endometriosis centre, specialising in advanced surgery for endometriosis. He holds the advanced diploma in Gynaecolcogical laparoscopy & has won awards for development of advanced surgical simulation trainers and retractors.
Mr Adam Howard
Consultant Vascular Surgeon
ICENI CENTREMr Adam Howard is a consultant in general and vascular surgery at Colchester General Hospital (and Honorary Consultant at St. Georges Hospital, London), with a particular interest in endovascular (EVAR) and laparoscopic aorto-iliac surgery.
He has set up a vascular laparoscopic programme to work hand-in-hand with aortic endovascular stenting to provide a fully minimally invasive vascular aneurysm service. He has also established an Endovenous radiofrequency varicose veins service, IMPROVE trial centre for emergency EVAR, Fast track carotid surgery service, Venous Thromboembolism Prevention programme and a Multidisciplinary diabetic foot vascular clinic at Colchester.
He enjoys teaching and took a three year post as clinical lecturer at Imperial College and Charing Cross Hospital in 2001. He is now one of the undergraduate clinical tutors at Colchester General Hospital and a Honourary Senior Lecturer in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Robotics at Anglia Ruskin University.
Ms Emma Thomson
Resuscitation Officer
ICENI CENTRE
Mr Tim Williams
Consultant, Trauma & Orthopaedics
ICENI CENTREMr. Williams is a Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon at ESNEFT, and has been with the Trust for over a decade. He leads the Foot & Ankle Surgery service, and his surgical interests include: Trauma, diabetic and arthritic reconstruction, sports injuries and foot corrections.
He joined the ICENI Centre as a Clinical Director in 2022, with a track record in international orthopaedic education, and more recently examining in Africa. Previous work includes the popular ‘Lecture of Distinction’ webinar series broadcast during 2020-2021.
Mr Chrys Dimitriou
Consultant Ophthalmologist
ICENI CENTREMr Dimitriou is the Lead Clinician for Cataract and Glaucoma at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT). He has performed in excess of 12,000 Cataract Operations and 3,000 of MiGS procedures (minimally invasive glaucoma surgery) and is currently recognised as the eye surgeon with the highest number of successful MiGS procedures in the whole of East Anglia to include SLT Laser, Micro-Pulse Laser, XEN45, iStent G2 w inject, KDB, PRESERFLO, HYDRUS, OMNI, iTRACK Advance, TrabEx+, MINIject, MiMS, and more recently Excimer Laser Trabeculostomy (ELiOS), one of the first surgeons in the country to adopt those new technologies.
Mr Dimitriou completed comprehensive training at The Royal United Hospital in Bath, The Prince Charles Eye Unit in Windsor and The Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) in Guildford (2007-2012). He received further sub-specialty training at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the world-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London (2012-2015). He has also completed a full-year fellowship in MIGS at RSCH (2016-2017).
He has been awarded Level 2 Clinical Excellence Award (2019) in acknowledgment of his efforts to bring those new treatment modalities to everyday clinical practice for the benefit of his cataract and glaucoma Patients. He has also been presented with the 2023 Rob Brierly Educational Award by ESNEFT as the Top Medical Trainer for the Trust in acknowledgement of his tireless efforts to educate and support the next generation of Ophthalmologists and Eye Surgeons in the East of England and beyond.
Choose a faculty member to see their full profile
Mr Abdusalam Abu-Own
ICENI CENTREMr Abdusalam Abu-Own, MBChB, FRCS (Gen Sug, Vasc), PhD
Abu is a Consultant in General and Vascular surgery working in Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals. His interests include VTE, Varicose Veins, leg Ulcer, AAA, Carotid disease and PAD.
He has a strong background in research and carried out clinical research at the University College London; culminating in the award of a PhD in 1995. He has fifty publications between peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and published abstracts.
Mr Abu-Own is a Council Member and Communications Director of the Venous Forum of the Royal Society of Medicine. He is a referee for the British Journal of Surgery & International Journal of Surgery. He has been a member of the Venous Forum and the Responsible Officer for thrombosis-related Guideline for many years. He is continuing his long-established interest in investigation and treatment of venous disease. He is the Venous Lead for the Five Rivers Vascular Unit.
Mr Abu-Own enjoys teaching and training and was an undergraduate surgical tutor for several years. He continues to take an active role in teaching and training, including clinical and educational supervisor role. He is a Course Leader for the Basic Surgical Skills course at the ICENI Centre.
Dr Sunday Akpulonu
Emergency Medicine Specialty Doctor at Colchester General Hospital
ICENI CENTREDr Sunday Ahiaoma Akpulonu, is an Emergency Medicine Specialty Doctor
MBBS College of Health Sciences, UDSOK, Nigeria (1999)
MPH University College Dublin Ireland (2007)
Diploma in Laparoscopic General Surgery University of Strasbourg, France (2013)
ALS INSTRUCTOR, Resuscitation Council UK (2019)
EPALS INSTRUCTOR, Resuscitation Council UK (2019)
ATLS INSTRUCTOR (Provider & Instructor course), Royal College of Surgeons England (2019)
ATLS CO-DIRECTOR ICENI Colchester General Hospital, 2021
CORE (Level 1) Emergency Ultrasound course COORDINATOR The ICENI Centre, Colchester General Hospital ESNEFT, UK (2021)
Mr Mahbub Alam
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Colchester General Hospital
ICENI CENTREMr Mahbub Alam, BSc (Hon), MB BS, MRCS (Eng), FRCS (Tr & Orth), MS
Mr Alam was appointed as a Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon at Colchester Hospital University Foundation Trust in July 2017.
He read Medicine at University College London, receiving a Prestigious Scholarship.
He then went on to complete a MS degree in Biomechanics and Bioengineering at the Mechanical & Bioengineering Engineering departments at Imperial College London, receiving awards including from Arthritis Research Campaign, Hammersmith Hospitals Trustees Award and the Royal College of Surgeons.
Professor Tan Arulampalam
Consultant General Surgeon
ICENI CENTREProfessor Tan Arulampalam was awarded his Medical Degree by the University of London after five years at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School.
His specialist Higher Surgical Training was completed at Oldchurch, Whittington, Chase Farm and Colchester Hospitals with the award of Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1996 and Intercollegiate Exam in 2003.
During this period he undertook a two year research post at the Department of Surgery and Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London where he won a Trustees Grant to study molecular imaging of colorectal cancer. He was awarded his higher degree by thesis in 2003.
Mr Ralph Austin
ICENI CENTREMr Ralph Austin was appointed to Colchester General Hospital in October 2002 as a general and colorectal laparoscopic surgeon.
He has been on the faculty of various national and international laparoscopic meetings and courses and has undertaken research into Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) under a grant awarded by the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery.
He also has an interest in IT having developed the anonymous, free surgical logbook
Mr Sohail Choksy
Consultant General & Vascular Surgeon
Specialty: Uro-Oncology and Men’s health
Mr Choksy has a particular interest and expertise in aneurysm surgery using both conventional repair and EVAR (stenting) and screening for aneurysms. In addition he has a major interest in preventing mini strokes caused by narrowing of the neck arteries (carotid disease).
Mr Choksy qualified as a doctor in 1992 and trained in Cambridge and Sheffield, during this time he gained training and experience in modern treatments for venous and arterial conditions and obtained a research degree (MD) in the growth of blood vessels. Mr Choksy is the clinical lead for the local Aneurysm Screening Project involving NE Essex and Suffolk and the Lead Vascular Surgeon for the Essex Stroke and Cardiac Network.
Mr Sam Datta
Consultant Urology at Colchester General Hospital
ICENI CENTREMr. Sam Datta
MBBS (Hons) BSc(Hons) MSc MD FRCS (Urol) Pg Cert Med Ed
Sam Datta trained at the University College London Medical School and graduated with Distinction and the Lord Liston Surgical Prize in 2000. His trained on the Hammersmith Surgical Rotation and subsequently on the Imperial Urology Rotation for higher surgical training. He undertook a Royal College of Surgeons research fellowship with Professor Clare Fowler in the Department of Uro-neurology at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London where he completed his masters and doctoral theses.
He has published widely in the field of urology and his research interests include the effect of drugs on the lower urinary tract and stone disease. His MD thesis at the University of London is on Botox and its effects on the bladder.
Sam works as a Consultant Urological Surgeon and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of London and Anglia Ruskin University. He is Clinical Director for Colchester and Ipswich units. He has an interest in lower urinary tract dysfunction and stone disease. He also has an active role in teaching both undergraduates and post graduates and has a formal qualification in medical education.
He has published 20 peer reviewed papers, 40 published abstracts, and 5 book chapters. He has won prizes for his work from the American Urological Association, European Urological Association, International Continence Society and Royal Society of Medicine (x2).
Mr Chrys Dimitriou
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Colchester General Hospital
ICENI CENTREMr Chrys Dimitriou MBChB(Hons) FRCOphth(Lond) FEBOphth(Paris) FEBOS(Glaucoma) PGCertMedEd(Healthcare)
Medical School of Athens
Core Training in Guildford (Royal Surrey County Hospital), Windsor (Prince Charles Eye Unit of King Edward VII Hospital), Bath (Royal United Hospital)
Mr Dimitriou studied Specialist Training in Glaucoma as well as Subspecialist Training in Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) in Norwich (Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital), Guildford (Royal Surrey County Hospital) and the world renown Moorfields Eye Hospital in London (2 years, including Glaucoma Research).
Mr Dimitriou is an active Educational Supervisor, serving as the Regional Tutor for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, as well as East Anglian Co-Lead for Simulation Eye Surgery.
He has a special interest in complex cataract surgery, lasers and MIGS and is currently Principal Investigator for the international XPLORE Study (XEN microstent in angle closure glaucoma) as well as TRITON Study (Slow Release Bimatoprost Implant for open angle glaucoma)
Outside medicine, he loves playing with his six children (3 boys and 3 girls), walking around the beautiful countryside of Dedham Valey, Flatford and Constable Country. He is particularly good at chess and basketball and would challenge anyone to a friendly match!
Mr Adam Farquharson
Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon
ICENI CENTREFollowing undergraduate studies at the University of Sheffield, Adam completed basic surgical training in the Yorkshire and the Humber Deanery. He then completed Higher Surgical training also in the Yorkshire and the Humber Deanery with the award of FRCS in 2011 and CCT in 2013. He spent a year as Colorectal Fellow at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia (2012-13) and was awarded the Ethicon Endo-Surgery David Dunn Memorial travelling fellowship to support this period of specialist colorectal and laparoscopic training.
Before higher surgical training, Adam was clinical research fellow to the Peritoneal Tumour Service at The Christie Hospital, Manchester. This research focused on peritoneal surface malignancies including pseudomyxoma peritonei and their management with cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy) leading to publications in the British Journal of Cancer and Colorectal Disease. He was also granted travelling fellowships by the Royal Society of Medicine Section of Coloproctology for this and other work undertaken in Sheffield. Subsequently he completed a postgraduate degree in education at the University of Sheffield (Masters of Education) with his thesis examining the video assessment of surgical skills.
Miss Sharmila Gupta
ICENI CENTREMiss Sharmila Gupta was appointed as a Laparoscopic Colorectal Fellow at Colchester Hospital in 2009 and in 2011 she was appointed as a Consultant General Surgeon. She has a particular interest in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and its surgical management and provides colorectal support for laparoscopic endometrial surgery.
She delivers training on the MSc in Minimally Invasive & Robotic Surgery.
Mr Vijitha Chandima Halahakoon
ICENI CENTREMr Halahakoon joined the Colchester team in 2015 and carries out endoscopy as well as laparoscopic, open general, day case and endometriosis surgery. He has a special interest in emergency general surgery, the pelvic floor and endometriosis.
Mr Halahakoon competed his full general surgical training at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka in 2000, and his higher training in Australia. His professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree, a Master of Surgery (MS) degree and Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS).
Mr Halahakoon is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and a member of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland and The Pelvic Floor Society. He is also Colchester’s undergraduate clinical tutor at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School.
Mr Toby Hammond
Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon
ICENI CENTREMr Toby Hammond under took his undergraduate medical training at Liverpool University Medical School.
His higher surgical training was performed in the NE Thames region of the London Deanery. He was awarded the FRCS in 2011, and gained his CCT in 2012. He has also worked as a senior fellow at St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, and was awarded the Ethicon Endosurgery Laparoscopic Colorectal Fellowship at Colchester General Hospital.
Prior to higher surgical training he undertook a period of full time research. He investigated the role of biomaterials in the management of parastomal hernia and anal fistula. This culminated in an MD, awarded by the University of London, as well as the Colon & Rectal Disease Research Foundation Prize, by the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland (ACPGBI). He was also granted a travelling fellowship by the Coloproctology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine. Since that time he has published and presented widely. He has been invited to review articles for the Lancet, British Journal of Surgery, Colorectal Disease, Techniques in Coloproctology and The International Journal of Surgery. He has co-authored chapters on anal fistula for the next edition of Rob & Smith’s Operative Surgery: Surgery of the Colon, Rectum and Anus Operative, and for Anus: Surgical Treatment and Pathology (edited by R Cohen and A Windsor).
Toby has subspecialty interests in anal and pelvic floor pathology, and complex abdominal wall reconstruction.
Mr Zafar Maan
Consultant Urological Surgeon at Colchester General Hospital
ICENI CENTREAfter completing a period of research as part of a Masters in Urological Surgery at UCL in 2003, Mr Zafar Mann entered the urology higher surgical training programme in Cambridge and Essex. This provided excellent training in prostate laser surgery, andrology and general urology.
He also undertook the sub-speciality training fellowship in Stone surgery and Endourology at St Bartholemew’s Hospital and was appointed as a Consultant Urological Surgeon at Colchester Hospital in November 2010.
As a stone surgery specialist Zafar is particularly interested in minimally invasive procedures using telescopes, which use the natural passageways of the urinary tract or access organs with a ‘keyhole’ approach.
Mr Tim Parratt
ICENI CENTREMr. Parratt is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Colchester General Hospital. His practice focuses on primary and revision hip/knee replacement, arthroscopic surgery and soft tissue knee reconstruction (including ACL reconstruction and patellofemoral realignment procedures). He has further expertise in partial knee replacement, patient specific knee replacement, stem cell autografting and massive endoprosthetic replacement. He is experienced in managing all general trauma, particularly focussing on the lower limb.
Mr. Parratt trained on the internationally renowned Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (Stanmore) (RNOH) rotation. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2015 and completed a specialist fellowship at the RNOH
Dr Achuth Shenoy
ICENI CENTREDr Achuth Shenoy, MBBS, MD, DNB, Dip. Med Ed, FRCP (UK)
Dr Shenoy was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist at Colchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October 2008. Dr Achuth Shenoy qualified from Mangalore University, India in 1989. He was awarded MD qualification by the Bangalore University and Diplomate of National Board (New Delhi) in 1992.
He is an accredited bowel cancer screening colonoscopist for the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme at the North East Essex Bowel Cancer Screening Centre. He is a Principal Investigator in several gastroenterology research trials.
He was awarded FRCP by the Royal College of Physicians, London in 2012.
Mr Jeremy Stanton
ICENI CENTREMr Jeremy Stanton has worked for the Trust for 17 years. He was a registrar on the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Training Rotation followed by a Fellowship at the Pulvertaft Hand Unit in Derby and a year in Perth, Australia doing upper limb surgery.
His practice includes shoulder and elbow replacements, arthroscopy of the shoulder, elbow and wrist, hand surgery and upper limb elective and trauma work.
Mr Matthew Tutton
ICENI CENTREMr Matthew Tutton, BSc (Hons), MBBS, MRCS(Eng), MS, FRCS(Gen.Surg.)
Matthew Tutton is Divisional Director for Surgery and Gastroenterology at ESNEFT.
Following his Surgical training and Master of Surgery thesis at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, he commenced as a consultant surgeon at Colchester General Hospital in 2006 and has undertaken fellowships as a consultant in the Mayo Clinic, Rochester; the Weill Cornell Hospital, New York; and in the National Cancer Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
He is a consultant general surgeon with a subspecialist interest in minimally invasive colorectal surgery including laparoscopy and TEMS.
Mr Subash Vasudevan
ICENI CENTREMr Subash Vasudevan was appointed as a consultant laparoscopic colorectal and general surgeon at Colchester Hospital in 2014. His higher surgical training was in the North East Thames rotation of the London Deanery. He was awarded the FRCS in 2012, and obtained his CCT in 2014.
He was awarded an MD (Res) by the University of London in 2013 for his original research into hindgut dysfunction. He has presented his research in several national and international meetings. Apart from colorectal cancer, he also has an interest in pelvic floor surgery. He has a keen interest in surgical education and teaches regularly on several courses at the ICENI Centre.
Miss Nienke Warnaar
ICENI CENTREMiss Warnaar joined the Colchester team in 2015 after earlier completing laparoscopic colorectal fellowships at this hospital, Broomfield Hospital and St Mark’s Hospital in London. She carries out treatments including laparoscopic cholecystectomy, proctology, laparoscopic ventral and inguinal hernia repair, and complex abdominal wall surgery and has a special interest in IBD.
Miss Warnaar completed her training in the Netherlands at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Awarded by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, her professional qualifications include an MD and also a PhD for collaborative research with the Royal Free Hospital in London and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
She is a Fellow ad eundum of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) and became a Fellow of the European Board of Surgery (FEBS) after passing the European Exam in Coloproctology in 2015.
Mr David Messenger
ICENI CENTREDavid Messenger has been a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust since April 2016. He is the lead clinician for the Colorectal Cancer and Regional Anal Neoplasia MDT and is a member of the ACPGBI Abdominal Wall Subcommittee. His sub-specialist clinical practice is in pelvic oncology (rectal, anal and gynaecological malignancies) and abdominal wall reconstruction. David’s primary research interest is in the epidemiology of young-onset colorectal cancer and how diagnostic pathways and treatment strategies can be optimised in this group. He has also published in the field of hernia surgery and is a regular faculty member of the ICENI Centre’s Complex Abdominal Wall Repair course. David’s surgical training was undertaken in the South West with a research fellowship at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto and an industry-sponsored ACPGBI & ALSGBI laparoscopic colorectal fellowship at Colchester General Hospital.