britishherniasociety@gmail.com

Andrei was born in 1981 in Iasi, a vibrant city located on the north east of Romania and the second largest university centre in the country. He went to school and then to the “Gr. T. Popa” Medical University in his home city, Iasi and graduated from this in 2006. He then passed the entry

Isabelle Legood is a final year medical student at St George’s University of London. She has completed a BSc in human anatomy, which fostered an interest within the fields of general and orthopaedic surgery.   She has carried out research evaluating Patient Reported Outcome Measures, mainly Quality of Life, in women with Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Grace Kettyle completed her Undergraduate Medical Degree at Queen’s University Belfast. During her time at Queen’s, she intercalated in Clinical Anatomy (MSc), allowing her to engage in clinical and research work of gastrointestinal surgery. Recent research has included a clinical audit monitoring theatre turnaround time across hospitals in Northern Ireland. She is part of an

John is a Consultant Surgeon at the Academic Department of Abdominal Wall and Upper GI Surgery, North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple, Honorary Associate Professor and Senior Clinical Tutor at the University of Exeter Medical School, and an NIHR Exeter BRC Senior Investigator Fellow. He qualified from the University of Nottingham in 2007 and trained in

Husam Ebied is a consultant surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust in London with special interest in hernia , abdominal wall, and biliary surgery. Mr Ebied runs a specialised Hernia and abdominal wall clinic in St Thomas hospital and is a core member of the complex AWR MDM. He developed local and

Praminthra chitsabesan is a minimally invasive colorectal and AWR surgeon. He is an integral member of the York Abdominal Wall Unit. His research is into medical training, quality of life around abdominal wall hernias and colorectal pathologies. He studied at Oxford University and Newcastle University, and completed his PhD at Newcastle. He trained in the Northeast deanery and

Sue Blackwell was the first patient to receive a research grant from Bowel Research UK for the PAPooSE study looking at patient experiences of pregnancy following stoma formation. Her research interests are PROMS, parastomal hernia, IBD and emergency surgery. She is Co-Chief Investigator on the PROPHER Study, an international cohort study looking at PROMS after

Nasra Alam is a post-CCT Abdominal Wall Reconstruction (AWR) Surgery Fellow at Arrowe Park, having completed her General and Colorectal Surgery training in the North West of England in 2025.She has a strong interest in hernia surgery, particularly abdominal wall reconstruction, and has presented widely at hernia conferences and courses. As a member of the

Liam Horgan is a laparoscopic upper gastro-intestinal surgeon working in Northumbria Healthcare Trust with a special interest in day case hernia and gallbladder surgery. Liam qualified from University College, Cork in 1985. He moved to NE Thames for his higher surgical training and was a research fellow at the Royal Free Hospital. London. He joined