Board members

Patient representative David Cummings is a Senior Supply Chain executive with 30 years of experience working in global supply chain operations, strategy development, new business generation and complex project management. Excellent communication and leadership skills honed through continuous process improvement, restructuring operations, managing multi-site operations and mergers & acquisitions. Extensive International experience, including working and living […]

AWR secretary Sala Abdalla is a Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon with a sub-specialist interest in the management of complex ventral hernias and abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR). She is based at the London North West University Healthcare Trust where she has established a dedicated abdominal wall service. Ms Abdalla is a graduate of Imperial College, London,

Co-Director Trainee Liaison Kellie is a ST6 General Surgery Registrar based in Wales, with a keen interest in abdominal wall surgery and education. She has previously been President of the Moynihan Academy (ASGBI) and a Welsh Clinical Leadership Fellow, which has given her a keen understanding of the challenges in surgical training and hernia surgery.

Treasurer David Layfield is a Consultant in Surgery for Intestinal Failure, Complex Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Revisional Abdominal Wall Reconstruction. He performs major open surgery to reconstruct the gastrointestinal tract and to treat recurrent complicating Crohn’s disease. David has a subspecialty interest in abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) for complex and recurrent abdominal wall hernias and

Irish Representative Sean Johnston is a general, laparoscopic, and Emergency surgeon, based at the midland regional hospital Tullamore in Ireland, with a specific interest in hernia and AWR surgery with a particular interest in repair of recurrent hernia He conducted his research thesis as a research Fellow at the department of general and pancreatic Surgery

Director of Communications Dr Asim Abbas is an Abdominal Wall Research Fellow at the York Abdominal Wall Unit, where his research focusses on the qualitative assessment of Quality of Life in patients with abdominal wall hernias. His clinical and research work is underpinned by a commitment to advancing patient care and surgical innovation. In addition to

Director of Science John is Director of Science and chairs the Scientific Subcommittee. John is a Consultant Upper GI and Abdominal Wall surgeon at the North Devon Comprehensive Hernia Centre, Academic Department of Upper GI and Abdominal Wall Surgery at North Devon District Hospital, an Associate Professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, and

Director of Curriculum Dominic Slade is a consultant Colorectal, Intestinal Failure and General surgeon at Salford Care Organisation, in Greater Manchester. He completed his specialty training in the North West of England. He is the Chair of the abdominal wall committee of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland (ACPGBI), and a committee

Director of Patient and Public Liaison Srinivas Chintapatla is a consultant colorectal and abdominal wall hernia surgeon at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust. He is also a Honorary Senior Lecturer at Hull York Medical School. He has been doing complex ventral hernia surgery from 2004 when he was appointed as a Consultant Surgeon

Patient representative Jackie’s interest in hernia stems from her own hernia journey. Following surgery in 2015 she was left with multiple incisional hernia which were repaired using mesh. Jackie is fully able to understand why patients associate post-operative pain with mesh as she did this herself for several years, however through discussions on social media