Professor Rajiv Jalan
Professor Rajiv Jalan is a clinician with a strong focus on translational research. He graduated in India, trained in Edinburgh and studied for his PhD in Maastricht. He moved to UCL as a senior lecturer/hon consultant in 2000 and was awarded a personal chair in 2009. Professor Jalan spends about 50% of his time providing patient care as a hepatologist at the secondary and tertiary level at the Royal Free Hospital where he also runs a translational and basic science laboratory. His work focused on liver failure. The most important observation he made was the discovery that systemic inflammation played a crucial role in the progression of liver injury and cirrhosis culminating in liver failure leading up to current hypotheses and the seminal observation that acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) was a distinct clinical syndrome with defined clinical, prognostic and pathophysiological characteristics. ACLF is associated with high mortality rates, consumes huge healthcare resources and its treatment is a huge unmet need. In the past 15 years since he described this syndrome first, more than 800 papers have been published on this subject and many research groups and industry are focussed on this subject to better define, prognosticate, understand its pathogenesis and develop new treatments. Professor Jalan has developed a vibrant clinical practice and laboratory with many novel therapies and established extensive collaborations with key investigators, foundations and industry around the world to study the pathophysiological basis of ACLF. He was the founder member of the EASL CLIF Consortium (100 European hospitals), which now stands independently funded with the aim of developing new treatments for cirrhosis and liver failure. His research has led to successful publications of about 396 original papers, editorials and reviews. His H-Index is 83 (Google Scholar; Total citations: >20K; 10-index: 246).
Dr Ayesha Akbar
Dr Ayesha Akbar studied medicine at the University of Manchester gaining a degree with Honours and completed her postgraduate training including a PhD in London, before her appointment at St Mark's in 2010. Her clinical interests include inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Dr Akbar is chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Education committee. She holds several management roles, including associate medical director, divisional clinical director of ICS, director of R&D and LNC chair. As a key opinion leader, she frequently lectures on a national and international basis, and is passionate about education and training.
Dr Neeraj Bhala
Dr Neeraj Bhala is a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. He has a clinical and research background from Newcastle upon Tyne, Edinburgh, West Midlands, Oxford (DPhil), and London as well as previously being a consultant/senior lecturer in Wellington, New Zealand. Dr Bhala is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and London and secretary of the British Society of Gastroenterology. He is an honorary senior research fellow at University of Birmingham, where he takes part in undergraduate and postgraduate training and research.
Professor Chuka Nwokolo
Professor Chuka Nwokolo took up the post of RCP treasurer on 1 November 2016, after 6 months as deputy treasurer. As treasurer, he has oversight of finance and resource issues, and leads on the RCP strategic theme of building on our heritage, investing in our future. Chuka is a consultant gastroenterologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and an honorary professor of gastroenterology at Warwick Medical School. He is the UK's representative on the European Board of Gastroenterology. Over the past decade, Chuka has been a member of various RCP committees including Council, the Finance and Resources Board and its predecessor the F&GP Board, and those covering the organisation of gastroenterology services and training. He has also been an active member of the British Society of Gastroenterology, both as a Council member and as treasurer of the BSG between 2003-8. He was president of the Midlands Gastroenterological Society in 2015.
Session 1: Gastroenterology
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Professor Rajiv Jalan
Professor of hepatology, University College London Medical School and honorary consultant, Royal Free Hospital and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Ayesha Akbar
Consultant gastroenterologist
Dr Neeraj Bhala
Consultant physician and gastroenterologist, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Professor Chuka Nwokolo
Treasurer, Royal College of Physicians
