Medicine and Me: Positive living with an ileostomy or internal pouch

Professor Gordon Carlson CBE is a Consultant Surgeon at Salford Royal, an Honorary Professor of Surgery at The University of Manchester and of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Salford.

Professor Carlson trained in Manchester and after house officer posts at Salford Royal, working for Professor Sir Miles Irving (former IA National President) and Lord Leslie Turnberg, he undertook postgraduate surgical training in Newcastle, returning to Salford as Medical Research Council (MRC) Training Fellow in 1991.

After a period as Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Manchester, he was awarded the Intercollegiate Medal in 1996 and he became the first surgeon in England to be awarded a prestigious MRC Senior Clinical Fellowship in 1997 when he took up his post as Consultant Surgeon at Salford.

Prof Carlson is internationally recognised for his pioneering work in the management of abdominal sepsis and intestinal failure and with his colleagues, runs the world-renowned Intestinal Failure Unit at Salford Royal. The unit treats patients with complex abdominal infections and intestinal fistulas from across the UK and the world.

Professor Carlson’s contributions to the management of sepsis and intestinal failure have led to him co-authoring national standards in this area and winning numerous awards; his most prestigious one being a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2019 for his services to general and intestinal failure surgery.

IA was delighted to welcome Professor Carlson as its National President in September 2020.

Richard Bradyis a consultant colorectal surgeon with a specialist practice in Inflammatory Bowel Disease surgery, endometriosis and general surgery, with a large practice in the North East of England.

He is the research lead for the Newcastle Centre for Bowel Disease Research Hub and is based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Specifically relevant to today’s talk, he is involved in the delivery of a number of important national portfolio research and commercial studies evaluating advanced stoma management, new devices and stoma related complications.

He is the chairman of the European Society of Coloproctology Communications committee and a member of the ACPGBI IBD subcommittee and co-chair of the 2021 IBD surgery national meeting.

Richard has published more than 70 academic papers and is a regular international keynote speaker in the field of technology and IBD.

Richard has launched a number of social media innovations in the area of colorectal surgery, including new hashtag communities, developed technology enhancements to research dissemination and regular live interviews of international colorectal surgeons. He has held positions in regional digital strategy and innovation in the North East.

Richard is passionate about delivering a world-class surgical service for IBD patients and the integration of new technology to enhance patient experience and improve care delivery and outcomes. 

Zarah has been a nurse for over 24 years with 20 years in the field of colorectal surgery and stoma care.

Her first nursing role was as a military nurse serving in the Royal Air Force. In 2002, she joined St Mark’s Hospital in London, working as a Senior Staff Nurse on the colorectal ward before joining the stoma team as a Specialist Nurse, managing patients with stomas, ileoanal pouches, enterocutaneous fistulae and those requiring intestinal rehabilitation. Zarah spent 12 years developing and expanding the current ileoanal pouch service running nurse-led clinics and an e-mail and telephone advice line.

In 2018, she became a Consultant Nurse, where she remains dedicated to contributing to pre and postgraduate nurse education by supporting current research/protocol development, publishing in a variety of medical and nursing journals and presenting at national and international conferences.

She has recently completed a secondment with NHS Supply Chain working on a national project aimed to identify factors that would improve efficiencies and processes within stoma care.