Members of Education Committee

Janindra Warusavitarne (Chair)

Janindra Warusavitarne

Current position

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, St Mark’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom

Medical school

University of Newcastle, Australia. Graduated in 1995.

General surgical and colorectal training

• Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 2003
• EBSQ Coloproctology

Main clinical and research interests

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Fistula in ano
• Intestinal failure
• Pelvic floor disorders

Member of the Education Committee since

2019

Additional information

• PhD University of Sydney 2005
• Secretary for Eligibility, EBSQ
• ESSAT Council Member
• Editorial board member: Techniques in coloproctology and Oncogene

Cihangir Akyol

Cihangir Akyol

Current position

Professor of Surgery Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery

Medical School

Gazi University Faculty of Medicine -Ankara-Turkiye

General surgical and colorectal surgery training

Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery and Division of Colorectal Surgery

Main clinical and research interests

• Minimally invasive treatment of colorectal cancer
• Cancer biology
• Advanced therapeutic colonoscopy
• Complex perianal fistula
• Surgical anatomy and cadaveric dissections
• Surgical education
• Virtual reality in surgical education and patient education

Member of the Education Committee since

2023

Additional information

• Chair of Turkish Board of Surgery Examination Commitee
• General Secretary of Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery Proficiency Committee
• Member of Turkish Board of Colorectal Surgery Examination Commitee
• Member of Ethics Commitee Ankara University Faculty of Medicine
• Professor of Surgery -Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Undergraduate Program (Turkish Program-English Program)
• Director of the Digestive Disease Module - Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Undergradute Program (English Program)
• PhD student of Anatomy- Ankara University Graduate School of Health Sciences Department of Anatomy
• Editorial board member or reviewer in many prestigious national/international journals

Nicolas Avellaneda (Global Reach Committee Rep)

Nicolas Avellaneda

Current position

International Colorectal Fellow - Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (2022)

Medical school

Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina (graduated 2012)

General surgical and colorectal training

• General Surgery Residency CEMIC University Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Chief of Residents CEMIC University Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Colorectal Fellowship Nueva Proctologia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• International Colorectal Fellowship - Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark

Main clinical and research interests

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Colorectal Cancer
• Proctology

Member of the Education Committee since

2024

Additional information

• Member of ESCP Social Media Committee and Programme Committee
• International Fellow - American College of Surgeons
• Mastership in Coloproctology, University of East Anglia, UK (2020-2022)
• PhD - 'Role of surgery for luminal disease in primary ileocecal Crohn’s disease patients in the biologic era' (2020-2022)

Ben Barbanel (Patient Representative)

Ben Barbanel

Current position

I’m not a medic - I’m a patient. My professional career is in banking.

Medical school

n/a – unfortunately!!

Main clinical and research interests

UC and pouches!

Member of the Education Committee since

2024

Additional information

Diagnosed with UC in 1998. Subtotal colectomy and ileostomy in 2002. Ileorectal anastomosis in 2003. Annual surveillance of rectum. In 2018, due to HGD and LGD, 1 step rectum removal, and pouch formation, performed by Janindra Warusavitarne at St Marks, London.

I now spend as much time as possible engaging with and helping patients at all stages of their journeys, working with Pouch nurses for them to direct patients to me for “education” and “counselling”.

Eloy Espin Basany (ex-officio - Past President)

Eloy Espin Basany

Current position

Professor of Surgery, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona (since 2010)

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Pelvic floor
• Anal fistula
• Laparoscopy

Member of the Education Committee since

2013

Additional information

• 2013-2017: General secretary of the ESCP
• 2001: European Board of Coloproctology
• 2008: International Fellow ASCRS
• Author of more than 250 national presentations and 100 international presentations.
• Author or co-author of 34 national and 79 international publications.

Alaa El-Hussuna 

Alaa El-Hussuna

Current position

Associate professor of surgery, consultant surgeon, Aalborg University Hospital/ Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

Medical school

Saddam College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq (1996)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Consultant surgeon, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark (2016-now)
• Training in colorectal surgery: Aalborg and Randers University Hospitals, Denmark (2016-2019)
• ESCP training fellowship in colorectal surgery, St. Vincent Hospital, Dublin, Ireland (2017)
• Training in general surgery Hvidovre, Hillerød and Herlve University Hospitals in Copenhagen - Denmark (2007-2013)

Main clinical and research interests

• Measuring surgical outcome
• Pre-operative optimization in IBD patients
• The effect of biological treatment on post-operative outcome in patients with IBD
• Surgical stress response
• Chronic stress and development of colorectal cancers
• Perianal fistula in Crohn’s disease
• Surgical wound healing

Member of the Education Committee since

2021

Additional information

• Ph.D Thesis: The effect of pre-operative biological treatment on post-operative outcome in patients with Crohn’s disease (2018)
• Master degree in information technology, IT-University, Copenhagen, Denmark (2003)
• Lead #OpenSourceResearch collaboration
• Lead 2017 ESCP snapshot audit
• Member of expert panel in Danish autoimmune disease association (FAIM)
• Foundation of Danish Collaborative Research Network (2014)
• Member in editorial board: Current Updates in Hepatology and Gastroentrology, SciTz Gastroenterology and SM Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and many other journals
• Reviewer in many surgical journals: British journal of surgery, colorectal diseases, world journal of gastroenterology, Langenbeck's archives of surgery, International journal of surgery, Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology and reviewer of ESCP-ECCO guidelines
• Invited speaker in many international conferences among them ESCP and ECCO meetings
• Supervisor of many research projects in Copenhagen and Aalborg University Hospitals
• Physician/surgeon in different missions, Doctors without borders (MSF) in Africa 2004-2005

Caterina Foppa (Education Rep to Research)

Caterina Foppa

Current position

• Colorectal Surgeon at IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy (since March 2019)
• Assistant Professor at Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy (since May 2022)

Medical school

• Florence University, Italy (graduated in Medicine and Surgery)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Residency in General Surgery at Florence University Florence Italy (end July 2018)
• PhD in Surgical and Anesthesiology Sciences at Florence University, Florence Italy (end April 2021)
• Training during the residency at the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Stony Brook University, New York, USA

Main clinical and research interests

• Early onset colorectal cancer
• Management of early colorectal cancers, transanal transection and single stapled anastomosis (TTSS)
• New technologies and techniques in colorectal surgery
• Treatment and management of rectal cancer

Member of the Education Committee since 

2023

Additional information

PhD in Clinical Sciences (Curriculum Anesthesiology and Surgical Sciences) - Thesis: minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of gastrointestinal and endocrine tumors

Editorial experience:

• Junior Editor, Techniques in Coloproctology (2014-2015)
• Junior Editor, Colorectal Disease (2016-2017)
• Junior Editor, Techniques in Coloproctology (2016-2017)
• Junior Editor, Diseases of Colon and rectum (2018-2021)
• Reviewer’s Guild Member of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum (2019-2020)

ESCP guidelines:

• T1 rectal cancer guideline committee

Roel Hompes

Roel Hompes

Current position

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam

Medical school

Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (2002)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Degree of General Surgery, Catholic University of Leuven (2008)
• Subspecialisation Abdominal Surgery (colorectal/HPB/abdominal wall), Department of Abdominal Surgery, Gasthuisberg, Catholic University of Leuven (2009)
• Clinical and Research Fellowship / Lapco Trainer, Colorectal Department, Oxford, UK (2009-2011)
• Pseudomyxoma/HPB Fellowship, Pseudomyxoma & HPB Unit, Basingstoke, UK (2011-2012)

Main clinical and research interests

• Minimally invasive surgery
• Management of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal failure and abdominal wall reconstruction
• Surgical innovation
• Transanal surgery
• Management of locally advanced rectal cancer and organ preserving approaches for rectal cancer

Member of the Education Committee since

2017

Additional information

• Lead Clinician and Member Steering Committee of LOREC TaTME Registry
• Member of ESCP Regional Masterclass Working Group
• Member of UEG Scientific Committee
• Board member of the International Society for Fluorescence Guided Surgery ISFGS - European section
• Member Dutch Society for Fluorescence Guided Surgery
• Regular reviewer for Colorectal Disease, Surgical Endoscopy, Techniques in Coloproctology. Occasional reviewer for British journal of Surgery, Diseases of Colon and Rectum
• Co-PI for IMARI trial, Local PI for RESET trial, Local PI for Color 3 trial, Local PI IntAct trial, PI for Ureter study
• Co-author of 100s of published journal articles

Beatriz Martín-Pérez

Beatriz Martín-Pérez

Current position

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon. Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Badajoz, Badajoz (Spain)

Medical school

University of Extremadura, Badajoz (Spain). Graduated in Medicine in 2007

General surgical and colorectal training

General Surgery training:

• Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla, (Spain) (2008-2013)

Colorectal Surgery training:

• Center for Colon & Rectal Surgery, Florida Hospital, Orlando (FL) (2014-2015)
• Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (2019)

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS and TaTME)
• Minimally Invasive Surgery/Robotic Surgery
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Additional information

• Colorectal Research Fellow at the Center for Colon & Rectal Surgery, Florida Hospital, Orlando (FL) (2013-2014)
• Emergency Surgery Fellowship at the General Surgery Department. Florida Hospital Florida Hospital, Orlando (FL) (2015-2016)
• U.E.M.S. EBSQ Coloproctology Diploma (2021)

Klaus Matzel (Chair, European School of Coloproctology)

Klaus Matzel

Current position

Head of Section Coloproctology Department of Surgery, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU, Germany (since 2008)

Medical school

Graduated at University Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU, Germany (Graduated in 1985)

General surgical and colorectal training

• 1986-1994: Surgical training, Department of Surgery, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU, Germany
• 1988-1989: Postdoctoral fellowship: Department of Urology, UCSF, University of California, San Francisco, USA
• 2002: U.E.M.S. EBSQ Coloproctology Diploma

Main clinical and research interests

• Colorectal cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Proctology
• Functional disorders of the lower intestinal tract
• Sacral nerve stimulation as treatment for fecal incontinence and constipation

Member of the Education Committee since

2012

Additional information

Habilitation:

1994 Neurostimulation for fecal incontinence

Posts in professional societies:

• 2012-today: Chairman: European Union of Medical Specialists, U.E.M.S. European Board of Surgical Qualification Division Coloproctology
• 2011-today: President: European Union of Medical Specialists, European Board of Surgical Qualification Division Coloproctology, U.E.M.S.
• 2008-today: Advisory Board German Society of Coloproctology
• 2003-2011: Secretary: European Union of Medical Specialists, U.E.M.S. European Board of Surgical Qualification Division Coloproctology

Editorial board member:

• Until 2012: Colorectal Disease
• Until 2013: Diseases of the Colon and Rectum
• Since 2014: Hamdan Medical Journal

Honorary membership in professional societies:

• American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (Honorary Fellow)
• Society of Coloproctology of Serbia and Montenegro (Honorary Member)

Academic and clinical positions:

• 2008: today Head Section Coloproctology Department of Surgery, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU, Germany
• 2002: today Associate Professor Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU, Germany
• 1998: today Chief, General and Visceral Surgery Department of Surgery, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, FAU, Germany

Monica Millan

Monica Millan

Current position

Consultant surgeon, Coloproctology Unit, Department of General and Digestive Surgery, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain (since 2019)

Medical school

University of Valencia Medical School, Valencia, Spain (graduated in 1996)

General surgical and colorectal training

• General surgical training: Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, Valencia, Spain
• Colorectal training: Clinical Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA (2005-2006)

Main clinical and research interests

• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Colorectal cancer and elderly patients
• Complex proctology

Member of the Education Committee since

2019

Additional information

Dr Monica Millan is currently one of the staff surgeons in the Colorectal Surgery Unit at La Fe University Hospital in Valencia, Spain. She obtained her PhD degree (2005) from the University of Valencia, Spain. After completing a clinical fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA, she worked as a staff surgeon in Bellvitge University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain for eight years, and as chief of the Coloproctology Unit, in Joan XXIII University Hospital and as associate Clinical Professor of Surgery in the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain. She has also received several travel scholarships including an ESCP Fellowship in St Mark's Hospital (2013).

She is a co-author of over 70 publications in index journals, an International Fellow of the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons (ASCRS), and currently participates as an examiner for the EBSQ Coloproctology examination.

Inés Rubio-Pérez (Communications Committee Rep)

Inés Rubio-Pérez

Current position

Jr Consultant/Attending Surgeon, Colorectal Surgery Unit, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain, 2012 to date.

Medical school

• Degree in Medicine and Surgery at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2000-2006
• Elective Undergraduate Observership in the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Upper Limb Orthopaedic Firm, University College Hospital, London, UK, July 2005

General surgical and colorectal training

• Residency training (general surgery): Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Madrid, May 2007-May 2012
• Postgraduate Teaching Term and Clinical Observership, St Mark's Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex, London, October-December 2011
• A&E surgeon (on-call, general surgery), Hospital Universitario Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Madrid, August 2012- January 2014
• Honorary Clinical Fellow/Observer in Oxford University Hospitals (John Radcliffe and Churchill), Oxford, March-May 2017
• ESCP Observership, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, March-April 2019

Main clinical and research interests

• Main areas of interest are colorectal cancer and colorectal functional disorders, especially pelvic floor and SNS therapy.
• Research in the fields of colorectal surgery and infectious diseases, with a special interest in surgical infections and postoperative complications.
• Actively involved in education and innovation, organising educational events for students and residents and participating as speaker in different congresses and courses.
• Active member in national and international societies and engaged with scientific social media.
• Collaborator and advocate for patient support association for faecal incontinence (ASIA) in Spain and hospital coordinator for national patient safety programmes.

Member of the Education Committee since

2019

Additional information

• PhD Thesis: Study of clinical profiles and risk factors of multi-resistant Gram- negative infections in General Surgery patients, November, 2015, Distinction 'Cum laude'
• Recorder and Education Committee Coordinator, European Surgical Infection Society (SIS-E)
• Community member, WHO GIEESC (Global Initiative for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care)
• Spanish Surgical Society (AEC): Secretary of the Surgical Infection chapter
• Clinical Collaborator (Associate Professor), Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
• Editorial Board Member, Surgical Infections Journal

Twitter: @InesRPsurg
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inesrubioperez
Publications: www.researchgate.net/profile/Ines_Rubio-Perez

Kapil Sahnan

Kapil Sahnan

Current position

Consultant Surgeon at St Mark's Hospital, London and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Surgery & Cancer, at Imperial College London.

General surgical and colorectal training

He has trained as a surgeon in Oxford, Bristol, London and completed an ESCP/Intuitive accredited fellowship in robotic surgery at the Val D'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona.

Main clinical and research interests

He specialises in inflammatory bowel disease, complex proctology and robotic surgery.

He completed his PhD at Imperial College London in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Through this, he developed specific expertise in the analysis of big datasets, clinical trial methodology, patient and public involvement in research and healthcare technology.

Member of the Education Committee since

2023

Additional information

He has >100 peer review publications and has an international profile as an academic and educator.

Irshad Shaikh

Irshad Shaikh

Current position

• Consultant laparoscopic and robotic surgeon, Professor of Surgery, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
• Proctor robotic colorectal surgeon, lead robo/adv. pelvic cancer surgeon, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, United Kingdom

Medical school

Karnataka University, Dharwad, India, graduated in 1998

General surgical and colorectal training

• RGUHS, Bangalore India, 2002
• Scotland and South East London Training and St Mark’s hospital, 2013
• FRCS - Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 2013
• EBSQ Coloproctology - European Board of Surgical Qualifications, 2014

Main clinical and research interests

• Proctoring consultant surgeons for robotic colorectal surgery
• Colorectal cancer, Recurrent pelvic cancer, locally advanced rectal cancers, coloproctology, inflammatory bowel disease, Ileoanal pouch surgery, ERAS programme
• Laparoscopic hernia surgery and laparoscopic colorectal surgery

Member of the Education Committee since

2023

Additional information

• Membership of professional national and regional bodies: ACPGBI, ESCP, GMC
• Research interests: elective and emergency surgery clinical outcome research
• Video editing

Yegor Tryliskyy (Guidelines Rep and Y-ESCP Rep)

Yegor Tryliskyy

Current position

Specialty Registrar (ST6) in General and Colorectal Surgery - Gloucester Royal Hospital, Severn Deanery, England (since 2023)

Medical school

Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine (graduated in 2012)

General surgical and colorectal training

• Higher Surgical Trainee - Severn Deanery (2020 to present)
• Specialty Registrar - Worthing Hospital, West Sussex, England, UK (2019-20) 
• International Fellow - Worthing Hospital, West Sussex, England, UK (2017-19) 
• Research Fellow - Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Kyiv, Ukraine (2015-17)
• Doctor-Intern- Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Kyiv, Ukraine (2012-15)

Main clinical and research interests

• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Abdominal wall
• Medical Education

Member of the Education Committee since

2022

Additional information

• PGCAP in Higher Education (the University of Edinburgh), Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2023)
• Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (2019)
• MSc in Surgical Sciences from the University of Edinburgh (2015)
• Tutor of the University of Edinburgh (since 2020)
• Faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (since 2019)

Hagit Tulchinsky
(ex-officio / ESCP Treasurer)

Hagit Tulchinsky

Current position

• Senior colorectal surgeon, Colorectal Unit, Division of Surgery, Tel Aviv Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel
• Associated Professor, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Medical school

• Rappaport School of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 1984-87
• Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1987-90
• Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, MD degree, 1993

General surgical and colorectal training

• Rabin Medical Centre, Campus Beilinson, Israel, 1992-98
• St. Mark’s Hospital & Academic Institute, London, UK, 1999-2001

Main clinical and research interests

• IBD, pouch surgery
• Rectal cancer

Member of the Education Committee since

2023

Additional information

• Council member, The National Council of Surgery, Anesthetics & Intensive Care, Ministry of Health, Israel
• President, Israel Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery, 2016-2020
• Head Colorectal Unit, Division of surgery, Tel Aviv Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2013-2021
• Committee member, S-ECCO, 2017-2022 

Carolynne Vaizey
(ex-officio / ESCP Secretary)

Carolynne Vaizey

Current position

• Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Co-Medical Director, St Mark’s, The National Bowel Hospital, London
• Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London

Medical school

University of Cape Town

General surgical and colorectal training

• Johannesburg General Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
• St Mark’s the National Bowel Hospital London
• The Middlesex and University College Hospitals, UCL, London

Main clinical and research interests

• Intestinal Failure
• Faecal incontinence
• Proctology

Member of the Education Committee since

2022

Additional information

• Chair of The Pelvic Floor Society, UK
• Chair of the Intestinal Failure Subcommittee, ACPGBI

Marko Zelic

Marko Zelic

Current position

• Professor of Surgery, Rijeka University Medical Faculty, Chair of department of surgery
• Head of department of Abdominal Surgery, University Hospital Rijeka, Croatia

Medical School

Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, Croatia

General surgical and colorectal training

Department of Abdominal Surgery, University Hospital Rijeka, Croatia

Main clinical and research interest

• Laparoscopic colorectal surgery
• Oncologic surgery
• Education in colorectal and minimally invasive surgery
• Complex proctology
• Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
• ERAS and perioperative stress in colorectal and abdominal surgery
• Translational research of colorectal cancer

Member of the Education Committee since

2023

Additional information

• Specialist in general surgery
• Sub specialization in abdominal surgery and in oncologic surgery
• President of Croatian Society of Digestive Surgery
• PhD thesis: “Influence of preoperative oral feeding on stress response in perioperative period”
• Head of the advanced regional laparoscopic colorectal surgery course
• Principal investigator in project: Translational research in residual surgical material” at University hospital Rijeka Croatia
• Principal investigator in project: “Spatial omics for profiling of colorectal cancer heterogeneity, identification of biomarkers, microbiota characterization and translation into personalized therapy“ Medical Faculty Rijeka, Croatia