Our consultants

Mark Sullivan is a Consultant Urological Surgeon with research interests in the area of kidney cancer, laparoscopy and robotic surgery. He took up his appointment as a Consultant Urologist in Oxford in April 2003.

His practice is based at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford and the Horton General Hospital, Banbury. He received his medical training from University College and Middlesex Hospital, and then his surgical training in London and Cambridge, before undertaking two years' full time research, culminating in a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1999.

He completed his urological training in Oxford and then undertook a UroOncology fellowship at Monash University Hospital in Melbourne, Australia in 1999, followed by a fellowship in Laparoscopic surgery in Basingstoke, UK in 2002.

He set up a research collaboration with Dr Valentine Macaulay and has supervised PhD students looking into the molecular biology of kidney cancer. He is the Clinical Lead for Renal Surgery in Oxford, sits on the NCRI Renal Studies Group and SPED, the NCRI Screening Committee.

Contact

• Ria Wharton
• Email: ria.wharton@ouh.nhs.uk
  

Simon Brewster specialises in prostate cancer and other prostate disease (PSA kinetics, BPH, prostatitis).

Simon graduated from Charing Cross Hospital in 1986, with honours in Pathology and a 1st class Bsc. degree in Anatomy. Here he worked as an anatomy demonstrator for a year, before moving to Bristol to train in general surgery and urology. During this time he developed his interest in prostate disease, having spent two years in full-time laboratory research, leading to the award of his MD doctorate thesis in 1993 from Bristol University.

He was appointed as a consultant in Oxford in 1998, where he pioneered the prostate cancer diagnostic and active surveillance services, radical prostatectomy, Holmium laser prostate enucleation (HoLEP) and is currently setting up prostate brachytherapy with oncologist Dr Philip Camilleri.

He forged a research collaboration with Dr Valentine Macaulay and has supervised four PhD students studying molecular biology of prostate cancer. Simon has written over 60 peer-reviewed papers and has contributed to two textbooks, including the Oxford Handbook of Urology.

He participates in clinical trials, including focal therapy HIFU for prostate cancer. He is a fellow of Hertford College (Oxford University) and a committee member of the oncology sections of both the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the European Association of Urology (EAU).

He is Chairman (and a named pelvic cancer specialist) of the Thames Valley Cancer Network Urology steering group and he edits the content of several patient information booklets and webpages produced by Prostate Cancer UK and other charities. In 2010 he helped to found the Oxfordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group for patients and their relatives.

Contact

• Tina Robins
• Email: tina.robins@ouh.nhs.uk

David Cranston is an Associate Professor in Surgery and an Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon. He trained in Bristol and worked in Exeter and Bath before coming to Oxford in 1983 to do research in renal transplantation under the direction of Professor Sir Peter Morris.

He was awarded his D.Phil in 1986 and after a clinical lecturer post in urology and transplantation was appointed consultant urological and transplant surgeon in 1991. His special interest is in renal cancer and the urological complications of transplantation with a national referral for some patients needing complex renal cancer surgery.

In 1992 he set up a research programme with Professor Adrian Harris, Director of the Cancer Research Unit in Oxford. He has co-supervised many research students who have carried out work investigating the biology of bladder and kidney cancer. Several have won international awards for their work.

He has been clinical director of the High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Unit since 2002. The High Intensity Focused Ultrasound group was set up in 2002 and has close international links with Chongqing in China. The group is currently investigating the treatment of solid tumours at the Churchill Hospital and has close research links with Professor Gail ter Haar, scientific director of the Unit and Professor Constantin Coussios in Biomedical Engineering.

Contact

• Ria Wharton
• Email: ria.wharton@ouh.nhs.uk

Jeremy Crew graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1986 and completed his medical training at St Thomas' Hospital, London in 1989. After jobs in London and Guildford, Jeremy commenced his specialist urological training at Oxford in 1984. Jeremy undertook a doctorate into the molecular biology of bladder cancer and was awarded his MD in 1999. His thesis won the European Association of Urology Thesis Award and the Sir Walter Langdon Brown Prize from the University of Cambridge.

Jeremy's training in complex pelvic surgery and pelvic oncology was supplemented by fellowships at The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, the Berne Institute of Urology, Switzerland, and the Mansoura Institute of Urology, Egypt.

Jeremy was appointed as Consultant Urological Surgeon and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Oxford in 2001 where, alongside the general urological, he offers a specialist interest in pelvic oncology. Jeremy is the lead for bladder cancer in Oxford and is recognized nationally for his work in the field. He has performed over 200 radical cystectomies for pelvic disease and published over 60 peer-reviewed papers on aspects of urology.

Outside of his clinical work, Jeremy is involved in management of cancer services and training at both local and national levels. Jeremy is a member of the British Association of Urology Section of Oncology Committee and National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Bladder Cancer Specific Group.

Jeremy continues as a member of the national cancer peer review team and the Advisory and Appointments team of the Royal College of Surgeons. As a trainer and teacher Jeremy was appointed on to the Court of Examiners for the FRCS(Urology) examination in 2011. He is involved in medical student examination within Oxford and acts as an external examiner for Southampton University Medical School. Jeremy is a trustee of the Action on Bladder Cancer charity and the Oxford based UCare charity.

Contact

• Tina Robins
• Email: tina.robins@ouh.nhs.uk

Horton General Hospital

• Helena Majek
• Email: helena.majek@ouh.nhs.uk

Freddie Hamdy joined Oxford in October 2008 as Head of the Nuffield Department of Surgery, Nuffield Professor of Surgery, Professor of Urology and Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon as well as Fellow of Balliol College. He has spent over ten years as the Chair of Urology, Director of the Division of Clinical Sciences, then Head of Oncology at the University of Sheffield. He trained in Surgery and Urology at Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle.

He is Chief Investigator of many studies including the ProtecT (Prostate testing for cancer and Treatment) study of case-finding and randomised controlled trial of treatment effectiveness in prostate cancer - the largest of its kind worldwide. He is also the principal investigator for the NCRI ProMPT (Prostate Mechanisms of Progression and Treatment) study.

He was recipient of the Crystal Matula award from the European Association of Urology in 1996, and the Golden Telescope award from the British Association of Urological Surgeons in 2002. He has been Chairman of the Scientific Committee at the European Association of Urology since 2004, is a Board member of the French National Cancer Institute (INCa). Professor Hamdy was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2007. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, and raised over £40m in peer-reviewed grants.

He is establishing various multidisciplinary research platforms at Oxford and introducing with colleagues a new centre for evaluation of minimally invasive technology including robotic surgery. He received a NIHR Senior Investigator award in 2010. He is also involved in basic science research looking into the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of disease progression in prostate/bladder cancer.

Clinically his area of expertise is the management of prostate and bladder cancer. He leads the robotic pelvic surgery programme in Oxford.

Contact

• Emma Palmer
  Email: emma.palmer@ouh.nhs.uk

Tom Leslie completed his undergraduate training at the University of Bristol in 2000, and following graduation he undertook his basic surgical training at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

He came to Oxford in 2004 to work in the Urology Department, and, under the supervision of Mr David Cranston, completed a D.Phil in Surgery at the University of Oxford. He was then appointed as a Clinical Lecturer in Urology in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences; in this post he combined research with specialist registrar training in Urology in the Oxford Deanery. His final two years of training were spent as robotic surgery fellow with Professor Freddie Hamdy.

In 2013, he was appointed to his current post as a Consultant Urological Surgeon in Oxford and Milton Keynes. His main areas of interest are minimally invasive and robotic surgery, the management of prostate cancer and vasectomy outcomes.

Mr Leslie delivers undergraduate teaching in surgery and urology to clinical medical students and is the lead tutor for the 'Surgical Technology and Robotics' module of the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice. He is a Sub Theme Leader in the Surgical Innovation and Technology Theme of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Oxford.

Tom also sits on the board of the International Symposium for Therapeutic Ultrasound and chairs the students' award committee.

Contact

• Emma Palmer
  Email: emma.palmer@ouh.nhs.uk

Jeremy Noble is a Consultant Urological Surgeon in Oxford and honorary clinical lecturer in the University of Oxford. He trained in urology in London and Reading, and now forms part of a consultant team sub-specialising in urinary stone disease.

He has been instrumental in the evolution of specialist stone services in Oxford, and actively contributes to clinical and laboratory-based research related to urinary stone disease.

Jeremy is heavily involved in surgical training. He is Head of the Oxford School of Surgery and is regional training programme director for core surgery for the Oxford Deanery. He is a member of the SAC in Urology, a member of the Core Surgery Training Forum at the Royal College of Surgeons, and an examiner for the FRCS Urol intercollegiate examination.

Contact

• Marley Crowie
• Email: marley.crowie@ouh.nhs.uk

John Reynard trained in Oxford and London, completed research in Bristol and did his higher surgical training in London and New Zealand before returning to Oxford.

He is a Consultant Urological Surgeon based at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences in the University of Oxford, Head of Clinical Governance for the Division of Surgery and Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals and Visiting Consultant Urologist to the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

He is a member of Court of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He is a founding member of the Oxford Stone Group and provides a specialist clinical stone service at the Churchill Hospital.

He has been at the forefront of training surgeons and other healthcare workers in techniques to reduce error in healthcare (so called Human Factors Training). He also holds a Masters degree in Medical Law and Ethics, is a co-author of Urology and the Law with Professor Richard Notley and James Badenoch QC, has a large medicolegal practice acting on instruction from Claimant Solicitors, the Medical Defence Union and NHSLA and has acted as an expert witness in the Royal Courts of Justice, at the GMC and in the Coroner's Court.

Contact

• Marisa Dani
• Email: marisa.dani@ouh.nhs.uk

Rob is a Consultant Urological Surgeon and specialises in kidney cancer surgery, including open, laparoscopic and robotic procedures.

He trained in Southampton (Bachelor of Medicine, Distinction) and Oxford (MRCS, FRCS Urol) and obtained a DPhil from the University of Oxford for research into the clinical utility of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in renal cancer. Rob received subspecialist kidney surgery training from Professor David Cranston and Mr Mark Sullivan.

He played a lead role in the team which established the Urology Triage Service in the Churchill Hospital, which deals with emergency referrals direct from primary and secondary care.

He is Designated Medical Practitioner (DMP) for the urology nurse practitioners undertaking their nurse prescribing course and is Educational Lead for the Oxford Specialist Registrars in Urology.

Contact

• Ria Wharton
• Email: ria.wharton@ouh.nhs.uk

Heidi Tempest qualified at Cambridge University and trained in Norwich.

She was part of Professor Brading's research group in Oxford and completed a postgraduate research degree (MD) at the Cambridge University Department of Pharmacology.

Her specialist registrar training has been on both the Cambridge and Oxford training schemes. She did a fellowship at the Stone and Bladder Centers in Vancouver, Canada before returning to Oxford. She is a Consultant Urological Surgeon based at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford and visiting Consultant Urologist to Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Contact

• Helena Majek
• Email: helena.majek@ouh.nhs.uk

Ben Turney trained in Cambridge and Oxford and undertook research for both an MSc and DPhil (= PhD) in Oxford. He also obtained a diploma in university teaching in 2006 from the University of Oxford.

Ben is the Bernard Senior Clinical Researcher in Urology and employed by both the University of Oxford and the Oxford University Hospitals. His research and clinical interest is in kidney stone disease, and he has collaborations with proteomics, biomedical engineering (lithotripsy), public health and epidemiology departments in Oxford.

Ben obtained funds from the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre to create a biobank for stone patients for future research projects. Ben has visited Prof Glenn Preminger at Duke University, North Carolina, USA and Prof Olivier Traxer, Hôpital Tenon, Paris to broaden his stone surgery experience.

Work from his collaborations has been presented at international meetings and published in peer reviewed journals. Ben has established regular academic stone meetings and drove the application for EBU fellowships in Oxford. In 2013, Ben was awarded the International Guest Scholarship of the American College of Surgeons, one of only 13 awarded internationally.

Contact

• Marley Crowie
• Email: marley.crowie@ouh.nhs.uk
• Private healthcare website: www.oxfordbucksurology.com

Alastair Lamb joined the team in April 2017 after completing a one year robotic specialty training fellowship at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

Prior to this, he studied at Oxford and Edinburgh Universities, with initial surgical training in Edinburgh followed by higher surgical training in Cambridge, including a PhD in cancer biology with Professor David Neal.

He is active in basic science research with the goal of providing a robust molecular platform for accurate decision-making in early stage prostate cancer.

Clinically, his focus is to deliver excellent and timely prostate cancer care to men referred from the Oxford regional area, focusing on state-of-the-art diagnostics with multiparametric MRI and targeted transperineal biopsies, followed by robotic-radical prostatectomy (RARP) or indeed active surveillance where appropriate.

He has a particular interest in pushing the boundaries of minimal access surgery (MIS), for example performing cytoreductive radical prostatectomy in locally advanced or metastatic disease or in fit, older men when such approaches are deemed safe and evidence-based. He also has an interest in novel molecular imaging techniques such as PSMA PET-CT and the use of such modalities in disease stratification and selection of patients for surgery.

He is keen to train other aspiring robotic surgeons, and is helping to establish a fellowship programme at OUH Urology to which applications are invited.

Contact

• Tina Robins
• Email: tina.robins@ouh.nhs.uk

Naomi Neal graduated from the University of Nottingham Medical School, having also obtained a First Class Medical Science research degree, and went on to complete her basic surgical training in Leeds. She then took up the first national Academic Clinical Fellow post in Urology and completed a PhD in prostate cancer in Cambridge with Professor David Neal.

Naomi continued post-doctoral research in bladder cancer with Professor Freddie Hamdy and completed her specialist registrar training in the Oxford Deanery, developing her surgical skills in complex stone surgery.

Naomi holds a postgraduate certificate in medical education and has a strong interest in delivering teaching to undergraduates, including as a surgical tutor with the University of Oxford, and junior doctors. She has contributed to the Oxford Handbook of Urology.

Clinically her main interests are urinary tract stone disease and general urology, including benign prostate disease and female urology.

Contact

• Marley Crowie
• Email: marley.crowie@ouh.nhs.uk

Richard Bryant undertook his undergraduate medical training at the University of Sheffield, where he completed an intercalated BMedSci degree in pathology in 1995, and qualified in 1998.

After completing Basic Surgical Training in South Yorkshire in 2003, he was awarded a Medical Research Council Fellowship (2004-2007) and undertook a PhD researching molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer progression. He then undertook higher surgical training in Urology in both Sheffield and Oxford, whilst in parallel continuing to pursue his prostate cancer research interests, leading to numerous scientific publications in this field under the mentorship of Professor Freddie Hamdy.

In 2015 he was appointed Locum Consultant Urologist in Oxford and continued to combine clinical practice, specialising in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer, with prostate cancer research. In 2016 he was successful in obtaining a Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship (joint with the Royal College of Surgeons of England), which enables him to continue to combine his care of prostate cancer patients with a wide and growing prostate cancer research portfolio, covering the breadth of basic science, translational, and clinical research, at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford.

Work from his research collaborations is regularly presented at international meetings and published in peer reviewed journals.

He has been the Lead Clinician for the VANCE (VAcciNation in prostate CancEr) Clinical trial in Oxford since 2015, and in 2017 he commenced his current position as Honorary Consultant Urologist at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

Mr Bryant delivers undergraduate teaching in surgery and urology to clinical medical students, and is an executive committee member of the Academic Section of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) (2017-2019). He is a full member of BAUS, the European Urology Association (EAU), and the American Urology Association (AUA).

Contact

• Emma Palmer
• Email: emma.palmer@ouh.nhs.uk