Meet Our World-Leading Weight Loss Surgeons

Bariatric Practitioner

Jomana Karim

Dr Jomana Karim is a General Practitioner with a special interest in obesity management.  She has extensive experience of working in weight management services and has helped several hundred patients through their bariatric surgery journeys with her expert clinical and practical advice.

Dr Karim completed her undergraduate medical education at the University of St Andrews (2007) & the University of Manchester (2010). She received her Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in General Practice in 2016. Once a qualified GP, she worked for ‘A Better Life’ Health, a Tier 2 & 3 local authority and Public Health England-funded weight management service.

Dr Karim holds SCOPE certification from the World Obesity Federation and has been trained to provide cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for the management of obesity.  She is a recognised Novo Nordisk speaker for the injectable weight loss medications.

She has a passion for health and fitness and is a qualified swimming instructor and personal trainer.  Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her children.

Specialist Bariatric Physician

Dr Andrea Pucci

Dr Andrea Pucci PhD is a Consultant Obesity Physician. He is based at Bariatric Centre for Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery of the prestigious University College London Hospital. 

 Dr Pucci graduated in 2003 at the University of Pisa, Italy. He subsequently obtained his specialist qualification in Endocrinology in 2008 at the Department of Endocrinology, University of Pisa. In 2011, Dr Pucci moved to London and joined the Centre for Obesity Research at University College London obtaining his PhD in 2011.  

 Since 2011, Andrea has worked both in the clinical and research setting at University College/ University College London Hospital assessing and managing patients with severe obesity in particular patients before and after bariatric surgery. His research is focused on identifying pre-operative predictors of bariatric surgery health outcomes and he has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and textbook chapters.

Consultant Specialist Bariatric Surgeon

John Robinson

Specialist Bariatric Surgeon

Marco Adamo

Mr Marco Adamo MD is a consultant surgeon and lead surgeon of the Bariatric Unit at the prestigious University College London Hospital. He is specialises in upper gastrointestinal, bariatric and minimally invasive surgery.

Mr Marco Adamo graduated in Italy, where he also completed his training in general surgery. He practiced six years in Yorkshire, where he was appointed consultant in 2006. He was also awarded MD by Leeds University for his research on appetite hormones and bariatric surgery.

In 2007 he has been recruited by the University College London Hospital (UCLH) to setup a new service for obesity surgery. He now leads a very successful high volume bariatric surgery unit which is one of the most renowned and respected in UK and Europe. He performs more than 200 bariatric cases/year with many cases of extreme obesity and complex reversional surgery. All procedures are carried out with laparoscopic (keyhole) technique. His complication rates are amongst the lowest published worldwide.

Passion for innovation – Single incision bariatric surgery.

Mr Adamo is a pioneer of this new revolutionary technique which employees only a small cut and leaves virtually no scars. He has successfully performed first in UK and amongst the first in the world performing many bariatric procedures such as the Sleeve Gastrectomy.

“Innovation and technology are opening new frontiers in modern healthcare. Pain and scars have been drastically reduced and surgery is much safer. Patients can now go home sooner after surgery and return to all activities within days.”

Consultant Specialist Bariatric Surgeon

David Hewin

David Hewin is a specialist laparoscopic (keyhole) upper gastrointestinal and bariatric (weight loss) surgeon. He qualified from the University of Bristol and works as a consultant surgeon at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital, where he established the Bariatric Surgery Unit in 2004. David continues to teach other doctors, GPs and medical students about weight loss surgery and regularly gives specialist lectures and talks to nurses, dietitians and members of the public.

After qualifying, he completed surgical training including The Royal College of Surgeons of England Fellowship in New York.

David has written and published many articles and book chapters about weight loss surgery and other aspects of upper gastrointestinal surgery. He has also delivered numerous national and international lectures and was appointed the first Specialist Tutor in Bariatric Surgery at The Royal College of Surgeons of London, developing training resources and courses for other surgeons, specialist nurses, dietitians and operating theatre teams.

David has a UK-wide reputation as a bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon, having served on the councils of several national surgical societies including the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery (as Honorary Secretary), the British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society and the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons. He also served as a Trustee of the British Obesity Surgery Patient Association (BOSPA).

Memberships

British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society

International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO)

Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery

Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons

Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland

European Association for Endoscopic Surgery

British Medical Association

The Royal College of Surgeons of England

Consultant Laparoscopic, Bariatric & Upper GI Surgeon

Mr Waleed Al-Khyatt

Mr Waleed Al-Khyatt is a consultant upper GI, bariatric (obesity) and laparoscopic (keyhole) surgeon at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. He also holds the position of Honorary (Consultant) Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Nottingham School of Medicine.

Mr Al-Khyatt qualified from the University of Mosul College of Medicine with honours. Following completing his basic surgical training in South Wales, he undertook his higher surgical training in the Health Education England East Midlands – North and was awarded his fellowship (FRCS) and Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) from The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

He completed The Royal College of Surgeons of England Fellowship Programme in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at St Richard’s International Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Centre of Excellence in Chichester, United Kingdom. In addition to emergency surgery, he has been fully trained in surgical management of patients with morbid obesity, which is his main compassion and subspecialty, oesophagogastric cancer, refractory GORD (acid reflex), open and laparoscopic repair of abdominal wall hernias, and gallstone disease.

Mr Al-Khyatt was awarded a PhD from the University of Nottingham for his research into the role of oestrogen receptors in oesophageal cancer development. His research projects have been presented at national and international prize sessions and awarded first prize medal from the Midland Gastroenterology Society. He has several published book chapters and peer-reviewed papers. His research interests include the pathogenesis of oesophageal cancer, improving outcomes in bariatric and metabolic surgery, using quality markers to improve outcomes in emergency surgery, and participation in national collaborative audit/research studies.

He takes great pride in providing compassionate care to all his patients by treating them as individuals with self-kindness and mindfulness. His approach is based on empowering his patients to be fully informed, to feel at ease and to be at the centre of any decision-making.

Waleed is married and has two daughters. His hobbies are basketball and swimming and he is a keen follower of the English Premier League.

Consultant Specialist Bariatric Surgeon

Bilal Alkhaffaf

Bilal Alkhaffaf is a consultant upper gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust – the country’s largest upper gastrointestinal surgical centre. He has a specialist interest in advanced minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery. Mr Alkhaffaf has further developed his expertise by visiting international surgical centres of excellence in the United States, South Korea and The Netherlands as well as a number of leading organisations within the United Kingdom.

Bilal grew up in Manchester and attended the University of Manchester, from which he graduated in 2003. He prioritises the delivery of excellent medical care for all his patients and believes that this should be achieved through a relationship based on trust, clear communication and an empathetic approach. He specialises in the treatment of conditions affecting the upper gastrointestinal tract. In addition to all aspects of weight loss surgery, he treats oesophageal and gastric cancer, benign oesophageal and gastric disorders, acid reflux, hiatus hernias, achalasia, gallstones and hernias.

Research

Mr Alkhaffaf is active in the field of research and holds the position of Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. His research activities have resulted in his award of a prestigious National Institute of Health Research Doctoral Research Fellowship. Mr Alkhaffaf has a particular interest in the way surgical outcomes are reported and is currently leading a team of international experts to make research more relevant to patients.

Professional Memberships

Mr Alkhaffaf is an active member of the following professional organisations:

– Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh

– Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland

– British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society

– International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders

– International Gastric Cancer Association

– European Society of Surgical Oncology

– BASO – The Association for Cancer Surgery

– Faculty of Surgical Trainers

Consultant Bariatric Surgeon

Peter Coe

Mr Peter Coe puts the patient at the centre of his work by empowering people to make the right choice of treatment for them and utilising modern approaches to minimise the impact of surgery.

Mr Peter Coe is a consultant surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust. His surgical training took place in Manchester, Leeds and across Yorkshire. During his training he undertook 2 years of research into obesity and cancer risk which resulted in a Doctor of Medicine thesis. Following completion of surgical training, he undertook advanced laparoscopic (keyhole) training in bariatric surgery with Phoenix Health in Chester.

Mr Coe specialises in keyhole surgery for weight loss (bariatric or obesity surgery) as well as for cancers of the oesophagus and stomach. His research interests are in the fields of obesity, oesophageal and gastric cancer and gallstones; he is the co-lead for surgical research for Yorkshire with the National Institute for Health and Research.

Member

• Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons (AUGIS)
• British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS)
• Royal College of Surgeons of England
• International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE)
• International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO)

Research

Bariatric Surgeon

Mr Omer-Al-Taan

Omer performs the full range of bariatric procedures (gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band and gastric balloon) as well as revisional surgery. The bulk of his practice is based on keyhole surgery. His NHS practice is based at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital, which is one of the largest bariatric surgery centres in the UK. Together with weight loss surgery, he regularly performs other operations like laparoscopic cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder), inguinal hernia repairs, hiatus hernia repairs, anti-reflux surgery as well as other types of abdominal hernias.

Consultant Specialist Bariatric Surgeon

Sherif Awad

Sherif Awad is Consultant Laparoscopic Obesity & Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon. He qualified from the University of St Andrews (BMedSci) and University of Manchester (MBChB Hons), undertook his PhD at University of Nottingham and completed his surgical training in Manchester, the East-Midlands and London. 

Sherif’s NHS post is based at Royal Derby Hospital, University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust and has worked with Tonic for the past 10 years. Sherif holds/has held numerous high profile and leadership roles including Trustee of British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS, Nov 22-Present), Council Member & Professional Educational Lead on BOMSS (Sept 20 – June 24), Service Lead of East-Midlands Bariatric and Metabolic Institute (EMBMI) at Royal Derby Hospital (2016-2021) and Honorary Associate Professor at University of Nottingham (2014-2021). Sherif has a passion for teaching and runs the Royal College of Surgeons of England approved senior Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at EMBMI (which teaches senior trainees to become Consultant Bariatric Surgeons). 

To date Sherif has performed over 6000 surgical procedures that include over 2500 bariatric surgery procedures. Sherif is passionate about the care he provides to patients and has over 700 5-star reviews from his private patients. His clinical outcomes, protocols, patient letters and information sheets are exemplary. Sherif is recognised internationally as an expert speaker on improving bariatric surgery pathways and safety.

Click here to watch an interview with a patient of Sherif Awad with a BMI of 90.

Consultant Specialist Bariatric Surgeon

Simon Dexter

Mr Simon Dexter believes that patient safety and quality of life are key goals amidst the changing face of upper GI surgery. These goals are reflected in his teaching and clinical practice.

Mr Dexter has been involved in laparoscopic surgery since its inception in the UK in 1990 and was the UK’s first laparoscopic surgery research fellow. His advanced surgical training took him through Leeds General Infirmary, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, USA, and the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo.

Mr Dexter specialises in laparoscopic and oesophago-gastric surgery, and he has a particular interest in laparoscopic obesity surgery, both primary and revisional. Mr Dexter has performed over 1,000 laparoscopic gastric bypass, gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy and duodenal switch procedures. He also regularly undertakes hernia repair and colonoscopy procedures.

He has taught and mentored consultant surgeons across the UK in these techniques and is on the training committee of BOMSS, with responsibility for development of training programmes for UK surgeons. Mr Dexter’s complication rate is one of the lowest in the country for bariatric surgery.

Consultant Bariatric Surgeon

Mr Shamsi El-Hasani

Mr El-Hasani has specialised for the past 32 years in upper gastrointestinal, gallbladder hernia and weight loss procedures.

For the last 32 years Mr El Hasani has mainly specialised in upper gastrointestinal, gall bladder, hernia and weight loss surgery. Mr El-Hasani has long and structured training in laparoscopic/keyhole approach to surgery.

Mr El-Hasani began Private Bariatric surgical services in the year 2000 and currently he is the Director for this service. So far, he has performed in excess of ;1600 laparoscopic gastric bands, 800 laparoscopic gastric bypass, 200 endoscopic insertion of gastric balloon. Also, he performs regularly laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and undertakes the management of revisional bariatric surgery.

Mr El-Hasani is closely involved in the surgical management of type 2 diabetes, and he has recent international publication in this field.