I qualified as a doctor in 1995 from Cambridge University and was appointed to Colchester as a Consultant in 2008. I trained as a registrar in the London deanery, including posts at Hammersmith and St Mary’s Hospitals.

My areas of special interest are:

• interventional endoscopy (using endoscopy for treatments such as placement of stents and removal of gallstones)
• diseases of the bile duct and pancreas
• difficulties with swallowing caused by muscular problems in the oesophagus
• nutritional support

Dr Thines Karunakaran grew up in Colchester and attended Colchester Royal Grammar School. He completed his medical training at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2014, followed by Acute Care Common Stem training in the East of England and subsequent specialist training in Gastroenterology and General Medicine, including experience at the Cambridge Liver Unit. He later undertook advanced endoscopy training at West Hertfordshire Hospitals.

He is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Colchester Hospital with a specialist focus on therapeutic endoscopy and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) disease. He has particular expertise in advanced procedures including ERCP and EUS, with an emphasis on biliary, pancreatic, oesophageal and colonic stenting.

Dr Karunakaran is an active member of the HPB cancer multidisciplinary team, working closely with surgical, oncology and radiology colleagues to deliver coordinated, evidence-based care. He is based locally with his young family.

I completed my undergraduate training at Imperial College. I did my specialty training in Gastroenterology in the East England deanery. During this time I worked at Ipswich Hospital. I was delighted to join the Gastroenterology team as a Consultant in 2019.

I am the current lead for Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) cancer at Ipswich Hospital. I have a specialist interest in advanced endoscopy.

I have worked for the Trust since March 2011.

I am a general Gastroenterologist.

I diagnose and manage of a wide range of disorders. I have particular experience in the investigation and management of gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

My work within multidisciplinary teams has enabled me to provide a more holistic approach to patient’s clinical and psychological problems. I am the Trust Lead for hepatobiliary tumours and viral hepatitis. I have 28 publications in peer reviewed journals.

I study aspects of liver disease. I have a particular interest in the problems of viral hepatitis and progression. I have conducted studies related to:

• infections and tropical medicine
• problems related to travels
• the liver and gut

Dr Omar graduated from King’s College London (GKT School of Medicine) in 2013. He completed specialist training in Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine in the East of England deanery, followed by an advanced Pancreatobiliary Endoscopy fellowship at The Royal London Hospital, gaining expertise in complex endoscopic procedures. He specialises in general gastroenterology and advanced therapeutic endoscopy, with a particular interest in pancreatobiliary disease, Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). He is one of only a small number of specialists in the region performing endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), an advanced procedure used to diagnose and manage complex pancreatic, biliary, and gastrointestinal conditions.

Dr Omar has completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education at University College London. He is passionate about teaching and training. He is a JAG accredited endoscopy trainer.

Dr Lushen Pillay is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and IBD Lead at Colchester Hospital, with specialist expertise in inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Originally trained in South Africa, he completed his postgraduate Gastroenterology training in the East of England, including advanced subspecialty IBD training at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He started his consultant career as an Acting Consultant Gastroenterologist at Cambridge University Hospitals before taking up his substantive consultant post at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Pillay has extensive experience managing complex IBD and has established a commercial IBD clinical trials service at Colchester Hospital (The first in Essex). He remains actively involved in clinical research and IBD clinical trials.

I have worked for the Trust since 2014.

I have worked for the Trust since September 2008.

I completed the bulk of my training in London. I have been working at Ipswich Hospital since 1997.

My practice includes both chronic liver disease and hollow organ gastroenterology.

I am the clinical lead for endoscopy. I am also a colonoscopist for the national bowel cancer screening programme. I perform ERCPs and therapeutic gastroscopies.

I was appointed in 1989 and now work part time. My main activity is in endoscopy, in particular colonoscopy with accreditation in bowel cancer screening.

I trained at St George’s Hospital in London. Prior to my appointment at Ipswich, I trained in the West Midlands, London and Leeds.