Colorectal & Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Research Team

Lead Research Nurse

Sam currently works as the Lead Research Nurse for the Surgery Research team overseeing Colorectal, UGI and Vascular Research at Southmead Hospital, managing a team of 6 competent research practitioners. Having qualified in 2000 as a Children’s Nurse, she began her career working in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital where she worked for 7 years. She then moved and worked for 4 years on a busy Surgical and Trauma ward.  

After seeing an advert for the opportunity of a research nurse post at led jointly with NBT (North Bristol Trust) and UoB (University of Bristol) working with Children and their families researching into the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes she jumped at the chance for a new challenge. She spent 9 years in this post working her way up, initially as a junior nurse band 5 to a senior nurse band 7 role where she then led the team and managed the research project. This came to an end in 2020 when the study funding finished.

Sam was then offered the opportunity of a completely new role and challenge within NBT as the Senior Research Nurse for Surgery. This involved putting together smaller teams within different areas of Surgery research bringing them together as one team. This has been a success; the team has grown and consists of dedicated research nurses and administrators and is still growing! We have opened and reopened many studies across all the areas which are recruiting well.

Sam has lots of plans to extend this over time and build a bigger team to be able to cover more areas of surgery in the future.

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

Anne was appointed consultant colorectal surgeon at North Bristol NHS Trust in 2003 and has held many leadership positions within the trust including chair of the clinical risk committee, Clinical Director for Surgery and lead for colorectal and emergency surgery. Anne performs open and laparoscopic bowel (keyhole) surgery and has an interest in bowel cancer, surgical infections, vacuum dressing for the open abdomen and emergency surgery.  She was awarded an MD for laboratory-based research from University of London examining the role of monoclonal antibodies in colorectal cancer. She was principal investigator for CREST, PPAC2, Bluebelle, Selfi and DISCOVER. She is currently PI for VODECA, CREST2 and CONSIDER-19 and sits on the trial management group for CREST2.

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

Miss Kathryn McCarthy studied at UCL (1993-1998), attained her MD with the University of London (2005), following which she completed her FRCS at Royal College of Surgeons of England (2007), and her Gynaecological Fellowship (2009) and Laparoscopic Subspecialty Fellowship in Glasgow (2011-12).

Her clinical interests include laparoscopic colorectal surgery, endometriosis and pelvic surgery. Her academic interests include the IGF pathway in colorectal cancer and surgical outcomes in older people (OPSOC.eu). Her subspecialty interests include minimally invasive trans anal surgery, early rectal cancer and pelvic floor surgery.

She is clinical lead for Endoscopy and GI physiology. Nationally, she is the NIHR lead for surgical research (West of England).

She is also a member of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, National Pelvic Floor Society and European Society of Coloproctology.

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

Miss Ann Lyons was appointed as a consultant colorectal surgeon at North Bristol Trust in 2005. Prior to joining North Bristol NHS Trust, Ann was a fellow at international centres of St Marks Hospital, London and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto expanding her management of complex pelvic conditions. Graduated with Hons, Surg and Antomy Medal Ann completed by Higher Surgical Training in the South West Deanery, centred on Bristol. During her Higher Surgical Training, she had valuable out of training experience, educated with Professor Hohenberger in colon and rectum cancer surgery and Prof Matzel in pelvic floor disorders, in the University of Erlangen. She has actively engaged programmes for cancer patient communication,  including in the NCAT cancer care programme 2013.

Within this experience Ann has developed a holistic approach to cancer care, and a specialty interest in delivering safe careful pelvic surgery for regional patients; and surgery for early and advanced cancer. I have extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery.

Ann has clinical, educational and research experience. Awarded MD for her bench to bed side T cell immune response to major stresses, Harvard Medical School and since appointment has been PI for several clinical research trials at North Bristol NHS Trust. Ann has presented both nationally and internationally.  Ann is the lead surgeon for Colon and Rectum Cancer at North Bristol. She has a position on the SWAG CAG Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

Miss Ann Lyon is a member of RCSE, ACPGBI, ESCP, ASCRS and RSM.

Colorectal Surgeon 

Colorectal Surgeon 

Colorectal Research Nurse

Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon

Colorectal Research Nurse

Suzanna is a research nurse specialising in colorectal research, and has worked for North Bristol Trust since 2023. Prior to this, Suzanna worked at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) across both elective and emergency surgical wards, for upper and lower gastrointestinal surgery. She is passionate about improving patient outcomes and patient experience, and therefore finds her role in colorectal research highly rewarding.

Surgery Research Nurse

Gosia is a research nurse in vascular surgery team. She has worked for North Bristol Trust since 2020 in Intensive Care Unit and in HIV and Immunology Research team.

Prior to this Gosia worked as a nurse in Intensive Care Units in Royal Papworth Hospital, Yeovil District Hospital and Specialised District Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland.

Research Administrator - Colorectal & Vascular