Professor Aftab Ala

Professor Ala is  a highly accomplished internationally recognised Consultant Physician. Since 2004, he has served as a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist and held positions of Lead Clinician at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Royal Surrey County Hospital where he is also Professional Director of Research and Development. Additionally, he is Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Surrey in Guildford and Professor of Hepatology at the Institute of Liver Studies at King's College Hospital in London and Chair of Rare Liver Disease Special Interest Group at the British Association for the study of the Liver (BASL).

He obtained his medical qualification from Charing Cross & Westminster (Imperial College Medical School) in London 1992. Professor Ala pursued specialised training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at renowned internationallly recognised institutions such as King's and Royal Free Hospitals in London. His dedication to advancing his expertise led him to be awarded an Advanced Hepatology Fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, USA, from 2003 to 2004. During this fellowship, his focus was on rare liver diseases and liver/bowel transplantation.

Professor Ala earned a PhD from University College, London, and received a Wellcome Trust Research Training fellowship. His research focused on immune and inflammatory mechanisms that connect liver and gut diseases.

Professor Ala's vast skill set enables him to perform a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in endoscopy, colonoscopy, and fibroscan. He is widely recognised for his expertise in diagnosing, treating, and managing complex gastroenterology, liver, and pancreatobiliary diseases (HPB), including cancer. The Royal Surrey County Hospital is proud to be one of the National HPB and Hepatology centres.

Throughout his career, Professor Ala has made significant contributions to the field of medicine and research. He has authored or contributed to over 100 peer-reviewed international publications and delivered numerous oral presentations related to his ongoing research programmes in liver and digestive  diseases and health inequality supported by the National Institute for the Health and Care Research and MRC

Professor Ala is an active member of several prestigious medical organisations, including:

• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London
• British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG)
• British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL)
• Chair of Special interest Group (SIG) Wilson's Disease of BASL
• American Association for the Study of the Liver (AASLD)
• European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
• Chair Hepatology (South East England) National Institute for the Health and Care Research (NIHR)

His clinical interests cover a wide range of gastrointestinal and hepatic conditions, including:

• Dyspepsia
• Reflux
• Abdominal pain
• Change in bowel habit
• Irritable bowel syndrome & SIBO
• Colitis/Crohn’s
• Complex Liver disease including fibroscan, viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, Wilson disease, alpha1antitrypsin, porphyria, fatty liver, cholestatic liver disease, alcohol liver disease, liver cysts
• Hepato-pancreatico-biliary disease (HPB) and cancer