--

Dr Gareth Parkes is a Consultant Gastroenterologist. He graduated from the University of London in 2000 and entered the specialist register for both gastroenterology and general internal medicine in 2013. He has been involved in research in a number of areas including Crohn's Disease, the effects of smoking on inflammatory bowel disease and the use of probiotics and prebiotics.

He has a specialist interest in luminal gastroenterology, in particular inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Within his NHS role, he works in a team treating complex Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. He is also an experienced endoscopist who is competent in gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and polyp removal. Not only this, owing to his extensive medical know-how, he furthermore works as a trainer within the NHS.

Alongside these clinical interests, he has experience in three major centres of inflammatory bowel disease and is now part of a team of IBD specialists at the Royal London. He has been published in this area and remains actively involved with clinical trials of novel biological therapies.

He also has an active interest in irritable bowel syndrome, in particular in the role that diet and the gut microbiota play in the causes and treatment for this condition. Only recently, he was published widely in this field, in particular on the role that probiotic preparations can have in the treatment of IBS.

With regards to his clinical experience, Dr Parkes has extensive endoscopic experience and by all accounts, he is competent in a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including the diagnosis of cancer, ulcers, Barrett's oesophagus, colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticular disease and polyps.