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Born and educated in Germany I moved to the UK in 1988 and received my surgical training in the Midlands. In 1999 I was appointed as a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Good Hope Hospital, now part of the University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB). I have built up the Endorectal Ultrasound Service at Good Hope Hospital to stage benign and cancerous lesions of the rectum, and have extensive experience in the technique, performing around 100 procedures yearly. I am the leading surgeon for early rectal cancer performing Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery in the Midlands, training other surgeons in the technique. We perform around 80 TEMS procedures every year at Good Hope Hospital. Since 2002 I have developed laparoscopic colorectal surgery at Good Hope Hospital and have mentored other colorectal surgeons in the technique. Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is now well established and the procedure of choice for the suitable patient. In addition, I have extensive experience in open colorectal procedures. Within HEFT, I am part of the team promoting and implementing Enhanced Recovery after surgery, shortening length of stay after major surgery. Combined with laparoscopic surgery, hospital stays as short as 3 - 4 days can be achieved. I have played a major role in a trial called TREC-trial exploring the feasibility of organ preservation in early rectal cancer, and this research continues in the form of the STARTREC trial to which we are recruiting at present. I continue to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomies, performing around 50 procedures every year.