معرفی
Professor Qasim Aziz is Professor of Neurogastroenterology and Director of The Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. He also serves as Deputy Lead of the Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma and is currently President of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. His academic career spans over two decades with significant contributions to understanding brain-gut interactions.
Professor Aziz completed his undergraduate medical training in Pakistan before coming to the UK in 1988. He earned his PhD from the University of Manchester in 1996 while serving as a Digestive Disorders Foundation clinical research fellow. He held academic positions at the University of Manchester as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Professor of Gastroenterology before moving to Queen Mary University of London.
His primary research focuses on the neurophysiological basis of human gut sensory and motor function in health and disease. Professor Aziz has pioneered numerous neurophysiological techniques to study the human brain-gut axis, with particular emphasis on visceral pain mechanisms, psychophysiological factors in pain perception, and the relationship between hereditary connective tissue disorders and gastrointestinal symptoms. His work has significantly advanced understanding of how gut pain is processed in the brain and how psychological factors modulate this process.
Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on applying advanced neuroimaging techniques to study nausea and visceral pain, with increasing use of machine learning approaches to predict symptom susceptibility. His research consistently bridges basic neuroscience with clinical gastroenterology, focusing on translational applications for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.
- British Society of Gastroenterology Research Gold Medal
- American Gastroenterology Association, Janssen Award for Basic and Clinical Research
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinician Scientist Award
- MRC Career Development Award
Professor Aziz actively supervises multiple PhD students and research fellows, including Dr Ahmed Albusoda, Heather Fitzke, Dr James Ruffle, Anisa Choudhary, Dr Rabia Lalani, and Dr Kazuya Takahashi. His research has been funded by diverse sources including the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), European Union, Medical Research Council, and pharmaceutical industry. He has held significant leadership roles including Chairman of the Neurogastroenterology and Motility Section of the British Society of Gastroenterology and co-lead for WHO ICD-11 coding for visceral pain.
Professor Aziz leads the Neurogastroenterology Group at the Blizard Institute, which comprises world-renowned researchers working collaboratively to advance basic scientific study and translate knowledge to enhance patient care. The group maintains state-of-the-art translational research programs in visceral pain, GI neuromuscular disorders, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, colorectal disease, nausea and appetite, surgical innovation, and drug discovery. The group works closely with the Barts and The London NHS Trust, which provides access to large patient populations for clinical research.
