Matt is an academic upper gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon at the University of Manchester, UK. He completed a PhD in obesity and cancer data science, focused on generating evidence to inform obesity-related cancer prevention policy at Manchester Cancer Research Centre and Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit. His research focusses on precision obesity-related cancer prevention. He is a member of the EASO Early Career Network Board (ECN), where he supports ECN development activities, and is a leading advocate for robotic surgical training in the UK, with roles at the Royal College of Surgeons and NHS England.
What inspires you?
Two things inspire me most. The first is the privilege of caring for patients, listening to people with lived experience, and shaping research around the questions that genuinely matter to them. The second is the opportunity to meet and collaborate with researchers across Europe and beyond. EASO’s Early Career Network has been an incredible way to connect with inspiring colleagues across disciplines, and it is a genuinely inclusive community for anyone working in obesity research. If you are an early career researcher interested in this field, I would strongly encourage you to get involved!
What is your favourite book and why?
This may be a very surgeon answer, but it is my well-used copy of Kirk’s General Surgical Operations. It is an encyclopaedia of the operations you need know with beautiful illustrations, but my copy also has ten years of my own annotations, hints and tips.
How do you relax?
I recently moved to the countryside in North Wales with my partner and our border collie, and it has become a real sanctuary. We enjoy gardening and growing our own fruit and vegetables, which is relaxing and occasionally humbling. I also kickbox and have started competing this year, which has definitely kept me on my toes!
If you wrote an autobiography, what would be the title?
Scalpels, Statistics and Scarecrows.
What one discovery or invention would most improve your life?
An automated scarecrow. Our radishes were recently decimated!
How would you improve the public’s understanding of research?
It is so important to be able to communicate research to the public, but the language must be accessible and understandable. Social media and the press have been great for communicating obesity research and raising awareness in recent times, but often there is stigmatising language and imaging used. We must continue to work together as a research community to ensure that the understanding of obesity and the research associated is communicated with accuracy and without stigma.
What is your greatest fear?
Working across clinical practice and research is hugely rewarding, but it can also be demanding. My greatest fear is losing sight of the work-life balance that makes those roles sustainable, especially time with family and friends.
If you were a billionaire, how would you spend your fortune for the good of others?
I would invest in patient-centred education and support programmes for people living with obesity and cancer, particularly those who currently have the least access to specialist care. Information is powerful when it is clear, practical and delivered at the right time. I would want people to feel equipped to take part in decisions about their treatment, understand the options available to them, and feel supported beyond the consultation room.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Stand up for what you believe in.
