Dr Jack Helliwell

Profile

I am an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and a General Surgery Registrar in Yorkshire. 

My interest in research began during my second year of medical school at the University of Leeds, when I recieved an EXSEL scholarship. This allowed me to gain considerable laboratory-based experience alongside my undergraduate studies, which was supplemented by further training at Yale University, USA. 

Upon graduation in 2018, I completed the Academic Foundation Programme and was awarded an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship to explore novel approaches to the prevention of anastomotic leak after colorectal cancer surgery. I completed my basic surgical training in Yorkshire, where I was awarded the Golden Rose Award for excellence in core surgical training. 

Following this, I secured a competitive NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship to support a PhD on the gut microbiome. 

I serve as the Vice-Chair for the White Rose Surgical Collaborative, a trainee-led research network for general surgery in Yorkshire. The group is committed to promoting research engagement among trainees by facilitating high-quality, collaborative, audit and research projects. 

Research interests

I am interested in the role of the gut microbiome in the development of anastomotic leak. I am specifically interested in bacterial collagenase production and how this may be modulated to improve anastomotic healing. 

I work within the Academic Surgery Colorectal Research Group and collaborate closely with colleagues in molecular pathology and medical microbiology. 

Qualifications

• MBChB
• MRes
• PG Cert (Advanced Health Research)
• MRCS

Professional memberships

• Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

Research groups and institutes

• Academic Surgery Colorectal Research Group
• Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's