Professor Kamal Mahawar

I am a Consultant General and Bariatric Surgeon at Sunderland Royal Hospital, one of the highest-volume NHS bariatric units. I was appointed in April 2011 after completing my higher surgical training in the Northern Deanery. Early in my career, I made the decision to specialise in bariatric (weight loss) surgery, becoming the first trainee in the North East to pursue this path and among the first in the UK.

I lead the upper gastrointestinal (GI) and bariatric surgery service at Sunderland. I regularly perform a range of keyhole (laparoscopic) procedures, including sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, one anastomosis (mini) gastric bypass, and revisional bariatric surgery. According to the National Bariatric Surgery Registry, my case numbers consistently place me among the highest-volume surgeons nationally, within the top 10 percentile.

Alongside my clinical practice, I am actively involved in research and education. I have authored more than 235 peer-reviewed publications and contributed chapters to leading surgical textbooks. My research has been widely recognised, with an H-index of 41 and over 6,000 citations.

I serve as an editor for several respected journals in bariatric surgery, including Obesity Surgery, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, Clinical Obesity, and the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. In 2018, Obesity Surgery published my biography in recognition of my contribution to the field.

I am a Visiting Professor at the University of Sunderland, a role I have held since January 2019, and previously worked there as a Visiting Research Fellow from 2016. I am also an Associate Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University.

I am actively involved in shaping bariatric and upper GI surgery at a national and international level. I founded and previously served as President and Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society (TUGSS). I am also an executive council member, treasurer and trustee of the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS).

I previously chaired the National Bariatric Surgery Registry Committee (2022–23) and founded and chaired the BOMSS Patient Safety Committee (2020–22). In addition, I represent Northern England on the council of the British Benign Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society and contribute to several national committees, including the National Hiatal Surgery Registry and the National Bariatric Registry.

I regularly deliver invited lectures at regional, national and international meetings, including events in the USA, Germany, France, UAE and India.