Professor Naila Arebi

Prof. Naila Arebi graduated as a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Malta. She pursued her postgraduate training in Oxford and London, leading to accreditation in Gastroenterology and General Medicine in 2004, followed by advanced endoscopy training at St Mark's Hospital. She was awarded a PhD from Imperial College, University of London, supported by the Helicobacter Parkside Study Group. She received the Sybil McMichael Bursary in 2000 and travel scholarships to visit the Medical University of South Carolina Endoscopy Unit, Kishiwada Tokusyukai Hospital, and Osaka University Hospital, Japan.

Following her appointment as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Mark's Hospital and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College in 2005, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2010 and Professor of Practice in 2023. Her clinical work involves most aspects of gastroenterology, with key interest areas in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and constipation. During her time as a consultant, she set up the Bravo catheterless pH monitoring service to support the oesophageal diagnostic service. She is currently the Director of the IBD Service.

Through the award of an NIHR grant, she led a strategic IBD service improvement project, which included the expansion of the IBD team and the development of several new patient-centred services — namely community, rapid access, biologics, and new diagnosis clinics. She received awards for working in partnership with patients, including the BMJ Commended Award and the Brian Turley Award. She previously held the position of Chairman of St Mark’s Medicine, leading a team of 28 gastroenterologists across the Trust.

She is the Director of the St Mark’s IBD Advanced Therapy Course. Her research focuses on inflammatory bowel disease, where she is the Chief Investigator on several research studies aimed at enhancing our understanding of IBD, testing new treatments, and improving the delivery of care for patients through national and international collaborations. She is a reviewer for several international journals and grant funding bodies, and an author of numerous peer-reviewed publications. Nationally and internationally, she has served as Chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology Adolescents and Young Adults Committee and as a European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) EpiCom Committee Member.

Her current research interests in IBD focus on delivering better patient-centred care. She is currently investigating the impact of early education on patient empowerment, the use of artificial intelligence to support clinical care, and shared decision-making for clinical treatments. She has expertise in the epidemiology of IBD, optimal therapy in disease management, management of dysplasia in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, IBD in adolescents and young adults, older-onset IBD, and perianal Crohn's disease.

On a personal level she is married and a keen cyclist having completed 723km of the Loire a Velo route over 10 days.

Prof Arebi currently holds clinical posts at:

• Consultant Gastroenterologist, St Mark's National Bowel Hospital, London

• Director IBD Clinical Service, St Mark's National Bowel Hospital, London

• Dean of St Mark’s Academic Institute, St Mark’s National Bowel Hospital, London

• Professor of Practice, Imperial College, London

• Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist, The London Clinic, London

• Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist, Princess Grace Hospital and the London Digestive Centre, London