Dr Peter Pockney

Dr Peter Pockney has been the Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Newcastle since 2011. In this role, he combines an active teaching and research commitment to the School of Medicine and Public Health with clinical practice as a specialist colorectal, general and trauma surgeon at the John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle.

Peter completed undergraduate medicine at University College London in 1996, graduating with Distinction in Surgery and Merit in Medicine.  He did basic clinical training at University College London, Southampton University Hospitals and Cambridge University Hospitals before completing his Doctorate of Medicine in 2004 at Southampton University under the Supervision of Professor John Primrose. This research was in the field of surgical randomised clinical trials, which remained the main focus of his research activity until 2016.

After finishing research training and his DM, Peter completed higher surgical training in 2007, specialising in General and Colorectal surgery. A subspecialty fellowship in Newcastle, NSW in 2008 was followed by 2 years working as a Consultant Surgeon in London.

Peter returned to Newcastle as the Senior Lecturer in Surgery in 2011.  He has the role of course coordinator for surgery in the BMed, which includes responsibility for course and assessment design, and approximately 10 hours a week contact time teaching with the students.

His research activity has included being the Chief Investigator and contributor to 5 randomised clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes after major colorectal surgery, and three prospective studies of biomarkers as indicators of adverse events in surgery. He has also led a major project in service redesign to improve access to colonoscopy for people at high risk of bowel cancer, and a further study that improved cost effectiveness and efficiency in the operating theatre during common surgical procedures.

In 2016 he led an initiative that brought together the Hunter New England Local Health District and the University of Newcastle to support 4 Junior Clinical Fellows in Surgical Research and Teaching.  These Fellows are funded through part-time work for the hospital to teach undergraduate students and to conduct high quality research.  The projects being undertaken include examining the role of circulating cell free tumour DNA as a biomarker for colorectal cancer, the role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in colorectal cancer metastases, neurotrophic growth factors in prostate cancer, a randomised clinical trial of prehabilitation in major upper gastrointestinal surgery, and a multicentre audit of emergency laparotomy operations.

This program is being extended in 2018, with 12 positions being offered across General and Colorectal Surgery, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic surgery and Trauma surgery. Other projects being undertaken under his supervision include examining the role of the colonic microbiome in anastomotic leaks, the utility of a biomarker in diagnosis of acute appendicitis, and the role of variations in the genome of CD36 in the phenotype of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis.

Membership

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Section of Academic Surgeons

Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand