Inaugural Lecture: Professor Richard Pollok – tackling bowel conditions

Published: 30 March 2022

Professor Richard Pollok will be giving his inaugural lecture at St George’s, University of London on Monday 4 April. Inaugural lectures offer newly arrived or promoted professors the opportunity to introduce themselves, update colleagues on current and future plans, and share their work with wider audiences. 

Professor Pollok is a Professor of Practice in Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Infection at St George’s and devotes his research towards improving the health of people with inflammatory bowel disease and gut infections. He is also a consultant at St George’s Hospital and leads the South London Gastroenterology Clinical Research Network, driving recruitment to clinical research studies in the field.

We caught up with Professor Pollok to hear his reflections before his inaugural lecture and to understand a bit more about his background in academia and beyond.

Moving from investigating infections to gut conditions

Professor Pollok’s research interests began in infection and immunity, eventually training in gastroenterology and being awarded a Wellcome Trust Clinical Training Fellowship that took him to Zambia to study the gut’s immune response to parasitic infections.

“I worked on HIV during the height of the pandemic in the mid-nineties,” he says. “My PhD was focused on a parasitic infection that is important for people with HIV. I lived and worked in Africa, which feels like it was my former life before I came to St George’s as a consultant.”

Since joining St George’s, Professor Pollok has had wide-ranging impact on the field of gut health. With committee roles in the British Society of Gastroenterology, he has worked on guideline development with the Royal College of Pathologists, as well as developing an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Toolkit for GPs to access information on the condition, reaching thousands of doctors.

“I want to make sure that patients are getting the right treatment at the right time,” he says.

“It’s important that patients aren’t suffering the adverse consequences of sides effects, and we can help that by making sure care is holistic.”

Improving outcomes through research

Professor Pollok’s work includes clinical trials, data analysis and epidemiology, all with the aim of improving outcomes for patients.

In 2014, a key study, led by Professor Pollock showed that treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease with drugs called thiopurines could reduce the need for surgery by up to 60%, saving patients from what can potentially be multiple surgeries.

As well as treatment, Professor Pollok’s work explores wider aspects of care for patients with bowel conditions, including the impacts of or on mental health. In 2020, Professor Pollok published a paper showing depression is more common among people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis in the years before they are diagnosed with a bowel condition. Something which could help doctors to pick up the conditions sooner.

“This is all novel research and will inform policymaking for the future,” explains Professor Pollok. “Crohn’s and Colitis UK have picked up the mantle on this and have made early diagnosis a priority for the charity. They’re now lobbying the NHS to push it higher up the agenda.”

Looking back on a successful career

As both a researcher and clinician, Professor Pollok takes pride in all aspects of his work. “It’s good to have more than one string to your bow,” he says. “As well as seeing my patients, it’s great to have the intellectual stimulation of the research.

“I also love working with other people. Reflecting on my career, one of the nicest things has been having research fellows working with me and seeing them develop their research skills. Seeing some of them now being consultants and doing their own research is very gratifying.”

Drawing from his own experiences, Professor Pollok sees that having a keen interest in the field is crucial for a career in academia

“I think you just need to follow what you’re interested in,” he says. “If you follow that up, then the sky’s the limit.”

He adds, “I had one student working with me, who published three or four papers while we were working together. Most of which was during his time as a medical student. If you’ve got the determination and the tenacity, then you can do pretty much anything you want.”

Now Professor Pollok has been awarded his professorship, he sees it as an opportunity to look back on career successes.

“It makes you pull together all the different things you’ve done,” he says. “I’ve done all sorts, and it’s nice to have that bit of recognition. We can all work in silos, so it’s nice to be able to share what I’ve been up to over the years. It’s also a chance to say thank you to my colleagues here at the university and at the Trust, who’ve been supportive of the work I’ve done and of course my family too.”

Professor Richard Pollok’s inaugural lecture will be on Monday 4 April 2022. Further details on the event, including how to register to attend, can be found here.