St. Mark's Hospital Foundation

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St. Mark's Hospital Foundation

Charity supporting research, education & innovation at St Mark's, the UK's national bowel hospital. RCN 1140930

21/02/2026

💜Thanks to our generous supporters, St Mark’s Hospital Foundation is able to fund the cost of around 30 research fellows, like Gita, every year.

These fellows represent the future of not only St Mark’s, but gastroenterology and colorectal surgery worldwide. 🔬🌏

We appreciate Gita for sharing her experience at St Mark’s:

“My experience at St Mark’s has been exceptional. The hospital’s history creates an environment where research is embedded into daily practice. What makes it unique is the culture there is a genuine openness to collaboration, academic discussion, and innovation. Working alongside clinicians and researchers who are leaders in their fields has been both inspiring and humbling.

This experience has reinforced for me that the future of colorectal surgery will not be defined by technology alone, but by how we integrate technology with thoughtful clinical care. I’m excited to see where the next phase of this work leads.”

🔗📃Learn more about Gita’s research and her time as a fellow at St Mark’s here: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/news/interview-with-gita-lingam/

20/02/2026

✨🔬Where does AI fit into the world of gastroenterology and colorectal surgery?

💭💜Dr Gita Lingam shared her thoughts:

“AI is already beginning to reshape gastroenterology and colorectal surgery. In endoscopy, we are seeing real-time polyp detection and characterisation. In IBD, AI models are being developed to predict flare-ups, stratify risk, and standardise scoring systems. In surgery, data science may soon inform intraoperative decision-making, complication prediction, and long-term outcomes analysis. The key challenge lies in ensuring these tools are clinically relevant, rigorously validated, and thoughtfully implemented.

I was drawn to this field for two main reasons. The first being an interest in the expansion of surgical innovation and how we can use AI to solve real clinical problems. The second is a feeling that sadly Crohn’s patients are often overlooked. Typically, patients are diagnosed at an early age and thus suffer for many years. Even a small improvement in management could potentially have a profound effect on quality of life for Crohn’s patients.”

🔗📃Read the full interview with Gita here: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/news/interview-with-gita-lingam/

19/02/2026

✨🔬Research Fellow Feature

Meet Gita Lingam, one of our amazing St Mark's research fellows and the winner of the 2025 John Nicholls Prize for Research 🏆

The prize, presented by the prestigious surgeon and creator of the J Pouch, Professor John Nicholls himself, goes to the individual whose work best illustrates the ground-breaking research done by St Mark’s research fellows.

💬💜This month, Gita sat down with us to discuss her award-winning research.

“My research focuses primarily on using artificial intelligence to improve the management of Crohn’s disease. Unfortunately, Crohn’s disease is a lifelong incurable disease, with patients having frequent hospital attendances and often multiple surgeries. My research aims to explore why recurrence rate is so high in Crohn’s disease and if AI can help to improve this.

What excites me most about this research is the opportunity to bridge every day clinical practice with digital innovation. In IBD especially, where disease behaviour is heterogeneous and recurrence is common, smarter surveillance strategies could have a real impact on patient outcomes and ultimately their quality of life.”

Come back tomorrow to learn more about Gita's research and the use of AI in gastroenterology and colorectal surgery.

17/02/2026

Are you a healthcare provider who treats IBD?

We have a NEW course - starting on the 24th of April 🙌

Announcing 'Advanced Diet Therapy for IBD: Integrating Nutritional Care in the Adult MDT Pathway' ✅

This course explores the role of advanced diet therapy in the MDT management of adults with IBD. Through lectures, case studies and practical sessions, participants will gain in-depth understanding of surgical and medical interventions, and how tailored nutritional strategies can be integrated across patient care pathways. 🥗

Interested? Click the link for details and registration: https://stmarksacademicinstitute.org.uk/courses/advanced-diet-therapy-for-ibd/

Please note, this course is for healthcare providers only.

12/02/2026

Better support for surgeons means better outcomes for patients 🤝

This month, Kapil Sahnan, a colorectal surgeon at St Mark's, was the first to operate wearing an exoskeleton device. The suit was designed by Stanley Handling to reduce muscle strain and fatigue during long-lasting surgeries. 💪

The device supported Mr Sahnan's arms and shoulders for 7 hours while he removed the ileoanal pouch of a patient with inflammatory bowel disease.

As the Director of Innovation for St Mark's, Mr Sahnan is looking to get more cutting-edge tech into the hospital. He said, "We are a small hospital with a long history of innovation regarding bowel disease, so we should pay tribute to our predecessors by continuing to push forward." 💥💜

04/02/2026

🌏Today is World Cancer Day. This year's theme, “United by Unique", focuses on placing individuals at the centre of care and bringing patient stories to the forefront of conversation.

We know bowel cancer impacts everyone differently. Use the comments as a space to share your experiences and your feelings, both the good and the painful. Let's raise awareness, and commit to hearing every story.

St Mark's is a world leader in colorectal cancer research, developing increasingly personalised cancer prevention, screening, and treatment pathways. As the UK's national bowel hospital, St Mark's offers a variety of specialist clinical services for Bowel Cancer patients, including:

• Complex Cancer Clinic
• St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre
• St Mark’s Centre for Familial Intestinal Cancer
• The Lynch Syndrome Clinic
• Gastrointestinal Consequences Of Cancer

🔗If you want to learn more about the ongoing bowel cancer research made possible by our community of supporters, click this link: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/about/publications/annual-account-2024-2025/

28/01/2026

Meet Beki and Isobelle! 💜

We're so grateful to the mum and daughter duo for their fundraising efforts over the last year and to Beki for sharing their family's experience with St Mark's.

"I’m running the Manchester Half Marathon with my daughter, Isobelle, to raise money for St Mark's Hospital, a place that has saved my mum’s life twice. Their amazing care has given me more time with my mum, a woman who has been a huge role model throughout my life. Her constant support has shaped who I am today.

When I was 6, my mum’s life was saved by the incredible team at St Mark’s. I remember how scary it was for me and my brother. We were so little, and being apart from our mum while she was in hospital for such a long time was hard. Then, just last year (and nearly 40 years later) my mum was back at St Mark’s again, facing another life-threatening challenge. The hospital’s care was just as amazing, with everyone from the doctors, nurses, nutrition team, physios, and the lady who cleaned her room all being so kind. Every single one was inspirational in their own way! Twice now, St Mark’s has given me more time with the woman who has shaped so much of my life.

Running this half marathon with Isobelle is about more than just raising money for the hospital that saved my mum’s life, it’s about celebrating people who inspire us, whether that’s the incredible medical team at St Mark’s or my mum herself."

25/01/2026

📢Are you interested in running the Royal Parks Half Marathon for St Mark's this year? 💥

The general ballot officially opens tomorrow, but you can get an early spot RIGHT NOW through our Run for Charity page! 🏃💨

The Royal Parks Half is one of the most spectacular half marathons that central London has to offer. Charity runners will glide through four of London's stunning Royal Parks and past many of London's most famous landmarks.

This run is a great way to support the cutting edge research and innovation taking place at St Mark's Hospital.

🔗👉 Click the link to sign up now: https://runforcharity.com/event/st-marks-hospital-foundation/royal-parks-half-marathon

23/01/2026

🔬Research update: Professor Kevin Monahan and the 'Lynch Syndrome transformation project' team have published their most recent research findings.

There has been a 255% improvement in Lynch syndrome diagnosis across England over the last 4 years. 📈

Finding people who have Lynch Syndrome is the first step toward personalised screening pathways for cancer prevention. More diagnoses means more opportunities for risk mitigation, early intervention, and tailored treatment options.

The Lynch Syndrome and Family Cancer Service at St Mark's Hospital is a UK leader in genetic testing for Lynch and was integral to the creation of an English National Lynch Syndrome Registry. This registry is expected to enable "systematic risk-reduction on a scale unprecedented worldwide".

🔗Read the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.70330

Congratulations to the team on the resounding success of the project so far.

Thanks to 40tude curing colon cancer for their transformational support for the St Mark's element of this work.

16/01/2026

Let’s keep the season of goodwill going 💜✨

If you haven’t yet donated to our seasonal appeal, there’s still time! Every single donation, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference in the lives of patients like Mark.

Mark was diagnosed with Short Bowel Syndrome in 2022. For almost two and a half years, he survived only through an intravenous feeding system and was in and out of hospital.

After life-changing surgery on New Year's Eve 2024, Mark spent his first Christmas back home this year. We deeply appreciate Mark and his daughter, Caroline, for sharing their St Mark's journey with us.

If you’d like to impact more lives and support vital research and education at St Mark’s, please visit our JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/st-marks-seasonal-appeal-2025

07/01/2026

🚨Media coverage alert 📰

The 'Boomers' research programme uses the tens of thousands of invaluable archived tumor samples from St Mark’s to examine why so many under 50s are being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Our own gastroenterologist, Professor Kevin Monahan, appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to talk about the project, a collaboration between St Mark's Hospital and Professor Trevor Graham at The Institute of Cancer Research.

Check out the story on the BBC website
🔗https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgxpv9k822o

Thank you to 40tude curing colon cancer for their support of this project!

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
London North West Healthcare Charity

05/01/2026

Are you hoping to complete a challenge event in 2026? 💥🏃‍♀️‍➡️

Incredible events for all ages and ability levels are held throughout the year to raise money for cutting-edge research and education at St Mark's.

Check out our Run for Charity portal (🔗https://runforcharity.com/charity/st-marks-hospital-foundation) to find one near you OR plan and host your own fundraising activity. Plan a bake sale, host a golf day, set yourself a step count goal— the options are endless!

💬DM us for support or tips to help make your fundraiser a success!

Address

Acton Lane
London
NW107NS

Website

https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/, https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/st-marks-seasonal-appeal-2025

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