Your Surgeon – Mr Alan Li
Consultant Upper GI, Laparoscopic & Robotic, Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgeon
Education & Training
Mr Alan Li was educated in Oxford and qualified as a doctor in 1990 after graduating from the University of Bristol Medical School. His early training took him to the University of Manchester as a Lecturer and to Leeds as the University Tutor in Surgery where he was a Research Fellow for the Medical Research Council and the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Having completed his training in Yorkshire and in Scotland, Alan obtained a travelling fellowship to the National Cancer Centre Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, to refine his surgical techniques in gastric cancer surgery.
This was followed by a prestigious one year position in 2006 as the Senior Clinical Fellow at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia where he developed his practice in pioneering thoracosopic and laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancer, reflux and hiatus hernia surgery, as well as starting his practice in bariatric and weight loss surgery. He has since trained other surgeons in Manchester and the North West in these techniques.
Experience
Alan gained an appointment as a Consultant Surgeon at Whiston and St Helen’s NHS Trust which he took upon his return to the UK in Feb 2007 with a specialist interest in keyhole surgery. He then joined the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) as an Upper Gastro-Intestinal, Bariatric and Laparoscopic Surgeon later in 2007 whilst still holding an honorary contract in Merseyside.
In over a decade, he became the Senior and Lead of the Oesophago-Gastric (OG) Unit at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and oversaw a 10-fold increase in the number of stomach and oesopagus cancer operations, the development of a minimally invasive (keyhole) oesophago-gastric cancer surgery service and the delivery of a comprehensive NHS bariatric service.
Mission
After 33 years in the NHS and over 17 years of consultant experience, Alan recently retired from the NHS as a senior oesophago-gastric and bariatric surgeon but remains dedicated to NHS care and continues to deliver expert surgery to the most challenging bariatric and weight loss patients in the North West. He retains honorary NHS contracts in the region and continues to operate by invitation in the most challenging cases.
Having performed over 6,000 bariatric procedures and over 10,000 operations in total, he is undoubtedly the most experienced weight loss and upper GI surgeon in Manchester offering surgery services to patients across the North of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and soon London and the South. He has also expanded his portfolio to include non-surgical services for weight loss such as medication-based treatments (Mounjaro and Ozempic) along with his expert multi-disciplinary team of Nurse Specialist and Dietician.
Alan continues to provide training and mentorship to many other surgeons and senior clinical fellows and remains an invited guest lecturer around the world at many cross-specialty conferences including surgery, gastroenterology and radiology. He is also the Surgical Director of a medical innovation charitable foundation trust (Minnova Medical Foundation Community Interest Company).
Vision
Somewhat of a perfectionist, Alan is meticulous in his surgical approach and continually evolves and refines his operating technique to maximise safety, efficiency and excellent outcomes for patients. Indeed, he trains and mentors fellow consultants and delivers workshops and lectures to industry organisations on his exemplary practice model.
His more recent innovations include minimal scar weight loss surgery, complex revisional surgery using the Minimizer Ring, and robotic surgery (Da Vinci Systems, Intuitive), all of which is currently available to bariatric/weight loss, upper GI/general surgery patients.
However, most importantly, Alan believes in an individualised, tailored and holistic approach to patient care and that trust, good communication, empathy, experience and expertise are the foundations to good outcomes for patients.
Get to know me
Alan earnt his pocket money combining busking and working in his Mum and Dad’s fish and chip shops. Consequently, he was nicknamed the fastest W-rapper in town and does a great turn in wrapping Christmas presents and origami! He continues to chase 80’s acts around the UK (still living the dream) and remains a keen concert and festival go-er – dressing up at every opportunity!
Alan has finally “hung up” his rugby boots, mountaineering ice axes, and motorbike licence and now pursues interests in mountain biking, climbing, winter walking, windsurfing and tennis. He also has more sedate interests as a violinist, pianist and calligrapher.
However, his current passion is to run his farm and to develop a fully self-sufficient and self-sustainable life. Much of his spare time is spent herding his sheep, pigs, ducks and chickens – or his children – and spending hours in his tractor and digger.