Professor Dion Morton OBE, MBChB, FRCS (Eng), MD

• MD, 1994, Bristol
• FRCS (Eng), 1989, Bristol
• MBChB 1985, Bristol

Dion is Director of the West Midlands Genomic Medicine Centre (WMGMC) which is a partnership of 18 NHS acute Trusts across the region, working collaboratively to help to deliver the NHS England innovative 100,000 Genomes Project. It is one of 13 similar centres, paving the way for the future of medical science - personalised medicine. Dion also leads the Pan Cancer Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership (GeCIP) and is a member of the Colorectal Cancer GeCIP.

Since 2017, he has co-led the newly established NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery.

He was Chair of the Research Committee of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) 2011 to 2019 and initiated the expansion of the clinical research portfolio and growth in international collaboration within the European colorectal community. He is now Chair of the Global Reach Committee.

Dion led the Birmingham Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre between 2009 and 2019, leading the successful increased multi million pound refunding in 2012 and again in 2016. The Birmingham ECMC aims to improve the feasibility and quality of research in the areas of immunotherapy and gene therapy, translational genetics and biomarkers. It is UK government and Cancer Research UK funded and the largest centre in the UK.

Nationally he was Director of Clinical Research at the Royal College of Surgeons of England 2012-2019 and led the Clinical Research Initiative. The programme is now well established and has 7 Surgical Trials Units and 11 Surgical Specialty Leads (including Mr Simon Bach and BiSTC at the University). This initiative has led to the big rise in patients recruited to surgical trials and of surgical trials opened in the UK. 

He is Past President of the Society for Academic and Research Surgery.

The Professor Morton recognised the immense potential of surgical trainees in research, and championing the development of the UK’s first trainee-led research network, the West Midlands Research Collaborative (WMRC) which pioneered a UK wide network of 18 collaboratives.

He is a popular lecturer with students and trainees and lectures on the postgraduate Genomics in Cancer Pathology course among others.

Theses Supervised  

His research interests are predominantly in clinical and translational research in colorectal cancer, but also encompassing the development of clinical trials in surgery. 

Advanced Colorectal Cancer Trials:

As the national NCRI lead for colon cancer surgical trials (2007-13),Dion had responsibility for the development of multicentre colorectal surgical trials and helped launch 7 new trials over that period.

FOxTROT Trial – Dion is CI for this international study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced colon cancer which is randomising 1050 patients over 100 centres in three countries (CTAAC). 

Dion is co-applicant and co-investigator for the following national multicentre RCTs; CReST, investigating the role of endoluminal stenting for obstructing CRC. TREC, investigating the role of organ preserving surgery for early rectal cancer. ARISTOTLE, investigating chemoradiotherapy in advanced rectal cancer.

TRIALS Management Committees:

TMG (Trial Management Group) member - ISAAC, CReST, TREC, FOxTROT (Chair), ROSSINI, ARISTOTLE, DREAMs

TSC (Trial Steering Committee) Member – UCL Lung and Gynae Trials, ICR-CTSU Breast Systemic Therapies, STARTREC (pan Europe trial)

DMEC (Data Monitoring Committee) Member SEAFOod Trial, Lead CONFIDeNT TRIAL, ENDCAP

Research Groups:

• www.globalsurg.org Global Surg
•  ECMC Network
•  European Society of Coloproctology
• Geonomics England Research Network (formally GECIP)
• West Mids GMC
  
• Genomics England 
• West Midalnds Research Collaborative 
  
• BiSTC 
• The Rosetrees and the RCS Surgical Trials Initiative

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is recognised as one of the leading hospitals in Europe and Dion and the departmental team are all surgeons or trainees here and across the West Midlands region.

Dion heads up Surgery which includes Emeritus Professor of Surgery, Derek Alderson, from July 2017, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Mr Simon Bach, Mr Thomas Pinkney, Andrew Beggs, Aneel Bhangu and Dmitri Nepogodiev ACF.

Dion is an advisor and trustee on several charities.

1. Advisor Bobby Moore Foundation: 2008 – present
2. Trustee Bowel Disease Research Foundation: Jul 2010 – Present
3. Medical Advisory Board member Bowel Cancer UK: Sep 2010 – present

He is a member of the following societies:

•  The Association of Coloproctology (Great Britain and Ireland)
•  The Society of Academic & Research Surgeons
•  The European Society of Coloproctology
•  West Midlands Surgical Society
•  British Society of Human Genetics
•  The European Surgical Association