Biography - Anthony Axon

Professor Anthony Axon

Professor Axon has been a gastroenterologist at The General Infirmary at Leeds, one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe, for 30 years. His practice has encompassed the National Health Service and private practice and he holds an Honorary Professorial Chair in the University of Leeds. He has been Chairman of the Endoscopy Section of the British Society of Gastroenterology, President of the British Society of Gastroenterology, President of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and is currently President of the United European Gastroenterology Federation (2005-2006) and President of the World Organisation of Digestive Endoscopy (OMED). He has also been a Council Member of the Royal College of Physicians and a Member of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland.

Professor Axon was educated at Woodhouse Grove School in Yorkshire. He qualified from St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London (Barts) in 1965 with Honours and with Distinction in Medicine and subsequently moved to St Thomas' Hospital, London to complete his postgraduate training. He obtained his MD in 1973 and in 1975 was appointed Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist at The General Infirmary at Leeds. He was awarded an Honorary Chair in Gastroenterology by the University of Leeds in 1995.

He has written extensively on gastrointestinal subjects including ERCP, cancer surveillance, intestinal permeability, inflammatory bowel disease, disinfection of endoscopes, safety in endoscopy and Helicobacter pylori, its treatment and relationship to gastric cancer. He has given over 200 invited international lectures and is co-author of over 400 papers and book chapters.

Professor Axon is married to Jill, he has three children, two of whom are doctors and six grandchildren.