Dr Willert is a highly experienced senior Consultant Gastroenterologist, at Manchester Royal Infirmary, having been appointed in 2008. He specialises in the management of patients with digestive disorders of the luminal gastrointestinal tract (oesophagus, stomach, small bowel and colon). This includes the diagnosis and management of heartburn (gastro oesophageal reflux disease), Barretts oesophagus, indigestion (dyspepsia), abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and the investigation and nutritional management of weight loss and food intolerance.

Dr Willert is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and completed a joint physiology/pharmacology degree with first class honours in 1993 and qualified in medicine with honours in 1996. He subsequently completed a PhD in gastrointestinal pharmacology, assessing the mechanisms of pain in gastrointestinal disease, from the University of Manchester.

Prior to his consultant post he was awarded an international research fellowship in Perth, Western Australia in 2006 at the specialist inflammatory bowel disease centre where he trained in complex inflammatory bowel disease management as well as advanced endoscopic procedures including endoscopic mucosal resection and double balloon enteroscopy.

He is the clinical director responsible for the bowel cancer screening programme for Manchester and an expert (level 4) colonoscopist for which he provides weekly regional screening colonoscopies and an advanced polypectomy / EMR service for patients across the conurbation.

He also has specialist expertise in the endoscopic diagnosis and endoscopic therapy of heartburn and Barrett’s oesophagus. He provides BRAVO wireless pH assessment for oesophageal reflux and endoscopic mucosal resection and HALO radiofrequency ablation therapy for Barrett’s (as a tertiary service for Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire).

He is a national expert in double balloon enteroscopy for the endoscopic management of small bowel disorders and provides a regional service for patients.

Dr Willert is also a faculty member of the North West Endoscopy academy and is an endoscopy trainer for the region.

Specialist interests

In addition, given his BSc and PhD background he has a specialist interest in the pharmacological management of all gastrointestinal disorders including both simple and complex inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastro-oesophageal reflux and constipation.

He has published original research widely and continues to do so and is a national speaker on gastrointestinal disorders. He has sat on the NICE committee developing national guidelines and has ongoing clinical research studies in Barrett’s oesophagus and inflammatory bowel disease.

He is also passionate about teaching and is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester.