Professor Neil Merrett

Biography

Neil Merrett is a senior upper gastrointestinal surgeon at Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals. Graduating from UNSW in 1980 he undertook junior training at Prince of Wales and St George Hospitals, obtaining his FRACS in 1989. Working as a Senior Registrar in the UK for 2 years, he returned as the Senior Surgical Registrar at POWH until his clinical appointment in 1994. He became a conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW in 2004 before taking the Foundation Chair of Surgery at UWS in 2009

He is intimately involved in planning Health Services in SSWAHS being an author of the “Way Forward Plan” in 2003 and the “Models of Care” planning including the redevelopment of Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals. He has overseen the development of Upper GI Surgery with the unit becoming the largest pancreatic and also oesophagogastric resectional unit in Australia

In addition these roles, he is also the Area Director of Gastrointestinal and Liver Services SSWAHS, Head of Upper GI Surgery SSWAHS, Visiting Fellow at the Garvan Institute for Medical Research and sits on the Clinical Trials Ethics Committee of the NSW Cancer Institute, amongst many committee duties

His research interests include clinical application of new technology, Surgical Haptics, Pancreatic and oesophagogastric oncology.

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Areas of Research/Teaching Expertise

  • Surgery
  • Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery
  • Oesophagogastric oncology
  • Pancreaticobiliary oncology
  • Surgical techniques

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Grants/Current Projects

2010 - UWS, School of Medicine: Bacterial Toxin-Induced Cellular Sensecence as a cause of delayed wound repair, $9,091

2010 - NHMRC: Patterns of Care and quality of life in pancreatic Cancer, $655,213

2009 - NSW Cancer Institute: Clinical Fellow in Upper Gastrointestinal oncology, $163,480

2008 - NSW Cancer Institute: Clinical Fellow in Gastroenterology/surgical oncology, $163,480

2007 - NSW Cancer Institute: Clinical Fellow in Gastroenterology/surgical oncology, $138,000

2007 - NSW Cancer Institute: Clinical Fellow in Upper Gastrointestinal Oncology, $138,000

2006 - NSW Cancer Institute: Clinical Infrastructure Grant, $220,000 for intra operative ultrasound equipment

2006 - NSW Cancer Institute: Clinical Fellow in Upper Gastrointestinal Oncology, $120,000

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Selected Publications

Book Chapters

Nguyen N, Merrett ND, Biankin AV:
Management of nutritional issues after major pancreatic resections In: "When Cancer Crossess Disciplines: A physician's handbook Ed; Monica Robotin, Ian Olver, Afaf Girgis Imperial College Press London, 2010

Kench JG, Cosman PH, Merrett ND, Biankin AV:
Pathology and Molecular Biology of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms in: “ Pancreatic Cancer” ed Andrew Lowy Springer NY 2008

Cosman PH, Hugh TJ, Shearer CJ, Merrett ND, Biankin AV, Cartmill JA: Skills acquired on virtual reality laparoscopic simulators transfer into the operating room in a blind randomised controlled trial In: “Medicine meets virtual reality – in vivo, in vitro, in situ” ed James D Westwood IOS press Amsterdam, 2007


Scientific Publications

David K. Chang, Nam Q. Nguyen, Merrett ND, Hugh Dixson, Rupert WL. Leong and Andrew V. Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in Pancreatic Cancer
Expert Rev Gastroenterol hepatol. 2009:3;293-303

David K. Chang, Amber L. Johns, Merrett ND, Anthony J. Gill, Emily K. Colvin, Christopher J. Scarlett, Nam Q. Nguyen, Rupert W.L. Leong, Mark I. Kelly, Robert L. Sutherland, Susan M. Henshall, James G. Kench and Andrew V. Biankin, Margin Clearance and Outcome in Resected Pancreatic Cancer J.Clin Oncol 2009 april 27 (Epub ahead of print)

Biankin AV, Kench JG, Colvin EK, Segara D, Scarlett CJ, Nguyen NQ, Chang DK, Skalicky DA, Morey AL, Lee C-S, O’Toole SA, Pinese M, Kuo SCL, Susanto JM, Cosman PH, Lindeman GJ, Visvader JE, Merrett ND, Musgrove EA, Henshall SM and Sutherland RL. Expression of S100A2 calcium-binding protein predicts response to pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer. Gastroenterology 2009 April 16 {epub ahead of print}

Nguyen NQ, Biankin AV, Leong RWL, Chang DK, Cosman PH, Delaney P, Kench JG, Merrett ND; Real time intraoperative confocal microscopy guided surgery.
Ann Surg 2009;249:735-737 {Epub ahead of print}

Das A, Biankin AV, Chang DK, Merrett ND; Surgical Treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours of the upper gastrointestinal tract, J Gastrointest Surgery 2009 April 21 (Epub ahead of print)

Gill AJ, Johns AL, Eckstein A, Samra JS, Kaufman A, Chang DK, Merrett ND, Cosman PH, Smith RC, Biankin AV, Kench JG. Synoptic reporting improves histopathological assessment of pancreatic resection specimens
Pathology 2009;41:161-167

Merrett ND, Biankin AV. Repair of giant right inguinal hernia using prolene mesh system, ANZ J. Surg. 2009;79:92-93

Merrett ND, Wilson RB, Biankin AV. SMA syndrome –diagnosis and treatment strategies, J. Gastrointest. Surg. 2009;13:287-292

Colvin E, Chang DK, Merrett ND, Kench JG, Biankin AV
Individualising therapy for pancreatic cancer, J. Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 Dec;23(12):1779-82.

Leong RW, Nguyen N, Meredith CG, Al-Sohaily S, Biankin AV, Merrett ND;In vivo Confocal Endomicroscopy in the Evaluation of Celiac Disease Gastroenterology 2008; 135:1870-1876

Biankin AV, Nguyen NQ, Merrett ND;The management of pancreatic enzyme insufficiency post pancreatectomy
Medical Observer Aug 24 2008 27-34

Das A, Biankin AV, Merrett ND; Pancreatitis following Human Papillovirus Vaccination, Med J Aust. 2008 Aug 4;189:178

Chang D, Merrett ND, Biankin AV; Improving outcomes of operable pancreatic cancer. Is access to safe surgery the problem? J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008;23:1036-1035

Merrett ND, Cosman P, Biankin AV. Education of imaging. Hepatobiliary and pancreatic: iatrogenic hemobilia.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 May;23(5):821

Sutor V, Al Rhubai A, Biankin AV, Biankin S, Merrett ND
Pancreatic anomaly with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: a case of pancreas divisum and hemosuccus pancreaticus (santorinirrhage). Pancreas. 2008;36:314-5.

Samra J, Biankin AV, Merrett ND; Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in the management of Pancreatic Lesions
ANZ J. Surg 2008;78:315-316


Biankin AV, Kench JG, Segara D, Skaliky DA, Biankin SA, Cosman PH, Merrett ND, Musgrave EA, Henshall SM, Sutherland RL. Use of the Novel Biomarker (Hox B2) to predict the response to pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer, J Clin Onc 2007 june 20(supp) 25 (18s) 10526

Cosman PH, Hugh TJ, Shearer CJ, Merrett ND, Biankin AV, Cartmill JA. Skills acquired on virtual reality laparoscopic simulators transfer into the operating room in a blind randomised controlled trial, Stud Health Technol Inform 2007;125:76-81

Cosman PH, Shearer CJ, Biankin AV, Hugh TJ, Merrett ND
A Novel approach to high definition, high-contrast video capture in abdominal surgery, Annals of Surgery 2007 April 245 (4); 533-535

Lam VW, Merrett ND;Drainage of Hepatic Hydatid Cyst with a surgiport. Aust N Z J Surg. 2005; 75: 1022-1023

Wilson RB, Warusavitarne J, Crameri D, Alvaro F, Merrett ND;Human pancreatic elastase 1 in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis: A prospective study, Aust N Z J Surg 2005; 75: 152-156

Apte MV, Park S, Phillips PA, Santucci N,Goldstein D, Kumar R, Ramm G, Buchler M, Freiss H McCarroll RM, Keogh G, Merrett ND, Pirola R, Wilson JS. Desmoplastic reaction in pancreatic cancer; the role of stellate cells, Pancreas 2004 Oct 29; (3); 179-187

Ooi K, Merrett ND; Autoimmune idiopathic pancreatitis in a patient presenting with obstructive jaundice and pancreatic mass, HPB 2004 6: (2); 126-127

Simring DV, French JR, Merrett ND, Thursby PT
Aorto-enteric fistula following endoluminal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Aust N Z J Surg 2004; 74: 397-399

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