Written by Dr Zachary Green
My name is Zachary Green, and I’m a paediatric registrar currently undertaking a CICRA-funded Research Training Fellowship in Southampton, supervised by Dr James Ashton, Professor Mark Beattie and Professor Sarah Ennis. My PhD focuses on understanding inflammatory bowel disease in children and young people by drawing on the extensive clinical and genetic information collected from the Southampton “Genetics of IBD” cohort over the past fifteen years. Through this work, I hope to contribute to more personalised and proactive care for children living with these conditions.
My commitment to supporting children and families affected by IBD began in 2018, during my second year as a doctor in Southampton. While working under the supervision of Professor Beattie, I cared for young people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in hospital. It quickly became clear that IBD affects far more than the gut.
I saw how symptoms, treatments and uncertainty touched every part of a young person’s life - school, friendships, activities, diet and emotional wellbeing
This taught me the importance of compassionate, joined-up care that recognises the whole young person, not just the disease.
When I moved to Cardiff to begin paediatric training, families shared their concerns about delays in accessing endoscopy or waiting for calprotectin results and I could see how these delays could amplify anxiety around flare-ups or changes in symptoms. Wanting to find a way to make monitoring quicker and less burdensome, I approached CICRA with the idea for the NIMBUS study, under the supervision and guidance of Dr Martin Edwards, Dr Amar Wahid and the team at the Children and Young Adult Research Unit (CYARU). This project explored whether ultrasound could offer an alternative alongside other non-invasive monitoring tests. With CICRA’s support, we recruited 40 participants, and I was consistently struck by the enthusiasm and generosity of the children and young people who took part. Their willingness to help improve care for others was a powerful reminder of why this work matters.
Since then, CICRA’s continued support has allowed me to develop my research further, including studies on liver complications in IBD and new A.I approaches to understanding clinical information. What links all of these projects is a desire to deepen our understanding of these conditions so that children and young people can receive timely, tailored care that fits more naturally into their lives.
I feel incredibly fortunate to work in partnership with families and with CICRA. Their experiences, questions and insights shape my work every day, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to efforts that aim to make life with IBD a little clearer and easier.