Professional background

Alice Murray studied undergraduate medicine at University of Oxford (MBBS), BA (Medical Sciences), receiving an academic scholarship. She completed her clinical studies in London at The Royal Free / UCL.

Miss Murray developed an interest in colorectal surgery early in her career and undertook higher Colorectal surgical training in London. She was ranked second out of all candidates in England at her specialty surgical interviews and became a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons in 2022.

She has been trained in advanced laparoscopic surgery and was appointed the Pelvic Floor Fellow at St Mark’s National Bowel Hospital with further sub-specialist training in complex proctology, inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal failure. She completed a PhD at Imperial College London under Sir Ara Darzi, looking at international comparisons of surgical quality and performance.

Miss Murray also spent two years as a Colorectal Research Fellow in New York at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University. She was awarded a Harkness Fellowship in Policy and Practice studying for a further year at the Harvard Institute of Global Health in Boston, Massachusetts.

She currently holds a three-year post as an associate surgical specialty lead in colorectal surgery at The Royal College of Surgeons. She remains committed to clinical research and medical education and has authored numerous peer reviewed publications and book chapters, as well as undertaken international presentations.

She enjoys working in hospitals abroad, having lived in Tanzania, Serbia, Australia and America. She has two children and lives locally in the community.

Research interests

  • High quality surgical care
  • Surgical outcomes reporting
  • Quality improvement
  • Diseases of the pelvic floor
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Proctology
  • Complex benign colorectal disease
  • Laparoscopic surgery
  • Emergency general surgery

Publications

  • A New Geographic Model of Care to Manage the Post-COVID-19 Elective Surgery Aftershock in England: A Retrospective Observational Study. Jonathan Clarke*, Alice Murray*, PanSurg Collaborative. Joint first author. BMJ Open 2020;10:e042392
  • International Comparison of Surgical Intervention and Mortality for Surgical Emergencies in England and the United States. Karthikesalingham A, Markar S, Murray AC, Vidal-Diez A, Hanna G Sept 2019, Annals of Surgery.
  • The Geography Lever. Michael Porter, Thomas Lee, Alice Murray, 2019 NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery.
  • Value-Based Surgical Care: A View from The Surgeon’s Knife, Murray AC. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2018 Jun 2;79(6):316-321
  • Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study. Global Surg Collaborative. Bhangu A, Ademuyiwa AO, Aguilera ML, Alexander P, Al-Saqqa SW….. Murray ACA et al. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018 May;18(5):516-525.
  • An observational study of the timing of surgery, use of laparoscopy and outcomes for acute cholecystitis in the USA and UK. Murray AC, Markar S, Mackenzie H, Baser O, Wiggins T, Askari A, Hanna G, Faiz O, Mayer E, Bicknell C, Darzi A, Kiran RP. Surg Endosc. Jan 2018.
  • Impact of preoperative steroid or immunosuppressant use on short-term outcomes following colectomy in Crohn's disease patients. Validezeh N, Murray AC, Al-Mazrou A, Kiran RP. Tech Coloproctol. 2017 Mar;21(3):217-223, epub.
  • Bowel Preparation: Are Antibiotics Necessary for Colorectal Surgery? Murray AC, Kiran RP. Adv Surg. 2016 Sep;50(1):49-66.
  • Benefit of mechanical bowel preparation prior to elective colorectal surgery: current insights. Murray ACA, Kiran RP. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2016 Aug;401(5):573-80.
  • 30-day mortality after elective colorectal cancer surgery can reasonably be predicted. Murray ACA, Pasam R, Estrada D, Van Dalen S, Lee-Kong S, Feingold D, Kiran RP. Tech Coloproctol. 2016 Aug;20(8):567-76.
  • Risk of anastomotic leak after laparoscopic versus open colectomy. Murray ACA, Pasam R, Kiran RP. Surg Endosc. 2016 Apr 28.
  • Risk of Surgical Site Infection Varies Based on Location of Disease and Segment of Colorectal Resection for Cancer. Murray ACA, Kiran RP. Dis Colon Rectum. 2016 Jun;59(6):493-500
  • Combined Preoperative Mechanical Bowel Preparation with Oral Antibiotics Significantly Reduces Surgical Site Infection, Anastomotic Leak and Ileus After Colorectal Surgery. Kiran RP, Murray AC, Codruta C, Estrada D, Forde KA. Ann Surg. 2015 Sep;262(3):416-25.
  • Obesity, Regardless of Comorbidity, Influences Outcomes After Colorectal Surgery-Time to Rethink the Pay-for-Performance Metrics? Esemuede IO, Murray AC, Lee-Kong SA, Feingold DL, Kiran RP. J Gastrointest Surg. 014 Dec;18(12):2163-8
  • The Anatomy and Variations of the Internal Thoracic (Internal Mammary) Artery and Implications in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: Clinical Anatomical Study and Literature Review. Murray A.C.A., Rozen WM, Alonso-Burgos A, Ashton MW, Garcia-Tutor E, Whitaker IS. Surg Radiol Anat. 2011 Oct 11. PMID: 21986988
  • Is there a Need for Preoperative Imaging of the Internal Mammary Recipient Site for Autologous Breast Reconstruction. Rozen WM, Alonso-Burgos A, Murray A.C.A., Ann Plast Surg. 2011 May 16 PMID 21587045
  • The Cutaneous Course of Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators: Implications for Flap Thinning. Rozen, W.M., Murray, A.C.A., Ashton, M.W., Bloom, R., Stella, D. L., Phillips, T.J., Taylor, G.I., J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2009 Aug;62(8):986-90, 5 citations. PMID 18539105
  • Avoiding Denervation of Rectus Abdominis During DIEP Flap Harvest: the Importance of Medial Row Perforators. Rozen, W.M., Ashton, M.W., Murray, A.C.A., Taylor, G.I., Plast Reconstr Surg. 2008 Sep; 122(3):710-6. PMID 18766033
  • Junior Doctors’ Shifts and Sleep Deprivation. Murray, A., Pounder, R., Mather, Black, C., BMJ 330 (2005), p. 1404. PMID 15961796