Mr Hasan Kasem grew up and went to school in Lanarkshire. He attended and then graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc (Med Sci) and MBChB in 1991. After graduation he moved back and trained in the West of Scotland where achieved his specialist consultant qualification in 2003 (FRCS Gen Surg, Upper GI). He then came home and took up a consultant post at his local hospital. He has been a consultant surgeon at the University of Wishaw since January 2004. He has also consulted privately since then. Mr Kasem has a specialist interest in diseases of the oesophagus, stomach and gallbladder and is an active member of the West of Scotland Upper GI Cancer network. He is also part of the West of Scotland Complex Hernia network but deals with all types of hernia and different methods of repair. He started and developed the Lanarkshire weight management service in 2004 and is the clinical lead for this. Mr Kasem has a particular interest in laparoscopic surgery (keyhole surgery) but regularly attends an annual specialist conferences to aid his knowledge looking at the effectiveness of different treatments and learning about the latest techniques whether they be traditional, laparoscopic or novel. This helps him discuss different options in order to help his patients decide what the most effective treatment maybe for them.