Mr James Smellie

Mr James Smellie is a leading London general surgeon with two particular areas of expertise. The first is endocrine surgery, which is surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. He has worked as an NHS endocrine surgeon for over 20 years at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and has performed more than a thousand such procedures during his career; and now at the Cleveland Clinic. The adrenal gland surgery is now done robotically using a da Vinci robot.

His second area of expertise is in hernia surgery; this is done robotically where possible as this technique of laparoscopic surgery allows Mr Smellie to control the robot to accurately dissect, place and suture meshes to accurately complete surgery and minimise the risks of complications and recurrences. He does this in the NHS also and Chelsea is one of the largest robotic hernia centres in the country. This is highly suitable for inguinal as well as umbilical, ventral and incisional hernias and allows easy closure of divarication laparoscopically with only small incisions on the abdomen. Highly qualified and experienced, he is known for delivering top patient care and is dedicated to providing the most appropriate treatment for each individual case. His volunteering experience in West Africa has taught him surgery for giant hernias.

Mr Smellie is a Cambridge graduate, having received his honours degree in medicine there. He then underwent further clinical training at several prestigious hospitals in London and in the USA. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) in 1992 and completed further training and research at the Mayo Clinic, and the Institute of Cancer Research at the Royal Marsden Hospital London, before receiving his medical doctorate (MD) from the University of Cambridge.

A widely published researcher, Mr Smellie is a surgeon at the forefront of his field, using the latest technologies and techniques to give his patients the best care and treatment possible for their case. Currently, he is practising at Cleveland Clinic London, Cleveland Clinic Moorgate in the City of London, and Cleveland Clinic Portland Place Outpatient Centre.