Professor Keith Roberts

Mr Keith Roberts is a consultant liver and pancreatic surgeon in Birmingham, who specialises in pancreas surgery, liver surgery and liver function tests, alongside epigastric hernia, cholecystectomy, incisional hernia, liver cancer and pancreatic cancer. He privately practises at The Harborne Hospital - part of HCA Healthcare, while his NHS base is Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

Mr Roberts has MB ChB, PhD (Birmingham) and FRCS certifications. He qualified in 1999 from the University of Wales College of Medicine and undertook surgical training in Cardiff. During this period, he completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham on the role of iron in oesophageal cancer, and he subsequently worked for five years with local air ambulance services. His specialist training included hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, liver transplantation and organ retrieval, followed by further experience at St James’s University Hospital, Leeds, before being appointed to the department of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Mr Roberts’ clinical expertise encompasses the surgical management of diseases affecting the liver, pancreas, bile ducts and gallbladder. He has extensive experience in both routine and complex procedures, including locally advanced and borderline pancreatic cancer, liver transplantation, surgery involving the vena cava and upper abdominal sarcomas. He is also an expert in gallbladder disease and cholecystectomy.

He's an active researcher, holding grants approaching £2 million to improve pathways for pancreatic cancer. His work has informed NICE guidance and the recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on pancreatic cancer. In 2018, he received the Health Professional Excellence & Impact Award from Pancreatic Cancer UK for his role in establishing an innovative fast-track surgical pathway for operable pancreatic cancer.

He's a member of the International Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Association (IHPBA), the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (PSGBI) and the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS). He serves as honorary treasurer of the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, pancreatic cancer surgical specialty lead for the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, and committee member of AUGIS.

Mr Roberts is an honorary reader at the University of Birmingham, where he supervises PhD students developing diagnostic tests for pancreatic function and studying outcomes after pancreatic surgery. He leads collaborative research across the UK and is frequently invited to present at national and international meetings. His academic output includes more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and six book chapters, reflecting his commitment to advancing hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery and improving care for patients with complex liver and pancreatic conditions.