Dr David Ashton

After graduating with a medical sciences degree from the University of St Andrews, Dr Ashton undertook clinical and postgraduate training at the University of Manchester and subsequently completed a doctorate in epidemiology and biostatistics at Imperial College School of Medicine, London. For several years he was Director of the UK Women’s Heart Study and he is currently Honorary Senior Lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology, Cardiac Medicine Group, Imperial College.

Dr. Ashton is widely recognised as a leading international expert on the treatment of obesity and its co-morbidities. He is unique in having expertise across the entire spectrum of weight management, including behavioural interventions, pharmacotherapy and all aspects of weight loss surgery. Unsurprisingly, he is much in demand as a key opinion leader and is a clinical advisor to several major international companies involved in the development of innovative surgical weight loss devices.

Dr Ashton has a particular interest in nutrition following weight loss surgery, particularly with regard to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. He has formulated a unique vitamin and mineral supplement – VitaWeight™ – specially designed for post-surgical patients.

David Ashton is the author or co-author of numerous scientific papers and abstracts, together with several books (see his latest publications below). Current research interests include concurrent intra-peritoneal analgesia; non-surgical factors influencing long-term outcomes in the gastric band patient and the contribution of physical activity to weight-loss following surgery.

In 2010, Dr Ashton established a specialist one-day training programme for both the NHS and private sector, on the management of the gastric band patient. This training day is now being extended into various centres of excellence in Europe. Dr Ashton was the opening speaker at the inaugural International Gastric Band Summit in the USA in 2008 and his review of the gastric band, published in the World Journal of Surgery, is widely regarded as a landmark in the literature of the gastric band.

Dr Ashton has made numerous television and radio appearances, including ‘Tonight with Trevor McDonald’, the ‘Food Programme’, ‘Sky News’ and ‘Law in Action’ (Radio 4). He lectures regularly to professional and lay audiences on obesity and physical activity. In September 2010, Dr Ashton gave a “Masterclass” on bariatrics to a distinguished audience of doctors and specialists at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Dr Ashton’s interests outside medicine include philosophy (particularly David Hume and Arthur Schopenhauer), the history of ideas, classical music and cycling.