"The field of liver/pancreas surgery and transplantation is highly complex with diseases that often require delicate and technical surgery. With the increase of other complimentary treatment options such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and ablative therapies, I feel privileged to be able to offer and guide my patients with the best evidence-based treatment in the field while maintaining open communication with them on their choices."
With over 20 years of practise, A/Prof Bonney still finds great joy in every individual patient encounter. For him, the trust that patients have in their surgeon is a great privilege and he takes on every procedure and interaction aware of this responsibility and duty of care. He says: "I find it a great privilege to first understand the patient and their families, then to apply best medical practise to planning their clinical course, often we are then able to understand the disease process and its treatment at a molecular level and finally to be able to perform highly technical surgery to cure"
Following basic surgical training, A/Prof Bonney developed a particular interest in liver and pancreas cancer and transplantation; diseases that often present late and have a poor prognosis. He realised cutting edge surgery in combination with clinical sciences could result in huge improvements in quality and length of life.
To this end, he undertook and was awarded a postgraduate research degree to identify markers in bile for malignancy of the liver and published this work in internationally reputed journals.
He subsequently undertook Higher Surgical Training, doing his specialist training at one of the largest liver transplant, liver and pancreas surgery units in Europe. After successful completion of this training he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of London.
Improving the outcomes of liver and pancreas surgery
Having trained and worked in two of the world's leading liver/pancreas surgery and transplant centres alongside some of the pioneers of surgery in this field, A/Prof Bonney continues to deliver quality patient-centred care at NUH.
His primary interest is in minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic and robotic) for primary and secondary malignancies of the liver, pancreas and gallbladder, donor/recipient matching for liver transplantation and extending donor criteria.
Recently his interest in liver transplantation as well as surgical oncology culminated in him leading a team of world leaders in writing the first consensus for liver transplantation for Stage 4 colorectal cancer. Subsequently he proceeded to perform the first such transplant in Asia.
His clinical research has resulted in him receiving many international awards, accolades and societal board membership, with the most significant of these being Presidential Award of the International Hepatopancreaticobiliary Association (Seoul 2014).
Sharing best practices and knowledge
A/Prof Bonney is an internationally renowned expert in the field of liver transplantation, hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal liver metastasis and pancreas cancer.
He is a prolific academic surgery and written and presented numerous publications, books and lectures to share his experiences and best practices.
He is also the recipient of several national and international grants that enable him to perform cutting edge research in hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer and colorectal liver metastasis in his laboratories at iHealthtech, NUS. The most significant of these is an NMRC award that funds cutting-edge research in pancreatic cancer.