There is a particular kind of surgeon drawn not to simplicity, but to complexity — to the patients who have spent years navigating inadequate diagnoses, fragmented treatment, and unanswered questions before finally reaching someone equipped to truly help them. Dr. Ilyas Arshad, Lead of the BSGE-Accredited Endometriosis Centre at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, is precisely that kind of surgeon.
Over a career that has taken him through some of the United Kingdom’s most respected hospitals and into specialist training centres in France, he has built a depth of expertise that is both rare and deeply sought after.
Holding the qualifications MRCS, MRCOG, and MMEDSci, Dr. Arshad has served as a Consultant in Advanced Laparoscopic Gynaecological Surgery within the NHS since October 2018. Alongside his NHS role at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, he also practises privately through Spire Liverpool Hospital and The Christie Private Care in Manchester, extending specialist care across both public and private pathways.
His leadership extends well beyond the operating theatre. He chairs both the Cheshire and Merseyside Endometriosis Group and the Robotic Surgery Steering Group Committee, positions that place him at the centre of how advanced endometriosis services and minimally invasive surgical pathways continue to evolve across the region.
The Institutions That Shaped a Surgeon
Before arriving in Liverpool, Dr. Arshad trained and worked at some of Britain’s most prestigious hospitals, including St Thomas’, St Mary’s, St George’s, and The Royal Marsden. Each institution contributed a different dimension to his clinical development, exposing him to a broad spectrum of complex surgical and multidisciplinary care.
“Experience in all these hospitals has provided me with the knowledge and perspective to deliver excellent clinical care to my patients,” he reflects.
His specialist training in advanced laparoscopic surgery for benign gynaecological disease was undertaken at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, then one of the busiest units of its kind in the country. There, he developed extensive expertise in the treatment of endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, and chronic pelvic pain.
What further distinguishes his background is its cross-disciplinary scope. Alongside gynaecological surgery, Dr. Arshad gained experience in colorectal, vascular, and urological procedures, an understanding that is particularly valuable in advanced endometriosis cases where disease frequently extends beyond traditional gynaecological boundaries. In such procedures, anatomical precision and multidisciplinary awareness are not optional skills; they are essential.
The Fellowships That Defined a Standard
Two prestigious travelling fellowships marked one of the defining chapters of Dr. Arshad’s surgical education. Awarded both the BSGE Travelling Fellowship and the Alan Gordon Travelling Fellowship, he chose to undertake advanced training in France under Professor Horace Roman, internationally recognised for his expertise in bowel endometriosis and nerve-sparing surgery.
The decision reflected a clear professional philosophy: to learn from the very forefront of the field.
Stage IV rectovaginal endometriosis remains among the most technically demanding conditions in gynaecological surgery, requiring exceptional precision and an intricate understanding of pelvic nerve anatomy to preserve long-term quality of life. Training at this level provided Dr. Arshad with expertise that remains uncommon even within highly specialised surgical centres.
Today, he not only performs these complex procedures but also serves as a proctor, training other surgeons in advanced laparoscopic and robotic techniques. His work includes the management of severe rectovaginal endometriosis, myomectomies, hysterectomies, ovarian surgery, tubal surgery, fibroid surgery, and operative hysteroscopic procedures — all performed using minimally invasive approaches designed to optimise precision, recovery, and patient outcomes.
Teaching as an Equal Responsibility
Dr. Arshad also holds an MSc in Medical Education, a qualification that reflects the importance he places on teaching and mentorship throughout his career.
He serves as an educational supervisor for medical students and postgraduate doctors at the University of Liverpool and contributes as an examiner for final-year medical school assessments. He is also a member of the BSGE Awards and Prizes Subcommittee, helping to recognise and encourage emerging talent within gynaecological endoscopy.
For him, teaching extends beyond lecture halls and academic frameworks. It is embedded directly into surgical practice itself — in operating theatres where younger surgeons learn not only technical skill, but clinical judgement, composure, and decision-making under pressure.
“I have a passion for research and publishing in peer-reviewed journals,” he says.
His academic contributions earned him the European Surgical Society Research Award for a project presented in Nîmes, France, recognition that placed his work within a broader European surgical community.
A Global Surgical Perspective
Dr. Arshad’s professional memberships reflect the international scope of his engagement with the field. He is affiliated with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE), the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE), the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL), the British and Irish Association of Robotic Gynaecological Surgeons (BIARGS), and the Society of European Robotic Gynaecological Surgery (SERGS).
Together, these affiliations represent more than professional memberships. They reflect a surgeon who views women’s healthcare as an evolving international discipline shaped by collaboration, innovation, and shared learning across borders.
Raising the Standard for Endometriosis Care
Nearly eight years into his consultancy at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, Dr. Ilyas Arshad continues to play a central role in advancing endometriosis care across the North of England.
Through his leadership of the Cheshire and Merseyside Endometriosis Group, he helps shape regional approaches to diagnosis, multidisciplinary management, and surgical treatment pathways. His involvement with robotic surgery leadership initiatives also places him at the forefront of how minimally invasive gynaecological surgery continues to develop within the region.
For decades, endometriosis has too often been characterised by delayed diagnosis, fragmented treatment, and insufficient recognition of its complexity. Through surgery, education, mentorship, and system-level leadership, Dr. Arshad is helping change that reality.
For patients across Liverpool, Cheshire, Merseyside, and beyond, his work represents more than surgical expertise alone. It represents access to a level of specialised care that many women spend years searching to find.
