Oxford Gastroenterology has a long history, dating back to the key work of Sidney Truelove, who set the scene for patient-based studies which aim to make an impact on disease. Truelove brought together clinicians and scientists and placed great emphasis on training and an international outlook – all of which features remain strongly embedded. Since that time there has been continuing emphasis on cohort studies and clinical trials of inflammatory bowel disease, continued by Professors Derek Jewell and Simon Travis. In parallel there has been a growth of interest in liver disease, starting with clinical studies led by Roger Chapman , and expanding into the immunology, particularly of viral hepatitis.

The original TGU was set up by Dame Fiona Powrie in 2009 with the launch of a new chair in the Department of Medicine in Sidney Truelove’s name (there is now also a second post, the Lee Placito chair, currently held by Jack Satsangi). Fiona brought her team up from the Dunn School and set about establishing a close link between the clinical teams and the lab scientists to address the key issues in treatment of IBD. Since 2015, when Fiona left to set up a new institute at the Kennedy, the TGLU has continued to work in IBD but expanded its scope to incorporate programmes in other luminal diseases such as celiac disease, as well as liver diseases.