Akira Wiberg

I read medicine at Merton College, Oxford, where I was a Postmaster (senior scholar), and was awarded the Martin Wronker Prize for taking the top First in my year at Oxford University in the Medical Sciences BA degree. After qualifying as a doctor, I completed the Academic Foundation Programme in Oxford. Following a short stint as a visiting research scholar at UCLA, I undertook my basic surgical training in London, and started my specialist surgical training in Plastic Surgery in the Severn Deanery in 2013.

From 2016-19, I undertook a DPhil in Oxford under the supervision of Prof Dominic Furniss (NDORMS) and Prof David Bennett (NDCN), investigating the genetic basis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a very common and disabling hand disease caused by compression of the median nerve in the wrist. We identified 16 loci across the genome that predispose individuals to CTS, and identified certain key genes and biological pathways that play a key role in the progression of the disease.

In 2020, I was appointed as NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Plastic Surgery in Oxford, which allows me to split my time equally between clinical practice and research. My research theme aims to further elucidate the genetic and biological basis of nerve injury within the musculoskeletal system.