Dr Catriona Farrell

After completing Radiology Registrar training in Edinburgh and Merseyside, and a fellowship in Auckland, Dr Farrell took up a Consultant Radiologist post in 2014 at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust specialising in gastrointestinal (GI) and abdominal radiology. She has particular interests in colorectal, anal, and pancreas cancer. She also reports regularly on inflammatory bowel disease, liver diseases including hepatocellular cancer and cirrhosis, general surgical cases, post-operative abdomens, benign GI disease and emergency radiology. Dr Farrell is radiology lead for colorectal cancer in what is one of the largest colorectal cancer units in the UK. Dr Farrell is involved in national research projects related to colorectal and hepatocellular cancer and has presented at national meetings and published in this area.

 

Dr Farrell’s expertise includes all gastrointestinal imaging, particularly colorectal, pancreas, and anal cancer, as well as splenic disease, and benign gastrointestinal tract pathology, such as inflammatory bowel disease. She has a strong interest in teaching and global health.

Dr Farrell has published 24 peer reviewed publications, details available on request. Current projects include collaborative national colorectal cancer research (FOXTROT trial, SF-CORNER) and a national liver cirrhosis surveillance study, (AMULET). Recent published work in colorectal cancer relates to evaluation of early rectal cancer and rectal cancer reporting. In liver imaging, publications relate to surveillance for hepatocellular cancer in cirrhosis and imaging prognosis in cirrhosis. In ultrasound, Dr Farrell’s most recent paper relates to national practice for teaching POCUS to medical students.

Dr Farrell is colorectal radiology MDT lead, previous radiology governance lead, and has led multiple quality improvement projects relating to the colorectal MDT. From 2020-2024 she was co-lead for the Ghana POCUS Project with the charity Worldwide Radiology, which involved organising courses with remote teaching sessions and in person teaching visits to Ho, Ghana. Dr Farrell is currently involved in an AI development project to standardise and streamline the colorectal MDT.

Dr Farrell has established a strong publication record with 24 peer-reviewed articles, demonstrating expertise particularly relevant to radiology. A significant portion of their research focuses on hepatobiliary imaging and hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance, with multiple publications in high-impact journals like Gut and J Hepatol exploring ultrasound recall systems, imaging biomarkers (Elaar, LAAR), and prognostic scoring. They also contribute to the field of colorectal cancer imaging, investigating staging, post-treatment assessment, and polyp risk stratification. Furthermore, Dr. Farrell demonstrates a commitment to radiology governance with research on improving patient safety through effective alerts and has explored emerging technologies such as Point of Care Ultrasound, alongside research into the radiological aspects of COVID-19 diagnosis. This record showcases a dedication to both clinical research and service improvement within the field of radiology. List of publications available on request.

Dr Farrell has a longstanding interest in teaching and has completed the Postgraduate Certificate of Medical Education at Dundee University. She leads undergraduate teaching weekly at University of Liverpool Medical School in ultrasound and chest x-ray interpretation. She also teaches radiology registrars at the Northwest Radiology Academy. Working for the charity Worldwide Radiology she traveled to Ghana to teach ultrasound (POCUS) to clinicians and offers online mentoring and teaching to clinicians and radiology trainees in Ghana and Malawi. She mentors a UK radiology trainee as part of the national BSGAR mentorship programme and supervises a trainee as part of the National Institute for Health and Care (NIHR) Associate Principal Investigator (API) scheme.