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The Surgery Department at Beijing United Family Hospital is proud to welcome Dr. Derek O'Reilly from Ireland. Dr. O'Reilly serves as the Deputy Chair of the Department and is available to see adult patients. Let's get to know him a bit better with our Q&A below.
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Dr. O'Reilly's Working Hours
Monday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wednesday: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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1) Welcome to BJU! What brought you here to China? Have you ever lived or traveled here before? Have you worked outside of the UK before?
Thank you! This is actually my first time working outside of the United Kingdom before. While I graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1992, I have worked in the UK for the last thirty years. However, I was interested in learning a language, as I thought it would be a way of seeing and understanding a new culture. I chose Mandarin and started studying it at the Confucius Institute in Manchester three years ago. In 2019, I traveled to China for the first time and was really amazed and thought it would be a great place to live and work. Then, this opportunity came up!
2) What has been your experience working here in China and how has it been different than in the Ireland and the UK?What I’ve come to see is that though habits and customs may be different, generally people are really exactly the same. They all have the same fears and worries about their health and anxiety about coming to the hospital. The main difference that I’ve seen hasn’t been on an individual level, but on the healthcare system level. That is, the main difference I have noticed is going from working in a public hospital to a private hospital. At BJU, we have more time to give to our patients, answering their questions and concerns. We have state of the art equipment here, like the da Vinci surgical robot, which usually isn’t available in public hospitals. ![]()
3) You are starting as our Deputy Chair of Surgery. How did you become interested in the field and what is your medical background?Honestly, for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a surgeon, it is what I’ve wanted to do from a relatively young age. I started out in general surgery, where you can enjoy a lot of variety. However, as I continued in the field I became more specialized and developed specific areas of interests, such as with abdominal issues, such as liver and pancreatic surgery. I did a lot of hernia, gallbladder, and emergency surgeries as well.
4) Are there any particular specialties within general surgery that you prefer?I have specialized experience in liver, gallbladder, and hernia surgery, as well as using laparoscopy and keyhole surgery techniques.
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Picture Source: Pixabay
5) When should someone come see a surgeon?Someone should come see a surgeon if they are having abdominal pain that may be interfering with their quality of life. If this is the case, it is important to get the correct diagnosis because a correct diagnosis can lead to an effective treatment. Particularly if the diagnosis is something more serious, such as a cancer, the symptoms should not be ignored. Earlier diagnoses may help improve outcomes, guide specialized treatment, and sometimes lead to a cure. A surgeon does not do this alone however, but we often work closely in a multidisciplinary team with other healthcare providers, such as gastroenterologists or oncologists. Using this type of multidisciplinary team approach we strive to get the right treatment in the right order for the patient.
6) What types of patients do you see at BJU?As I work in the outpatient clinic and receive referrals from the emergency room, I see a mixture of adult patients. Those that come to the outpatient clinic often have a good family medicine doctor who has made a diagnosis requiring a surgery, such as gallstones. These patients that I see often experience issues that are more benign.
Patients from the ER however, often require more serious care, such as an emergency appendectomy.
7) What are your most favorite and least favorite parts of your job? What I enjoy most is meeting and getting to talk to my patients and the people that I work with. The most important part of this job is good communication, as it is essential to developing trust when seeing a doctor and having them treat you. Without building this foundation, the doctor/patient relationship would struggle. I enjoy talking to people and now I enjoy practicing my Mandarin. What’s helpful as well is all of the language support that BJU offers. If someone doesn’t speak Mandarin, other doctors, nurses, or other staff can help support the patient. There is a good working relationship here between staff that I enjoy.
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Picture Source: Pixabay
8) When not working at BJU, what do you like to do?I came to China to enjoy China! To visit, to explore, to travel, to eat, and to learn and speak the language. So I’ve been trying to take advantage of all that Beijing has to offer at the moment as there is no shortage of things to do. You walk outside and there is always something to see and hear. Beijing is so big and there are so many different things, I am quite happy to explore this city for the foreseeable future.
9) Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?I have been very impressed with the Hospital and its emphasis on patient safety. I’ve noticed that the number one priority is promoting a safe environment by ensuring quality control measures are in place and placing patient safety first, giving patients the time and opportunity to speak with their doctors and healthcare providers. I would be quite happy to be treated here, which is what you would want to hear from your surgeon or doctor.
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Dr. O’Reilly has over 30 years of clinical experience. In addition to specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of general surgery diseases, he completed a fellowship in liver and pancreatic diseases. Dr. O’Reilly has also published over 80 papers in prominent peer-reviewed medical journals such as The Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the Annals of Surgery. Dr. O’Reilly is a certified General Surgeon by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and an Honorary Professor of the Division of Cancer Sciences at the University of Manchester. To make an appointment with Dr. O'Reilly or another one of our surgeons, please call the 24hr BJU Service Center 4008-919191.
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