Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Akira Wiberg

BA BM BCh DPhil FRCS(Plast)


Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Plastic Surgery

Peripheral nerve injury in the musculoskeletal system

I studied medicine at Merton College, Oxford, where I was a Postmaster (senior scholar), and was awarded the Martin Wronker Prize for finishing top of 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 stint as a visiting research scholar at UCLA, I undertook my Core Surgical Training in London, and started my specialist surgical training in Plastic Surgery in the South West Deanery in 2013.

From 2016-19, I returned to Oxford to study for a DPhil 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 performed the first ever genome-wide association study in CTS, and identified several genes and biological pathways that play a central role in determining an individual's susceptibility the disease. 

In 2020, I was appointed as NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Plastic Surgery in Oxford, and obtained my CCT in 2023. I split my time equally between the hospital and the laboratory. My clinical interest is in peripheral nerve surgery, and my closely related research theme is translational at its core. I use advanced genomic, bioinformatic, and molecular biology techniques in "bench-to-bedside" research that has the ultimate goal of improving clinical outcomes for people with CTS and other nerve injuries. This includes:

- Elucidating the pathological mechanisms that underlie CTS and related nerve compression injuries, with a focus on understanding the changes that take place in the connective tissues that surround the nerve.
- Using genetic information to stratify risk of developing CTS and the risk of needing surgery. 
- Developing non-surgical therapies for patients with CTS that target specific cells, genes and molecules. 
- Using electrical stimulation to augment nerve regeneration in people with CTS and other nerve injuries.
- Studying the contribution of peripheral nerve compressions to migraine headaches.

I currently co-supervise three DPhil students in my department, and I am a Stipendiary Lecturer in Human Anatomy at Merton College, where I am tutor to first year undergraduates.