Professor Tan Arulampalam trained as a surgeon in London and Rome and was appointed Consultant Surgeon at Colchester General Hospital in 2003. He resigned from his NHS post on 30th September 2022.

He has performed over 500 laparoscopic colorectal resections as well as a full range of advanced complex laparoscopic surgery.

Professor Arulampalam was awarded a Doctorate by the University of London for research on the role of PET scanning in Colorectal Cancer Imaging. He has continued his research interests in PET, colorectal cancer, laparoscopic surgery and surgical humidification. He is presently Visiting Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University.

As Clinical Director of the ICENI Centre, Professor Arulampalam took an active role in training as a National Laparoscopic Colorectal Trainer and being on the faculty at the European Surgical Institute, medical advisor to the charity Beating Bowel Cancer and working on Department of Health projects.

As a member of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland International Development Committee establishing closer links between the surgical fraternities of developed and developing nations. He has also been a regular advisor to BBC Television Drama

Professor Arulampalam was on the Board of the International Society of Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgeons. He has been elected President of the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (2023-2025) and Chair of the Research Committee of the European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons.

After 30 years of NHS service Professor Arulampalam has left Colchester Hospital to focus on education, start ups and private practice. Current interests include consulting on medical education, medical devices, human factors in surgical safety, medical research as well as healthcare process and delivery.