I moved to the Freeman Hospital in 1995, after working for 3 years as a consultant otolaryngologist (ENT surgeon) in Glasgow Royal infirmary. I am currently the Hon Sec of ENTUK, the national specialty association for ENT specialists. I have a particular interest in developing reliable measures of clinical outcomes.
Research:
My Health Services Research projects include being lead clinician in a multicentre RCT on tonsillectomy, and the generation of a Voice Outcomes package (Wellcome). My current work centres on the extra-oesophageal manifestations of gastro-oesophageal reflux, the mechamisms underlying recurrent acute tonsillitis and the role of cognitive behaviour therapy in medically unexplained symptoms such as globus, dysphonia and catarrh.
My basic science collaborations have studied tumour suppressor genes in head and neck cancer, fibroblast growth factors in acoustic neuromas, mucin gene expression in chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis, methods of bacterial / tonsil interaction and markers for the early diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Work is currently underway on aspects of innate immunity in chronic rhinosinusitis
Author: 190 Scientific and professional publications
Selected Awards:
Yearsley Lecture - 1999
George Davey Howells Memorial Prize - 2000
Hon Fellow, Assoc Gastrointestinal Physiologists - 2001
Kleinsasser Award, Eur Laryngological Society - 2006
American Academy Honor Award - 2006
Hon Fellow Roy Coll Speech Language Therapy - 2009
Scottish Otolaryngological Society Guthrie Lecturer - 2010
