WHAT I DO

ABOUT

I graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Sheffield (MB ChB) and trained in heart and chest surgery in Cambridge and London (MRCS Eng & MRCS Ed). I was the recipient of an Medical Research Council scholarship and awarded a Masters (MSc) in Medical Statistics and a Doctorate in Medicine (MD) for surgical research. I qualified as a specialist Heart and Chest Surgeon FRCS(C-Th) and chose to super-specialise in chest surgery.

In 2007 I was appointed as a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon to The Royal Brompton Hospital and in 2018 appointed as Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Imperial College London. 

Apart from a busy clinical thoracic surgery practice, I contribute to many international guidelines on best practice and run a lung screening programme for early detection of lung cancer.

I taught Medicine and Surgery at Imperial College Medical School, and lead on cancer research at the Royal Brompton Hospital. My research focuses on clinical trials of surgery where I have led as Chief Investigator on MARS2 (CRUK and NIHR funded multicentre trial of surgery for mesothelioma), VIOLET (NIHR funded multicentre trial of keyhole surgery for lung cancer) and RAMON (NIHR funded multicentre trial of local consolation for advanced lung cancer). I also collaborate on the evaluation and development of blood based cancer detection.

I conduct the virtual Grand Rounds in thoracic surgery with a focus on world-wide education in thoracic surgery and also offer a statistics course to educate doctors on research methods so they can refine their critical appraisal skills and make better clinical decisions.

"I continuously apply research advances to improve patient care and educate the next generation of surgeons to do the same"

My positions

I am humbled by the recognition of my expertise by my peers and honoured to serve in the following positions:

  • Chair of the British Thoracic Society / Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery Radical Management of Lung Cancer Guidelines Committee 2010

  • Member of the European Society of Medical Oncology Guidelines on the Management of Lung Cancer Committee 2013

  • Member of the European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society Guidelines on the Management of Bronchopulmonary Carcinoid Committee 2015

  • Member of the European Expert Group on diagnostic procedures for non-small-cell lung cancer 2016

  • Member of 9th TNM International Staging Committee for lung cancer

  • Councillor of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2010-2014

  • Member of the Steering Committee of the British Thoracic Oncology Group 2010-2014

  • Associate Editor of Thorax 2010-2016

  • Deputy Statistics Editor for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2015-2023

  • Associate Editor of the European Thoracic Oncology Platform 2010-2012

  • Chair of the UK Thoracic Surgery Research Collaborative 2010-

My publications

I have edited An Integrated Textbook of Medicine and Surgery, published by Elsevier, a pioneering textbook that links two traditionally separate specialities, and a core textbook for medical students that was awarded Highly Commended in Medicine by the British Medical Association Book awards 2008, Highly Commended in Best Edited Medical Textbook category by the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal Society of Authors 2008, and Highly commended by an NHS Innovations Awards 2008 (books and interactive media category). I also edited Churchill’s Pocketbook of Differential Diagnosis, now in the fourth English edition and translated into Greek and Russian. 

I have published over 200 peer-reviewed publications, and my research on systematic reviews and clinical trials in thoracic surgery, surgical oncology, biomarker development and validation in lung cancer has been awarded national and international prizes, including the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery best thoracic surgery research for four consecutive years (2008-2011).