Senior Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Medical Education in the Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester

• Infectious Diseases Speciality Lead for the MBChB Programme
• PI within the Manchester Fungal Infection Group

Honorary Consultant for the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). 

• Head of Service for the NHS Mycology Reference Centre Manchester
• Honorary Consultant Medical Mycologist and a member of the Infectious Diseases team

I am an internationally recognised expert, senior researcher, educator and clinician in the field of fungal infectious diseases.  I have published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and books or book chapters in the field of medical microbiology, mucosal immunology, infectious diseases and oral medicine, and have an h-index of 53. My work has been cited >10,000 times.

I have special expertise in the diagnosis and management of a spectrum of superficial, subcutaneous and systemic mycoses including vulvovaginal and oral candidiasis, fungal sinusitis and infections in compromised patients, and I have a special interest in chronic mucosal candidosis and mucosal immunology. I also have expertise in antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention,mycology of the built environment, and Medical Education.

My research group undertakes basic research (genomics, pathogenesis and mechanisms of antimicrobial drug resistance and carcinogenicity of microbial acetaldehyde production), applied laboratory work (models of pathogenesis, molecular diagnostics, antifungal resistance testing, pharmacology of new antimicrobials), and clinical studies (international multi-site epidemiological studies, clinical trials for novel antifungals, and antimicrobial resistance). To date I have published a total of over 180 peer-reviewed articles and books or book chapters in the field of medical microbiology, mucosal immunology, infectious diseases and oral medicine.

My main research focus is on the pathogenesis of chronic mucosal infections. My main contributions to the field include pioneering work on carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of chronic Candida infections (i), innovative work on the impact of candidal biofilm formation on antifungal resistance and cellular mechanisms responsible for this (with Scottish collaborators) (ii) and pioneering work on antifungal stewardship on intensive care unit resulting in significant (50%) reduction in both antifungal consumption and mortality to candidaemia (iii). I am also a PI and CI for 2 phase 3 clinical trials on novel antifungals.

My aim is to advance our understanding of the interplay between the opportunistic bacterial and fungal pathogens and the host, and to improve patient outcomes by diagnostic-driven stewardship.

I am a highly experienced, enthusiastic and innovative medical educationalist and have a long and broad track record in undergraduate and postgraduate education; Infectious Diseases curriculum development, and development of a spectrum of teaching materials ranging from traditional lectures and textbooks to iBooks, eLearning cases, MOOCs, PBL/TCD cases and simulated patient scenarios.

I am the Infectious Diseases Speciality Lead for the MBChB Programme and responsible for the development of the revised curriculum for ID including all teaching & learning materials and assessments. I was the founder and former Programme Director for the UoM MSc in Medical Mycology, which was my innovation from conception to delivery. I am an invited lead author of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Antifungal Stewardship MOOC. I also teach on the British Society for Medical Mycology (BSMM) distance-learning Masters in Medical Mycology Programme. I am a former Deputy Lead for Manchester Medical School admissions.

I ama member of the  European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Education Board and lead the development of a spectrum of postgraduate educational events and degree courses such as the ESCMID Antimicrobial Stewardship Certificate course. I also contribute regularly to various national educational events and conferences.

I am the speciality representative for the Royal College of Pathologists’ Medical Microbiology Speciality Advisory Committee and involved with (and responsible for my speciality) the College’s PG Medical Microbiology training curriculum development and assessments. I am also the the Chair for the NICE accredited UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations (UK SMIs) Bacteriology Working Group and a member of the Steering Committee. I am the Mycologist on the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) national guideline on the Management of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis working group. Until recently, I was the Mycologist on the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Grants Committee.

I am the UK representative for the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) Excellence Centre Assessment Committee setting the standards and accrediting centres for the diagnostics and management of mycoses globally.  I am actively involved with the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) working groups and have been invited to co-author the global ECMM guidelines on fungal infections (Candidaemia guideline, Rare yeasts guideline). I am also the Lead for the international ISHAM Fungal PCR Initiative (FPCRI) Pneumocystis Working Group. I am a member of the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) working group on an international guideline on Moulds in healthcare environments.

Memberships include:

Royal College of Pathologists, European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, International Society for Human and Animal Mycology, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, American Society for Microbiology, British Infection Association, Association of Clinical Oral Microbiology, British Society for Medical Mycology

 DDS, PhD, FRCPath, FECMM, PGCertMedEd