-
Mr Jason Ali, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Mr Ali obtained his medical qualification with distinction from the University of Cambridge in 2008 and went on to complete a PhD focusing on the immune response to transplanted organs, earning several prestigious research prizes along the way, including the Surgical Research Society: Patey Prize.
He undertook his specialist cardiothoracic surgical training at Royal Papworth Hospital and was appointed to a Locum consultant post in 2022, and substantive post in 2023.
Mr Ali also holds a Master’s in Medical Education and has several active roles in the field. He is a Fellow and Director of Studies for Clinical Medicine for Churchill College, University of Cambridge. He also holds various teaching and examining roles for the Clinical School of Medicine. In recognition to his dedication to student education he was appointed as the Clinical Subdean for Royal Papworth Hospital. In this crucial role, he leads the medical student education program, guiding and shaping the learning experiences of future doctors.
Mr Ali also actively contributes to the advancement of medical knowledge through his extensive research endeavours. With over 120 peer-reviewed publications to his name, he has made significant contributions to the field. His influence extends to editorial roles, where he serves as a valued member of the editorial board for the Journal of Thoracic Disease. One of his notable projects is his leadership role as Co-Lead on the EuroSCORE III project. This initiative is focused on developing the cardiac surgical risk calculator which already holds international significance.
In 2023, he was appointed as the Student Education Co-Lead for the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery. In this influential position, he leads the INSINC medical student committee, driving a dynamic program of activities aimed at enhancing medical student engagement with cardiothoracic surgery across the UK.
His commitment and dedication to training and education of staff and students was recognised with the prestigious Royal Papworth Learning and Development staff award in 2023, which he was also awarded in 2018.
-
Dr Christiana Burt, Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Christiana Burt trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge and completed specialist training in anaesthesia in the East of England Deanery UK.
She completed a clinical fellowship in cardiac anaesthesia and intensive care at the Toronto General Hospital in Canada. She has been a substantive consultant in anaesthesia at Royal Papworth Hospital since January 2013.
Dr Burt has subspecialty interests in teaching, risk management and medical law (Masters qualification) and is one of the trust’s Medical Examiners. She was the department Royal College of Anaesthetists College Tutor for training and fellowships from 2017-2020 and has now handed this role over to Dr Ganesh Ramalingam.
-
Dr Francisca Caetano, Consultant Anaesthetist
After completing medical school at Coimbra University, Dr Caetano trained in Cardiology at Coimbra University Hospital.
In 2014 she moved permanently to England to train in Intensive Care Medicine with sub-specialization in Advanced Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Echocardiography in Critical Care.
She has acquired extensive knowledge in the assessment and management of patients with cardiogenic shock, after complex cardiac surgery and those supported by different types of mechanical circulatory support.
Dr Caetano has successfully completed the Mary Seacole Programmes from the NHS Leadership Academy and the Oxford Women’s Leadership Development Programme from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford.
-
Dr Florian Falter, Consultant Anaesthetist
-
Mr Shakil Farid, Consultant Cardiac and Aortic Surgeon
Mr. Farid qualified as a doctor from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His specialist training in cardiac surgery was in Cambridge, London, Sheffield, Manchester and Brussels in Belgium. Mr Farid was appointed as a Consultant Cardiac and Aortic Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals in 2018 following completion of cardiothoracic specialist training. He then joined Royal Papworth Hospital as a consultant surgeon in 2021.
Mr Farid subspecialises in advanced aortic repairs along with complex aortic surgery and hybrid aortic surgery. Mr. Farid offers full range of cardiac surgery which includes coronary artery bypass grafting (using multiple arterial grafts), complex valvular surgery (aortic and mitral valve surgery), aortic root surgery, aortic aneurysm repair and redo surgeries. Mr Farid has consistently performed at a very high level, which is represented by his excellent surgeon-specific mortality and outcome results. Mr Farid remains a strong advocate for patient-focused care and robust clinical governance to maintain the highest standards in cardiac surgery.
Mr. Farid has keen interest in medical education. He was the Chair of the surgical training committee for cardiothoracic surgery at Oxford deanery. He is also chief editor of the book “Fighting COVID-19 On the Frontline”.
-
Dr Shane George, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
Dr George trained in medicine at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, University of London and subsequently trained in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the Westminster Hospital, Oxford and St George’s Hospitals. He is also a fully trained physician ( FRCP) and has trained in Management ( Executive MBA from London Business School)
He has been a Consultant since 1997, practicing as a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Harefield for 13 years. Subsequently, he was recruited to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals to help turn around a struggling service that had invested in a new dedicated Cardiothoracic Crical Care (CTCCU). He led the CTCCU for 4 years, a period of significant change during which throughput had doubled, results greatly improved and new structures, process and personnel were introduced. The financial structure of the CTCCU was transformed from a deficit to the major contributor to the Directorate's profit.
Following this, Dr George has now returned to his roots as a Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist and Intensivist in a specialist unit involved in Transplants and Ventricular Assist Devices, here at Papworth. He is currently the President of the Society of Anaesthetists in Radiology.
-
Dr Nicola Jones, Consultant in Cardiothoracic Intensive Care and Clinical Lead for Intensive Care
Dr. Jones is an experienced Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, who served as Clinical Lead for the Intensive Care Unit at Royal Papworth Hospital from 2014 to 2024.
Dr. Jones completed her pre-clinical training at the University of Cambridge and her undergraduate clinical training at the University of Oxford. She subsequently undertook postgraduate training in London, specializing in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, and gaining extensive experience at renowned institutions, including The Royal Brompton Hospital, the Heart Hospital, and Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, before joining Royal Papworth Hospital as a Consultant in 2011.
In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr. Jones has a keen interest in medical education. She is the Director of Medical Education at Royal Papworth Hospital and the Year 4 Clinical Lead at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge. She also serves as Director of Studies for Clinical Medicine at Murray Edwards College and as a Tutor at the Institute of Continuing Education. Dr. Jones is committed to advancing medical education and fostering professional development, ensuring the highest standards in both training and patient care.
-
Dr Andrew A Klein, Consultant Anaesthetist and Departmental Chairman
Dr Andrew Klein is a Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist and Chair of the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.
He is the Editor-in-Chief of Anaesthesia, and is on the Board and Council of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. He is an examiner at the Royal College of Anaesthetists and sits on the Board and Council of the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA). He is also a member of the research committee for the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA).
Dr Klein is the lead anaesthetist for interventional procedures in the cardiac catheter laboratory and is also the Clinical Lead for the pulmonary endarterectomy (PTE) service. His main research area is pre-operative anaemia and the effects of iron replacement therapy.
-
Dr Pradeep R Madhivathanan, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine & Anaesthesia
Dr Pradeep Madhivathanan completed his undergraduate medical training in India before he moved to the UK in 2005. He completed his postgraduate training from the Central London School of Anaesthesia (UCLH and Royal Free) leading to Dual Certification of Completion of Training in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine. In addition to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthesia, he also has the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of the UK, Fellowship of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine and the European Diploma in Intensive Care Medicine.
He was a appointed as a locum Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at St.Bartholomew’s Hospital in October 2014. He then moved to King’s College Hospital where he was appointed as a substantive consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care. Whilst at King’s College Hospital, Dr.Madhivathanan founded and established the PACE (Perioperative and Critical Care Echo and US) Academy, an educational initiative that supports research and educational events in the area of echocardiography and point of care ultrasound. He moved to Papworth in 2017.
His special interests are extracorporeal support in ARDS, perioperative and critical care echocardiography and point of care Ultrasound. He lectures in national (AAGBI) and international conferences and study seminars. He is a faculty member on the Royal Papworth ECMO, CALS and echo/ Ultrasound courses. He is an Intensive Care Society approved mentor for the Focused Intensive Care Echo (FICE) and Core Ultrasound (CUSIC) accreditation. He is an ESICM (European Society of ICM) approved supervisor for the European Diploma in Echocardiography (EDEC). He was awarded the NEXT fellowship in ARDS by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine in 2018.
Outside of medicine, he plays cricket for the Cherry Hinton cricket club in Cambridge. He is a musician; he plays the acoustic guitar, harmonica and the piano.
-
Dr Guillermo Martinez, Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia & Intensive Care and Clinical Lead for Theatres
Dr Martinez is a Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist and and Clinical Lead for Theatres.
After graduation from medical school at the University of Cordoba in Argentina, Dr Martinez completed his specialist training in General Internal Medicine in Buenos Aires, before undertaking training in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine in Madrid. After completing a Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia at Papworth, He was appointed as a Consultant in 2011.
Dr Martinez' clinical interests include anaesthesia for minimally invasive thoracic surgery, heart and lung transplantation, and pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. He is also the Anaesthetic Lead for the Aorta Working Group.
Dr Martinez has a strong interest in peri-operative transoesophageal echocardiography, and he is a member of the Certification Board of Transoesophageal Echocardiography for the the European Association for Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI).
-
Dr Ganesh Ramalingam, Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia & Intensive Care
Dr Ramalingam graduated in India and moved to United Kingdom for further training in Anaesthesia and Intensive care. He completed the training in anaesthesia and intensive care in the West midlands. During the training, he spent 6 months as an educational fellow at Warwickshire school of Anaesthesia. He was initially appointed as a clinical fellow in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive care at Papworth Hospital and then as a locum Consultant at Papworth Hospital. He then went on to become a substantive consultant at Papworth Hospital in the year 2016.
He is the lead faculty for the Papworth TOE exam preparation course. He is also a faculty member in the Papworth TOE hands on course , Papworth FICE (Focussed Intensive Care Echocardiography) course. -
Dr Antonio Rubino, Consultant Anaesthetist
-
Dr Kiran Salaunkey
-
Ms Hassiba Smail, Cardiothoracic and Transplant Surgery Consultant
Ms Hassiba Smail is a consultant in cardio-thoracic surgery, mechanical circulatory support and transplantation at Royal Papworth Hospital.
She has extensive experience in adult and pediatric cardiac surgery, organ retrieval, transplantation, and mechanical assist devices, complemented by a strong background in research, teaching, and academia. Her career has been dedicated to transplantation and mechanical circulatory support (MCS).Her training in cardiothoracic surgery was preceded by thoracic, vascular, and general surgery, providing a comprehensive foundation for a holistic approach to the specialty. This training encompassed valve replacement and repair, including minimally invasive techniques, coronary surgery, aortic surgery, and emergency cardiac interventions such as aortic dissection. Additionally, Ms Smail gained expertise in pediatric and adult congenital surgery, performing redo procedures and managing complex congenital cases, including end-stage heart failure.
Parallel to her cardiothoracic training, she developed a strong focus on heart and lung failure treatments, with a particular interest in lung transplantation. In 2014, Ms Smail received a fellowship to Australia to specialize in donation after circulatory death (DCD) lung transplantation, covering the entire process from assessment to implantation.
After obtaining full registration in cardiothoracic surgery with the GMC, Ms Smail continued her career at Harefield Hospital in 2016, gaining expertise in advanced technologies such as ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), organ care systems (OCS), and various mechanical circulatory support devices. She actively participated in the NORS rota, contributing to heart and lung retrievals while developing a deeper understanding of NHS values and decision-making in clinical and managerial contexts.
In September 2020, Ms Smail was appointed as a locum consultant cardiac and transplant surgeon across three institutions - Harefield, Wythenshawe, and Royal Papworth - enhancing her expertise in surgical and managerial skills while fostering transplant collaborations. As a local lead for heart utilization, Ms Smail is committed to optimizing organ use by training retrieval teams and implementing organ perfusion and assessment techniques such as OCS and EVLP.
-
Dr Alain Vuylsteke, Consultant Intensivist & Clinical Director of Division of Surgery, Transplantation and Anaesthetics
Dr Alain Vuylsteke is the Clinical Director of the Division of Surgery, Transplantation and Anaesthesia
He has been a Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at Papworth since 1998, and has been Director of the National Respiratory ECMO Service at Papworth since 2011.
Prior to taking on the role of Clinical Director, Dr Vuylsteke spent four years as director of the Intensive Care Unit, and four years as the Chair of the Hospital Drugs and Therapeutics Committee.
Outside Papworth, Dr Vuylsteke is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and an examiner for the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine.He is a member of the Adult Critical Care Clinical Reference Group.
His clinical interests include Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), the use of mechanical assist devices and the impact of IT on healthcare. He has supported a wide portfolio of clinical research over the years, as well as fundamental projects related to his clinical work.
Julie Bracken, Theatres and Critical Care Manager
Apart from one year undertaking a cardiothoracic course at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Julie has worked at Royal Papworth since joining in 1988.
Since moving here from the cardiac Intensive Treatment Unit at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, she has worked in a variety of roles. After starting as a staff nurse, she has worked as Sister on the High Dependency Unit (at a time when it was a general HDU), as Sister/practitioner on ITU, and as Education Lead for the unit, before becoming Matron.
In 2015, she became the Critical Care manager and has since added Theatres to that remit. She is now operational manager for both areas.
Julie remains passionate about investing in her staff to allow them to continue to deliver the highest possible standards of care to our patients, and is proud to be part of the Royal Papworth team.
Vicky Carr, ICU Matron
After training in Manchester, she started her career at the Manchester Royal Infirmary before relocating with her family to Cambridgeshire in 2015. She worked on the John Farman Intensive Care Unit at Addenbrookes Hospital before commencing a 12 month secondment as a Clinical Nurse Specialist across both Critical Care Units at Addenbrooke’s to implement NICE CG83, supporting patients and their families with the impact of critical illness, rehabilitation and their pathway through hospital.
Vicky's professional interests are End of Life Care within Critical Care, discharge out of ICU at end of life (home, hospice, and ward), communication with patients and families, supporting visitors to the clinical area, with a particular focus on children as visitors in ICU.
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, running and Yoga.
Jo-anne Fowles, Nurse Consultant CCA/ECMO
Jo-anne completed her nurse training in Western Australia and joined the Intensive care team at Royal Papworth Hospital as a Staff Nurse in 1989. She has had a variety of roles in the Critical care including Sister/Practitioner and ECMO Lead Nurse before commencing her current role as Nurse Consultant in 2019.
She is nurse lead for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and has a strong interest in teaching and education, and along with Dr Alain Vuylsteke, developed and runs the Royal Papworth ECMO Course, training multidisciplinary teams from all over the world.
Other professional interests include the development of nursing roles in Intensive care, and she has recently been appointed Nurse Representative on the UK Intensive Care Society (ICS) Seminar Committee.
Maggie Maxwell, Deputy Director of Operations for the Clinical and Diagnostic Services
Maggie is the Deputy Director of Operations for the Clinical and Diagnostic Services and the Ambulatory Directorate.
Prior to moving to Royal Papworth in 2012, Maggie worked in a range of management positions, including Associate Director of Nursing and Associate Director of Quality and Risk.