Our consultants

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. 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Adult cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic 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.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
Specialist Clinical Interests

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.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine

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.

 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic anaesthesia and intensive care.

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.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine, ECMO

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).

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

• Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (cardiothoracic anaesthesia)
• Internal medicine

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.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia
Cardiothoracic Intensive Care and Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic anaesthesia & Intensive care

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.
 

 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Intensive care

Dr Webb is Consultant in Intensive Care & Deputy Medical Director at Royal Papworth Hospital Cambridge. His clinical, education and research interests lie in Cardiothoracic intensive care, Patient safety and Quality improvement.

Dr Webb is also President of the Intensive Care Society (ICS), Chair of the Medusa Injectable Medicines Guide Advisory Board and Member of the East of England Clinical Senate Council.

Dr Webb was previously Clinical Lead of the Eastern Academic Health Science Network (EAHSN) Patient Safety Collaborative and Clinical Lead for Postgraduate Leadership Development at Cambridge University Health Partners.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Intensive Care

Dr Sharad Agarwal did his Cardiology training at the Leeds General Infirmary and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. He undertook research assessing various optical techniques to non-invasively assess the endothelial function and was awarded a M.D by the Newcastle University.

He subsequently did training fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology in Victoria, Canada and was appointed a consultant at Papworth in 2011.

He is interested in all aspects of Cardiac electrophysiology and performs ablations for cardiac arrhythmias and performs device implantations.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Rosie Ashwell
Tel: 07950 962003
Email: sfprivate.practice@nhs.net

Specialties:

General Cardiology, Cardiac ElectrophysiologyGeneral Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology

Dr Begley is a consultant cardiologist and specialist in cardiac rhythm management at Royal Papworth Hospital and is the current Divisional Clinical Director for Cardiology.

He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1994. Following a period of general training in Scotland, he completed a period of clinical research in hypertrophic cardiomoypathy at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine by the University of Edinburgh.
He trained in general cardiology in the northern rotation based at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where he completed subspecialty training in cardiac electrophysiology and device therapy. He was appointed a consultant at Papworth in 2007. He was clinical lead for cardiac electrophysiology and device therapy between 2011 and 2016.

He has extensive experience in all aspects of adult cardiac electrophysiology including the ablation of complex arrhythmias, device implantation, extraction techniques. Special interests include the ablation of ventricular tachycardias related to ischaemic heart disease and cardiomyopathies. His research interests are related to the ablation of complex arrhythmias.

He is heavily involved in medical education at all levels and is currently Undergraduate Program Director in Cardiology, educational supervisor for foundation trainees, University of Cambridge Senior Clinical Tutor. In addition, he has been involved with the British Heart Rhythm Society Accreditation Examination Committee since it was significantly revised in 2010.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Lynn Thomas
Tel: 01223 850423
Email: lynn@drbegleycardiology.co.uk

Specialties:

Cardiac Electrophysiology and Device Therapy.

Dr Denise Braganza, born in Manchester, studied medicine at the University of Bristol, graduating in 1994. During her undergraduate years, she obtained a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and later went on to undertake a further period of research into the role of statins in plaque composition, funded by a Medical Research Council Fellowship and was awarded a PhD for this work by the University of Cambridge in 2006. She undertook postgraduate medical training initially in the South West of England before moving to Cambridgeshire for her SHO and registrar rotations. Following an interventional training fellowship at the Hôpital Europeén Georges Pompidou in Paris, Dr Braganza took up a Consultant position based jointly at Papworth and Peterborough Hospitals in 2008.

She is dually accredited in General Medicine and in Cardiology and as such her work embraces general cardiology (including rapid access chest pain assessment, palpitations, heart failure, cardiac assessment of renal transplantion candidates, murmurs and valvular heart disease) as well as sub-specialising in coronary intervention (angioplasty/stenting and the use of IVUS/pressure wire techniques to assess the clinical significance of angiographically-detected narrowings). She undertakes angioplasty procedures both radially and femorally.

Dr Braganza is a member of the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society and an active committee member at the British Cardiovascular Society.
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Rosie Ashwell
Tel: 07950 962003
Email: sfprivate.practice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology, General Internal Medicine.

Patrick Calvert is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust specialising in coronary and structural intervention and Clinical Lead for Structural Intervention. From 2014-2016, he was a Consultant Cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham where he was Cardiovascular Clinical Academic Group Lead.

At Royal Papworth, Dr Calvert undertakes a broad range of coronary and structural interventions. He graduated from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and trained in the Eastern Deanery for general and interventional cardiology. He undertook a PhD at Cambridge University investigating vulnerability in coronary plaques which resulted in several publications and prizes including the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society Young Investigators Award and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Young Author Achievement Award (JACC Imaging).

He undertook a Fellowship in Paris in 2010 at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Bichat. He continues his research into the vulnerable plaque and is Principle Investigator on several national database projects examining the health outcomes from coronary and structural interventions. He is on the EuroPCR Programme Committee and the TCT Scientific Committee (USA). Dr Calvert is currently the National Institute of Healthcare Research Clinical Research Network National Specialty Lead for Atherosclerosis and also Preventative Cardiovascular Diseases.

In January 2022, Dr Calvert was appointed as the Director of Research and Development at Royal Papworth Hospital.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Sarah Barrett
Tel: 01223 639758
Email: sarah.barrett11@nhs.net

Specialties:

Coronary and Structural Intervention

Dr Sarah C Clarke MA, MD, FRCP, FESC, FACC is a Consultant Cardiologist and the Clinical Director for Strategic Development at Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge.  She has a specialist interest in interventional cardiology. She has a track record in management, service innovation and implementation. She has a regional and national profile.

Dr Clarke  trained in Cambridge, UK and at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. She was appointed Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge in 2002. She was Clinical Director for Cardiac Services (2006-2012) leading the development and introduction of the PPCI service across the East of England. She has been Clinical Director for Strategic Development since 2012 and was Cardiology Lead for the design and development of New Royal Papworth Hospital opening 2019. She was Cardiology Lead for the Cambridge and Peterborough STP from 2015-2019 developing evidence based clinical pathways across the system and addressing cross-cutting themes such as outpatients and out-of-hours oncall.

In 2017, she was appointed Joint National Lead for Cardiology for the GIRFT, ‘Getting It Right First Time’ programme helping to improve the quality of care within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations, bringing efficiencies and improving patient outcomes across over 130 Trusts in the UK. The National Report for Cardiology is due publication early next year.

Dr Clarke has been involved in the work of the British Cardiovascular Society since 2000. As Vice President for Education and Research, she became the first female Officer and Trustee of the Society in 2011. She was elected the first female Immediate Past President in 2015 and took the Society through an ambitious modernisation programme to provide a better service for members and deliver key initiatives in quality improvement, education, research and data science.

Dr Clarke was elected Councillor and Trustee to the Board of the Royal College of Physicians (London) in 2018 and in 2019 was elected Clinical Vice President responsible for the Care Quality Improvement Division.

Dr Clarke is Trustee to the Board of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and a member of the Board of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2019, chairing the Media Committee.  She is European Representative on the Assembly of International Governors of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Co-chair of the International Centres of Excellence Programme (ACC). Dr Clarke is Editor for Education in Heart, the international peer-reviewed journal and International Editor of the European Heart Journal.

In 2018 Dr Clarke was awarded a grant to attend the Women Transforming Leadership Programme at the Säid Business School in Oxford and in the same year was awarded the International Service Award by the President of the American College of Cardiology for her outstanding contribution to enhancing cardiovascular care and education throughout the world.

One of her significant personal achievements was running her first Marathon in London earlier this year raising more than £12K for the British Heart Foundation.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Tel: 07496 411510
Email: clarke.clinics@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology.

Dr Pierluigi Costanzo is a consultant for interventional and structural cardiology and the clinical lead for coronary intervention at Royal Papworth Hospital.

He undertakes a broad range of key-hole heart interventions, including complex coronary stenting either to relieve angina or in the context of acute coronary syndrome (heart attack). He also specialises in endovascular (mini-invasive) treatment of heart valve problems (i.e. TAVI and others).

Before starting his consultant post at Royal Papworth Hospital, he spent one year at Toronto General Hospital (Canada) to train in complex percutaneous coronary intervention, having been awarded the competitive British Cardiovascular Intervention Society training grant.

Following that, he was appointed as structural interventional fellow for one year at St Michael’s Hospital (Toronto, Canada). During this time he trained in TAVI and other structural procedures, having also the opportunity to participate in several pioneering heart valve procedures.

He graduated from medical school in Italy and then moved to England where he underwent general internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology training in East Yorkshire, mainly working at Castle Hill Hospital (Cottingham). During this time he also obtained a Master of Science and MD research degrees, focusing on prevention of cardiovascular events, particularly in diabetic patients. He published several high impact research articles and won multiple investigator awards at the European Society of Cardiology and American College of Cardiology conferences.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Olivia Scholes
Tel: 020 3633 1787
Email: info@cambridgecardiologyclinic.co.uk

Specialties:

General Cardiology, Coronary and Structural Intervention

Dr Charis Costopoulos is a consultant interventional cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, with clinical expertise that encompasses both general and interventional cardiology. In particular, Dr Costopoulos has a special interest in complex coronary angioplasty (stent insertion) and structural heart intervention (especially in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of the mitral and tricuspid valves (e.g. MitraClip and PASCAL)).

After graduating from the University of Cambridge with distinction (both in Part I and Final MB), Dr Costopoulos underwent his core medical training in Cambridge, Oxford and London. During this time, he completed a part-time MPhil (Master of Philosophy) in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics prior to commencing his general cardiology training at North West London and, specifically, Hammersmith Hospital, London.

He then undertook an interventional cardiology fellowship at San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy for a year (2012-2013) and, subsequently, North West London interventional cardiology fellowships at Hammersmith Hospital. His strong research interests led to his return to the University of Cambridge where he completed his PhD on the role of biomechanical forces in coronary atherosclerosis; this led to a number of publications in major cardiovascular journals including the European Heart Journal.

He continued his interventional training at Hammersmith Hospital until his appointment as a British Heart Foundation Clinical Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, which allowed him to further progress his research. During this time, he continued to work at Hammersmith Hospital as the Chief Interventional Fellow before taking up his appointment as a cardiology consultant at Royal Papworth Hospital where he is currently the Clinical Lead for Non-Coronary Intervention.

 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Marianne Dickeson
Tel: 0203 633 1787 
Email: drcostopoulos@proton.me
 

Specialties:

General Cardiology, Coronary and Structural Intervention

Dr Will Davies is a Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital with specialist interests in percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary artery disease and structural intervention for degenerative valvular disease.

Dr Davies graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1998, gaining clinical distinctions and prizes at Final MB ChB. He then undertook training in Cardiothoracic Surgery, and was awarded Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2001.

During his period of surgical training, Dr Davies was appointed as the William J von Liebig Scholar in Cardiothoracic Transplantation at the Mayo Clinic, USA where he studied towards a Doctor of Philosophy research degree. His work on the role of circulating progenitor cells post cardiac transplantation led to him being honoured with the Mayo Clinic and Foundation Award for Individual Excellence.

On returning to the UK he worked as a Specialist Registrar for 18 months on the cardiac surgery service here at Papworth, including a six month period within the Transplant Team.

Having experienced first-hand the exciting advances in minimally invasive valve therapies whilst in the US, Dr Davies undertook cardiology training within the Eastern Deanery and gained Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 2009. His Fellowship at St Thomas’ Hospital, London afforded him the opportunity to work alongside the pioneers in the field of minimally-invasive heart valve implantation.

Dr Davies’s unique training in both cardiac surgery and cardiology allows him to understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of both specialties when dealing with the patient with complex cardiac pathology.

Dr Davies is also the driving force behind our Laudit positive reporting system, used by the staff here at Royal Papworth since 2018. The reporting tool allows our staff to provide peer-to-peer recognition and celebrate the everyday extraordinary steps they take to improve the patient experience and to support each other. Find out more at laudit.org.uk

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Rosie Ashwell
Tel: 07950 962003
Email: sfprivate.practice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Interventional and Structural Cardiology

Dr Densem qualified with honours from Liverpool Medical School having also acquired a first class degree in Anatomy and Human Biology. His Cardiology training took place in the North West of England, principally at the Wythenshawe Cardiothoracic Centre in Manchester. During this tenure he conducted research on the development of coronary artery disease within cardiac transplant recipients. Specialisation within interventional cardiology, principally balloon angioplasty and stent implantation, led him to complete his training in Vancouver, British Columbia between 2004 and 2006. This allowed exposure to truly state of the art minimal access techniques, for example, percutaneous aortic valve replacement.

Dr Densem was appointed to Royal Papworth Hospital in 2006. He has since been integral in setting up a number of clinical services including primary angioplasty for the treatment of heart attacks, TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation, a new heart valve implanted via the leg arteries), as well as leading dedicated teams for the treatment of aortic valve disease and some forms of cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease).
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Linda Whipp
Tel: 07724394711
Email: linda.whipp@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology

Dr Parag Gajendragadkar was appointed as a Consultant Electrophysiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital which he combines alongside a research appointment at the University of Oxford in the Department of Population Health.

He studied medicine at the University of Cambridge (Downing College) with a number of prizes and distinctions across both undergraduate and clinical medical studies. He was a Wellcome Trust funded academic clinical fellow and completed an MPhil in translational medicine and therapeutics, focussing on translating promising drug compounds into early human studies.

He started cardiology specialist training within the East of England in 2012. As a British Heart Foundation-funded clinical research fellow he completed a DPhil (PhD) from the University of Oxford which encompassed both basic science and animal work as well as genetic epidemiology, for which he was awarded the European Society of Cardiology Young Investigator Award for Population Sciences in 2019.

After completing specialist cardiology training in Royal Papworth, he then spent a further two years as a post-CCT senior clinical electrophysiology fellow back in Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospital, performing a high volume and variety of procedures.

Subsequently, he was appointed to a Consultant post combining clinical work here at Royal Papworth with ongoing research broadly within the field of arrhythmias in the Oxford Department of Population Health.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology, Electrophysiology and Devices (Pacemakers and ICDs)

Dr Heck completed his undergraduate training in medicine at Cambridge University (Gonville and Caius College) in 1997 and later graduated from clinical school at Oxford University in 2000. After completing his junior doctor training, Dr Heck undertook his specialist training in Cardiology in Cambridge before completing a period of post-graduate clinical research for he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine (DM) from Oxford University in 2010. He then completed an 18-month Electrophysiology Fellowship at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, one of the world’s leading centres in cardiac electrophysiology.

His areas of major interest are ablation of all cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. Additionally, he is interested in complex device implantation (ICDs and CRT) and is trained in the device extraction.
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Ruth Littlechild
Tel: 07875555250
Email: Drpheck.privatepractice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology, Electrophysiology and Devices

Dr Bilku trained on the west midlands cardiology SPR rotation which he completed in 2009. He subsequently obtained further experience in complex pacing and ICDs following a two year post CCST fellowship undertaken at Wythenshawe Hospital (University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust).

Dr Bilku joined Royal Papworth Hospital as a consultant cardiologist in September 2013 having had experience as a consultant cardiologist since 2011.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology

Dr Hoole qualified in medicine with distinction from University of Oxford, and subsequently trained in cardiology in London and Cambridge. He was appointed as a consultant interventional cardiologist in September 2011 and currently holds a national clinical excellence Silver award.

He has published over 160 peer reviewed manuscripts, several books/ book chapters and is an affiliated Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge. He is a specialist adviser to MHRA interventional device program, NICE interventional procedures program and the NIHR HTA program. He is an Expert Adviser for the NICE Centre for Guidelines and previous guideline Chair.

He has participated in guideline and position paper publications for the ESC, ACC, AHA and NICE. Dr Hoole is currently appointed as a NICE TA and HST Appeal panel member and is the GIRFT Cardiology joint national lead at NHS England. He is regularly asked to act as a medicolegal expert and has an efficient and busy private practice.

Dr Hoole is happy to see adult self funding or insured private patients with any cardiological problem but he has a specialist interest in relieving patients of angina and in particular, performing complex coronary intervention and stenting via the wrist artery. This includes the treatment of chronic total occlusions, left main, bifurcation and heavily calcified lesions with calcium modification techniques including laser. He is an expert on stent safety and improving stent outcomes by utilising coronary physiology and advanced coronary imaging.

He specialises in treating refractory angina and leads the regional coronary sinus reducer and coronary microvascular angina services. He is also the national interventional lead for the UK balloon pulmonary angioplasty service.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Rosie Ashwell
Tel: 07950 962003
Email: Sfprivate.practice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology

Dr Simon Fynn is a Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital. He is also a member of the Clinical Advisory Group of the Anglia Stroke & Heart Network and is the Network Lead for Electrophysiology. His training began at the University of Cambridge, where he read medicine at St. John’s College. He undertook specialist training in cardiology in Manchester before spending two years at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, one of the world’s leading centres in cardiac electrophysiology.

He specialises in the investigation and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and undertakes radiofrequency catheter ablation. He has a particular interest in the commonest heart rhythm disorder (atrial fibrillation) and received an MD from the University of Cambridge for his research in this field.

In recent times he has led the development of a Family Cardiac Screening Clinic, where family members of those who have suffered a sudden and unexpected cardiac death can be screened for inherited cardiac conditions.
He has published numerous clinical and research papers on the mechanisms and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, and also on the treatment of cardiac failure using Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy.
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Kathryn Marshall
Tel: 07341821506
Email: Kathryn@cambridgeheartrhythm.com

Specialties:

Cardiac Electrophysiology, Cardiac Devices (pacemakers & ICDs)

Madalina Garbi took up a post of Consultant Cardiologist with expertise in Echocardiography and Heart Valve Disease at the Royal Papworth Hospital in August 2019, having previously held a similar position at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London and having been a Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer of King’s College London and the Echocardiography Training and Education Lead for the South London Deanery.

Dr Garbi is The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Topic Adviser on Heart Valve Disease, working on the development of the first NICE Guidelines for Heart Valve Disease Investigation and Management. Madalina Garbi has national and international recognition as expert in echocardiography and heart valve disease, being a regular invited speaker and chair at major UK, European and American meetings and congresses and having co-authored several recommendations, guidelines, positions papers, research papers, invited reviews and editorials in the field of echocardiography and heart valve disease.

She has a strong interest in Medical Education (teaching and the development of programmes of learning) having contributed extensively to education in echocardiography for the South London Deanery, the Royal Society of Medicine and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EuroEcho Congress).

Dr Garbi was twice elected member of the Board of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (2012-2014 and 2014-2016). Furthermore, she was the Honorary Secretary of the British Heart Valve Society and also the Secretary and Treasurer of the European Society of Cardiology Council on Valvular Heart Disease.

 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Rosie Ashwell
Tel: 07950 962003
Email: sfprivate.practice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Echocardiography (3D echocardiography, TOE, stress echocardiography) 
Heart Valve Disease (Advanced Diagnosis, Management, Timing and Planning of Intervention, Valvular Heart Failure, Valve Stress Echocardiography)

Dr Tom Kaier graduated in Medicine from the Medical University Innsbruck (Austria) and trained in Cardiology in London. He completed his interventional training through training at Barts Heart Centre and St Thomas’ Hospital. During his clinical training, he was both engaged in cardiovascular research and completed a Master of Business Administration.

With the competitive award of a Research Fellowship by the British Heart Foundation in 2015, he was able to complete a PhD in Cardiovascular Medical Research at King’s College London. His research investigated the role of novel biomarkers in ischaemic heart disease on a protein basis. He presented on national and international platforms, was a finalist in several young investigator competitions and won the HyTest Cardiac Marker Award for remarkable scientific work in the field of cardiovascular diseases, as well as the Royal Society of Medicine Research & Innovation Prize. He published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.

After spending a year as Interventional Fellow at Barts Heart Centre, he obtained an NIHR-funded Academic Clinical Lecturer post at King’s College London in 2019. This enabled him to remain research-active whilst expanding his interventional experience as CTO fellow at St Thomas’ Hospital with Dr Antonis Pavlidis. He was subsequently employed as Consultant in Coronary Intervention at St Thomas’ Hospital before moving to Royal Papworth Hospital in 2024.

Dr Kaier is happy to see adult self funding or insured private patients with any cardiac problem but he has a specialist interest in treating patients with chest pain and shortness of breath due to narrowed heart arteries. He specialises in complex stenting procedures from the wrist artery to treat chronic total occlusions of heart arteries.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Olivia Scholes
Tel: 01223 639763
Email: private@tomkaier.com

Specialties:

• Interventional Cardiology

Dr Martin was appointed as a Consultant Electrophysiologist at Royal Papworth in 2018, and is also assistant director of research and development at Royal Papworth and an affiliated assistant professor at the University of Cambridge.

She undertook undergraduate and clinical training at Cambridge University (Gonville and Caius College). Dr Martin completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge funded by a Medical Research Council Training Fellowship, and for this was awarded the British Cardiovascular Society Young Research Workers' Prize. After specialist training at Papworth Hospital, she undertook clinical fellowships at two world-leading cardiac centres: Barts Heart Centre and subsequently at the Hopital du Haut-Leveque, Bordeaux, through funding from a prestigious European Society of Cardiology Training Grant.

Dr Martin treats all cardiac arrhythmias, and has a particular interest in the ablation of ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. See clairemartincardiologist.com and cardiovascular.cam.ac.uk for further details of her research interests.
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Vicki Virgo
Tel: 01223 639791
Email: vicki.virgo@nhs.net

 

Specialties:

Cardiology, Electrophysiology and Devices

Dr. Mellor graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2004 and completed the majority of his medical training in East Anglia. He undertook a clinical research fellowship, funded by Cardiac Risk in the Young, at St. George’s, University of London in the field of sudden cardiac death and exercise which led to the award of an MD(Res) in 2017. He also completed a clinical fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology with a focus on inherited arrhythmia syndromes at St. Paul’s hospital Vancouver. 

Dr. Mellor treats a wide range of heart rhythm disorders with particular interests in inherited arrhythmia syndromes, unexplained cardiac arrest and arrhythmias in athletes.
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Rosie Ashwell
Tel: 07950 962003
Email: sfprivate.practice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiac Electrophysiology

Following undergraduate training at Cambridge University, Dr O’Sullivan undertook postgraduate training at The Royal Brompton National Heart & Lung Hospital and the Oxford University Teaching Hospitals. He returned to Cambridge in 1996 to complete higher cardiological training with particular emphasis on interventional cardiology. During this period he was awarded a PhD, and the British Cardiac Society Young Research Worker's Prize, for research into mechanisms of coronary stent failure. From 2003-2004, he worked in the Department of Interventional Cardiology at University of British Columbia, Vancouver and gained extensive experience in advanced interventional techniques and new strategies for the treatment of coronary disease.

Dr O’Sullivan was appointed Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospitals in 2004.  In this position he provides secondary and tertiary centre care to patients with general cardiac problems (valve disease, heart failure, heart rhythm problems etc.), in addition to those with coronary disease.

Whilst maintaining a busy clinical practice, Dr O’Sullivan has a major role in medical management, having been appointed Clinical Director of the Addenbrooke's Cardiology Department in 2006. He serves as regional specialty advisor for Cardiology to the British Cardiovascular Society and the Royal College of Physicians. In addition, he remains active in the research arena, with interests in the invasive assessment and treatment of coronary disease and the exciting field of percutaneous mitral valve repair.
 

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Michele Potter
Tel: 07934876797
Email: Drmosullivan.privatepractice@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiology.

Dr Virdee graduated from the medical school of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in 1994, and worked as a junior doctor within the prestigious golden circuit in London and as a research fellow at St George’s Hospital. He returned to Guy’s to complete his training in cardiology, and was duly appointed to Papworth Hospital in June 2006 as a consultant cardiologist with a specialist interest in cardiac electrophysiology.

Interested in all aspects of cardiac electrophysiology, he performs catheter ablations for all cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF), and device related procedures. He has a particular expertise in implanting biventricular devices that deliver cardiac resynchronisation therapy, and device extraction. He has developed research links with the University of Cambridge in this field, and this work has been presented at many international conferences. He has a personal interest in clinical audit, and is the clinical lead for audit for the cardiac directorate. 
 

Private Secretary
Christine Suggars
Telephone: 07868287366
Email: msv.pp@nhs.net

Specialties:

General Cardiology.
Cardiac Electrophysiology.

Dr Buttery qualified from Cambridge and Oxford University in 1992 and undertook junior doctor training in Oxford, then in Cambridge, before moving to Edinburgh to complete his specialist training in respiratory medicine. Whilst there he developed an interest in lung cancer and studied the regulation of integrin affinity in the molecular biology of lung cancer.

This resulted in a number of original research articles in peer-reviewed journals and the award of PhD in 2006. In 2005 he studied the application of endobronchial ultrasound in Heidelberg under Prof. Felix Herth, supported by the European Respiratory Society, before taking up post in Papworth.  At Papworth, his role is focussed on the diagnosis and management of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, including endobrochial treatment and pleural disease management.  He has a special interest in smoking cessation, which he hopes to broaden to the wider community, and he was until recently a member of the BTS specialist advisory group on smoking cessation. Additionally, he acts as a busy respiratory and general physician at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Jade Cross
Tel: 01223 638126
Email: jade.cross2@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine

Dr Cannon graduated from the Royal Free and University College Medical School in 2002 with distinctions in his final medical examinations. He undertook his basic postgraduate medical training in London at St Thomas’ and the Royal Brompton Hospitals before moving to the Eastern Deanery for his higher medical training in Respiratory and General Internal Medicine. During this he was awarded a PhD from University of Cambridge for research into the role of bone morphogenetic signalling in zebrafish vascular development and a Masters Degree in pulmonary vascular diseases from the University of Bologna. He was appointed as a Consultant at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2013 and since 2019 has been the Director of National Pulmonary Hypertension Service - Cambridge.

Dr Cannon has broad experience managing patients with general respiratory conditions including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), recurrent chest infections, cough and unexplained breathlessness. He also reviews patients who have had blood clots (pulmonary emboli, PE) and those with or suspected to have pulmonary hypertension (raised blood pressure on the lungs). He is a recognised provider by major insurance companies but also see patients who self pay.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Carolyn Daniels
Tel: 01223 638257
Email: carolyn.daniels1@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine

R. Andres Floto is a Wellcome Trust Investigator and Professor of Respiratory Biology in the Molecular Immunity Unit of the University of Cambridge (based at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology), Research Director of the Cambridge Centre for Lung Infection at Royal Papworth Hospital, and Director of the UK Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Innovation Hub. 

His basic research is focused on understanding how macrophages interact with bacteria, how bacteria evolve during chronic infection and transmission, and how forward and reverse genetics can be combined with fragment-based drug discovery to develop novel antibiotics and host-directed therapies.

His clinical research is centred around tackling chronic inflammation in CF and non-CF bronchiectasis, treating Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), and using graphical model-based machine learning to understand and predict pulmonary exacerbations in CF. 

Clinically he specialises in the management of Nontuberculous mycobacteria, Cystic Fibrosis, non-CF bronchiectasis, and recurrent chest infections
He co-chairs the British Thoracic Society NTM guidelines committee, the joint US CF Foundation-European CF Society (ECFS) NTM Guidelines Group, and the ECFS working group on NTM.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Sharon Stone
Tel: 01223 639682
Email: sharon.stone13@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine (adults)

Robert Rintoul is Professor of Thoracic Oncology in the Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant Respiratory Physician, Royal Papworth Hospital. He qualified in medicine from the University of Edinburgh having undertaken his pre-clinical training at the University of St Andrews. He subsequently trained in respiratory medicine in London and Edinburgh. Professor Rintoul received his doctorate from the University of Edinburgh for research investigating mechanisms underlying resistance to chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer.

He was appointed consultant in respiratory medicine specialising in thoracic oncology at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2005 before moving to the University of Cambridge in 2017. Professor Rintoul is co-lead of the Thoracic Cancer Programme of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Cancer Centre and Director of the Papworth Trials Unit Collaboration, a UKCRC registered clinical trials unit. Since 2021 he has been the Clinical Lead of the Clinical Advisory Group of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition. Since 2023 he has been clinical director for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Targeted Lung Health Check.

Professor Rintoul runs programmes of research in early-stage lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma. In lung cancer his work is predominantly focussed on translational clinical trials in biomarker discovery for early detection of primary and second primary lung cancer. In 2014 he founded Mesobank UK, the UK national bioresource for malignant mesothelioma (www.mesobank.com) which is also developing and characterising novel organoid models. His research is funded by NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council and Asthma and Lung UK.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine.

Dr Nicky Simler is the Clinical Lead for the Cambridge Interstitial Lung Disease Unit. She graduated from Manchester Medical School in 1993. Dr Simler completed an MD Thesis whilst working in the Interstitial Lung Disease service at Wythenshawe Hospital investigating the role of pro-angiogenic cytokines in interstitial pneumonia.

She completed her higher respiratory training in North West Thames with experience in the Royal Brompton Interstitial Lung Disease service before taking up her consultant role in Hinchingbrooke and Royal Papworth Hospitals in 2006.

Dr Simler has an interest in Clinical Trials and is currently the Respiratory Specialty Lead for the Eastern Clinical Research Network.  She is also the Training Programme Director for Respiratory Medicine in the East of England.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Francesca Clark
Tel: 01223 639793
Email: francesca.clark@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine

Having trained in Radiology in Cambridge, he went on to do a Subspecialty Fellowship in Cardiac and Thoracic radiology at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire and then a Fellowship in Cardiac MRI at Southampton University Hospital.

Since his appointment as Consultant in Cardiac and Thoracic Radiology at Papworth Hospital in 2008, he has developed subspecialty interests including Stress imaging, Cardiac CT and GUCH imaging.  Other imaging interests include Nuclear imaging. 

He has been the Clinical lead for CMR since 2009 and the Clinical Lead for Radiology at Papworth since 2012.  Service developments include enabling Radiographer lead stressing in MRI, radiographer lead cardiac CT including betablocker administration, the introduction of FFR-CT to Cambridge and expansion of the CT and CMR services into one of the largest in the UK.

He has been an invited speaker at several National and International meetings, lecturing on a wide range of subjects within the fields of Cardiac MRI and Cardiac CT.  He has organised several Local and National meetings in the field of Cardiac Imaging. 

Recently elected to the Executive Committee of the British Society of Cardiac Imaging/British Society of Cardiac Computed Tomography (BSCI/BSCCT). 

Other roles include Lead for Radiology IT and Associate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge.

He has successfully led the transition of Imaging from the old Papworth site to its new home at Royal Papworth Hospital on the Biomedical Campus in Cambridge.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dee Nicholls
Tel: 01223 639451
Email: deenicholls@nhs.net

Secretary

Radiology Secretaries: phn-tr.radiologysecretaries@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic radiology

Luigia D’Errico graduated from the University of Naples, Italy in 2006, after spending one year at the University of Bonn, Germany.

She entered Radiology training at University Hospital of Pisa before moving to the University of Basel, Switzerland as a Radiology Consultant with exposure to general and emergency Radiology.

Luigia obtained a certificate from University of Toronto, Canada after undertaking a clinical and research fellowship in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Imaging with CT-guided lung biopsy at Toronto General Hospital, 2015-2017. She obtained competence of Level 3 training in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in 2016 and European board of Cardiac Radiology (EBCR) in 2014. She conducted research with focus on the cardiac, chest and vascular CT and MR.

She has been a cardiothoracic radiologist consultant at Royal Papworth since 2017 and the clinical lead in radiology and nuclear medicine since 2021.

She also served as clinical lead of the MRI department at Royal Papworth from 2020-2023.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Radiology Secretaries
Tel: 01223 639809
Email: papworth.radiologysecretaries@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiovascular and Chest Imaging

Dr Ruggiero qualified as a doctor at the University of Rome - Campus Biomedico and trained in general radiology in Rome. He undertook the two-year R25T Molecular Imaging for Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA) and then he moved to the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). He was awarded a PhD from Erasmus University in 2012.

He obtained his subspecialty training in Cambridge (UK) at Addenbrooke’s hospital (cross sectional radiology), Papworth Hospital (cardio-thoracic radiology) and Southampton University hospital (cardiac MR). He is currently working as consultant cardio-thoracic radiologist in Papworth Hospital. He covers the full range of cardio-thoracic imaging including cardiac MRI and interventional cardio-thoracic diagnostic procedures. He is a member of the pulmonary vascular disease unit at Papworth Hospital.

He trained and performed research in advanced methods of nuclear and optical imaging within the department of Radiology and Nuclear medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His research was focused on innovative approaches of response to therapy by using 89Zr-radiololabelled anti-PSMA antibodies in prostate cancer and on novel carbon nanotubes platforms for targeted imaging. Also, here he produced some of the earliest publications on the use of Cerenkov luminescence imaging. His PhD work focused on the noninvasive imaging (bioluminescence and 7T MR imaging) of stem cells implanted in the heart.Dr Ruggiero qualified as a doctor at the University of Rome - Campus Biomedico and trained in general radiology in Rome. He undertook the two-year R25T Molecular Imaging for Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA) and then he moved to the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). He was awarded a PhD from Erasmus University in 2012.

He obtained his subspecialty training in Cambridge (UK) at Addenbrooke’s hospital (cross sectional radiology), Papworth Hospital (cardio-thoracic radiology) and Southampton University hospital (cardiac MR). He is currently working as consultant cardio-thoracic radiologist in Papworth Hospital. He covers the full range of cardio-thoracic imaging including cardiac MRI and interventional cardio-thoracic diagnostic procedures. He is a member of the pulmonary vascular disease unit at Papworth Hospital.

He trained and performed research in advanced methods of nuclear and optical imaging within the department of Radiology and Nuclear medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His research was focused on innovative approaches of response to therapy by using 89Zr-radiololabelled anti-PSMA antibodies in prostate cancer and on novel carbon nanotubes platforms for targeted imaging. Also, here he produced some of the earliest publications on the use of Cerenkov luminescence imaging. His PhD work focused on the noninvasive imaging (bioluminescence and 7T MR imaging) of stem cells implanted in the heart.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dee Nicholls
Tel: 01223 639451
Email: deenicholls@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic radiology

Dr Screaton is an experienced consultant radiologist specialising in cardiothoracic radiology. He was Radiology Clinical Director in Papworth Hospital 2004 – 12, President of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging 2009 – 13, National Institute of Clinical Excellence Guidelines Updates Standing Committee member 2014-17, and member of Royal College of Radiologists Faculty Board 2015-18. He currently sits on the British Thoracic Society Sarcoidosis Guidelines development group. He is Vice President (Publications) for the British Institute of Radiologists and European Society of Thoracic Imaging Councillor. He is Eastern Region Group lead for British Institute of Radiologists and member of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition.

He has a national and international profile in cardiothoracic imaging. His contribution to improved thoracic disease management is recognised by: Regular invitations to speak at & organise national & international meetings and his previous contribution to specialist guideline groups (Developed 12 NICE guidelines 10 with Updates Standing Committee (2013–17), 16 Royal College of Radiologists iREFER referral guidelines as Chest Section Co-lead (2013-16), British Thoracic Society Radical Lung Cancer Management & Bronchiectasis guidelines).  He is Vice President for the British Institute of Radiologists leading the publications section which covers 4 specialist imaging journals.  He is chest section Senior Editor for British Journal of Radiology, Advisory Editor for Clinical Radiology and regular reviewer for several national and international specialist clinical and imaging journals.

He has published widely on cardiothoracic imaging with over 60 papers in peer reviewed journals, has served as research and education lead for the British Society of Thoracic Imaging and is a regular invited speaker at national imaging meetings.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dee Nicholls
Tel: 01223 639451
Email: deenicholls@nhs.net

Specialties:

General & Cardiothoracic Radiology

Dr Tasker works as a specialist in Cardiothoracic Radiology covering the whole range of available tests and examinations. She is predominantly interested in cross sectional imaging, including CT and MRI for both thoracic and cardiac applications.  She is radiological lead for the lung cancer service.Dr Tasker works as a specialist in Cardiothoracic Radiology covering the whole range of available tests and examinations. She is predominantly interested in cross sectional imaging, including CT and MRI for both thoracic and cardiac applications.  She is radiological lead for the lung cancer service.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dee Nicholls
Tel: 01223 639451
Email: deenicholls@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Radiology

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dee Nicholls
Tel: 01223 639451
Email: deenicholls@nhs.net

Jonathan Weir-McCall graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2002.  He entered Radiology training in Guy’s and St. Thomas’, London before moving to the University of Dundee as a Clinical Lecturer.  During his training in Dundee he was awarded a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellowship to examine arterial stiffening in chronic obstructive pulmonary artery disease using MRI.  After completing his training in Radiology Jonathan undertook a fellowship in Advanced Cardiac Imaging in St Paul’s Hospital under the auspices of Jonathon Leipsic.

During this time he conducted research examining the benefits of cardiac CT in structural and coronary disease, and the potential for computational fluid dynamics to guide and improve the clinical care of coronary artery disease. He was an author on the most recent SCCT guidelines on the use of CTA in the work-up for TAVR, and has worked on several multicentre studies investigating coronary artery disease including SCOT-HEART and ADVANCE.  

Jonathan’s interests lie in cardiothoracic imaging, particularly in developing the use of CT and MRI for the assessment of vascular disease in the pulmonary, systemic and coronary territories. The aim of this work is to develop and validate a range of novel biomarkers for disease detection, diagnosis, and measuring response to therapy in order to better select and guide future treatments.   He has published over 60 articles in peer reviewed journals, is a regular speaker at national and international conferences, and is on the Editorial board for the Journal of Cardiovascular Computer Tomography and Radiology:Cardiothoracic Imaging.

 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dee Nicholls
Tel: 01223 639451
Email: deenicholls@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Imaging

Dr Ian Smith is the Medical Director of Royal Papworth Hospital. He has particular responsibility for the research direction of the hospital. He has led on the delivery of the Heart and Lung Research Institute a major collaboration with the University of Cambridge and oversaw the establishment of the Papworth Clinical Trials Unit. 

He is a chest physician specialising in ventilatory failure and sleep medicine with expertise in weaning, domiciliary ventilation, sleep apnoea and non-respiratory sleep disorders including narcolepsy and parasomnias. He led the Hospital’s Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre (RSSC) to be the first in the UK accredited by the European and British Sleep Societies. He was a founder the regional Motor Neurone Disease care network and co-author on the NICE guidelines for people with MND. 

In his own research Dr Smith has several grant funded collaborations and has supervised candidates to higher degrees. He is Vice Chair of the UK Association of Respiratory Technicians and Physiologists sleep section. He co-authored the British Thoracic Society position statement on driving and sleep apnoea. Dr Smith is an Affiliated Associate Professor to the University of Cambridge and has held a number of key educational posts locally and across the Eastern Region.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Jane Warmer
Tel: 01223 639718
Email: jane.warmer@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Medicine.

Dr Quinnell is a consultant respiratory and sleep disorders physician.

He is lead consultant for Royal Papworth Hospital’s Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre (RSSC), one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

Dr Quinnell specialises in disorders of ventilation and their treatment with domiciliary ventilatory support.

He has also undergone extensive training in sleep medicine in the UK and Australia, and is an accredited sleep physician. He investigates and treats patients presenting with a wide range of respiratory and non-respiratory sleep disorders.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 639475

Secretary

Tracy Curuk
Tel: 01223 639715
Email: tracy.curuk@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine
Sleep Medicine

Dr Mason graduated from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic in 2000 and completed all her postgraduate training in the UK. She began her training in Southampton where she gained Membership of the Royal College of Physicians. She continued her specialist training in Respiratory Medicine and General (Internal) Medicine in the East of England Deanery.

She was awarded a Research Fellowship at the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre at Royal Papworth Hospital which allowed her to undertake 2 years of scientific research looking at patients with obstructive sleep apnoea undergoing surgical procedures and the effect of obstructive sleep apnoea on post-operative outcomes. She successfully completed postgraduate degree and was awarded MD (research doctorate) by Cambridge University in 2019 following submission of  dissertation entitled “Sleep apnoea and cardiac surgery: Screening, prevalence, postoperative outcomes".

Dr Mason continues to regularly attend general respiratory and sleep clinics at Royal Papworth Hospital and continues to look after patients with ventilatory failure and those needing liberating from invasive mechanical ventilation. She continues her specialist interest in obstructive sleep apnoea and is regularly giving presentations at national and international scientific meetings.

She is a member of Cochrane Airway Group and author of two systematic Cochrane reviews looking at "Drug treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea" and "The effect of sedatives and hypnotics on patients with sleep apnoea".

Amy Moore
Email:amy.moore8@nhs.net
Tel: 01223 638571

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine
Sleep Medicine

Dr Oscroft is a respiratory physician within the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre. He has a special interest in sleep medicine and respiratory support. This includes expertise in respiratory (eg obstructive sleep apnoea) and non-respiratory (eg restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy) sleep disorders. He also has experience in the management of patients requiring domiciliary non-invasive ventilatory support and the weaning of tracheostomised patients from invasive mechanical ventilation.

He is clinical lead for the Royal Papworth Adult Ataxia Telangiectasia Service, a nationally commissioned service providing holistic MDT lead care to a complex group of patients. His research interests include the use of non-invasive ventilation in COPD patients with chronic ventilatory failure, Ataxia Telangiectasia and the impact of CPAP and other therapies in OSA.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Caroline Woodcock
Tel: 01223 639803
Email: caroline.woodcock@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory and Sleep Medicine

Dr Wozniak graduated with distinctions from Wroclaw Medical University, Poland in 2006 and undertook his postgraduate medical training in the UK. Following initial training posts in West Midlands he transferred to the East of England region where he completed specialist training in Respiratory and General Internal Medicine.  He gained further education and training in Sleep Medicine at the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre at Royal Papworth Hospital where he worked as a Senior Clinical Research Fellow. During this fellowship he was awarded two external research grants and delivered three NIHR Portfolio research studies which examined associations between obstructive sleep apnoea and glaucoma, including the impact of CPAP on ocular pressure and microvasculature. For this work he was awarded a PhD.

He is a certified European Expert Sleep Specialist (Somnologist) and an active member of the British Thoracic Society Specialist Advisory Group on Sleep Apnoea.

Dr Wozniak was appointed to his consultant post at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2018 where he combines clinical work with research and medical education.

He undertakes sleep disturbance clinics, general respiratory clinics and provides specialist care for people needing invasive and non-invasive ventilatory support.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Caroline Woodcock
Tel: 01223 639803
Email:  caroline.woodcock@nhs.net

Specialties:

Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Medicine, General Internal Medicine

Mr Marius Berman is a cardiothoracic surgeon providing the full range of cardiac surgical procedures in adult patients. He is the Surgical Lead for Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Royal Papworth Hospital. He is also Associate National Clinical Lead for Organ Retrieval at NHS Blood and Transplant.

Mr. Berman is the consultant lead for patient safety in surgery and transplantation.  He is also a member of the heart and lung transplant team, and has an extensive experience of the use of mechanical circulatory and respiratory support. In particular, he has used a large number of different artificial pumps to support the heart, both in the short and long terms. In 2006, Mr. Berman started a post CCT fellowship in adult heart and lung transplantation, followed by a fellowship in pulmonary endarterectomy surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital.

His research focus is on the improvement of outcomes for transplantation, and in the development of a new approach to circulatory support.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Sara Smith
Tel: 01223 639742
Email: sara.smith7@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery
Heart and Lung  transplantation

Mr Coonar qualified as a doctor in London. His general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery training was at Guy's, St Thomas's, King's, Royal Brompton and the London Chest Hospitals.
 
In 2005-2007, Mr Coonar worked at the Toronto General Hospital in Canada and took fellowships in general thoracic surgery and lung transplant surgery. 
 
Mr Coonar has been a consultant at Royal Papworth Hospital since 2007 and his practice is in pure thoracic surgery. He works closely with a large team including other surgeons, specialist nurses, radiologists and physicians.

Mr Coonar was appointed President of the Royal Society of Medicine Cardiothoracic Section in December 2013.
 
He handles benign diseases and cancer. His main clinical interests are:

• minimally invasive surgery (video-assisted, endoscopic and others)
• lung cancer surgery (including advanced cases and patients with poor lung function)
• mesothelioma surgery
• chest wall surgery
• airway surgery
• lung volume reduction surgery
• surgery for thoracic sarcoma 
• resection of metastatic cancer to the chest

 Mr Coonar has published several research papers and book chapters, some of which have received awards.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Cheryl Scott
Tel: 01223 639874
Email: cheryl.scott7@nhs.net

Specialties:

Thoracic surgery

Mr De Silva returned to Royal Papworth Hospital after practicing as a consultant in Oxford University Hospital for 4 years. He had previously spent 6 years training at Papworth, and so came back to a familiar environment in which he is able to pursue his clinical and research interests.

Mr De Silva has considerable expertise in adult cardiac surgery, with a particular interest in surgery of the aorta,  minimal access surgery,  aortic valve repair surgery, hybrid and off pump revascularization. He has a keen interest in education and training, and since 2019 has been the Director of the East of England cardiothoracic training programme which is recognised as the best surgical training programme in the UK for the last 3 years.  He has published widely, and has particular research interests in the inflammatory effects of cardiopulmonary bypass, the pathogenesis of nitric oxide in cardiovascular disease, and safety in cardiac surgery.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private PA & Secretary
Linda Barnes
Tel: 01223 638667
Email: linda.barnes7@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery

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”.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818
Email: papworth.privatecare@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiac Surgery

Mr Jenkins graduated in 1989 and trained in surgery in London. He completed a period of research into myocardial protection at the Hatter Institute at UCL and was awarded the degree of Master of Surgery from The University of London.

Mr Jenkins trained in cardiac surgery on the west London rotation and was appointed as consultant at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2001. He has experience in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery. Specialist experience includes heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support including ventricular assist devices and ECMO (artificial hearts and lungs).

Mr Jenkins is the lead surgeon for the national pulmonary endarterectomy programme. His research interests are related to pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary endarterectomy surgery.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Grace Meads
Tel: 01223 639860
Email: grace.meads1@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic surgery

Narain Moorjani is a cardiothoracic surgeon providing the full range of cardiac surgical procedures, including coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve replacement.  He forms part of the specialist valve group, performing complex mitral valve repair surgery, as well as surgery of the thoracic aorta.

He also performs procedures to control abnormal heart rhythms, as well as minimally invasive cardiac surgery (including valve surgery through small incisions and coronary surgery without the use of the heart-lung bypass machine). He was the first surgeon to introduce minimally invasive cardiopulmonary bypass to Royal Papworth Hospital.

Narain Moorjani came to Royal Papworth Hospital having previous worked as a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London and Assistant Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery in Philadelphia, USA. Prior to that, he completed a research doctorate of medicine (MD) at the University of Oxford and National Heart and Lung Institute, investigating the genes involved in the development of heart failure.

His research interests are currently focussing on the genes responsible for enlargement of the thoracic aorta.

In addition, he has published several international best-selling, award-winning cardiac surgery textbooks, including 'Operative Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Surgery', 'Key Questions in Cardiac Surgery' and 'Cardiac Surgery: Recent Advances and Techniques', with further cardiothoracic surgery textbooks due out soon.

More recently, he has been awarded the National Cardiac Benchmarking Collaborative (NCBC) Cardiac Service Improvement and Best Practice Award and 2nd place in the National Patient Safety Awards for the introduction of the Papworth Haemostasis Checklist, which has significantly reduced the amount blood transfusion required and number of patients returning to theatre for bleeding following cardiac surgery.

From an educational point of view, he has developed a unique portfolio of award-winning, simulation-based, curriculum-aligned, cardiothoracic surgery training courses, which are run in Great Britain and Europe.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Michelle Pellant
Tel: 01223 639792
Email: michelle.pellant@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Mr. Giuseppe Aresu is a highly regarded Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, UK.

He is internationally recognized for his proficiency in minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgical techniques, including uniportal and subxiphoid VATS. With a strong background in lung transplantation from his fellowship at Toronto General Hospital, Mr. Aresu has dedicated his career to improving surgical outcomes and enhancing patient recovery times.

Through extensive research and practice, he has introduced groundbreaking approaches in thoracic surgery, such as minimally invasive thymectomies and advanced chest wall reconstructions. His dedication to mentorship and training ensures the next generation of surgeons are equipped with cutting-edge skills.

Mr. Aresu's commitment to advancing thoracic medicine is evident through his contributions to leading international journals and his active involvement in national and global surgical bodies.

Royal Papworth Private Care
Tel: 01223 638818

Private Secretary
Keely Robinson
Tel: 01223639766
Email: keely.robinson@nhs.net

Specialties:

• Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
• Lung Cancer Surgery
• Mediastinal Surgery
• Lung Transplant Surgery
• Chest Wall Surgery

Stephen Large was appointed to Royal Papworth Hospital in 1989 with a specialist interest in surgery for ventricular tachycardia. His early interest in medical student education led to a Cambridge University appointment as Associate Lecturer in the Department of Medicine and on to become clinical sub-dean for cardiac and thoracic services. He was awarded the diploma of Physician as Educator- RCP by the Royal College of Physicians in 2001 after becoming a fellow five years earlier. He ran the heart transplant service from appointment to the end of 2008 developing the national mechanical heart assist programme in 2001 through his particular interest in the failing human heart.

His research interest lies in this area and his team are pursuing the possibilities of expanding the human donor heart pool through collaboration with the clinical transplant team in Cambridge, Stanford University, California and the Canadian Research Centre in Winnipeg. An additional fascination with management led him to achieve an MBA through the Open University in 2000 and to chair the Cardiac Directorate for five years until 2007. He now represents the speciality on the Interventional Advisory Committee of NICE, the HTA Interventional committee and is lead investigator of HTA observational study ETTAA (5 years from July 2013 value £1.7 million).

A further project of donation after circulatory determined death has been pursued to the point of local, national and now international programmes. The reports suggest a significant increase in heart transplant delivery and perhaps a increased survival and reduced acute rejection in those hearts recovered after in-situ reperfusion as thoraco-abdominal normothermic reperfusion.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Catherine Gabriolek
Tel: 01223 639077
Email: catherine.gabriolek@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardio-thoracic surgery.

Mr Ng graduated in 1993 from Trinity College, Dublin. He completed his basic surgical training in East Yorkshire. His cardiothoracic surgery training began in 2000 and was based entirely at Royal Papworth Hospital with short stints in Norwich and Oxford. He undertook a two-year period of research in transplantation tolerance at the Transplantation Biology Research Centre of Harvard University from 2005 to 2007.

He was appointed as a locum consultant surgeon at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2009 before becoming a substantive appointment in Feb 2011. He has experience in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery. Specialist interest includes high-risk surgery in the sick elderly population, aortic surgery specifically acute aortic dissection emergencies and pulmonary endarterectomy surgery.

He is one of four surgeons in the national pulmonary endarterectomy programme at Royal Papworth Hospital.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Dominic Littlefair
Tel: 01223 639869
Email: dominic.littlefair@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Mr Peryt qualified as a doctor in Warsaw. His thoracic surgery training was at National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw - the biggest and referral thoracic surgery centre in Poland. He worked there since 2004 and was appointed as a consultant in thoracic surgery in 2013.
 
In 2015 and 2016, Mr Peryt worked as a locum consultant in Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital..
 
Mr Peryt was appointed to a Consultant Surgeon’s position at Papworth in 2016 and became Clinical Lead for Thoracic Surgery in 2020. His practice includes all areas of adult thoracic surgery with major interests in lung cancer treatment.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Hannah Ling
Tel: 01223 639775
Email: hannah.ling1@nhs.net

Specialties:

Thoracic surgery

Mr Taghavi undertook his undergraduate training at the University of Leeds graduating in 2005. Following his basic surgical training, he went on to train in cardiothoracic surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital. During his time in training he spent 18 months completing a research project at Stanford University, investigating the feasibility of cardiac donation after circulatory death, and obtaining an MD from the University of Leeds. He undertook an advanced surgical fellowship in pulmonary endarterectomy surgery and was appointed as a consultant at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2018.

Mr Taghavi performs the full range of adult cardiac operation. His areas of interest include pulmonary endarterectomy surgery, aortic valve surgery (including TAVI), aortic surgery and coronary revascularization surgery.

Mr Taghavi also has a major interest in education and training.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Jane Beavis
Tel: 01223 639820
Email: janebeavis@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Mr Tsui is the Clinical Lead for the Mechanical Circulatory Support Device Programme at Royal Papworth Hospital. He is also the Regional Training Programme Director and Chairman of the Specialty Training Committee for Cardiothoracic Surgery at the East of England Deanery.

His national duties include:

1) Chairman of the Cardiothoracic Advisory Group (CTAG), at NHS Blood & Transplant
2) Member of the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) forum, National Commissioning Group (NCG)
3) Examiner on the Intercollegiate Board for the FCRS (C-Th) exam
4) Specialist Advisor to the NICE Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee 2010-13
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Katie Lawrence
Tel: 01223 639741
Email: katie.lawrence4@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplantation.

Initially trained in London and the United States, Mr Wells has worked at Papworth Hospital as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon since 1986. His specialist area of cardiac surgical interest is the management of all forms of heart valve disease, especially mitral valve reconstruction.

Mr Wells has the largest experience in the United Kingdom and among the largest in the world with over 3,000 cases completed achieving a near 100% repair rate for leaking mitral valves with mortality at less than 1.0% for first time procedures. His aim is to achieve a normally functioning valve. He also has an interest in aortic valve repair and surgery of the aorta.

In his thoracic practice, Mr Wells offers a full range of surgical procedures for lung cancer and all benign diseases in the chest. This includes hyperhydrosis, thoracic outlet syndrome and pectus deformities.
 

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 638000

Secretary

Joanne Aveling
Tel: 01223 639764
Email: joanna.aveling@nhs.net

Specialties:

Cardiothoracic Surgery; Thoracic Surgery