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About me

I currently work in the Department of Primary Health Care at Oxford University, as a research fellow. My main research interests are monitoring and diagnostic technology for primary care (GPs), and I have particular interests in vital signs and paediatric monitoring.

I have recently completed my DPhil in the Department of Engineering Science. The DPhil is the Oxford equivalent of a PhD, and my research consisted of developing ways of monitoring and interpreting vital signs such as heart rate and breathing rate in children. A copy of my thesis is available on my publications page, which also has links to my other publications. Although most of the work for my DPhil was carried out in the Engineering Science department, my course was part of the Life Science Interface Doctoral Training Centre, which adds an initial 1-year taught course to a standard DPhil, covering topics such as biology, biochemistry, and various mathematical and programming techniques, as well as valuable research skills. I would highly recommend the Doctoral Training Centre / Centre for Doctoral Training format to new PhD students.

Before my DPhil, I worked for the BBC as a Research and Development Engineer. I enjoyed this immensely, but I don't regret leaving to follow my passion in medicine.

Interests

Over the years, I have developed a wide variety of interests, including:

Crafts

Patchwork, painting, beading, knitting, embroidery - you name it, I've tried it. Current projects include a couple of knitted gifts, and a patchwork quilt made out of old socks.

First Aid

I was a member of St John Ambulance when I lived in London, and was then a member of the university first aid unit back in Oxford. I am now a member of the Oxford City division of St John Ambulance, as an Advanced First Aider, and hope to continue to expand my first aid qualifications and experience.

Church

I'm a chapel lector of Keble College chapel, and I'm also a regular member of a local parish church.

Volunteering

For the last few years, I've been volunteering for Helen and Douglas House, who provide hospice care for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions. This is a cause that's very close to my heart, because Helen House was the first children's hospice in the world. It led to the building of other children's hospices, including Martin House and Derian House, both of which provided absolutely vital respite care for my family when I was growing up.

NHS Electronic Records

I've been on a number of NHS Connecting for Health Boards over the last few years. I'm currently mainly involved with the HealthSpace project.

Sibling Support

Those of you who know me will also know that I have a younger brother who has been severely disabled from birth. In 2003, I was asked to give a talk to the 7th Annual Conference of the Palliative Care Forum, which is run under the auspices of the Association of Children's Hospices. After the talk, some of the audience asked if they could have access to the text to show it to their colleagues. This can be found here.