I am a clinical academic specialising in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine. My clinical work is on the intensive care unit at Derriford hospital in Plymouth and I have a PhD in applied physiology.

 

My main research interest is how humans respond to different levels of oxygen; both too much (hyperoxia) and too little (hypoxia) of it. I have been involved in and led several research expeditions to high altitude and in 2007 summited Mount Everest with the Xtreme Everest team. On the summit a blood gas taken showed I had one of the lowest oxygenation readings ever recorded in a human. 

 

I am was the chief investigator for the NIHR funded UK-ROX trial, evaluating whether giving a little less oxygen than usual to critically ill patients will improve their survival. It is was the largest trial ever conducted in UK intensive care, recruiting 16,500 patients from 100 NHS sites. The findings were recently pubmished in JAMA. I also led a sub-study of the UK-ROX trial (the EXAKT study) in which we investigated the accuracy of pulse oximeters (which estimate blood oxygen levels in patients) to determine whether skin tone affects the accuracy of their readings. We recruited 900 patients from 24 intensive care units and the findings have recently been published in the BMJ. Related to this work, I also made a significant contribution to the 2024 independent review into equity in medical devices.

 

I am also very interested in exercise and how it can be used to improve clinical outcomes. We have used a tailored exercise intervention to train patients waiting for liver transplantation and I am the co-chief investigator of the NIHR-funded EXALT trial in which we have evaluated the effect of a home-based exercise programme around the time of liver transplantation. The results will soon be available. 

 

I was the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Intensive Care Society for seven years and sat on the Council of the Intensive Care Society. I recently stepped down from both posts. I am one of four editors for the recently published 9th edition of Oh's Intensive Care Manual, a best selling comprhensive textbook of intensive care medicine. I also sit on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) interim devices working group.

 

I have published over 200 peer reviewed articles that have over 16,000 citations. I have delivered over 160 lectures to audiences around the world including 15 plenary / keynote speeches.  

 

I was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Years Honours list, for services to the prevention of infectious diseases. This was the result of my contribution to the care of UK healthcare workers who succumbed to Ebola virus disease.

 

I spent a large part of my earlier life climbing and have summited mountains such as Denali (Alaska), Cho Oyu (Nepal) and Everest (Nepal). I have also sailed for most of my life, both in dinghies and yachts. These days though I am mainly trying to encourage three small children to hike on Dartmoor.