Hallamshire PH consultant wins prestigious research award A consultant based at the specialist PH centre in Sheffield has won a national award for his research around pulmonary hypertension.
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rofessor David Kiely, who has been the director of the Sheffield Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital since 2001, has been recognised for supporting high-quality research facilitating the evaluation of new technologies and treatments for PH. The award, from the NIHR Clinical Research Network and Royal College of Physicians, rewards outstanding research leadership in the NHS. Professor Kiely’s team provides specialist care for a population of more than 15 million people across Yorkshire, the North West and significant parts of the Midlands and Wales. The team have participated in more than 40 studies, resulting in the development of drugs that are now used to treat pulmonary hypertension. Collaborating with colleagues in other specialties in Sheffield, they have pioneered PH diagnostic techniques such as MRI, making it safer and more comfortable for patients. Professor Kiely said: “Working with specialists from other parts of our Trust and the University of Sheffield has helped our goal of delivering more research for the benefit of patients. I also work with a great group of
colleagues and I am delighted that younger members of our team are spending time in the USA to increase our international research. “We’ve also given patients more opportunities to be involved in research by setting up dedicated research clinics and working with patient groups, such as PHA UK, to understand what patients want from research and how best to get them involved.” The drive to increase patient participation has led to new treatments for pulmonary hypertension. Professor Kiely added: “We’ve worked hard to give patients the opportunity to take part in research, ranging from taking blood samples and assessing new technologies, to trialling new drugs and catheter-based treatments. “Over the last five years, we have recruited more than 600 patients to NIHR Portfolio studies. And working with a fantastic pulmonary hypertension research network in the UK, we are involved in studies funded by the British Heart Foundation, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust, which aim to find out more about why people get pulmonary hypertension. “When I started in Sheffield there
was only one treatment for pulmonary hypertension, which required a line to be tunnelled under the skin and connected to a pump, containing a drug that had to be prepared by the patient every day. “We have been able to develop new therapies for patients and most of our patients now take tablets. In Sheffield, as one of the largest pulmonary hypertension centres in the world, we have taken part in many of these studies and we are very proud of the contribution our patients have made.”
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