Professor David Thickett DM FRCP

Professor David Thickett

Institute of Inflammation and Ageing
Professor in Respiratory Medicine

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 371 3231
Email
d.thickett@bham.ac.uk
Address
Institute of Inflammation and Ageing
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
Centre for translational Inflammation Research
University of Birmingham Laboratories
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT

David Thickett trained in Oxford and London. He was a specialist registrar in the South West region before doing his DM thesis on ARDS in Bristol. He was initially appointed as a Senior Lecturer in 2001 and then became a Wellcome Intermediate Fellow in 2006. He was appointed as a reader in 2011 and promoted to Chair in Respiratory Medicine in 2014.

Qualifications

MA (Oxon) DM FRCP

Biography

General Professional training
1992 House Officer Surgery, Princess Royal Hospital
1992-1993 House Officer Medicine, Professorial Department of Endocrinology, North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, Stoke on Trent
1993-1994 Senior House Officer Cardiothoracic Medicine, Harefield Hospital
1994 Senior House Officer Clinical Oncology / Gastroenterology, Mount Vernon, Hospital
1994-1995 Senior House Officer General / Respiratory Medicine, RUH, Bath
1995 Senior House Officer Neurology, Royal United Hospital, Bath

Specialist training
1995-1996 Respiratory Registrar, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton
1996-1998 Specialist Registrar Respiratory medicine, Southmead Hospital, Bristol
1998-1999 Clinical Research Registrar, Lung Research Group, University of Bristol
1999-2000 Specialist Registrar in Respiratory Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary
2000-2001 Specialist Registrar, Gloucester Royal Hospital

Academic / Consultant Posts
2001-2006 Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham and Honorary Consultant Physician, UHB
2006-2011 Wellcome Intermediate Fellowship
2011-2014 Reader in Respiratory Medicine
2014 Professor in Respiratory Medicine

Teaching

  • Mentor for 9 medical students
  • Regularly supervise BMEDSCI student projects (3rd year)
  • Lead for speciality respiratory medicine 4th year
  • Respiratory self select module in the second year

Postgraduate supervision

  • Previously had 4 MD students and 1 PhD student successfully complete
  • Currently has 1 MD student and 4 PhD students

Research

Dr Thickett’s research interests are predominantly in the areas of primary lung epithelial and macrophage biology, murine models of acute lung injury, epithelial mesenchymal transition and translational clinical trials to prevent and treat acute lung injury and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He has been and continues to be a co-investigator or principal investigator on a number of clinical trials successfully obtaining an MRC DCS grant for 2 clinical trials of vitamin D therapy to prevent lung injury following oesophagectomy.

Dr Thickett is currently involved in the following studies:

  • translational science lead, chairman of clinical endpoints committee and steering group member for BALTI- PREVENTION
  • PI of a phase II trial of simvastatin in healthy elderly patients
  • PI of a phase II study of the pharmcogenetics of vitamin D replacement in tuberculosis
  • PI of a phase II open label dosing study of vitamin D following oesophagectomy
  • the PI of a phase II study vitamin D to prevent acute lung injury following oesophagectomy (VINDALOO)
  • PI of a phase II study of simvastatin to modify neutrophil function in older patients with septic pneumonia (SNOOPI)
  • TSC member of TIPAC-2 steering committee – a trial of septrin therapy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Other activities

  • Associate Editor of Thorax (2011-2015)
  • Less than fulltime training committee representative for Respiratory Medicine West Midlands
  • Respiratory Trainee training committee member 2006-ongoing
  • Birmingham and the Black Country Respiratory research lead
  • Respresent respiratory Medicine for Birmingham upon the national Respiratory speciality group for the CLRN

Publications

  • Gates S, Perkins G, Lamb S, Kelly C, Thickett D, Young J, McAuley D, Snaith C, McCabe C, Hulme C, et al (2013) Beta-Agonist Lung injury TrIal-2 (BALTI-2): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial and economic evaluation of intravenous infusion of salbutamol versus placebo in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Health Technol Assess 17(38):1-88
  • Parekh D, Dancer RC, Lax S, Cooper MS, Martineau AR, Fraser WD, Tucker O, Alderson D, Perkins GD, Gao-Smith F, et al (2013) Vitamin D to prevent acute lung injury following oesophagectomy (VINDALOO): study protocol for a randomised placebo controlled trial. Trials 14(1):100
  • Parekh D, Thickett DR, and Turner AM (2013) Vitamin D deficiency and acute lung injury. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets 12(4):253-61
  • Patel JM, Thickett DR, Gao F, and Sapey E (2013) Statins for Sepsis: Distinguishing Signal from the Noise When Designing Clinical Trials. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 188(7):874
  • Cooper MS, Thickett DR, and Stewart PM (2013) Reduced cortisol metabolism during critical illness. N Engl J Med 369(5):480
  • Turner AM, and Thickett DR (2013) Molecular determinants of acute muscle wasting in the ICU: a role for growth and differentiation factor-15? Crit Care Med 41(4):1141-2
  • Bartis D, Csongei V, Weich A, Kiss E, Barko S, Kovacs T, Avdicevic M, D'Souza VK, Rapp J, Kvell K, et al (2013) Down-regulation of canonical and up-regulation of non-canonical Wnt signalling in the carcinogenic process of squamous cell lung carcinoma. PLoS One 8(3):e57393
  • Raghu G, and Thickett DR (2013) Pirfenidone for IPF: pro/con debate; the 'con' viewpoint. Thorax 68(7):605-8
  • Jansen JO, Lord JM, Thickett DR, Midwinter MJ, McAuley DF, and Gao F (2013) Clinical review: Statins and trauma - a systematic review. Crit Care 17(3):227
  • Mujakperuo H, McGrath EE, and Thickett DR (2013) Co-trimoxazole for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: time for TIPAC-2? Thorax 68(2):123-4