Professor Jonathan Ross MBChB MD FRCP

Jonathan Ross

Institute of Microbiology and Infection
Professor of Sexual Health and HIV

Contact details

Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Jonathan Ross is Professor of Sexual Health and HIV and a Consultant Physician at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

His research interests relate to gonorrhoea, Mycoplasma genitalium, HIV, bacterial vaginosis and sexual health care service delivery.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
  • Doctorate in Medicine
  • MBChB

Biography

Professor Ross’s research is focused on improving the delivery of high quality sexual and reproductive health care through:

  • a program of health care services research
  • increasing research capacity within the field of sexual health and HIV
  • supporting the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network

His research partners include Birmingham City University, Aston University, Warwick University, University of Nottingham, Glasgow Caledonian University, Public Health England and the Sanger Institute.

The sexual health and HIV research team is based within the Umbrella Sexual Health Partnership and comprises:

  • 15 NHS consultant medical staff
  • 6 Medical Trainees
  • 1 Research Manager
  • 2 Clinical Research Fellows
  • 1 Academic Research Fellow
  • 2 Research Nurses
  • 1 Research Assistant
  • 7 PhD Students

The major research themes of the unit are focused on:

  • sexual health service delivery
  • diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
  • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Supervisor for PhD projects at University of Birmingham, University of Warwick, Birmingham City University and Aston University:

  • 2016-2021 - Evaluation of the impact on individuals and wider society of remote testing for sexually transmitted infections.
  • 2017-2021 - Evaluating Pharmacy delivered sexual health services.
  • 2017-2022 - Immune responses to N gonorrhoeae.
  • 2018-2022 - Identifying and developing approaches for the economic evaluation of sexually transmitted infection screening and testing interventions: a case study of the Umbrella sexual health system in Birmingham and Solihull.
  • 2018-2021 - Measuring and assessing patient experience and satisfaction with Umbrella services.
  • 2018-2021 - Identifying, measuring and valuing intersectoral costs and benefits: a case study of sexual health services.
  • 2018-2022 - Teens' experiences of sexual assault.
  • 2019-2023 - An exploration of the barriers and facilitators at the level of the service user and healthcare provider that influence health care utilisation after sexual violence

Research

Current and recent research funding

2020-2025

  • Improving care for people with sexually transmitted infections in a digital NHS
  • NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research - £2.5 million (co-applicant)

2020-2023

  • Assessing the impact of introducing online STI postal self-sampling services into sexual health provision within the UK on health inequalities, access to care and clinical outcomes.
  • NIHR HS&DR - £927 225 (co-applicant)

2019-2023

  • Dequalinium versus usual care antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (DEVA): a multicentre randomised, open label, non-inferiority trial
  • NIHR Health Technology Assessment - £1.1 million (co-chief investigator)

2019-2020

  • Accessing testing for sexually transmitted infections online
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections Research Foundation - £7761 (co-applicant)

2017-2021

  • A randomised controlled trial to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of topical lactic acid gel for treating second and subsequent episodes of bacterial vaginosis
  • NIHR Health Technology Assessment - £1.5 million (chief investigator)
  • Sexual Health and HIV Research Report 2022

Other activities

Professor Ross is a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Journals Library Editor and Treasurer of the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, a member of the Editorial Board for the European Sexually Transmitted Diseases Guidelines and sits on the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Funding Committee.

He is the author of UK and European Guidelines on Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and has written a number of chapters on pelvic infection for medical textbooks. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Cochrane Collaboration Sexually Transmitted Diseases Collaborative Review Group and the International Journal of STD and AIDS Journal.

Publications

Pearce E, Jolly K, Harris I, Adriano A, Moore D, Price M and Ross JDC. What is the effectiveness of different community-based health promotion campaign methods on chlamydia screening uptake in young people and what barriers and facilitators have been identified? A mixed-methods systematic reviewSexually Transmitted Infections  2022;98:62–69 

Armstrong-Buisseret L, Brittain C, Kai J, David M, Watkins JA, Ozolins M, Jackson L, Abdali Z, Hepburn T, Griffiths F, Montgomery A, Daniels J, Manley A, Dean G and Ross JDC. Clinical and cost-effectiveness of intravaginal lactic acid gel for treating recurrent bacterial vaginosis: the VITA randomised controlled trial. NIHR Journals Library – HTA Journal 2022;26:Issue: 2

Gauly J, Atherton H, KimaniPK and Ross JDC. The utilisation of pharmacy-based sexual and reproductive health services: A quantitative retrospective studySex Trans Infect  2021;97:126–133

Bloch SCM, Jackson LJ, Frew E and Ross JDC. Assessing the costs and outcomes of control programmes for sexually transmitted infections: a systematic review of economic evaluationsSex Trans Infect 2021 Aug;97(5):334-344

Ayinde O, Hayward RS and Ross JDC. The effect of intramuscular injection technique on injection associated pain; a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2021 16(5): e0250883

de Vries HJC, Nori AV, Kiellberg Larsen H, Kreuter A, Padovese V, Pallawela S, Vall-Mayans M and Ross JDC2021. European Guideline on the management of proctitis, proctocolitis and enteritis caused by sexually transmissible pathogensJournal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 2021;35(7):1434-1443

Jackson LJ, Al-Janabi H, Roberts T and Ross JDC. Exploring young people’s preferences for STI screening in the UK: a qualitative study and discrete choice experimentSocial Science & Medicine 2021;279:113945

Ayinde O and Ross JDC. Factors associated with severity and resolution of intramuscular injection site pain following treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhoea: A prospective cohort study of GToG trial participantsSexual Health 2020  

Mensforth S and Ross JDC. Spontaneous clearance of genital and extra-genital Neisseria gonorrhoeae: data from the GToG trialSex Trans Infect  2020;96:556–561 

Savaris RF, Fuhrich DG, Maissiat J, Duarte RV and Ross JDC. Antibiotic therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 8. Art. No: CD010285

Culture and collections

Schools, institutes and departments

Services and facilities