Professor Jonathan Ross MBChB MD FRCP

Jonathan Ross

Institute of Microbiology and Infection
Professor of Sexual Health and HIV

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 237 5721
Email
j.d.ross@bham.ac.uk
Secondary Email
jonathan.ross@uhb.nhs.uk
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 (Edinburgh)
  • 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, University College London and Oxford University.

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

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:

  • 2019-2024 - 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

2023-2025

  • Advertising sexual violence support services in sexual and reproductive health services: improving awareness, relatabiity and acceptability.
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections Research Foundation - £82,917 (co-applicant)

2023-2024

  • The IDSV study: Co-developing approaches for health outcome measurement for interventions tackling sexual violence.
  • NIHR Programme Development Grant - £149 897 (co-chief investigator)

2022- 2024

  • The CONNECT Study: Understanding the Impact of Remote Consultations in Sexual and Reproductive Health Services on Health Inequalities 
  • NIHR HS&DR - £999 434 (co-chief investigator)

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)

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 a member of the editorial board for the European Sexually Transmitted Diseases Guidelines and the WHO Sexually Transmitted Guidelines Development Group.

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 review. Sexually 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.

Clarke R, Heath G, Ross JDC and Farrow C. Increasing Attendance at Pre-booked Sexual Health Consultations: A Systematic Review. Sexually Health 2022. 

Caswell R, Maidment I, Ross JDC and Bradbury-Jones C. Providing a supportive environment for disclosure of sexual violence and abuse in a sexual and reproductive healthcare setting: a realist review.  Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 2022  doi:10.1177/15248380221111466.

Gibbs J, Howarth A, Sheringham J, Jackson L, Wong G, Copas A, Crundwell D, Mercer C, Mohammed H, Ross JDC, Sullivan A, Murray E and Burns F. Assessing the impact of online postal self-sampling for sexually transmitted infections on health inequalities, access to care and clinical outcomes in the UK: protocol for ASSIST, a realist evaluation. BMJ Open  2022;12:e067170. 

Ayinde O, Jackson L, Phattey J and Ross JDC. STI testing and subsequent clinic attendance amongst test negative asymptomatic users of an internet STI testing service; one-year retrospective study. PLOS ONE  2023:18(2): e0281359.

Ayinde O and Ross JDC. The association between symptom or microscopy-based diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and response to treatment in women with recurrent BV. International Journal of STD & AIDS 2023.

Ross JDC, Brittain C, Watkins JA, Kai J, David M, Ozolins M, Jackson L, Abdali Z, Hepburn TM , Griffiths F, Montgomery A, Daniels J, Manley A, Dean G and Armstrong‑Buisseret LK. Intravaginal lactic acid gel versus oral metronidazole for treating women with recurrent bacterial vaginosis: the VITA randomised controlled trial. BMC Women’s Health 2023:23:241.

Clarke R,  Heath G, Ross JDC and Farrow C. Factors influencing non-attendance at pre-booked sexual healthcare appointments: A qualitative study. Sexual Health 2023.

Osnes MN, Brynildsrud OB, Alfsnes K, van Dorp L, Raphael B, Town K, McKeand SA, Ross JDC, de Korne-Elenbaas J, van Dam A, Bruisten S, de Blasio BF, Caugant DA, Grad YH, Williamson DA , Ballouxx F, Dideloty X and Eldholm V. Immune Responses to Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Implications for Vaccine Development. Frontiers in Immunology 2023 14:1248613.