Under the Microscope: A Q&A with Professor Subrata Ghosh

We are delighted that Professor Subrata Ghosh will be taking up his appointment today as Director of the Institute of Translational Medicine (ITM) and Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Birmingham.

Subrata Ghosh PhotoBringing to the role a wealth of expertise in the area of translational immunology of inflammatory bowel disease and novel therapeutic approaches, Professor Ghosh will lead the development of the ITM, a world class facility led by Birmingham Health Partners, which aims to accelerate the delivery of personalised healthcare using pioneering sciences. 
 

Please tell us about your background to date

I am an academic as well as a clinician in the field of gastroenterology. My special interest is in understanding what causes inflammatory bowel disease and how to treat it with new discoveries. After training in Bristol, Tokyo and Edinburgh, I worked at the University of Edinburgh (research lead in gastroenterology), Imperial College London (Professor and Division Lead/Chair of Gastroenterology) and University of Calgary (Academic and Clinical Department Head of Medicine and Professor of Medicine).  I have published 398 manuscripts, have an h-index of 61 and have delivered over 600 international lectures. 

What is your drive for getting up in the morning?

I am driven by getting people from different specialties and with different skills to interact with each other so that innovations can be brought together to benefit the patients and the community rapidly. 

What are you most looking forward to doing in your new role?

I am looking forward to creating a real culture of innovation and translation of scientific discoveries into patient care across the different stakeholder organisations. 

What is your biggest achievement to date?

I am proud of establishing and strengthening centres of excellence in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease at Edinburgh, Hammersmith Hospital and Calgary. These have benefited thousands of patients suffering from these debilitating diseases. 

What attracted you to working in Birmingham?

I was impressed by the drive to excel in life sciences, the shared goals of Birmingham Health Partners by bringing the NHS and University closer together, and a compelling vision to innovate. I felt it was close to bringing about major changes in the way clinicians and researchers work together.  I was also influenced by great science on the campus, biomedical engineering and IT, and tremendous facilities for conducting fast track clinical trials.

How will the ITM impact on patients and drug development?

 The ITM will create a platform where scientists, researchers and clinicians can interact to realise that there are great multidisciplinary opportunities to understand diseases and health and bring about innovations to benefit the patients and communities. I expect the ITM to make Birmingham a tremendous hub of Life Sciences enterprise in UK and globally. 

How will the BHP alliance benefit the ITM vision?

I see the BHP alliance really facilitating scientists, researchers and clinicians to share common visions and goals so that the right treatment reaches the right patient at the right time.  

What sets Birmingham apart when it comes to translational medicine?

Birmingham offers great diversity of population, a culture of fast track clinical trials and the science to promote new discoveries. It is a great hub, with easy access to a large number of Universities with collaborative opportunities and an entrepreneurial culture. In a number of spheres it is demonstrating the ambition to excel. 

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