Pathologists in Profile

In part two, Meena talks us through the case of a 25-year-old patient with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). NF1 is one of the most common inherited genetic conditions. It is characterised by the growth of tumours along nerves and changes in skin coloring (pigmentation).

Our September podcast guest is Meena Upadhyaya OBE PhD FRCPath FLSW. Meena is an Emerita Professor of Medical Genetics at Cardiff University, an honorary Professor of Practice at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, a visiting Professor at Ganga Ram Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Delhi and an international advisor for the organisation of rare diseases, India.

She has made substantial contributions to the molecular understanding of genetic conditions, including Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

When Meena was growing up in India, she didn’t have an interest in genetics or pathology, or even a plan to pursue an academic career. In this episode, find out what changed and how she came to have such a successful and fulfilling career in the UK, all while navigating the challenges of life in a new country and juggling the responsibilities of parenthood.

In part two, Matt talks us through a case study of a 34-year old male who was found deceased in his ground floor apartment. Listen in to hear how Matt investigated the death and who he worked with to determined the cause.

Our June podcast episode is Consultant Forensic Pathologist Dr Matt Cieka. Matt works for police forces across the South East of England. He also performs coroner’s post mortem examinations to assist in the investigation of non-suspicious deaths. Matt trained at Keele University in Staffordshire before working as a junior doctor in Scotland. His initial pathology training was undertaken in the South West of England before he moved to Liverpool to undergo specialist training in forensic pathology.

Matt is keen to dispel the myths surrounding forensic pathology that are often portrayed in the media - he has never (yet) had to wrestle with a suspect at a crime scene! Away from work Matt enjoys keeping fit and cooking.

In part one, Dr Matt Cieka tells us about his career as a Consultant Forensic Pathologist, shedding light on the differences between his role and the portrayal of forensic pathologists in popular television shows.

In part two, we talk to Heidi about the innovation and developments in emergency transfusion. Find out how the organisation of trauma and treatment has changed during the last decade to improve survival.

Our first podcast guest of 2023 is Consultant in Transfusion Medicine, Dr Heidi Doughty, OBE. Find out about Heidi’s diverse career within transfusion medicine, working in hospitals, blood services and as an army reservist. Heidi’s career has focussed on the appropriate use of blood, transfusion for trauma and emergency preparedness and has enabled her to study and work on a wide variety of projects at home and abroad.

In this episode, we chat to Ali about the past, present and future of oral and maxillofacial pathology and head and neck cancer. Find out how oral and maxillofacial pathology became a pathology specialty and about the exciting tools that will be helping pathologists diagnose and treat head and neck cancer patients in the future.

In our final episodes for 2022, podcast host Natasha Cutmore speaks with Sheffield-based Professor and Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Professor Ali Khurram. He has had an unusual and interesting career which started with studying Dentistry in Pakistan, before moving to the UK for his academic and clinical training in Pathology, culminating in a FRCPath in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology in 2016.

In our final episodes for 2022, podcast host Natasha Cutmore speaks with Sheffield-based Professor and Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Professor Ali Khurram. He has had an unusual and interesting career which started with studying Dentistry in Pakistan, before moving to the UK for his academic and clinical training in Pathology, culminating in a FRCPath in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology in 2016.

The discipline of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology is a clinical specialty, undertaken by laboratory-based dentists, is concerned with the diagnosis and assessment of diseases of the oral and maxillofacial region (that is, relating to the jaws and face, as well as head and neck). It is a branch of histopathology and, in common with medical histopathologists, oral and maxillofacial pathologists provide reports based on interpretation of tissue biopsies of varying types and of surgical resection material.

In Shuayb’s second episode, we explore the case of a 70-year-old women with a rare genetic condition, Hereditary Angioedema, that is potentially life threatening.

In this episode, we chat with Dr Shuayb Elkhalifa, a Consultant in Immunology and Allergy. Find out what and who motivated him, the importance of mentors and how he recently made the transition to a Consultant role.