Joe is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Histopathology based at St George’s, University of London and in the South London Deanery. He studied Graduate Entry Medicine at The University of Nottingham and has trained in London since. He undertook an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship and PhD sponsored by Cardiac Risk in the Young in the Cardiac Risk in the Young Cardiovascular Pathology Laboratories. His primary research interest is Sudden Cardiac Death. He also undertakes coronial autopsies for the Inner West London Coroner.
Joe is specialising in both diagnostic and academic cardiovascular pathology, combining both diagnostic and autopsy material from our large referral database. He is now undertaking his own original research having completed a PhD at St George’s University. He is publishing peer reviewed articles and contributing to book chapters with Professor Sheppard. He is working closely with Professor Sheppard and developing expertise in all aspects of cardiovascular pathology. He has extensive teaching experience and has developed the cardiovascular course with both virtual and hybrid delivery. Together, he and Professor Sheppard are training other pathologists including general and forensic pathologists in this specialist field.
Joe started out doing a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology at the University of Leeds. During this, he produced a clinical research thesis on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Wanting to specialise further, he chose to do an MSc in molecular biology and pathology of viruses at Imperial College, London. During this he produced a histopathological dissertation on the role of tissue factor in hepatocellular fibrosis caused by hepatitis c. Becoming captivated by pathology, Joe went on to do graduate entry medicine at the University of Nottingham. He undertook his special study module in forensic medicine and coronial medicine. During his foundation years in the South London Deanery he managed to maintain an interest in pathology by attending post mortems, reviewing bone marrow aspirates and trephines during a haematology placement and undertook a chemical pathology placement in which he spent a day a week in the histopathology department. He then obtained a position on the run through training programme of Histopathology. He was appointed as an Academic Clinical Fellow sponsored by the National Institute of Health Research at ST3 level. This fellowship enabled him to spend 9 months within the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) laboratory where he gained experience in cardiac dissection and reporting whilst undertaking research into sudden cardiac death under the guidance of Professor Mary N Sheppard. He then progressed to undertake a PhD sponsored by Cardiac Risk in the Young in the CRY labs on the anatomical, histological and immunohistochemical findings in the normal heart and cardiomyopathies. He has now progressed to become an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Histopathology.
Cardiac Risk in the Young Clinical Research Fellow and PhD student 2019-2022
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow 2015-2019
Research Grant Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 2018
Glasgow 2020 Educational Fellowship BDIAP, 2019
Pathology representative for the Association for Inherited Cardiac Conditions council as pathology representative – 2022
Reader’s Choice 2021, Journal of Human Hypertension for paper “Characterisation of hypertensive heart disease: pathological insights from a sudden cardiac death cohort to inform clinical practice."
Young Investigator Award, The Society for Cardiovascular Pathology at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Los Angeles – 2020
Image of the Year 2022, St George’s University of London
Best abstract for Obesity Cardiomyopathy: A distinct entity?, AICC annual conference, Glasgow, 2022
Runner Up Young Investigator Award for National Sudden Cardiac Death Autopsy Database, European Heart Rhythm Association, Barcelona, 2023
Joe's central research interest is sudden cardiac death but he has interests in inherited cardiac disease, autopsy, histology, pathology, cardiomyopathies, hypertensive heart disease and congenital heart disease. He works closely with cardiologists, pathologists (forensic, autopsy practitioners and hospital pathologists), basic scientists, statisticians and bioinformaticians. He has formed networks and collaborates within St George's, University of London, nationally and internationally.