The Team

Neurosurgeons

Neil Kitchen

Consultant Neurosurgeon

Mr Neil Kitchen is a consultant neurosurgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), Director of the Gamma Knife Unit and lead neurosurgeon for skull-base surgery.

He studied medicine at St Bartholomew’s hospital and Cambridge University. Before moving to Cambridge he completed a BSc degree in the history of medicine at the Wellcome Institute, UCL.

He is the senior neurosurgeon at NHNN also a past-president of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons.

David Choi

Consultant Neurosurgeon

David Choi graduated with a first class degree in medical sciences from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and went on to complete clinical medicine at Edinburgh University, basic surgical training at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and started neurosurgical training at the Glasgow Institute of Neurological Sciences. He obtained a PhD in neuroregeneration at the National Institute for Medical Research, London, and completed higher surgical training in neurosurgery at Atkinson Morley’s Hospital, London, and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He was appointed as a consultant in neurosurgery at Queen Square in 2005, and is presently UCL professor of neurosurgery.

He sees patients with common conditions such as back and neck pain, disc problems, nerve root impingement, through to complex problems of spine and skull base tumours, endoscopic and craniocervical junction surgery.

Patrick Grover

Consultant Neurosurgeon

Mr Grover is a consultant neurosurgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN). He is specialised in skull base and vascular neurosurgery. He has particular expertise in the management of tumours of the skull base such as Vestibular Schwannomas and Meningiomas, as well as Cerebral Aneurysms, AVMs and Cavernomas. He is also a practitioner of gamma knife radiosurgery for the minimally invasive treatment of these pathologies.

He undertook undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Oxford University in Biology, Medicine and Neurosciences. His medical and neurosurgical training was in North London at Imperial College, the Royal London hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospitals, with higher surgical fellowship training at NHNN.

His academic interests are unruptured aneurysm management, AVM registries and biology, and Artificial Intelligence and technology applications in skull base tumour surgery. He is co-lead for London Brain School and course director for the Queen Square review course.

He has research interests in unruptured aneurysm management, AVM registries and biology, artificial Intelligence and technology applications in skull base tumour surgery

William Muirhead

Consultant Neurosurgeon

Mr William Muirhead is a consultant neurosurgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN). He specialises in the treatment of intracranial tumours (especially skull base meningioma and vestibular schwannoma), cavernoma and trigeminal neuralgia. He works alongside the ophthalmic surgeons at Moorfields eye hospital to manage tumours involving both the brain and orbit. In addition to his subspecialty practice he treats general neurosurgical conditions and supports the on call service at Queen Square, providing emergency neurosurgical treatment for the brain and spine.

He undertook neurosurgery training in London at the Royal London Hospital, Imperial College Hospitals and Great Ormond Street with further subspecialty fellowships in both Skull Base and Neurovascular neurosurgery at Queen Square. During his training he was able to gain a broad international experience working in departments in both Australia and the USA.

His research interests are in the application of new technologies to improve patient outcomes. His MD thesis at UCL examined the use of technology to improve the safety of intracranial aneurysm surgery. He presently works with the Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute on novel neural interfaces and clinical trials.

ENT Surgeons

Professor Shakeel R. Saeed

Consultant ENT and Skullbase surgeon

Emeritus Professor of Otology / Neuro-otology University College London, Ear Institute.

Website: www.prof4ears.co.uk

Professor Saeed is currently a leading surgeon and researcher in disorders of the ear, hearing, balance, facial nerve and skullbase. He manages patients from all over the UK as well as internationally. His career highlights include: 

• Graduated from King’s College, London 1985
• Doctorate thesis awarded 2003
• Previous consultant ENT and skullbase surgeon in Manchester 1999-2008
• Professorial appointment in London since 2008 -2023
• Emeritus Professor since September 2023
• Extensive experience in lateral skullbase surgery and implantation otology – leading UK opinion in this field
• Over 3000 complex ear surgeries
• Over 500 cochlear implant surgeries
• Over 500 vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) and other skullbase surgeries
• 38 auditory brainstem implant surgeries (adults and children)
• President of the European Academy of Otology and Neurotology 2018-2022
• President of the Royal Society of Medicine, Section of Otology 2013-2014
• President of the British Skullbase Society 2013-2015
• President of the British Society of Academic Otorhinolaryngology 2011-2016
• Vice-President of the British Cochlear Implant Group 2011-2015
• Chairman of the BACO 2015 Academic Committee
• Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum Amicitiae Sacrum (by nomination)
• Honorary member of the Spanish ENT Society since 2022 (by invitation)
• Clinical Director of The Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital 2012-2020
• Administrative Advisory Board of JIAO
• Active in otological research and peer review.
• Over 150 peer-reviewed publications
• Over 300 presentations and scientific meetings nationally and internationally

Rupert Obholzer

Consultant ENT and Skullbase Surgeon

Mr Obholzer works in the NHS as a consultant ENT and skull base surgeon at Guy’s Hospital, Kings College Hospital, and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery on Queen Square. He has a sub-specialty practice in the management of complex disorders of the base of the skull, the ear and the side of the head.

In practice this means that he has great experience in managing the rare disorders affecting this area, including tumours within the head, and extending through the skull, particularly those involving the nerves and blood vessels of the head.

Sherif Khalil

Consultant ENT and skull base surgeon

Mr Khalil completed his higher surgical training in the North Thames region in London in all aspects of elective and emergency otolaryngology. He trained in different centres of excellence such as Charing Cross, The Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen’s Square) and the Northwick Park hospitals.

He has experience in all aspects of surgery of the ear, nose and throat. He sub-specialises in the field of cochlear implantation as well as middle ear and mastoid surgery. He has obtained a higher degree (MD) in the field of cochlear implantation. He worked in three cochlear implant centres in the UK.

He is currently a cochlear implant surgeon at the Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals/ UCL cochlear implants programme in London. He is also a lateral skull base surgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

His Research Interests Include:

Hearing preservation in cochlear implantation

Hearing restoration

Chronic middle ear disease

Peter Andrews

Consultant ENT and Skull Base Surgeon

Professor Peter Andrews BSc.(Hons), MD, FRCS (ORL-HNS) is the Senior Consultant Surgeon in Rhinology and Facial Plastic Surgery at the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital and Consultant Anterior Skull Base Surgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He is Professor of Rhinology at University College London (UCL) and Academic Lead for Rhinology at the EAR Institute.

Clinical Director of ENT surgery at the RNENTEDH, Chairman of the North Central London (NCL) ENT network and ENT Clinical Lead for the NHSE/GIRFT elective recovery programme.

Current President of the Rhinology/Laryngology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine and President Elect of the British Rhinology Society.

Jonathan Joseph

Consultant ENT and Skull Base Surgeon

I began my role as Consultant Rhinologist, ENT and Head and Neck surgeon in September 2017. Since 2021 I have taken on the additional role of Clinical Lead for Paediatric ENT. My clinical interests are in all forms or nasal and sinus disease which are managed through a combination of medical and surgical treatments. As part of this I am a key member of the rhinology MDT where we discuss complex patients, such as those with severe sinusitis and major structural abnormalities causing functional nasal and cosmetic difficulties. I work closely with our in-house specialist psychologist to help manage those with facial deformity.

I am also a member of both the head and neck cancer and skull base MDTs and provide surgical treatment for cancers involving the nose, sinuses and base of skull.

Performing surgery in awake patients using local anaesthetic and occasionally sedation is another area of interest which I am building through our minimally invasive surgical centre.

Finally I have a broad paediatric ENT practice managing all common presentations along with more complex nasal and sinus conditions.

Oncology

Dr Naomi Fersht

Consultant Oncologist, UCLH

Dr Naomi Fersht is a consultant clinical oncologist at UCLH and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She specialises exclusively in the management of primary and secondary brain and spinal tumours. This involves the use of both conventional and innovative radiotherapy techniques and chemotherapy.

Her special interests are: brain oligometastases; meningiomas; pituitary tumours; the management of teenagers and young adults with brain tumours (age 16-24); and advanced radiotherapy techniques including proton beam therapy and radiosurgery.

She qualified from the University of Cambridge and her specialist training was at The Royal Marsden and University College Hospitals. Naomi’s doctoral thesis, supervised by Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, was in cell cycle checkpoints.

Dr Michael Kosmin

Consultant Oncologist

Dr Michael Kosmin is a consultant clinical oncologist at University College London Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He specialises in the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the management of tumours of the central nervous system. He has a particular interest in advanced radiotherapy techniques including stereotactic radiotherapy and proton beam therapy.

He is the Royal College of Radiologists’ (RCR) College Tutor and the local postgraduate medical education lead for clinical oncology. He speaks regularly to expert and lay audiences on the management of brain tumours.

Dr Kosmin is an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Cancer Institute, University College London. His main research interest is in clinical studies of novel imaging modalities in the management of cancer, with several publications in high impact-factor journals. He is a core member of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at UCLH/UCL Neuro-Oncology Group and leads several research studies into brain tumours and their treatment.

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Pauline Ngethe

Pauline has a BSC (Hons) Open from Open University. She has worked at Barts Health NHS Trust from 2002 to 2007, where she was able to achieve Neurosurgical and Neuromedical Nursing, Contemporary Nursing and Midwifery, and High Dependency Nursing from City University. She has a Diploma in Tropical Nursing from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Certificate in Managing Care & Certificate in Working for Health from Open University. 

From 2008 to date, Pauline has been working in Neurosurgery wards at NHNN and Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre. Pauline was appointed into the current CNS role in 2019.

Pauline works with patients on the Skull Base Pathway as well as Neuro -Oncology pathway, supporting them and their families to navigate through their different pathways.