evidENT Team

Professor Anne Schilder - Director NIHR UCLH BRC Hearing Health Theme & evidENT UCL Ear Institute

I am an ENT surgeon and trialist and lead the translational hearing research programme of the NIHR UCLH BRC Hearing Health Theme.

My research focuses on translation of hearing discoveries into novel treatments for patients with hearing loss. This ranges from designing and delivering first-in-man trials, analysis of routine health data, to health economics and health policy to prepare healthcare systems for the arrival of drug, gene and cell therapies for hearing loss.

I have led the successful delivery of the first trial worldwide of a regenerative hearing drug in adults with sensorineural hearing loss (REGAIN, EU Horizon 2020 €5.8m). I also hold a chair at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, working with primary care researchers to develop evidence-based interventions for otitis media in children.

Nishchay Mehta - BRC Associate Professor Deafness and Hearing Health

I am an Ears Nose and Throat (ENT) Consultant Surgeon with a sub specialty interest in Otology and Auditory Implants appointed at the Royal National ENT hospital within UCL Hospitals Trust. I hold a joint appointment as Associate Professor at the Ear Institute, funded for by the Deafness and Hearing Health Biomedical Research Centre.

My Wellcome Trust funded PhD at UCL was in health informatics and clinical decision making. Currently, my research interests include (with funding body or collaborators):

• Artificial Intelligence in the diagnosis of hearing loss phenotypes (Wellcome Trust)
• Developing a National Health Informatics Collaborative for hearing health (NIHR BRC)
• Remotely assessing and developing early biomarkers for ototoxicity in cancer patients (Action on Hearing Loss)
• Role of novel measurement techniques in those with hearing loss (UCL BRC)

• Role intra-operative monitoring technology in auditory implantation (Advanced Bionics and Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre)
• Developing core outcome sets for ear related conditions (INTEGRATE)
• Developing on-line hearing health screening and interventions (NIHR PDG)
• Developing tele-otology services (TympaHealth)
• Assessing the predictors and treatment of sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss (Sensorion)

Please see here profile of Nish's PhD student Claudia Contadini-Wright.

George Britton - Clinical Research Manager

In 2021, I moved into clinical research as a Data Manager at the UCLH Clinical Research Facility. I supported up to 30 early and mid-phase clinical trials across neurology (including one globally first-in-patient Alzheimer's Disease trial) and oncology specialties, and high-intensity COVID-19 vaccine trials. I then took on the role of Clinical Trial Coordinator, covering 11 trials across the same specialities, primarily working on COVID-19 vaccine trials. I led recruitment on a vaccine trial in which we were the first to dose nationally and worked with the full range of team members involved in research delivery, both from the commercial/non-commercial sponsor side and from within the Trust. 

In August 2023, I joined the evidENT team as Clinical Research Manager. This role also covers the RNENT&EDH hospital's research portfolio too. My goal is to help run our research trials in a way which is safe for patients and produces the most valuable data possible, so we can drive the development of amazing new treatments and approaches for conditions across the whole ENT speciality. I believe with the resources and incredible expertise available within UCL and UCLH, we can continue to achieve this in a way which inspires both patients and researchers to feel proud of their involvement in clinical research.

Jas Kaur - Research Nurse

I joined the evidENT team as a Research Nurse in September 2023 and I work with the multi-disciplinary clinical and research teams on the Macro Trial, recruiting patients and providing them with relevant nursing care. I have spent most of my nursing career in multi-specialty including medical wards, surgical wards including orthopaedics, respiratory, theatre scrub nurse, for the last 7 years I have worked in different specialist as a research nurse working on different types of studies including, observational registries commercial including IMP and devices.Through the work we carry out we hope to achieve better care outcomes for our patients.

Dr Rohani Omar - Consultant Audiovestibular Physician

Dr Rohani Omar is a Consultant Audiovestibular Physician at University College London Hospital (UCLH), appointed in 2021. She runs adult neuro-otology clinics at the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals. Dr Omar trained in medicine at Cambridge University. She completed general medical training on the London Hammersmith rotation leading to the MRCP. She then obtained an MD(Res) in Neurology from UCL and was awarded a Royal College of Physicians/Dunhill Medical Trust Research Fellowship for her research work on frontotemporal dementia and non-verbal cognitive processing as a Clinical Research Fellow at the Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square.

Dr Omar subsequently completed specialist training in Audiovestibular Medicine in London. She gained a distinction for the PGCert in Otology and Audiology (UCL) and has been awarded competitive presentation and audit prizes. Her clinical and research interests are in cognitive neuroscience and the interface between hearing loss and cognition in older adults. She has numerous publications in high-impact peer reviewed journals and written a book chapter on music cognition in dementia. She is an interviewer for specialist trainee selection and is on the Audiovestibular Medicine curriculum development committee.

Deepak Chandrasekharan - NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow

I am an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow combining Core Surgical Training in the London Deanery with research working with the evidENT team at the UCL Ear Institute. 

I studied preclinical medicine at Cambridge graduating with a degree in Physiology, Development and Neuroscience. I completed my clinical training at Oxford and worked as an Academic Foundation Doctor in the Oxford deanery. My research work included studying immunological tolerance with the Transplant Immunology group (TRIG) as well as working with the Cleft Lip and Palate priority setting partnership of the James Lind Alliance. 

I am now working with clinicians, basic scientists and industry to identify areas for future research in ENT to develop a PhD proposal. I also enjoy teaching and teach neuroscience to undergraduate medical students and am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  

Rishi Mandavia - NIHR CLAHRC and BRC Research Fellow

Rishi is an ENT Surgical Doctor with research interests in health economics and implementation science.  

He has a BSc in Aerospace Medicine (King’s College London), an MSc in Health Policy (Imperial College London) and PhD in Implementation Science (University College London), funded by the NIHR UCLH BRC, ARC and the Royal College of Surgeons.  

Rishi has worked as a NICE Scholar and NICE Specialist advisor, contributing to national clinical guidelines and surgical device regulation. He has also been a committee member on the Lancet Commission on Hearing loss, as well as expert member for the World Health Organization. 

As ENT Associate Lead for the Royal College of Surgeons, and Committee Member of UK ENT Trainee research collaboratives, Rishi works to promote UK ENT research capacity. He is leading the national SeaSHeL study, the largest UK cohort study on sudden hearing loss, taking place across over 60 NHS Trusts. 

Talisa Ross - NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow

I am an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) registrar and Academic Clinical Fellow in the North Thames deanery. The academic clinical fellowship programme allows me to divide my time in higher surgical training with research, working as part of the evidENT team. 

My academic outputs have been widely published and presented internationally. I studied Medicine at the University of Birmingham, gaining a distinction in research. I have an intercalated BSc from King’s College London, during which I developed a full-immersion simulation tool for the daVinci robot. I have a Master’s in Surgical Innovation from Imperial College London, for which I gained a distinction. During my MSc, I completed projects evaluating the use of novel energy devices in trans-oral robotic surgery. 

My enthusiasm for innovation in ENT has led to my current research interest in machine learning. I am passionate about harnessing the power of big data to answer meaningful clinical questions. 

Nikhil Joshi - Clinical Research Fellow

I am a junior doctor undertaking a 1-year post with the evidENT team as a clinical research fellow. My research interests focus on using data science to answer research questions in the fields of hearing loss and childhood obstructive sleep disordered breathing. During this post I will be undertaking a full-time master’s in health data science at UCL, including modules on machine learning, health informatics and statistics.

I hold an undergraduate degree in pre-clinical medicine from Cambridge University and subsequently completed my medical studies at Imperial College London. During my first two years as a junior doctor, I undertook the Academic Foundation Programme, during which I joined the central academic team of the SeaSHeL study. This is the largest UK cohort study on sudden hearing loss, taking place across 100 NHS Trusts and led by Rishi Mandavia.

I intend to begin ENT surgical training in the next couple of years and will continue to combine clinical and research roles throughout my career. I also have keen interests in global health and environmental responsibility which I hope to incorporate into future research.

Marina Forbes - Clinical Research Audiologist

I am a Clinical Research Audiologist working in the evidENT team since 2021. The projects I have been involved in are:

1. Ototoxicity Monitoring - a feasibility study introducing portable hearing assessments and biomarker-monitoring (Prestin & Otolin-1) to patients undergoing ototoxic chemotherapy
2. Dementia Care & Hearing Loss - a feasibility study introducing memory screening to older adults in hearing aid clinics at RNENT hospitals

The above studies involve collaboration with the wonderful clinical teams both at the Royal National Ear, Nose and Throat & Eastman Dental Hospitals and at the Macmillan Cancer Centre of University College London Hospitals. It is so lovely to be able to work with teams who value evidenced-based patient care so highly. I am also the Audiology Research Champion in North Thames Clinical Research Network. Find out more about me and my role here. If you are interested in audiological research, have a research idea or if you have any questions - please get in touch by emailing evident@ucl.ac.uk.

Fei Long - Clinical Research Manager

I joined the evidENT team and the UCLH in August 2021 as a Clinical Research Manager. My role is to coordinate the Clinical Research Feasibility Committee within the RNENT & EDH, oversee the delivery of trials running within the evidENT team and manage the research delivery team.

I gained my MSc in Healthcare Research Methods from the Queen Mary University of London prior to working as a Clinical Research Nurse and later on a Lead Research Nurse in the NHS. I have coordinated commercial and non-commercial phase 2-4 trials across specialities including haematology, orthopaedics, general surgery, diabetes, ITU and perioperative care. I then worked on research project management of COVID-19 vaccine trials in the University of Oxford.

My interest is in research support, as I believe well-organised and sufficient research support will help clinicians and researchers to conduct research to its highest quality which will ultimately benefit future patients.

Fahima Khatun - Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead

I run a nationally recognised home care organsiation supporting people who live with sensory and cognitive impairments. I am driven by the philosophy of providing safe and quality care. 

In my role as the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead for the NIHR UCLH BRC Hearing Health Theme I advocate for people living with hearing conditions in order to help shape research studies and determine the way their healthcare needs are met. Through both of my roles I hope to achieve better outcomes for those affected by sensory impairment and particularly hearing loss.

Diya Vaid - PhD Student

I am a PhD student supported by the NIHR UCLH BRC and supervised by Professors Anne Schilder (UCL Ear Institute) and Fiona Stevenson (UCL Department of Primary Care and Population Health). 

I hold an MSc in Neuroscience and a BSc in Biomedical Science, where I focused on cognitive neuroscience and clinical applications of data science and machine learning. 

My research focuses on how hearing loss and dementia are addressed as co-morbidities in clinical practice. 

 I apply multiple methods to:

• Map international recommendations and practice regarding how cognitive health is addressed in adult hearing services, via a systematic review and survey of professional organisations
• Map stakeholders involved in hearing and dementia care pathways in the UK and their perceived role, via survey of professionals
• Understand the journeys, experiences and expectations of older adults and their families attending NHS hearing services in terms of memory care, through interviews and focus groups
• Understand the barriers and facilitators professionals experience regarding addressing hearing loss and dementia as comorbidities in clinical services, through interviews and focus groups

Mustafa Jaafar - UKRI Clinical Research Fellow

I am an ENT Specialty Registrar in the North Thames Deanery. I am also a researcher in the evidENT team and I am enrolled full-time in the UKRI UCL Artificial Intelligence Centre for Doctoral Training; a programme leading to award of a PhD.

Working under Professor Anne Schilder and Mr Nish Mehta (evidENT) and Dr Waty Lilaonitkul (IHI), my work focuses on creating novel AI to better understand, screen and diagnose sleep-disordered breathing in adults and children. 

If you’re interested in pioneering the future of AI and sleep, get in touch!

Dr Sara Valencia - Translational Research Manager

Sara holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Edinburgh and has a natural science background. She has held various positions in innovation policy, translational research, lifelong learning education, and knowledge management at the directive, managerial and consultative levels. 

During her time with USAID's Local Health System Sustainability Project in Colombia, she developed the Project Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation strategy. As Director of the Center for Education and Research on Health at the Health Secretariat in Bogotá, Colombia, Sara managed a public investment project on knowledge management, lifelong learning, international cooperation, and science and technology policies. She also led the strategy to certify four public hospitals as teaching hospitals, promoting knowledge transfer from academia to clinical practice.

Over the last decade, her research has focused on the impact of public policies on health innovation and education in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, as well as the knowledge management of multinational and outsourced clinical trials.

Dr Liam Barrett - Research Fellow

I am a research fellow with the EvidENT team at the Ear Institute, UCL, where I investigate how AI can enhance hearing care. Specifically, my focus is on utilising large datasets from individuals with hearing loss to train machine learning models that address various issues related to hearing loss.

During my PhD, I researched how machine learning models can predict moments of stuttering from speech and neural signals in individuals who stutter. My continued research interests seek to enhance AI and machine learning models for underrepresented populations in speech and hearing technology.

Sidal Matyar - Clinical Trial Practitioner

I am a Clinical Trials Practitioner working in the evidENT team since 2023. The projects I have been involved in are:

• STARFISH - A randomised controlled trial of STeroid Administration Routes For Idiopathic Sudden sensorineural Hearing loss
• TALGiTS - A pragmatic, multicentre, placebo controlled, double blind, parallel, randomised controlled trial of liquid alginate (Gaviscon Advance) for the treatment of persistent throat symptoms
• Ototoxicity Monitoring - a feasibility study introducing portable hearing assessments and biomarker-monitoring (Prestin & Otolin-1) to patients undergoing ototoxic chemotherapy
• HEDGE – A comprehensive patient data cohort/registry study that aims to investigate hearing loss in children and adults using gene and mechanism testing

I am involved in screening and consenting participants to get them recruited onto ENT related studies. I also perform clinical procedures, such as venepuncture and administrative tasks, such as data collection. As a clinical trials practitioner, I aim to conduct high-quality clinical research which will ultimately benefit future patients.