BRU Investigators
Dr Tim Chico MBChB, MRCP, MD:
Dr Chico is the Deputy Director of the Sheffield CVBRU. He studied medicine at Leeds Medical School before going on to undertake an MD with Professor David Crossman in Sheffield before becoming a Clinical Lecturer in Cardiology at the University of Sheffield.
Since 2006 he has been Senior Clinical Lecturer and honorary Consultant Cardiologist within the MRC Centre for Developmental and Biomedical Genetics.
Dr Chico’s main research interest is in collateral vessel development. He is looking at how vessels trigger their own repair mechanisms and how it can be switched on in patients. The study uses exercise training as a way to promote this development and utilises the specialist rooms at the Clinical Research Facility.
Dr Allan Lawrie B.Sc.,Ph.D:
Dr Allan Lawrie completed his PhD in the Department of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Sheffield in December 2001. Since then he has undertaken a post-doctoral Fellowship under Professor Marlene Rabinovitch at Stanford University in California before returning to Sheffield at the end of 2004 to continue his studies into the pathogenesis of Pulmonary Hypertension (P.H.)
Dr Lawrie’s studies of P.H. led to him receiving a Career Development Award from the Medical Research Council.The research that Dr Lawrie is currently undertaking includes work on identifying the biomarkers of Pulmonary Hypertension and Novel Mediators of Disease Pathogenesis.
As well as his research work for the Biomedical Research Unit, Dr Lawrie also heads up the Pulmonary Vascular Research Group at the University of Sheffield.
Dr Paul Sheridan:
After originally graduating from the Medical School at the University of Sheffield, Dr Sheridan worked in Nottingham and London before returning to Sheffield to complete his PhD in Vascular Gene Therapy with Professor David Crossman.
Dr Sheridan has research interests in heart rhythm disturbance and in particular sudden arrhythmic death. He also has an interest in the link between premature cardiac death and diabetes, in particular the effect of raised glucose levels on the heart.
His work is heavily linked with the University of Sheffield’s Medical Physics group and their investigations into accurately modelling the human heart in a virtual environment in an attempt to better predict how patients will react to treatments.
Dr Pat Lawford Ph.D:
Dr Lawford graduated in biological sciences before moving into the world of medical physics with her post-doctoral studies in Sheffield into a novel bio-prosthetic heart valve.
Dr Lawford has held positions as a Senior NHS Physicist and as project manager for a joint NHS/University of Sheffield project that provided evaluation services to the medical devices industry. She moved back into academic medical physics in the early 1990’s and is now a senior lecturer in the Department of Cardiovascular Science and head of the Medical Physics Group at the University of Sheffield.
In terms of CVBRU work, Dr Lawford is primarily engaged with work on computational models of the heart. Her work aims to create a process whereby treatments can be tested virtually in a patient specific manner in an attempt to cut out procedures where there is no chance of success.
Dr Julian Gunn MA MB Bchir MD FRCP:
Julian Gunn graduated in medicine from the University of Cambridge and went on to complete general medical training at York, Leeds and Nottingham before coming to Sheffield as a Research Registrar. He then became a lecturer in Cardiology before becoming Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in 2000.
Dr Gunn’s main research interest is in the modelling of coronary artery lesions. He works closely with the Medical Physics team at the University to use computer software to predict which lesions restrict the patient’s blood flow and what the best course of treatment will be.
Away from work, Dr Gunn is a classical organist and father who has stated that his aim in life is “to see my daughter end up happy and fulfilled.”
Dr Robert Storey BSc, Bm, MRCP, DM:
Dr Storey received a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of York in 1985 before going on to obtain his medical degree from the University of Southampton in 1989.
After completing general professional training, he trained in the fields of Cardiology and General (Internal) Medicine at Queen´s Medical Centre in Nottingham, completing specialist training in both fields in 2001.
During that time, Rob developed a keen interest in thrombosis research, studying platelet biology and pharmacology, conducting clinical research studies in patients with cardiovascular disease and obtaining a postgraduate degree in research from the University of Nottingham.
Currently he is a member of the writing committee for the PLATO study and sub-studies, executive committee member for the PEGASUS study and UK National Coordinator for the TRA-CER, BRIDGE and EPICOR studies.
Dr Marta Milo:
Dr Milo studied Mathematics at the University of Naples, graduating with first class honours in March 1994. She then worked for Olivetti Ricerca (Olivetti Research) for 18 months before starting a four year PhD programme in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Naples.
Her research interests include the development of computational tools to assist in improving accuracy in the analysis of biological data, the propagation of uncertainty, associated to low-level data, in downstream analysis of microarray data, quantification and inference of gene expression levels using probabilistic models and inference of gene networks using regulatory and gene expression data.
Away from work Marta enjoys classical music and loves the violin. Her and her husband Neil are Advanced Open Water Divers.
As a Neapolitan girl, Marta loves eating pizza and seafood in front of the wonderful bay of Naples. And after a good meal, na' tazzulell' e' cafe' (a nice espresso).
