HLA Typing, Serum Screening and Renal Crossmatching
Full HLA types are determined for both recipients of organ transplants and potential organ donors. The laboratory offers comprehensive serum screening of potential transplant recipients for HLA antibodies.  The results, together with information on HLA sensitisation events such as blood transfusion, pregnancies and previous transplants, aid in selecting patients for transplant. Finally donor organs are crossmatched against recipient serum to confirm compatibility prior to transplant.

HLA Typing for Drug Hypersensitivities
Screening for HLA-B*57:01 which is associated with hypersensitivity to the drug abacavir, used in HIV treatment, is offered by the laboratory.

HLA Typing for Disease Associations 
Some HLA types have specific disease associations, the most common are given below. Whilst the laboratory is able to offer screening  for these HLA types, it is  important to remember that these are associated with, but not diagnostic for, the disease in question.

GMC number: 1449543

Year & location of first qualification: 1970 Sheffield University

Specialty: Urology

Clinical interests: These included the assessment and management of Female and Male Lower urinary tract conditions and diseases such as urinary incontinence and prostatic obstruction.

Administrator: Karen Evely Bristol Urological Institute

Secretary phone number: 0117 414 7942

Extensive research record with, over 700 publications and more than 62,000 citations of papers of which I am an author and an “h” number of 104. Currently involved in research and teaching as well as health improvement programmes for NHS England (Chair of Bladder Working Group) and Bladder and Bowel Confidence (Associate Director) the Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Team

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Life or honorary member of the major urological organisations worldwide.

GMC number: 7090116

Year & location of first qualification: 2010, UCL Medical School

Specialty: Respiratory

Clinical interests: Airways disease (asthma and COPD), inducible laryngeal obstruction, cough, breathlessness.

Secretary: Lata Luchmun

Dr Higbee graduated from UCL medical school and has been based in the Southwest since then. He completed a PhD at Southmead Hospital and the University of Bristol examining whether having reduced lung function and chronic lung disease causes disease in other organs. He set up the service testing for inducible laryngeal obstruction using continuous laryngoscopy with exercise and provocation. He is a member of the subspecialist airways team that prescribes biologics for those with severe asthma and evaluates endobronchial valve therapy for those with severe emphysema. He is the clinical lead for pulmonary rehabilitation (known locally as the Lung Exercise and Education Programme).
 

GMC number: 6156511

Year & location of first qualification: 2007, University of Bristol

Specialty: Plastic Surgery

Clinical interests: Skin cancer

Secretary: Emily Thatcher

Secretary phone number: 0117414 7608

Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

GMC number: 7021014

Year & location of first qualification: 2008

Specialty: Trauma & Orthopaedics

Clinical interests: General Trauma and Knee Surgery

Secretary: Julia Hirst and Vicki Morrissey-Stocks (Elective) Nicki Leigh (Trauma)

Secretary phone number: 0117 4141624/0117 4141627

Miss Nicola Blucher completed her pre-clinical Undergraduate Medical training at The University of Oxford and clinical Undergraduate Medical training at The Royal Free and University College London. Her specialist orthopaedic training was complete in the North West Thames Deanery, London.

Miss Blucher has completed fellowship training in Knee surgery in Melbourne, Auckland and Bristol. She also spent 6 months completing a Trauma fellowship at Waikato Hospital in New Zealand.

Her elective practice focuses on Knee surgery including sports injuries of the knee, patella instability and the management of early and advanced osteoarthritis including joint replacements.

Miss Nicola Blucher is a member of the British Orthopaedic Association, British Association for Surgery of the Knee, British Patellofemoral Society and British Orthopaedic Sports Trauma and Arthroscopy Association.

GMC number: 7177272

Year & location of first qualification: Imperial College London 2011

Specialty: Respiratory Medicine 

Clinical interests: General Respiratory Medicine, Lung Cancer, Pleural Disease and EBUS

Secretary: Louise Brennan

Secretary phone number: 0117 414 2016

Email: Respiratoryadmin@nbt.nhs.uk
 

Dr Helen McDill has been a Consultant in Thoracic Medicine at Southmead Hospital since 2022, having completed her registrar training in the South West and gained CCT in respiratory and general medicine in 2022.
She has a clinical interest in pleural disease, lung cancer and EBUS having undertaken an intervention fellowship in Plymouth.  She has co-authored a number of publications in these areas. 
Dr McDill is a member of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and currently on the BTS Tobacco dependency guideline group and the British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) having previously been a respiratory trainee on the Steering Committee.
 

GMC Number: 6076782

Year & location of qualification: London, 2003

Specialty: Urology

Clinical Interests: Benign andrology & penile cancer

Secretary: Becky Champness

Professional memberships: BAUS, ESSM, EAU

GMC number: 6112888

Year & location of first qualification: 2004, University of Cambridge

Specialty: Trauma & Orthopaedics

Clinical interests: Trauma, Pelvic Trauma, Orthoplastics

Secretary: Vicki Morrissey-Stocks/Julia Hirst

Secretary phone number: 0117 4141624/0117 4141627

GMC number: 7082736

Year & location of first qualification: 2010 Bristol
Specialty: Clinical Radiology
Clinical interests: Breast

Dr. Helen Burt BSc (Hons) MBChB (Hons) FRCR

Dr. Helen Burt is a Consultant Radiologist with subspecialist interests in training and breast imaging. She graduated from Bristol University in 2010 and completed her specialist clinical radiology training through the Severn Deanery locally in 2018.

She has always pursued keen interests in diagnosis, oncology and education and started work at the Royal United Hospital in 2018 upon completion of her radiology training.

She moved to work fulltime in the Bristol Breast Care Centre in 2022 to pursue subspecialty interest in Breast Radiology and covers the Bristol and Weston symptomatic breast service as well as working in the Avon breast screening Unit.