An academic at The University of Nottingham has been awarded a unique professorship by a leading national charity in recognition of his research, which aims to improve the medical care of patients with lung disease and respiratory infections.
Dr Richard Hubbard, in the University's Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, has been chosen to become the next British Lung Foundation/GlaxoSmithKline Chair in Epidemiological Respiratory Research - the only one of its kind in the UK.
The funding from the BLF for the post will allow Dr Hubbard to continue research he was undertaking as a Reader in Clinical Epidemiology into the factors underlying why people develop lung diseases or respiratory infections.
The research that Dr Hubbard will work on during the next five years of his chair will include:
· Looking at possible risk factors for pneumonia and other types of interstitial lung disease and common drugs that may help to prevent them, which could lead to lower numbers of patients developing the conditions and better drugs to slow their progression
· Investigating the possible benefits of inhaled steroids, similar to those used to treat asthma, in improving survival rates of patients with chronic bronchitis (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
· Examining whether smoking during pregnancy can lead to a greater risk of congenital defects in babies, which could be used to provide more detailed patient information and lead to a decrease in smoking rates during pregnancy
Dr Hubbard joined The University of Nottingham as a lecturer in 1996, having previously worked as a specialist in respiratory medicine for the NHS based at Nottingham City Hospital.
Speaking about his award, he said: “This is a hugely prestigious post to be awarded and is not only a great honour for me but also acknowledges the quality of the research team with which I work. We have chosen to study these areas of research because they are of great practical importance to people with lung disease and because the answers will have an immediate impact on the clinical care that they receive.”