Professor Ian Symonds

I have extensive experience in the design and funding of research project protocols including ethical committee approval, Health and Safety regulations, animal experiment regulations and regulations for the use of radioactive substances. As a Research Fellow funded by the Cancer Research Campaign in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Nottingham University I developed an anti-mucin monoclonal antibody for use in the management of gynaecological cancer and set up a phase I clinical imaging study in patients with ovarian cancer. Results of this work were submitted for the degree of Doctor of Medicine. With Professor Arulkumaran I established the academic department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Derby in 1998. During its first 3 years the Department obtained external grant funding of more than ¿1.3 million.

In 2004 I took up the post of Head of Discipline and Professor of Reproductive Medicine in Newcastle. Although I am continuing to publish results of work carried out in the UK I have concentrated on buidling new reseach collaborations in Australia which would not have been sufficiently advanced to produced publications by the end of 2006. These include ongoing projects in immunity to sexually transmitted infections, genetics of endometrial cancer, psychosocial effects of maternal ageing and medical student selection. This has been achieved while also having been heavily involved in the undergraduate and postrgraduate education.

Research Expertise
I have had a broad range of research interests in obstetrics, gynaecology and medical education. I have been the principle investigator at Derby on projects on the detection of intrapartum fetal hypoxia by fetal ECG-ST analysis, treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding, genetics of pre-eclampsia, infrared spectroscopic analysis of cervical smears and detection of ovarian cancer using Tc-99 labeled monoclonal antibody. I have ongoing research projects in inate immunity to chlamydia, medical education including medical student selection and the psychosocial aspects of maternal age

Teaching Expertise
As Head of Discipline of Reproductive medicine at Newcastle University I am the course-coordinator for the 4th year module in reproductive health. I am a member of the Bachelor of Medicine Curriculum Committee at Newcastle and in this capacity I have a role in the development and monitoring of the medical course as a whole. I took an active role in the development of the new Nottingham Graduate Entry Medical Course in 2003 In collaboration with Child Health I helped to set up in 2002 an exchange scheme, supported by ERASMUS, to allow 2 students from Nottingham each year to undertake their O&G training in Oslo.

I helped to develop an inter-professional education programme for midwives and doctors in Newcastle and Nottingham. The results of this work have been published in peer review medical education journals and presented at international and national meetings. Postgraduate In addition to my undergraduate teaching I also lectured on taught masters courses in oncology and assisted reproduction.

I contribute to the formal and informal teaching of other groups of health care workers. I was a member of the faculty for the postgraduate diploma and Master of Science in midwifery courses at Nottingham. I devised a graduate research methods training programme for students undertaking research based higher degrees in Nottingham. This was subsequently combined with a similar programme from another school to from the basis of the current faculty-wide graduate training programme. I devised and supervised a Teaching fellowship programme for junior doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology based at Derby City Hospital. I was appointed as an examiner for the MRANZCOG in 2006

Administrative Expertise
1998 - 2002 Member of the mid-Trent postgraduate training education committee, UK 1998 - 2004 RCOG Education supervisor at Derby City Hospital 1999 - 2004 Lead clinician for out-patient hysteroscopy service at Derby City General Hospital 1999 - 2004 Chairman of O&G gynaecology development committee, Derby City Hospital 2000 - 2004 Chairman of O&G research governance group, Derby, UK 2001 - 2004 Member of hospital Research and Development Committee, SDAH Trust, UK 2002 - 2004 Lead academic for admissions to the Graduate Entry (GEM) Course at Derby 2004 Member of Committee for Continuing Medical Eduction John Hunter Hospital 2005 ITP supervisor for RANZCOG John Hunter Hospital 1997 - 2004 Member of the teaching sub-committee of the School of Human Development 2000 -2004 Faculty member for the postgraduate diploma and Master of Science in midwifery 2001- 2004 Member of the Curriculum Policy Group of Faculty of Health Sciences 2001 - 2003 Derby Research Strategy Group 2002 - 2004 Faculty Board Member, Nottingham Medical School, UK 2002 - 2004 Member of the admissions committee for Medicine, Nottingham, UK 2003 - Member of the Nottingham Faculty Advisory Group on Interprofessional Education 2003 - 2004 Member of Nottingham University Widening Access Group 2004 Member of Bachelor of Medicine Programme Committee Newcastle 2004 Course co-ordinator for Reproductive Medicine, University of Newcastle 2005 Chair Assessment Working Group 2006 Chair of the Curriculum Implementation Committee for UN-UNE joint medical programme