Newcastle University

Current Work

I came to Newcastle in 1999 to study medicine, knowing that the medical school is one of the best in the country and that the University has an international reputation for world-class research.

I intercalated a masters in biomolecular research after 4th year of medical school, working in the mitochondrial genetics department under the supervision of Prof Doug Turnbull, and then went on to complete my medical degree in 2005, graduating with honours. I worked for 2 years completing the clinical foundation programme, gained full GMC registration and then successfully applied for an Academic Clinical Fellow post which I took up in August 2007.

The ACF programme allowed me to combine clinical work with research, thus I rotated through the medical specialties and completed my postgraduate medical exams (MRCP) and also had the opportunity to spend 8 months of the programme pursuing my research interests in endocrinology under the supervision of Prof Simon Pearce at the Institute of Human Genetics. I packed a lot into my research time to make the most of the opportunity: I got back into the lab to collect some preliminary data, gained some good publications, presented my research at a number of local and national meetings and successfully applied for an MRC clinical research training fellowship.

I have now completed my core medical training and started a PhD looking into the genetics of Addison’s disease. I have a deferred ST3 post in diabetes and endocrinology to move back into clinical training on completion of a PhD. My long term career plan is to become an academic endocrinologist. I envisage that my research in the future will encompass both laboratory and clinical research and that my main goal will be to strive to take basic endocrine scientific research forward and translate it into clinical practice.

I have not been disappointed with Newcastle. The University is friendly with fantastic facilities, and the city is vibrant and exciting, living up to its reputation as a great party city. However, within minutes of leaving the city you can be in beautiful countryside or on one of the country’s most beautiful beaches enjoying one of the North East’s sunny, fresh days. I came here almost 10 years ago, and I haven’t yet found another place that I would want to leave Newcastle for!

• Mitchell AL, Pearce SHS. Autoimmune Addison disease: pathophysiology and genetic complexity. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 2012, 8(5), 306-316.
• Mitchell AL, Pearce SHS. "Grading" subclinical thyroid disease may be misleading: Authors' response to Goichot, Vinzio and Luca. Clinical Endocrinology 2011, 74(1), 137-138.
• Mitchell AL, Dwyer A, Pitteloud N, Quinton R. Genetic basis and variable phenotypic expression of Kallmann syndrome: towards a unifying theory. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism 2011, 22(7), 249-258.
• Swalwell H, Kirby DM, Blakely EL, Mitchell A, Salemi R, Sugiana C, Compton AG, Tucker EJ, Ke X, Lamont PJ, Turnbull DM, McFarland R, Taylor RW, Thorburn DR. Respiratory chain complex I deficiency caused by mitochondrial DNA mutations. European Journal of Human Genetics 2011, 19(7), 769-775.
• Gan EH, Mitchell AL, MacArthur K, Pearce SHS. The role of a nonsynonymous CD226 (DNAX-accessory molecule-1) variant (Gly 307Ser) in isolated Addison's disease and autoimmune polyendocrinopathy type 2 pathogenesis. Clinical Endocrinology 2011, 75(2), 165-168.
• Mitchell AL, Pearce SHS. How should we treat patients with low serum thyrotropin concentrations?. Clinical Endocrinology 2010, 72(3), 292-296.
• Mitchell AL, Pearce SHS. An elderly woman with weight loss and diarrhoea. British Medical Journal 2009, 338, b1721.
• Mitchell AL, Cordell HJ, Soemedi R, Owen K, Skinningsrud B, Wolff AB, Ericksen M, Undlien D, Husebye E, Pearce SHS. Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) Gene Variants Contribute to Autoimmune Addison's Disease and Graves' Disease Susceptibility. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2009, 94(12), 5139-5145.
• Mitchell AL, Hickey B, Hickey JL, Pearce SHS. Trends in thyroid hormone prescribing and consumption in the UK. BMC Public Health 2009, 9, 132.
• Mitchell AL. The treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Crown, 2008. Available at: http://www.toxbase.org/.
• Mitchell AL, Elson JL, Howell N, Taylor RW, Turnbull DM. Sequence variation in mitochondrial complex I genes: Mutation or polymorphism?. Journal of Medical Genetics 2006, 43(2), 175-179.
• Blakely EL, Mitchell AL, Fisher N, Meunier B, Nijtmans LG, Schaefer AM, Jackson MJ, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW. A mitochondrial cytochrome b mutation causing severe respiratory chain enzyme deficiency in humans and yeast. FEBS Journal 2005, 272(14), 3583-3592.