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Staff Profile

James Allison

Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow

  • Address: School of Dental Sciences,
    Faculty of Medical Sciences
    Framlington Place,
    Newcastle University
    NE2 4BW
Background

Background

I am a clinical researcher and dental educator with a background in Oral Surgery. I am currently undertaking a doctoral Fellowship, funded by the Wellcome Trust looking at the dispersion of viruses in aerosols produced during dental procedures.

My research interests include bioaerosols in healthcare, orofacial pain, and three-dimensional imaging. My main teaching interest is clinical teaching of Oral Surgery. Clinically, I work in Oral Surgery and in Maxillofacial Surgery and am involved in training Dental Core Trainees.


Roles and Responsibilities

School of Dental Sciences

Deputy Director of Admissions

Lead for Stage 1 and 5 SPA/gateway

External

MFDS Examiner for Royal College of Surgeons of England

International Network for Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders Methodology (INFORM): Member of Communications and Translation committees

Ad hoc peer reviewer for several journals


Qualifications

PGCert - Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice; Newcastle University

FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

MFDS RCPS(Glasg) - Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery; Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

BDS (Hons) - Bachelor of Dental Surgery with Honours, with merit in clinical and academic dentistry; Newcastle University.


Previous Positions

Clinical Fellow in Oral Surgery; Newcastle University

Dental Core Trainee in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Royal Victoria Infirmary

Trust Doctor in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Sunderland Royal Hospital

General Professional Trainee; Health Education North East


Memberships

International Network for Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders Methodology (INFORM)

International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research

Faculty of Dental Surgery; Royal College of Surgeons of England & Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Glasgow

Faculty of Dental Trainers; Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

British Society for Oral and Dental Research

Association of British Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Higher Education Academy (Fellow)

The Aerosol Society

The Cochrane Collaboration


Awards and Esteem Indicators

INSIGHTS Public Lecture Doctoral Thesis Prize; Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, 2024

Doctoral Research Student Competition Prize, School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, 2023

Research Student Competition Prize, School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, 2022

International Orofacial Pain Early-Career Network Poster Prize, 2021

Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellowship; Wellcome 4Ward Clinical PhD Academy, 2021

Faculty of Dental Surgery Research Fellowship; Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2021

Association of British Academic Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeons Best Oral Presentation, 2021

Helen Tonge Award; Newcastle University, 2019

Northern OMFS Regional Audit Meeting Best Presentation, 2017


Invited speaker at European Academy of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction (2024), British Association of Oral Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting (2022, 2024), British Endodontic Society Scientific Meeting (2021), and European Association for Osseointegration Congress (2020).

Research

Research Interests

Bioaerosols in healthcare

Orofacial pain

Three-dimensional imaging


Funding Held

  • National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment (Co-I/ MRI sub-study lead), 2023 - 2027: Managing chronic Myalgia Temporomandibular Disorder (M-TMD): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial of Botulinum toxin type A, Lidocaine, and Amitriptyline/Gabapentin, with internal pilot and cost-effectiveness analysis (MiTiGate trial). £2.04m
  • Leverhulme Trust (Co-I), 2023 - 2025: Investigating the oral microbiome over 600 years; £100,000
  • Wellcome Trust 4Ward North Clinical PhD Fellowship, 2021 - 2024: VICINITY—Understanding viral carriage in bioaerosols using dentistry as a model; £186,676
  • Faculty of Dental Surgery Research Fellowship, RCS Eng, 2021 - 2022: VICINITY—Understanding viral carriage in bioaerosols using dentistry as a model; £62,426
  • ME Research UK (PI), 2021 - 2025: EluCidATe: Exploring pain and autonomic dysfunction in CFS/ME and TMD; £13,576
  • Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (PI), 2020 - 2021: Evaluating bioaerosol and splatter following dental aerosol generating procedures—preliminary investigation; £9,562
  • British Endodontic Society (PI), 2021 - 2021: Dental aerosol generating procedures: assessment of risk and mitigation strategies; £8,841
  • Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (PI), 2019 - 2021: Magnetic resonance imaging’s effects on mercury release from dental amalgam; £6,000
  • Helen Tonge Award (PI), School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, 2019 - 2021: Does the multidimensional pain inventory predict outcome in persistent orofacial pain?; £1,005


  • Commercial research funding > £85,000


Research Supervision

Research supervisor for Academic Dental Core, Dental Foundation, and Dental Therapy Foundation Training programme placements.


External Links

Google Scholar

Research Gate

ORCID

Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching

Deputy Director of Admissions, School of Dental Sciences


Stage 1 & 2 BDS

Lead for Stage 1 Student Progress Appraisal (SPA)/Gateway

Contributor to Craniofacial and Tooth Biology and Neurobiology courses

Previous course lead for Neurobiology Course (2018 – 2021)


Stage 3 & 4 BDS

Stage 4 Board of Examiners member

Contributor to Human Diseases and Temporomandibular Disorders courses

Clinical teacher on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinical Attachments

Previous Clinical teaching lead for Clinical Introduction Course (2018 – 2021; 2024 – 2025)


Stage 5 BDS

Lead for Stage 5 Student Progress Appraisal (SPA)/Gateway

BDS Finals examiner


Postgraduate Teaching

Teaching on dental bioaerosols on the Oral and Dental Sciences module of the Master of Research programme.

Teaching on local anaesthesia, pain management, dental pharmacology, and prescribing for Dental Core and Foundation Trainees as part of study programme for Health Education England North East and North Cumbria.

Clinical supervisor for Dental Core Trainees Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Newcastle Dental Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Publications