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Staff Profile

Dr Michael Drinnan

Honorary Reader

  • Email: michael.drinnan@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: 0191 282 5185 (RVI) / 0191 213 7161 (FH)
  • Address: Northern Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering
    Freeman Hospital
    Freeman Road
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE7 7DN
Background

BACKGROUND

Professional

Currently (from 01/2014): Consultant Physicist & Head of Clinical Engineering, Regional Medical Physics Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE7 7DN.

Previously:  (from 05/2010): Head of Physiological Measurement; (from 05/2007): Head of Critical Care Physics; (from 01/2002): Principal Physicist; (from 03/1992): Senior Physicist.

Academic

Currently (from 08/2018): Honorary Reader, Translational & Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University.

Previously:  (from 04/2010): Honorary Senior Lecturer; (from 07/2003): Honorary Lecturer; (from 05/1997): Honorary Research Associate, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Academic

PhD awarded by Faculty of Medicine, Newcastle University, for thesis Assessment of arousal in respiratory sleep disorders. BEng & MEng in Electronic Engineering, from University of Wales, Bangor.

Professional

Higher Specialist Scientific Register for Clinical Scientists; Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC); Chartered Scientist (CSci); Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine (MIPEM); Institute of Physics (CPhys, MInstP); Institution of Engineering & Technology (CEng, MIET); Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (FRCSLT).

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Our group develops biomedical devices and software products to address clinical needs. In addition to engineering we are engaged with funding, the protection of intellectual property, study design & ethics, regulatory affairs including clinical investigations & CE-marking, health economic evaluations, and licensing negotiations.

See: Google Scholar or the 'Research' page for more detail.


ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

2019 onwards: Lead Examiner, Clinical Engineering, Higher Specialist Scientific Training (HSST) programme.

2016 onwards: National Assessor, Biomedical PhD programmes, Croatian Agency for Science in Higher Education.

2016: External assessor, Programme Approval, BSc (Hons) in Medical Technology, Faculty of Medical Science, Anglia Ruskin University.

2012 to date: Modernising Scientific Careers Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) Programme: Gastrointestinal Physiology and Urodynamic Science (national curriculum lead).

2012 to date: Modernising Scientific Careers, urodynamic science. Objective Structured Final Assessment (OSFA) author; OSFA assessor.

2009 to date: Modernising Scientific Careers Scientist Training (STP) Programme. MSc in Clinical Science: Gastrointestinal and Urological Sciences (curriculum co-author).

 


Research

LICENSED MEDICAL DEVICES

Paediatric nephrology: NIDUS (Newcastle Infant Dialysis & Ultrafiltration System), is an instrument for haemodialysis in extremely small (< 2kg) babies.

Urology: The PeePod is a home diagnostic tool for lower urinary tract symptoms, and may be the first example of disposable single-use medical instrumentation to reach the market. The PeePod is licensed to MMS-Laborie as Flowtaker. The PeePod won the National Continence Care Awards, House of Commons, London, May 2014.

Urology: The Mediplus CT3000 Cuff Test for non-invasive diagnosis of bladder outlet obstruction was developed, assessed and CE-marked in our group. Inventor and patent-holder for a 2nd generation instrument now in license negotiations.

Vascular medicine: A low-cost spectrophotometer for limb amputation assessment.


PATENTS

2015: Cell culture. Fiona Oakley, Lee Borthwick, Clive Griffiths, Michael Drinnan.

2013: Apparatus for performing haemodialysis. Coulthard M, Whitaker M, Griffiths C, Drinnan M.

2011: Urine flow measuring apparatus. Drinnan MJ, Griffiths CJ, Whitaker M, Bray A.

2010: Method and apparatus for measuring bladder pressure. Drinnan MJ, Griffiths CJ, Clarkson B.

2007: Apparatus for measuring parameters of fluid flow. Drinnan MJ, Griffiths CJ, Caffarel J, Whitaker M.


EXTERNAL GRANT FUNDING (last 5 years)

2019: A bioreactor for pancreatic islet preservation. Wellcome Biomedical Vacation Scholarship, 6 weeks, £1 500 (principal applicant).

2017: Smart Swallow sensor: Development of a prototype. Confidence in Concept. £48 168 (co-applicant).

2017: The SnorePod – a low-cost tool for screening of sleep breathing disorders in the community. Research Capability Funding. £44 009 (principal applicant).

2017: Characterising treatment pathways and decision-making in sleep-disordered breathing in childhood: a pilot study. Joint Research Executive & NuTH NHS charity. £26 010 (co-applicant).

2016: PRIMUS: Simple diagnostics to improve management of men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in primary care. NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme. (co-applicant).

2016: NAIROS: Nasal AIRway Obstruction Study. NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme. (co-applicant).

2015: Redistributed manufacturing for home-use medical devices. Redistributed Manufacturing in Healthcare Network (RiHN). (PI).

2015: Development and validation of a medium throughput flow based culture system for drug development. University Development Fund.  (co-applicant).

2015: The NIDUS study: evaluation of efficacy, outcomes and safety of a new infant haemodialysis and ultrafiltration machine in clinical use. NIHR EME stream. (co-worker).

2014: Development and validation of a medium throughput flow based culture system for drug development. MRC Confidence in Concept Fund. (co-applicant).


Teaching

MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

2014 to 2019: Postgraduate research tutor for the Institute of Cellular Medicine.


PROGRAMME TEACHING

2013 to 2017: Modernising Scientific Careers STP programme. Masters’ research programme leader

2011 to 2019: MSc Physiological Sciences (GI physiology & urodynamics). Theme leader.

2011 to 2015: MSc Medical Physics. Clinical Engineering module leader.

2005 onwards: MSc Dysphagia & Dysphonia Research. Degree Programme Director.

2002 onwards: MSc Dysphagia & Dysphonia Research. Research Design module leader.

February to April 2001: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden. Invited lecturer.

1997 onwards: Clinical measurement for BMedSci/MRes Molecular Biosciences. Module leader.

September 1997: Electronics, Open University Summer School, UMIST, Manchester. Lecturer.


POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION AND EXAMINATION

4 PhD and 12 MSc students graduated since 2007. 2 PhD students currently in-post. 11 PhDs examined in Newcastle and elsewhere.

 

Publications