Profile

I am a cardiovascular pharmacologist currently working part-time as a Visiting Fellow within SIPBS. Previously I was a lecturer (1984-1992) then Senior Lecturer (1992-2004) in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool. Prior to that my career had developed at Strathclyde University via a BSc in Pharmacy (1975), MSc in Industrial Pharmacology (1976), PhD in Cardiovascular Pharmacology (1980) and subsequent postdoctoral work in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Before starting my PhD I also spent a year working for Boots the Chemists and registered as a pharmacist (MRPharmS, 1977) although I retired from the Register of Pharmacists in 2006.

My primary research interests are in cardiac arrhythmias and contractility. I have particular expertise in the development of in vivo models to study arrhythmias induced by myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion and arrythmias induced by drugs associated with prolongation of the QT interval. Current projects are focused on the development of in vivo models to study the effects of drugs that modify the activity of calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase ll (CaMKll) on cardiac contractility (with Susan Currie and in collaboration with AstraZeneca) and investigating the influence of endocannabinoids on platelet aggregation and stroke (with Hilary Carswell). I also have interests in optimising anaesthesia for cardiovascular experiements, investigating new methods for quantifying arrhythmias, the influence of gender on arrhythmias, including torsade de pointes (TdP), and consultation work with the pharmaceutical industry.