Professor Simon Hart

BSc(Hons) MBChB(Hons) PhD FRCPE SFHEA

Professor in Respiratory Medicine

Role at Hull York Medical School

Simon is Professor in Respiratory Medicine at Hull York Medical School/ University of Hull and Consultant Physician at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Biography

Graduated from Edinburgh University and trained in respiratory and general medicine in Edinburgh, Fife, and the Borders. PhD in neutrophil and macrophage biology in the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, followed by an MRC Clinician Scientist fellowship. Moved to Hull in 2008. Lead clinician for the Hull interstitial lung disease and sarcoidosis services.

Research

Research focus is on pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis. Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive, incurable scarring disease of the lungs. Sarcoidosis is a multi-organ inflammatory disease that can cause considerable loss of quality of life and economic hardship. For both conditions, current treatments are inadequate.

My research aims to ultimately improve outcomes for patients through:

1. Basic and translational science to understand disease biology. Our work has contributed to a focus on the monocyte/ macrophage as the key cell driver of chronic sarcoidosis.

2. Multinational collaborative research to determine risk factors.

3. Clinical trials of novel and repurposed treatments, both investigator-initiated and commercial trials.

4. Clinical research to improve patients’ symptoms and quality of life, such as our award-winning partnership between respiratory medicine and Wolfson palliative care at HYMS.

 

Thanks to our funders:

  • Asthma + Lung UK
  • SarcoidosisUK
  • Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
  • Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Chiesi
Teaching

Year 3 clinical tutor

Years 1 and 2 MBBS lecturer

MSc Pharmacology lecturer

Publications


View Simon's publications on Worktribe

Collaborations
  • Immunology of sarcoidosis (York, Oxford)
  • Computational modelling of inflammation (York)
  • Chronic breathlessness (Wolfson Palliative Medicine)
  • PET imaging with novel tracers (Molecular Imaging, Hull)
  • Novel lung imaging in patients with ILD (Sheffield)
Postgraduate research supervision

Current PhD projects:

  • Studies of the endothelium in pulmonary fibrosis. Co-supervisor with Dr L. Nikitenko
  • Biomarkers for early diagnosis of cancer. Co-supervisor with Dr B. Guinn
  • The respiratory microbiome. Co-supervisor with Dr L. Sadofsky
External roles

Deputy Academic Program Training Director, North & East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire

Specialty Research Lead for Respiratory Medicine, Yorkshire & Humber Clinical Research Network

Examination Board, Respiratory Specialist Certificate Examination, Royal College of Physicians

Associate Editor, ERJ Open Research

Trustee, Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis

Trustee, Morriston Davies Trust