Dr Christopher Harling CBE, MA physiological sciences, MB BS, MRes marine biology, FRCP, FFOM, FFPH
Postgraduate research student
After medical training in Oxford and London, I specialised in occupational medicine and worked as a consultant physician in the NHS and latterly as a senior advisor in the Department of Health. I was appointed CBE in 2010 for services to medicine.
Combining study in the disciplines of acoustic engineering, biology and health sciences produces insights greater than the sum of the parts.
After retirement, I studied for a masters degree in marine biology at Plymouth and was awarded a Santander Seed-corn Research Scholarship in 2013. I undertook a research project looking at the role of ultrasound in preventing marine biofouling on various man-made structures in the sea.
It was a natural development to join Professor Leighton’s research group to look at the removal, using an ultrasonically activated stream (UAS), of bacterial biofilm from chronic, infected skin wounds with the aim of improving healing and the project involves the development of StarStream® for use in a clinical setting. I am an active member of NAMRIP.
I have a longstanding interest in medical ethics and sit on an ethics group in the Home Office.