Dr Nathan J Brendish BSc MBBS MRCP DMCC PhD
NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases & General Internal Medicine
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Dr Nathan Brendish is a NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases & General Internal Medicine. His research interests include molecular point-of-care testing for infections in hospitalised patients, novel treatments for severe respiratory virus infections, and early-phase malaria vaccine studies.
My research examines how we can improve patient care at the ‘front door’ of the hospital by rapid pathogen detection.
Dr Brendish’s expertise in rapid diagnostic tests in severe respiratory virus infection stems from his PhD under Dr Tristan Clark at the University of Southampton. Dr Brendish was the lead study fellow on the ResPOC trial. Dr Brendish continues to be part of Dr Clark’s research group.
The ResPOC trial was a large, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial of routine molecular point-of-care testing for respiratory viruses in adults presenting to hospital with acute respiratory illness versus standard care. This showed that multiplex molecular testing at the point-of-care for respiratory viruses improved diagnosis of influenza, improved appropriate neuraminidase inhibitor prescribing, improved appropriate use of isolation facilities, and decreased length of hospital stay. This seminal study was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine in 2017.
Dr Brendish has previously worked as a study physician in the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility on six malaria vaccine trials. These studies were often Phase I or Phase II trials, including first-in-human studies and human challenge studies.
Dr Brendish has also worked as a study doctor on two trials of novel drug treatments for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in hospitalised adults in Southampton.
Dr Brendish was attached to Public Health England Colindale as a clinical fellow during January to March 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qualifications
- BSc, Immunology & Cell Pathology, University College London, 2007
- MBBS, Distinction (top 10%), University College London, 2010
- MRCP, Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK, 2013
- DMCC, Diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes, 2014
- PhD, University of Southampton, 2019
Appointments held
- Clinical Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases, NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, 2014-2016
- Clinical Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases and Acute/General Medicine, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, 2016-2018
- Specialist Registrar in Infectious Diseases & General Internal Medicine, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, 2018-2019
- NIHR Clinical Lecturer, and Specialist Registrar, in Infectious Diseases & General Internal Medicine, 2020 to current