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About

Mission

The British Society of Otology (BSO) is dedicated to the development of otology and the advancement of public education and research on hearing and balance in the United Kingdom. In addition to the BSO Annual meeting, the Society runs educational courses, maintaining professional development in the diverse fields of the sub-speciality.


Role

The Society also has the role of advising ENT UK and the Department of Health on matters relating to otology and audiology. The BSO council is elected by BSO members and meets three times a year at the Royal Society of Medicine.


Membership

Membership of the Society is open to any otologist practising in the United Kingdom who is a member of ENT UK, with associate membership offered to trainees in otology and other professionals with an interest in the sub-specialty.

Overseas membership is offered to approved otologists practising abroad. Membership of the BSO is without charge. To download an application form please visit our membership page.


BSO Committee Members

Simon Lloyd - President of the British Society of Otology


 
Simon Lloyd

President of the British Society of Otology

Simon Lloyd is a neuro-otologist and skull base surgeon at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and Salford Royal Hospital. He is also Honorary Professor of Neuro-otology at the University of Manchester. His clinical practice focuses on skull base disease, auditory implantation, complex middle ear disease and neurofibromatosis type 2.

 

Kay Seymour - Secretary


 
Miss Kay Seymour

Secretary

Kay Seymour was appointed as Consultant ENT Surgeon at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospitals in 2010. She studied medicine at Churchill College, Cambridge and trained in ENT in London, including at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, and the Cochlear Implant Unit at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital. She is interested in all aspects of otology and paediatric ENT and enjoys a varied clinical practice in both paediatrics and adults. She has a strong interest in education and training, and lectures nationally on ENT courses. She currently holds the posts of Honorary Treasurer of ENTUK, Treasurer of British Society of Otology and Council Member of Otology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine.

 

Peter Monksfield - Treasurer


 
Peter Monksfield

Treasurer

Peter Monksfield is a Consultant ENT Surgeon with a special interest in skull base surgery and hearing implants. He was appointed at the University Hospital Birmingham in 2010 and is also an honorary senior clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham.

Peter graduated from the University of Manchester Medical School in 1997. Peter had ENT training in Oxford, London and completed higher surgical training in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Following this, he undertook advanced fellowship training in Neurotology and cochlear implant surgery at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia under the tutelage of Professor Robert Briggs.

Peter has a strong research interest in hearing loss and the use of implanted hearing devices.

 

Peter Rea - Past President


 
Peter Rea 

Past President

 

Professor Peter Rea was appointed Consultant ENT Surgeon at University Hospitals of Leicester in 2004. He obtained a 1st at Cambridge University before completing his undergraduate medical studies in Oxford. He trained at The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in London before undertaking otology and paediatric Fellowships in Australia and the USA. He is now Chairman of the British Society of Neuro-otology (www.BSNO.org.uk) and Chairman of the London Road Clinic in Leicester (www.thelondonroadclinic.co.uk). His special interests are in the management of vertigo and balance disorders, and middle ear surgery in children and adults. He runs an active middle and inner ear research program. He has run the successful Leicester Balance Course annually since 2004, and is regularly invited to lecture both in the UK and abroad.

 

Paramita Baruah - Academic Lead

 
Paramita Baruah

Academic lead

 

Gerard Kelly - Balance Course Lead

Gerard Kelly

Balance Course Lead

Gerard Kelly trained in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London and carried out a fellowship year in neuro-otology under Professor R T Ramsden in Manchester.  His MD thesis was in research on the facial nerve.  He has researched the training of junior ENT surgeons and has a Masters of Education degree. He has a sub-specialist interest in otology and neuro-otology and is involved in the ENT UK Balance Course. He was the Otology Section Editor of the ENT UK e-learning project and past editor of the ENT UK Newsletter and his interests include totally endoscopic middle ear and mastoid surgery. 

 

Owen Judd - Balance Course Lead Elect

Owen Judd

Balance Course Lead Elect

Professor Owen Judd is Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon at the Royal Derby Hospital. He qualified from the University of Nottingham in 1998. His special interests are Otology and Laryngology, specifically balance problems, facial pain and migraine along with facial paralysis/weakness. He performs total endoscopic ear surgery for all aspects of his otology surgical practice. His research interests include migraine, balance problems and voice disorders and he has published over 60 scientific papers, 6 book chapters and two text books.  He teaches many medical students and junior doctors and holds an honorary academic position with the University of Nottingham as well as serving as their Clinical Sub-Dean.

 

Arun Iyer - Education Lead

Arun Iyer

Education Lead

Mr Iyer is a consultant ENT surgeon & otologist at the University Hospital Monklands, Lanarkshire, Scotland and also Associate Professor (Hon) at the University of Glasgow.  He was trained in the Newcastle rotation and did Otology/Neurotology fellowship at Auckland City Hospital and Starship Children's Hospital, New Zealand. His special interests are endoscopic ear surgery, chronic otitis media especially mastoid cavity obliteration and management of dizziness. He is a executive board member of the international working group in endoscopic ear surgery (IWGEES).  Mr Iyer is the college surgical tutor & Education and professional training board member for Otolaryngology at the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow. He is the organiser of the Endoscopic ear surgery  course, emergency ENT dissection course, head & neck and emergency ENT course and the temporal bone dissection courses at Glasgow University.

 

Tim Mitchell - BSO Council member

Tim Mitchell

BSO Council member

Tim Mitchell is a Consultant ENT Surgeon at University Hospital Southampton. He has a subspecialty practice in otology and undertakes cochlear implant and other auditory implant surgery as part of the University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service.

He has a major interest in training and assessment. He was a member of the Specialist Advisory Committees in Otolaryngology and Audiovestibular Medicine from 2012-2017. He has regularly been involved with ENT National Selection and is a member of the organising committee for BACO 2020. He has been an MRCS examiner since 2004 and was Chair of the Court of Examiners at the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2014-2017, with experience of examining in the UK, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Mr Mitchell is a member of the Council of the British Society of Otology. In 2017, he was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, where he chairs the Learning Committee and Future Surgeons Forum. He has been elected as Vice President of RCS Eng from 2020-2023.

He has been a strong advocate for equality through the recruitment of female surgeons as MRCS examiners and through the support of Women in Surgery and Women in ENT Surgery. He is one of only 5 men to be awarded Honorary Membership of the Medical Women’s Federation.

 

Michael Wareing - BSO Council member

 
Michael Wareing

BSO Council member

 

 

Will Hellier - BSO Council Member

 
Will Hellier

BSO Council member

 

 

Mood Bhutta - BSO Council Member

 
Mood Bhutta

BSO Council member

 

 

Matthew Smith - BSO Council Member

Matthew Smith

BSO Council member

Mr Matthew Smith is a consultant ENT surgeon at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. He specialises in the medical and surgical management of disorders of hearing and balance in adults and children, and is part of the Cambridge Hearing Implant multidisciplinary team which is part of the UK’s largest cochlear implant centre. Mr Smith has a particular interest in Eustachian tube dysfunction runs a specialist clinic for this condition. 

Mr Smith is a surgeon-scientist, and holds the position of Senior Research Associate in the University of Cambridge. He collaborates across a range of University departments and leads a portfolio of clinical research projects, with most focussing on hearing and ear disorders. He completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge exploring the diagnosis and treatment of Eustachian tube disorders. During his specialist Training Mr Smith co-founded and then Chaired INTEGRATE, the UK ENT Trainee Research Network, which has delivered several important national studies. 

Mr Smith is a member of the British Society of Otology council and is the Otology section Associate Editor for the well-respected Clinical Otolaryngology Journal. He has published book chapters and has authored over 60 academic papers.

 

Shadaba Ahmed - BSO Council Member

Shadaba Ahmed

BSO Council member

FRCS, FRCS-HNS/ORL, MoAME
Ms Ahmed is an ENT Consultant at Royal Lancaster Infirmary within The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust. Her main interest is Otology along with Voice and Salivary Gland surgery. She is Honorary Teacher at Liverpool University and Honorary Lecturer at Lancaster University. She is DOHNS / MRCS/ FRCS Examiner. Ms Ahmed is Member of The Anatomical Society, BMA, ENT UK, AoME. She is the incumbent editor of Morecambe Bay Medical Journal and is passionate about teaching and training. Recently she edited the book on “Core Conditions for Medical and Surgical Finals”  published by CRC Press. She is  Member of Medical Advisory Committee of BMI/Circle group Lancaster and her Trust BMA LNC. Research opportunities as member of BSO are keenly awaited.

 

 

Sanjay Verma - BSO Council Member

 
Will Hellier

BSO Council member

 

 

Ananth Vijendren - BSO Council Member

Ananth Vijendren

BSO Council member

Mr Ananth Vijendren is a Consultant ENT Surgeon with a sub-specialty interest in adult and paediatric ear-related diseases, balance and hearing reconstruction/implantation. He qualified from the University of Southampton and undertook his postgraduate training in the Wessex and East of England regions. He was awarded the internationally prestigious Otology and Hearing Implant fellowship at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, where he gained further experience in complex ear, hearing reconstruction and auditory implantation surgery before joining the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust in 2019. His clinical practice involves being lead for the trust hearing, balance and transnasal oesophagoscopy services. In addition to his clinical work, Mr Vijendren is enthusiastic about advancements and research within the field of Otology and occupational hazards affecting ENT surgeons. He has a keen interest in teaching and training the next generation of clinicians and is Otology section editor for E-lefent and co-creator / Senior Editor for the www.entsho.com and www.ent4gp.com websites.

 

Priya Achar - BSO Council Member

 
Priya Achar

BSO Council member

 

 

Reshma Ghedia - BSO Council Member

 
Reshma Ghedia

BSO Council member