Professor Derek Bell

Appointed as the first Professor of Acute Medicine within the UK within the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. Since appointment the Department of Acute Medicine is now established and based at the Chelsea and Westminster Campus. The Department has a succesful research portfolio including the NIHR CLAHRC for Northwest London, a £10M research programme over 5 years to accelerate the delivery of research into practice. Other areas of research interest inlcude the organisation and delivery of health care in relation to patient outcomes. In addition the department has growing expertise in the role of patient and public involvement in research and has over 14 staff.

Previous appointments include;

• Associate Medical Director for the Acute Division of NHS Lothian.

• Inaugural President of the Society for Acute Medicine and involved in developing Acute Medicine as a distinct specialty.

• National Clinical Director Unscheduled Care Collaborative for the Scottish Government.

• National Clinical Director Emergency Services Collaborative the Modernisation Agency.

Graduated from Edinburgh University in 1980 and was a Lecturer in the Department of Medicine with an MD on the inflammatory response to myocardial infarction. Initially specialised in Chest and General Medicine with an interest in Intensive Care and was appointed as Consultant, Central Middlesex Hospital, London before moving to Edinburgh as a Consultant in Acute Medicine and Chest Medicine.

Currently on several National Committees and is an elected member of council for the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. Academic research interests relate to quality and organisation of care, particularly acute medical care, and in the methods of delivery of care. Clinical research interests include illness severity assessment, pulmonary embolism and pneumonia.