Professor Richard Steeds

I am a Consultant Cardiologist specialising in the diagnosis and management of heart valve disease and both inherited and acquired heart muscle disease. I have more than 20 years’ experience as an NHS consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where I am Clinical Lead for the Valve clinic and for Cardiovascular Imaging. In the valve service, I am responsible for diagnosis and management of patients with all types of aortic, mitral, and tricuspid disease, including those following valve replacement and repair. In the imaging service, I am closely involved in diagnosis and risk stratification using ultrasound of the heart (echocardiography) at rest, during stress and through intervention, as well as cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear cardiology.  I graduated from St Catharine’s’ College, University of Cambridge, and completed medical training at University College, London. Following general and specialist medical training, I completed my post-graduate research MD at the University of Sheffield and gained specialist experience in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London as a British Heart Foundation visiting fellow.  In addition to my practice in clinical cardiovascular medicine, I have been closely involved in the British Society of Echocardiography, and was President for 3 years, following a period as chair of Education and Training. I am an Honorary Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine in the Department of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Birmingham and have supervised more than 10 Fellows to success with their PhD studies. I am research active, involved in national and international studies in heart valve disease and cardiomyopathy, and have published more than 200 papers in international peer-reviewed journals. I have a strong background in involving patients in research, and am on the board for Heart Valve Voice, which is the largest patient-centred charity in valve disease in Europe.  In my spare time, I have always been physically active and played sport to varying degrees of success, including rugby, squash, tennis and pretty much anything that involved chasing a ball, rather than spending hours in the gym! I am happily married, a father of three children who are now adult, have left home but not yet reached financial independence…