Professor Chris McDermott
Head of Department, Neuroscience | University of Sheffield
Consultant Neurologist | Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
Professor of Translational Neurology
Prof McDermott studied for his medical degree at the University in Leeds graduating in 1994. He then continued is general medical and specialist neurology training in Leeds before taking up a clinical research training fellowship at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He moved to the University of Sheffield with Professor Dame Pamela Shaw in 2000 to undertake his Wellcome Trust Research Training PhD Fellowship and to complete his Specialist Training in Neurology to become a Consultant Neurologist in 2006. Prof McDermott is now the Professor of Translational Neurology at SITraN and a Consultant Neurologist at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust regularly undertaking specialist MND and neuromuscular clinics in Sheffield. The main drive of Prof McDermott’s research programme is developing the evidence base for delivering supportive and symptomatic care for patients living with motor neuron disease. He is also interested in improving trial design and leads or collaborates on a number of clinical trials in ALS.
Developing the evidence base for symptomatic care
“The main aims in the care of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are to minimize morbidity and maximize quality of life. Although no cure exists for ALS, supportive and symptomatic care provided by a specialist multidisciplinary team can improve survival. The basis for supportive management is shifting from expert consensus guidelines towards an evidence-based approach, which encourages the use of effective treatments and could reduce the risk of harm caused by ineffective or unsafe interventions. Current symptomatic therapy will be reviewed with a particular emphasis on nutrition and secretion management.”
