NHS Golden Jubilee Consultant appointed Honorary Professor at top Scottish university
An Orthopaedic Consultant from NHS Golden Jubilee has been appointed as an Honorary Professor at the University of Strathclyde.
Professor Jon Clarke has been acknowledged for his work in the field of orthopaedics and his leading role in cutting edge research for improved patient care.
The professorship recognises his strategic vision and considerable research track record in computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery and allied technologies.
Professor Clarke, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, is the Lead for the Orthopaedic Research team at the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital.
The national facility was awarded University Hospital status through a Strategic Partnership with the University of Strathclyde to develop, amongst other activities, collaborative research capacity.
As the research lead he is at the forefront of the relationship with the university’s Biomedical Engineering department.
Professor Clarke said: “The Golden Jubilee University National Hospital, in conjunction with the University of Strathclyde, has enabled me to fulfil my ambition of pursuing an academic consultant career whilst remaining in the West of Scotland.
“It is an absolute privilege to receive Honorary Professor status from the university and I look forward to growing this partnership and producing world class research in the years to come.”
The Golden Jubilee University National Hospital provides person centred, high quality care to patients from all across Scotland and has a well-established and highly supportive research infrastructure, which creates an ideal environment for research to flourish.
Within the strategic partnership, NHS Golden Jubilee works with the University of Strathclyde to develop sustainable, innovative and practical solutions to health and social care challenges that will directly benefit NHS Scotland’s patients and workforce for years to come.
Through collaborative research and innovation, both organisations will strengthen their research portfolio and create highly efficient models for knowledge exchange and support teaching to deliver the workforce of the future.
The University of Strathclyde’s Dr Phil Riches, Reader in Biomedical Engineering, who nominated Professor Clarke for the prestigious post, said: “Jon is well-known and well-respected amongst other orthopaedic departments in Glasgow, Scotland and the wider UK for his considerable research track record in robotic surgery and allied technologies.
“We expect this appointment to generate a gravitational pull for collaborative activity from a national perspective, as well as from the global orthopaedic surgical community.
“I believe Jon’s strategic vision in orthopaedics could help create additional connections between the University and NHS Golden Jubilee in other areas, such as cardiovascular and ophthalmology, and we would be seeking his support and drive in creating and capitalising on emerging opportunities.”
Chris Gee, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Associate Medical Director at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “Jon has been instrumental in developing research within Orthopaedics at NHS Golden Jubilee and this honorary professorship is extremely well deserved.
“Our Orthopaedic Research team is in a strong position today thanks to his hard work, which includes award-winning publications, developing a national research fellow programme, partnering with industry on funded research and bringing in a motion analysis laboratory.”
Cutting edge research success
A research paper, co-authored by Professor Clarke in collaboration with Professor Will Shu of the University of Strathclyde, exploring the prospect of 3D printing hip and knee joint replacements mixed with a patient’s own biological cells into the body gained international recognition last year.
The paper investigated the use of 3-dimensional biological printing (3D bio-printing) technology with patient stem cells and other substances found in bones like calcium in order to create “scaffolds” that could help regenerate bone defects in the body.
The paper, entitled ‘3D bioactive composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering’, was published in the influential medical journal Bioactive Materials in 2017 and was awarded Best Paper by KeAi as part of the publisher’s 10-year anniversary celebrations, selected from over 200 papers published during the last decade.
To date, it has received more than 1,100 citations by other orthopaedic specialists and researchers, making it a landmark paper in its field.
