Search our consultants’ directory
To book an appointment please call +44 (0)20 3311 7700 or email imperial.private.healthcare@nhs.net
Biography
Dr Vassiliki Bravis graduated from Cambridge University with an MA (Honours) degree in medical sciences in 2000. She then completed her clinical training at Imperial College London, where she obtained her MBBS degree in 2003. Her postgraduate training was based in teaching hospitals and district general hospitals in north west London. In 2008 she was awarded a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) academic clinical fellowship in diabetes and endocrinology, based at Imperial College.
In 2011 Dr Bravis completed a fellowship in postgraduate medical education with the London deanery and in 2012 she obtained her MRes in translational medicine from Imperial College. She obtained her certificate of completion of training (CCT) in diabetes, endocrinology and internal medicine from the north west Thames clinical rotation, which included training at Hammersmith, Charing Cross and St Mary’s Hospitals, in February 2014. Her clinical research was based at Imperial College between the department of investigative sciences at Hammersmith Hospital and the department of metabolic medicine at St Mary’s Hospital.
Dr Bravis has been a consultant at St Mary’s Hospital since April 2015, where she practises clinical medicine and carries out translational research. She is currently the Trust lead for diabetic foot disease.
Biography
Dr Harvinder Chahal is a consultant in endocrinology, diabetes, bariatric medicine and general internal medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and honorary clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College, London. He qualified from St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine in 2001. He trained in endocrinology and diabetes at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. In 2007 he was awarded the prestigious Medical Research Council training fellowship to undertake research in the field of pituitary tumorigenesis, resulting in several influential research papers in high impact journals. He has been awarded several national and international prizes for his research and clinical work.
He has written several textbook chapters. He is the member of the Society for Endocrinology and Diabetes UK. He is the lead bariatric physician and manages patients prior to and after bariatric surgery and pharmacotherapy to reduce their complication risks and optimise the health benefits of weight loss.
Dr Chahal is an experienced endocrinologist in all aspects of endocrinology and diabetes including thyroid, adrenal, prolactin and pituitary diseases, obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), hirsuitism, type 2 diabetes and complications, parathyroid, calcium, vitamin D and bone metabolism, lipid disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular risk reduction and neuroendocrine tumours. He also has an interest in undergraduate medical education, and in 2016, he was appointed director of clinical studies at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (St Mary’s Hospital site).
Qualifications
BMedSci, MBBS, FRCP, PhD
Biography
Dr Alexander Comninos joined Imperial College School of Medicine on Academic and Music Scholarships in 1997. He completed an intercalated BSc in Endocrinology in 2001, for which he was awarded first class honours. On completion of his medical degree, he trained in Endocrinology & Diabetes and General Internal Medicine in several renowned London hospitals and was awarded an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship to continue his research alongside his training.
He was subsequently awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust PhD Research Fellowship in 2011, NIHR Clinical Lectureship in 2015, Wellcome Trust Institutional Lectureship in 2016 and a Biomedical Research Grant.
Dr Comninos has authored over thirty-five research publications in Endocrinology and has presented his work in talks internationally, including at the British Endocrine Society, International Congress of Endocrinology, American Endocrine Society and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Annual Conferences. He has won several international awards including three Outstanding Abstract Awards and the Best Oral Presentation in Reproductive Science from the American Endocrine Society, as well as the Clinical Endocrinology Trust Prize from the UK Society for Endocrinology.
Dr Comninos is heavily involved in clinical work as a Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (based at St. Mary’s, Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals). Alongside general endocrinology, his special interests include reproductive hormones and calcium disorders including osteoporosis and hyperparathyroidism. In addition, he continues in research and education as an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London.
His clinical and academic contributions were recently recognised by the UK Society for Endocrinology with the award of the prestigious Early Career Clinical Prize, presented to the leading Early Career Clinical Endocrinologist in the UK. He continues to publish research in world-leading journals including The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, The Journal of Clinical Investigation and The Lancet alongside his clinical Consultant Endocrine practice.
Additional languages spoken: Greek
Biography
Dr Jeremy Cox obtained his BA in physiological sciences at Oxford. He gained his MBBS at St Bartholomew’s, and his MD at Imperial College, London during an MRC training fellowship in molecular enciocrinology.
Biography
Miss Aimee Di Marco joined the Department of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery as a Consultant in September 2019, having returned from a year as the T.S.Reeve Fellow in Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia. This fellowship is renowned for its high operative volume in thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery, clinical experience and involvement in the department’s research. During her time there Aimee focussed particularly on the surgical management of thyroid cancers, retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy and minimally-invasive parathyroidectomy. Prior to this, Aimee undertook her Higher Surgical Training in General Surgery on the Northwest Thames rotation, working at St. Mary’s, Chelsea and Westminster and Hillingdon Hospitals, before spending over as year as the Specialist Registrar in this department at the Hammersmith Hospital. She was awarded the gold medal for the highest scoring candidate in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons examination.
Her undergraduate training was undertaken at the University of Cambridge (Newnham College) and Guy’s, King’s and St.Thomas’ School of medicine, graduating in 2004 with Distinction. She is a member of the British Association of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgeons and the European Society of Endocrine Surgeons. Like her colleagues, Professors Palazzo and Tolley, in the surgical Department of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery at Imperial, Miss Di Marco exclusively looks after patients with thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal diseases and her operative data and results are logged in the UK Registry of Endocrine and Thyroids Surgery (UKRETS). She works closely with her colleagues in endocrinology, undertaking joint clinics with them and is a core member of the Thyroid Cancer MDT and Parathyroid & Adrenal MDT. The department has a team approach to complex cases, undertaking multi-consultant procedures where appropriate. Miss. Di Marco is happy to answer queries from potential referrers regarding the services offered by the department.
Miss Di Marco undertook a PhD in surgical technology in the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery at Imperial College and continues to research the role of new technologies in thyroid and endocrine surgery. Her other research interests include endocrine diseases in pregnancy. She has published peer-reviewed papers on these and other topics in thyroid and endocrine surgery. She is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
Biography
Dr Saira Hameed is a Consultant Endocrinologist. She works within the Imperial Weight Centre, a world-class centre of excellence for weight management and within the Imperial Centre for Endocrinology which has an international reputation for clinical and academic excellence in endocrinology.
Dr Hameed completed her pre-clinical medical training at Oxford University, graduating with First Class Honours. She went on to clinical medical training at University College London (UCL) winning multiple prizes throughout her time there for outstanding academic achievement. In 2001, as a senior medical student, Dr Hameed was selected for a highly competitive Visiting Medical Student Clerkship in Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
She qualified in 2002, with multiple distinctions, winning prizes for exceptional overall performance as well as in individual subjects. As one of the highest ranked medical students in the whole of the University of London, Dr Hameed was named proxime accessit to the University of London Gold Medal.
Dr Hameed completed her early postgraduate training in several major London teaching hospitals before embarking on a prestigious Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Research Training Fellowship during which time she undertook a PhD at Imperial College London. Through her PhD research Dr Hameed discovered how one of the brain’s hormone systems controls appetite and body weight, a scientific advance that was reported in the national media.
On completion of her PhD, she was appointed to an NIHR Clinical Lectureship in Endocrinology at Imperial College London, a postdoctoral award that provides clinical and academic training for doctors who show outstanding potential for continuing a career in academic medicine. During her time as a Clinical Lecturer, Dr Hameed developed a sub-specialist interest in weight management and designed, developed and trialled the novel and highly effective SatPro Weight Management Programme.
Biography
Dr Channa Jayasena is a clinical senior lecturer and consultant in reproductive endocrinology and andrology at Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital, London. Dr. Jayasena qualified in medicine at Cambridge University, after which he undertook specialist training in diabetes & endocrinology in London.
Having been awarded a Wellcome Trust clinical research training fellowship and NIHR clinical lectureship, he conducted first-to-human studies at Imperial College investigating the clinical effects of novel hypothalamic hormones such as kisspeptin on human reproductive function. He currently specialises in male and female fertility, hormonal and reproductive disorders. His current research focuses on developing novel diagnostics and therapeutics for patients with infertility.
Biography
For information about Professor Meeran’s research please visit his Imperial College profile
Biography
Languages spoken: Italian