I'm a physicst with the Regional Medical Physics Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. For the past 12 years or so I've worked with my physicist colleagues (particularly Clive Griffiths), and urologists (Peter Ramsden, Rob Pickard, Chris Harding) on innovative devices for urodynamic testing. In particular, these include: ‘the cuff test’, the first commercial and non-invasive measurement of bladder pressure, and 'the PeePod', a novel test for uroflowmetry.
Since the first days of urodynamics, physicists have played an important role in the understanding of the lower urinary tract and its diseases, and the development of instrumentation to investigate them. The names Griffiths, James, van Mastrigt, Schaefer have been associated with the ICS from its beginning. As one of a small and unfortunately shrinking group of physicists still involved in urology and urodynamics, I think it is an important relationship that is valued by our clinical colleagues.
In the future I would like to see this maintained. I hope to play my part locally by continuing to develop our research group, and more widely by playing a role in the scientific development of the ICS.