Robert graduated with honours from the University of Birmingham School of Medicine in 2007, having also gained a first-class honours degree in Public Health during his undergraduate training. He completed general medical training in Birmingham, and having developed a keen interest in ophthalmology during his undergraduate degree, was appointed to the West Midlands Deanery clinical ophthalmology training rotation in August 2009. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in August 2017 and received his Certificate of Completion of Training in August 2019.

Throughout the initial years of his clinical training, Robert was employed as a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF). This enabled him to develop a research interest in ocular immunology, culminating in the award of a clinical fellowship by Fight for Sight to support his PhD research investigating the role of betaglycan – a component of the TGFβ receptor – in T-lymphocyte responses relevant to the eye. He was awarded his PhD by the University of Birmingham in July 2016.

He completed his clinical training in the role of NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer during which time he became interested in evidence synthesis and systematic reviews in ophthalmology, publishing several reviews in the field of treatment of inflammatory ocular disease, and supervising undergraduate students in writing reviews for student-selected modules and intercalated BMedSc dissertation projects.

During this time Robert also developed a keen interest in medical education, completing of a masters-level post-graduate certificate in higher education (PGCHE) at the University of Birmingham. Through this he was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and accreditation of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA). He is passionate about education both within the field of ophthalmology, and in the wider context of general medical training.

Robert currently delivers taught components of the undergraduate medical curriculum to students in all years of the MBChB programme at the University of Birmingham Medical School, and participates in regional post-graduate teaching for trainees in ophthalmology, and those in other medical specialities. He has led the design and delivery of post-graduate educational courses, including the junior doctors’ induction programme for the West Midlands Deanery School of Ophthalmology, and the ‘Oculus’ annual revision course for the FRCOphth Part 2 clinical examination. He also delivers lectures to sixth-form students through the University of Birmingham Masterclass outreach lecture scheme. He is keen to influence medical education on a national level, and have been appointed to the roles of Resource Development Fellow and Training the Trainers Lead for the Ophthalmic Core Clinical Competency Framework (OCCCF) programme with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. This programme has been established to design a curriculum and the necessary educational resources to facilitate allied health professionals in ophthalmology to take on extended clinical roles.

Robert was appointed to the role of Clinical Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmology in August 2019, and continues to develop his teaching and research interests in medical education and ocular inflammatory disease. He is co-lead for the Healthcare and Biomedical Education Research Theme for the University of Birmingham Institute of Clinical Sciences.

Research themes

Clinical ophthalmology

Working within the Discovery and Translational Science theme of the Institute of Clinical Sciences, Robert participates in clinical research through his role as a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre. He has a particular interest in data synthesis and systematic reviews in inflammatory eye disease. He has published a variety of systematic reviews, and regularly supervises undergraduate MBChB and BMedSc students producing review articles.

Robert also supports a variety of clinical and translational basic science research projects with the University of Birmingham Academic Unit of Ophthalmology. 

Medical education

In his role as Clinical Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Robert is developing pedagogical research projects in the field of medical education, working within the Healthcare and Biomedical Education theme of the Institute of Clinical Sciences.