Cohort 4

Samuel Mills

  • Senior Leadership Fellow
  • Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • 2023

In my 12 months as a Topol Digital Fellow I will use machine learning techniques to develop a clinical decision tool to rule out a life threating condition called pulmonary embolism.

My Topol fellowship problem / project:

A pulmonary embolism (PE) happens when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the lungs. This is a serious condition and can be life threatening. It’s hard for doctors to know if someone has PE because the signs are not always clear. At the moment a lot of patients’ need scans to prove they don’t have a PE. This can be risky because scans use radiation, which can cause cancer and contrast dye which can damage the kidneys. This study aims to find a safer and easier way to see if someone has PE without using harmful tests. If it works, it could save people from having the scans with radiation and save the NHS a lot of money, allowing it to help more people.

I am currently a leadership fellow in acute medicine at the ambulatory assessment unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. My time is split between assessing patients, teaching and working in research. I have a broad range of clinical experience in NHS hospitals from remote Scottish islands to large teaching hospitals attached to a university. I was previously awarded an NIHR Research Fellowship in Southampton and have been involved in conducting clinical trials, performing systematic reviews and writing national guidelines.