Areas of Expertise
Professor Howard treats various conditions including the following:
- Unexplained breathlessness and exercise intolerance
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pulmonary hypertension
Some of the treatments and procedures he offers are:
- Exercise testing
- Right heart catheterisation.
Personal Biography
Professor Luke Howard completed his undergraduate training in Physiological Sciences at the University of Oxford, which he followed directly with his research doctorate, also at Oxford, in Altitude Physiology. He moved to the University of Cambridge to complete his clinical studies. He acquired his general medical training in London at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital and then undertook specialist training in Cambridge and Papworth before moving back to London to take up his current consultant position.
Professor Howard was appointed Consultant Pulmonologist to the National Pulmonary Hypertension Service at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London in 2006. He also holds an honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer post at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. He runs the Exercise Physiology Service, based at Hammersmith Hospital.
He has an active research programme in Pulmonary Hypertension and Exercise Physiology, as well as sitting on national and international committees and guideline groups for pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, oxygen therapy and air travel. He is regarded as an international expert, lecturing around the world in his areas of interest.
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Why did you choose to become a part of OneWelbeck?
This was a great opportunity to come in to a collaborative environment from the outset and help to fashion the sort of services that work for both patients and physicians.
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What are the moments which stand out most in your career so far?
There are rarely specific moments, although certain individual patients always stick in one’s memory. Occasions when you have taken a different turn with a diagnostic or treatment pathway that has not been thought of or explored, but has been life changing for a patient. These strategies often require significant effort, but the result brings not only benefit for an individual, but can may pave the way for a new understanding of a condition or how certain drugs may work. More often, stand out moments happen when you look back at something you have helped to build over months to years and with great satisfaction you see the benefit it has given to many. Finally, like many being central to the acute COVID response, managing patients on the high dependency unit and then following up survivors will never be far from my most memorable experiences in my career.
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What keeps you busy in your personal life?
Family, rowing and cycling.
