Christopher Dennis

Biography

Associate Professor Christopher (Chris) Dennis is a renowned respiratory physician and past Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine (1997-2007) at the Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH), Sydney. As Associate Dean and Head of Sydney Medical School’s Northern Clinical School, he oversees research, undergraduate and postgraduate medical training over a precinct of hospitals and research institutes in Northern Sydney and beyond. Associate Professor Dennis’ interest in respiratory medicine commenced during his training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and continued during his five years post-residency training in Cambridge, UK where he worked as the Cystic Fibrosis Research Fellow and later as the Senior Cardiopulmonary Transplant Fellow at Papworth Hospital. He returned to Sydney in 1994 and joined the Department of Respiratory Medicine at RNSH. His clinical interests include the management of pulmonary thromboembolic disease and pulmonary vascular disease, interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, and pulmonary disease in immune-compromised patients. Renowned for his diagnostic skills and the management of complex cases, he has special expertise in managing patients requiring multidisciplinary care in a tertiary referral centre. Passionate about clinical excellence and imparting this to future generations of medical professionals, Associate Professor Dennis is extensively involved in teaching students, basic physician trainees and advanced trainees through Sydney Medical School and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). He maintains strong relationships with students and junior doctors, and has fostered the careers of many of the current medical specialists and fellows. He has served as Honorary Secretary of the Examinations Committee of the RACP and has been a member of the College’s National Examining Panel since 1998.

Research Interest

Associate Professor Dennis’ research interests focus on projects in respiratory medicine that have a direct bearing on clinical practice, including: Development of diagnostic algorithms for pulmonary thromboembolism Clinical classification and treatment of interstitial lung disease Anti-inflammatory therapy for bronchiectasis Bronchoscopy and lung biopsy in the evaluation of immunocompromised patients with pulmonary complications