Anita Simonds

Biography

Anita Simonds is a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital, and Professsor of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at NHLI, with a research and clinical interest in sleep disordered breathing, and acute and chronic respiratory failure in adults and children. She has investigated the physiological basis of breathing difficulties during sleep and carried out trials of ventilatory support in a range of conditions. Research projects have demonstrated that non-invasive ventilation extends survival in restrictive chest wall and neuromuscular conditions, especially Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Prof Simonds' team have performed randomised controlled trials of the timing of initiation of non-invasive ventilation, and of a variety of ventilatory modes. This work has contributed to numerous clinical guidelines and standards of care. Having demonstrated that sleep disordered breathing is common in heart failure patients, the sleep research team is now exploring the effects of nocturnal adaptive servo-ventilation on survival and cardiac outcomes as part of a European multicentre trial jointly with Professor Martin Cowie. The team is also carrying out an NIHR CLAHRC funded trial of telemonitoring in respiratory and heart failure patients, and a trial of an autotitrating non-invasive ventilator. Together with Prof M Morrell, she is examining the impact of obstructive sleep apnoea on cognitive and neuroanatomical function, and the ability of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy to reverse any decrements. Prof Simonds has been awarded the Margaret Pfrommer medal for clinical and research contribution to Long Term Mechanical Ventilation, by American College of Chest Physicians. The Margaret Pfrommer memorial lecture was published in the journal Chest.

Research Interest

cognitive and neuroanatomical function, Speech therapy