Steve Keevil
Consultant Physicist and Reader in Medical Physics
Email: stephen.keevil@kcl.ac.uk
Qualifications
MA MSc PhD ARCP HonMRCR CPhys FInstP CSci FIPEM
Biography
After studying physics at Oxford University, I undertook a two-year NHS medical physics training programme, including an MSc at Surrey University. Although my training was based mainly in Brighton, I did my MSc research project at Guy’s Hospital, working on spatially localized NMR spectroscopy. I stayed on at Guy’s to continue this work for a PhD and to support in vivo spectroscopy research on an early 1.5T MRI system. For several years I combined this with a part-time appointment at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where I provided physics support to a low-field resistive MRI system.
Later, I took overall responsibility for physics support to MRI at Guy’s and St Thomas’, and a wider management role in which I combined university and NHS facilities into a jointly-managed centre. I continued medical physics training in parallel with these activities, leading to registration as a clinical scientist with the Health Professions Council. On completion of my PhD I was appointed lecturer and subsequently senior lecturer at King’s College London. In these posts I was involved in the development of Special Study Modules (SSMs) as part of the medical degree programme, serving as Head of SSMs for MB BS Phase 3 for some years. I was one of the main co-applicants on the equipment grant application that led to establishment of the Centre for MR Imaging and Intervention at Guy’s in 2000, and was joint Director of the Centre for several years. In 2005 I returned to the NHS as Consultant Physicist and Head of Magnetic Resonance Physics at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, while retaining an honorary academic appointment at King’s. The College conferred the title Reader in Medical Physics on me in 2010.
I have held a number of leadership roles in the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM), the professional body for medical physics and clinical engineering in the UK, including terms as Chair of the MR Special Interest Group and of the Science, Engineering and Technology Committee and as Vice President for External Affairs. I am currently President Elect of the Institute, due to become President in September 2013. I am also President of the UK Radiological Congress (UKRC) for 2012 and 2013, leading the UK’s largest annual conference for medical imaging professionals. I am a past Chair of the Safety Study Group of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and a member of the Safety Committees of both the ISMRM and the European Society for MR in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB) and of the MR Safety Working Group of the British Institute of Radiology (BIR). For several years I have represented the European MRI community in lobbying and negotiating about the EU Physical Agents (EMF) Directive and its impact on MRI as a leading member of the Alliance for MRI. This has involved working directly with senior officials and politicians, and appearances before committees of both the UK House of Commons and the European Parliament. In 2008 I was awarded Fellowship of the ESMRMB and Honorary Membership of the Royal College of Radiologists for this work.
Research Interests
Over the course of my career I have been involved in research in many areas of MR imaging and spectroscopy as an investigator, collaborator and research facilitator. At present, 20% of my time is ringfenced for research by the Trust. My main interests are in applications of MRI in biomechanics and cancer, fetal MR imaging and spectroscopy, and both practical and bioelectromagnetic aspects of MR safety.
Group members
My NHS group consists of registered and trainee clinical scientists, all of whom have research interests in addition to their clinical service roles supporting MRI across King’s Health Partners.
Dr Geoff Charles-Edward (Principal Clinical Scientist and Honorary Lecturer) leads on supports for clinical MRI at Guy’s and St Thomas’. He is involved in a wide range of MRI research projects in Radiology, with a particular interest in functional MRI applied to the detection of treatment response in colorectal cancer. He is PI on a Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity grant in this area.
Mr Robert Johnstone (Clinical Scientist) works at the interface between MRI and radiotherapy. He is particularly involved in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, and is pursuing a part-time PhD focusing on the use of advanced imaging and image processing techniques to improve dosimetry in combined brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy.
Dr Jonathan Ashmore (trainee Clinical Scientist and Honorary Research Fellow) supports MRI service and research activity on the Denmark Hill campus. He has particular interests in functional MRI of the brain, including perfusion, diffusion and activation imaging.
Ms Sarah Peel, a researcher and part-time PhD student with Professor Rene Botnar, also holds an honorary contract as a Clinical Scientist in my group.
In addition to supervising Rob Johnstone’s PhD work, I am second supervisor for Mr Andrew Lewis, a PhD student who is using MRI and computational simulation to model muscle anatomy and dynamics in cerebral palsy.
Teaching responsibility
I am Chair of the Student Selected Component (SSC) Examination Board at King’s, with overall responsibility for student assessment in the SSC thread of the MB BS programme. In addition to this school-wide responsibility, I am Divisional Postgraduate Coordinator, with oversight of all research students in Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering. I am a course coordinator for modules within the intercalated BSc Imaging Sciences, the BEng Biomedical Engineering, the MSc Clinical Science (Medical Physics) and the MSc Clinical Science (Clinical Engineering), and also teach on several other first degree and postgraduate courses both within King’s and externally.
NHS liaison and relationships
My primary appointment is with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), where I am Consultant Physicist and Head of Magnetic Resonance Physics. In addition, I am GSTT Research and Development Lead for Imaging and Biomedical Engineering, with research governance responsibility for all research projects and trials that require imaging or medical physics support. I am Magnetic Resonance Safety Adviser (MRSA) to the Trust and the College.