Society for Endocrinology - a world-leading authority on hormones

Professor Drake’s drive to improve clinical standards and invest in his team is clear across all of his work. His commitment to high quality patient care is illustrated by the fact that the clinical department he leads has been awarded International comprehensive care status for von Hippel Lindau syndrome; and that his unit was recently awarded 5* star status by the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENS@T).

The focus of his current academic work has been to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Primary Aldosteronism (PA).  In 2016 he co-founded (with Professors Morris Brown and Mark Gurnell) the MATCH study, supported by the NIHR,  prospectively examining the accuracy of non-invasive molecular imaging  compared to standard adrenal vein sampling in predicting outcome from adrenalectomy in patients with PA. This collaborative study attracted a £1.2 million NIHR grant and a further £120 000 from Barts Charity. The main study (in 140 patients) closed to recruitment ahead of schedule and an extension, investigating a new imaging ligand, is in progress; both have attracted referrals from across the UK (testimonial below).  The same collaborative group was awarded a £220 000 grant to develop endoscopic oblation of aldosterone producing adrenal adenomas as a less invasive, potentially more widely available, alternative to surgery.

A third grant – to conduct a randomised study of adrenalectomy vs ablation in patients with PA – has just been awarded. These projects come from a constant questioning of the perceived wisdom, a willingness to collaborate and a drive to improve patient outcomes. He has inspired a generation of endocrinologists to deliver local care based on his principles. A collaborative approach to improve patient care also underpinned a separate body of work on behalf of the Society for Endocrinology. Using two separate grants from the Clinical Endocrinology Trust, data from 27 centres were collected and the resulting 4 JCEM and 1 Clinical Endocrinology publications have informed best practice in the field of echocardiographic surveillance for patients taking cabergoline for hyperprolactinaemia. He has been Training Programme Director for the NE Thames specialist registrar rotation for 16 years and has invested considerable time into developing young, talented endocrinologists into the clinical care deliverers and opinion-leaders of the future.