Dr Stephen Oxberry

Medical Director

MBChB BSc (Hons) PhD FRCP

Steve qualified from Leeds University Medical School in 1999 having achieved an intercalated BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology. He completed his basic clinical postgraduate training in Yorkshire, including medical jobs in Oncology, Cardiology and allied subjects (including six months on the regional liver transplant unit) at St James’s Hospital in Leeds. Despite his experience in acute medicine, he felt his focus should be in the expanding field of Palliative Medicine, having spent the last six months of his medical rotation in St Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds.

Steve had a keen interest in research whilst in training and had work involving cancer bone pain and non-pharmacological methods of pain intervention, including acupuncture, published. Whilst undertaking his Palliative Medicine registrar training, Steve completed further research as part of a Hull York Medical School Clinical Fellowship Award. As part of the award he joined Academic Cardiology in Hull where he completed his PhD entitled: Opioids for the management of breathlessness in Chronic Heart Failure. A variety of research papers have been produced from this and other work and, to date, he has over twenty peer-reviewed publications.

His area of interest remains intractable breathlessness and its management and he remains keen to be involved in research and measuring outcomes for patients and their families. He was elected to Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2015.

He has two young daughters that share his passion for ballet, dressing up, applying make-up and disco-dancing. When he escapes the rigors of family life he is happiest tending and nurturing plants in his garden.