Matt is a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Honorary Professor at Cardiff University and Curtin University in Australia, and a member of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Commission on the Future of the NHS.
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Matt is a regular BMJ columnist and has contributed to over 50 scientific articles following his PhD in artificial intelligence. He gave the 2023 Woodridge Lecture and was nominated for the Royal Society David Attenborough Award and Lecture for public engagement.
He is an accomplished author and his first book CRITICAL tells remarkable stories of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Matt’s second book, ONE MEDICINE, explores how understanding animals can help treat human disease, which is at the very heart of Humanimal Trust.
Reflecting on his role as Patron of Humanimal Trust, Matt, said: “I became captivated by the profound connections between human and animal health during my work as an ICU doctor. I saw powerful parallels between animals surviving in extreme environments and patients battling severe illness. Animals enduring conditions like extreme cold, heat, or oxygen deprivation share survival strategies with critically ill patients, such as high-altitude animals thriving in low oxygen environments or animals with tissue-regeneration abilities that inform human healing and recovery.
“I firmly believe that these insights should come from understanding animals in life, not death, and that studying and respecting their resilience and adaptations within their natural habitats is crucial. As a proud Patron of Humanimal Trust, I will champion a collaborative approach and do all I can to help the charity bridge the gap between human and veterinary medicine to advance health for all species.”
Matt’s third book LIFE 2.0, will tell the stories of patients after surviving a cardiac arrest and what these can teach us about our own lives. Matt shared some of these real-life examples during a talk he delivered at our recent 10th Anniversary Symposium, ‘One Medicine: Time to Innovate, Time to Act’ - click here to watch.
CEO of Humanimal Trust, Joe Bailey, said: “I am delighted to welcome Matt as our new Patron. Not only is he an incredibly skilled and dedicated physician, he is also an unbelievable advocate for One Medicine - a concept he has spoken passionately about at some of the largest book festivals in the world! He has written countless articles about the connections between humans and animals, and he is regularly interviewed on national and international radio and television programmes.
“This global platform gives Matt an invaluable opportunity to not only raise awareness of One Medicine, but to challenge human and veterinary medical professionals, researchers and academics to think differently; to step away from the norm and start learning with and from one another for the benefit of all species. I feel immensely proud that Matt has chosen to work closely with Humanimal Trust to help deliver our shared vision for One Medicine.”