Dr Sharmila Khot

Cyhoeddiad

• Date
• Type
• Dyrchafiad i

Ymchwil

My specialist clinical interests are in pain management, including acute postoperative pain, pain and fatigue in systemic inflammatory conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and in other chronic persistent pain conditions including fibromyalgia.

My research interests cover clinical and physiological aspects of preclinical and clinical pain research using advanced imaging methods.

I am also developing imaging research evaluating brain mechanisms of sedation including electrical, metabolic and functional connectivity underlying GABAergic and non-GABAergic sedation. I am interested in both forward and reverse translational research.

Clinical: I am a Co-Investigator in a clinical neuroimaging pain study assessing the effect of Tofacitinib (JAK-STAT inhibitor) on Pain processing in rheumatoid arthritis. Abnormal pain processing in the brain is associated with severe pain and disability including fatigue and sleep disturbances in RA. Cytokines have been implicated in the pathophysiology of abnormal pain processing. Effective inhibition of cytokines may lead to rapid restoration of pain processing and more substantial reduction in pain as well as other symptoms. However specific neural mechanisms of pain or fatigue and response to biological treatments remain unknown. Our research utilises cutting edge brain imaging techniques in order to address this gap in our knowledge.

Drug research: Through a process of clinical audit, research and publications I have successfully led the development of a market for a ‘specials product’: topical Gabapentin cream, manufactured in a local NHS pharmaceutical unit. My group has validated the existing formulation and trademarked the product; Gabagel. 

Neuroscience: Pain is a complex bio-psycho-social phenomenon involving peripheral and central mechanisms. 

A human experimental model for chronic pain remains difficult to characterise due to the sensory, motivational and cognitive experiences that define pain. Chronic pain presents with an apparent shift towards greater affective and cognitive influences during individual pain experience. We aim to explore the cortical mechanisms of chronic pain utilising non-invasive magnetoencephalography (MEG). 

Fatigue is experienced by people suffering from several neurological and non-neurological conditions. I am interested in exploring the cerebral mechanisms that underpin fatigue experienced in several disease models utilising advanced neuroimaging techniques developed in CUBRIC.

Methodological: I am interested in the development of functional neuroimaging for clinical applications such as drug development, exploring mechanisms of drug activity with sedation, e.g. GABAergic/non-GABAergic and in clinical pain conditions. I have contributed to the development of advanced methods of functional and structural neuroimaging to characterise anatomical and functional changes in the development of neuroimaging markers of drug effects.

Research Collaborators

Prof Richard Wise, Head of MRI, CUBRIC, School of Psychology, CU

Prof Krishna Singh, Head of Human Electrophysiology, CUBRIC, School of Psychology, CU

Prof Ernest Choy, Head of Rheumatology and Translational Research-School of Medicine CU

Prof Kevin Murphy, School of Physics and Astronomy, CUBRIC, CU

Dr Girish Patel, Consultant Dermatologist, Cardiff and Vale UHB and Honorary Senior Lecturer, European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, Haydn Ellis Building, CU

Dr Sarah Hiom, All Wales Specialist Pharmacist, R and D, St Mary’s Pharmaceutical Unit, Cardiff and Vale UHB

Dr David Nunns, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust.

Dr Neeraj Saxena, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, Cwm Taf University Health Board, Clinical Senior Lecturer, CUBRIC, Visiting Professor University of South Wales.

Dr Kyle Pattinson, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Consultant Anaesthetist and Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford

Grants

2018 ASPIRE Pfizer Rheumatology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Awards

Addysgu

Roedd fy ngweithgaredd addysgu fel Uwch Ddarlithydd Anrhydeddus, yr Ysgol Meddygaeth, CU (2008-2013), yn ymdrin â sawl agwedd ar addysgu, o sesiynau un i un fel tiwtor personol i ddatblygu technegau addysgu arloesol yn lleol ac ar gyrsiau cenedlaethol. Mae fy nghynulleidfa yn cynnwys myfyrwyr meddygol, staff clinigol, a myfyrwyr israddedig ac ôl-raddedig a chydweithwyr o wahanol arbenigeddau gan gynnwys seiciatreg, ffisiotherapi, meddygaeth adsefydlu, niwroleg ac ymarfer cyffredinol.

Addysgu israddedig: Rwy'n addysgu ar yr ysgol feddygol ail flwyddyn, achos modiwl poen cefn isel 14. Mae hyn yn cynnwys addysgu sgiliau clinigol yn ogystal â thiwtor tyllog lumbar yn yr ysgol biowyddorau. Rwyf wedi dysgu o'r blaen ar y modiwl Proffesiynoldeb ac Amrywiaeth (hen gwricwlwm) gan gynnwys sesiynau dysgu trochol dan arweiniad dehonglwyr. Rwyf wedi bod yn arholwr ar gyfer MBBS terfynol ac yn goruchwylio Prosiectau a Ddewisir gan Fyfyrwyr, ac mae'r rhan fwyaf ohonynt wedi'u cyflwyno mewn cyfarfodydd lleol a chenedlaethol.  

Addysgu arbenigol clinigol: Cefais fy mhenodi'n Gynghorydd Rhanbarthol mewn Rheoli Poen i Gymru ar gyfer Coleg Brenhinol yr Anesthetyddion am ddau dymor o 3 blynedd, ac yn aelod o Bwyllgor Hyfforddi Arbenigedd Anaesthesia, yn ogystal â grŵp cynghori Anesthesia Cymru fel cynrychiolydd Meddygaeth Boen. Datblygais yr hyfforddiant strwythuredig mewn Meddygaeth Poen yng Nghymru.

Rwyf wedi cael gwahoddiad i Ddarlithydd mewn nifer o gyrsiau astudio cenedlaethol ar gyfer anesthetyddion yn fwyaf nodedig ar y technegau Hyfforddi yr Hyfforddwyr: Grwpiau Bach Addysgu yng Nghymdeithas Anesthetyddion Prydain Fawr ac Iwerddon.

Rwy'n parhau i ddysgu dull bioseicogymdeithasol integredig o reoli poen a ffisioleg poen i bob lefel o anaesthesia a hyfforddeion meddygon teulu.

Bywgraffiad

Addysg Israddedig: MBBS

Addysg Ôl-raddedig: FRCA, FFPMRCA, MD Anaesthesia, Diploma mewn Anaesthesia, MSc Rheoli Poen Prifysgol Caerdydd

Cyflogaeth:

2004-presennol: Ymgynghorydd yn Anaesthesia, Meddygaeth Poen a Gofal Dwys, Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro

Ebrill 2019-presennol: Cymrawd Ymchwil Glinigol (Cyffuriau a Ffisioleg), CUBRIC, CU

2013-2018: Uwch Ddarlithydd Anrhydeddus, CUBRIC, Ysgol Seicoleg, Prifysgol Caerdydd (secondiad ymchwil)

2007-2013: Uwch Ddarlithydd Anrhydeddus mewn Addysg Feddygol, Ysgol Meddygaeth, Prifysgol Caerdydd (addysgu israddedig ac ôl-raddedig, addysg efelychu, datblygu cyrsiau a hyfforddiant)

Aelodaethau proffesiynol

• Cymrawd Coleg Brenhinol Anesthetyddion Great Britan ac Iwerddon
• Cymrawd y Gyfadran Meddygaeth Boen, Coleg Brenhinol yr Anesthetyddion
• Cymdeithas Poen Prydain