Digital Health Validation Lab

Professor David J Lowe

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Clinical Director of Innovation

Clinical Director, Innovation, University of Glasgow, Emergency Consultant at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, and Clinical Director for Health Innovation for Scottish Government. 

David has extensive experience in creating the infrastructure and conditions needed to transform projects into viable healthcare products. He has led on the development of a wide range of solutions within the digital health space, including Lenus COPD and Trauma App.

David also established the EmQuire research group, through which he plays a vital role in coordinating and supporting quality improvement, innovation, research and education at the QEUH and its Emergency Department.

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Dr Claire Higgs-McCallum

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Portfolio Manager

Claire holds a PhD in digital health evaluation methods and trial designs that inform product development, optimisation and real-world deployment. Following academic roles, including working as a postdoctoral researcher co-designing, developing and evaluating a self-management app for autoimmune rheumatic disease and serving as a Responsible Innovation Lecturer in Digital Health and Care, Claire transitioned to industry and programme management. 

Prior to joining DHVL, Claire was Research and Impact Manager at VC in London. There, she managed Innovation Fellows working across a portfolio of health tech ventures and supported founders in product development and evidence generation.

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Dr Chris McParland

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Patient and Public Involvement and Clinical Engagement Coordinator

Chris is a registered adult nurse with a PhD from the University of Glasgow and a background in Emergency Department care and clinical research nursing. As a mixed-methods researcher, he is skilled in both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with a strong commitment to involving patients and the public throughout the research process. In his role at DHVL, he draws on this experience to design and conduct tailored involvement activities. 

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Clea Du Toit

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Clinical Study and Data Coordinator

Before joining the DHVL team, Clea worked with Professor Padmanabhan as a HDRUK-funded research assistant and junior biostatistician at the School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health at University of Glasgow. She holds an MSci (Hons) in pharmacology and MSc in precision medicine, both from the University of Glasgow.

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Dr Hartesh Battu

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Senior Innovation Fellow

Hartesh graduated in Medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 2016 in addition to holding an intercalated Bachelor of Medical Science Degree in International Public Health Policy, awarded in 2013. He is a GP and has broad past clinical experience across several specialties including emergency medicine, spinal injuries rehabilitation, paediatrics, and obstetrics and gynaecology.

Hartesh has provided tailored evidence generation strategy advice and refined product-to-market approaches across diverse healthcare specialities – including mental health, women's health, and musculoskeletal care. He also recently served as a sub-investigator in the validation of a novel contactless optical stethoscope which can help to diagnose valvular heart disease.

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Dr Maggie Rostron

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Clinical Research Fellow

Maggie graduated with a BSc (Hons) in neuroscience from the University of Glasgow in 2008 before going on to study medicine. Prior to joining DHVL, she conducted pharmaceutical and intervention trials at Glasgow’s Clinical Research Facility, focusing on cardiovascular health, and conducted COVID-19 research at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH). Alongside her research, Maggie serves as a General Internal Medicine Specialist Registrar at QEUH, with a special interest in hypertension and digital health.

Maggie is currently working on projects including OPTIMA-BP, which aims to look at the use of home blood pressure monitoring with the support of an internet-based educational portal, and a contactless optical stethoscope to assess its ability to detect heart murmurs.

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Dr Sean Duncan

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Clinical Innovation Fellow

Sean graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2016 and recently completed his professional exams and training in Internal Medicine. He brings more than seven years of clinical experience, both from the UK and New Zealand. Sean is committed to advancing his skills in innovation and research, aiming to play a pivotal role in the development and integration of cutting-edge cancer treatments.

At DHVL, Sean’s primary focus is our RADICAL project, which is using chest x-ray analysis software from qure.ai to detect signs of cancer. The study is a key component of a national initiative aimed at enhancing cancer diagnostic pathways. He currently also focuses on mapping relationships between Genomic, Radiomic and clinical outcomes in a lung cancer cohort in collaboration with Canon Medical.

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Dr Dervla Carroll

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Clinical Innovation Fellow

Dervla qualified as a doctor from St Anne's College, University of Oxford in 2021, earning a BA and BMBCh. She completed Foundation Training within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in 2023 and now dedicates clinical time to the respiratory department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) as part of her role at DHVL.

Dervla has a keen interest in general internal medicine and medical education and is dedicated to advancing patient care.

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Dr Vijna Boodhoo

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Clinical Innovation Fellow

Dr Vijna Boodhoo graduated in Medicine from the University of Edinburgh. She has completed core surgical training and also brings valuable experience in obstetrics and gynaecology, as well as medical education. Her research interests span women’s and child health, global surgery, and medical innovations, with her current focus on exploring the use of virtual reality in surgical practice. 

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Dr Gowsikan Jeyakumar

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Clinical Innovation Fellow

At DHVL, Gowsikan's primary research was conducted in partnership with Qure.ai. His work focused on the Assess the Clinical Effectiveness in Prioritising CT Heads (ACcEPT) project, evaluating the use of artificial intelligence to enhance the prioritisation of non-contrast CT head scans. This project demonstrated how AI can assist radiologists by flagging scans requiring urgent attention, streamlining reporting processes, and improving patient outcomes.

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Dr Stewart Rodney

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Clinical Innovation Fellow

Stewart played a pivotal role in our MIRACLES project, which involved assessing the use of portable low-magnetic-field MRI scanners for acute stroke care in collaboration with Hyperfine. He also worked with Pneumowave to evaluate a wearable chest wall device for collecting respiratory waveform data in toxicology and anaesthetic populations. Additionally, Stewart explored the potential applications of large language models in medicine, further advancing digital health solutions.

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