Matt is Professor of Emergency Medicine at Edinburgh University and a Consultant and NRS Fellow at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He is Research Director of EMERGE, the Emergency Medicine Research Group Edinburgh, a multidisciplinary clinical research group delivering frontline applied health research which is the largest recruiter of EM research participants in the UK. Matt’s research work focuses broadly on Emergency Medicine research in challenging areas of acute care such as syncope, palpitations, and aortic dissection as well as the innovative use of novel technology. He has published over 140 papers and has personally been awarded over £8.5 million in research grants. Matt is also leading the EMERGE Biobank project, which is developing the infrastructure for a prospective, consecutive, emergency, bioresource for emergency presentations linked to the patient’s routinely collected hospital data. 

My research interest focuses broadly on challenging areas of acute care as well as the innovative use of novel technology and biomarkers. I am internationally renowned for my work on syncope, palpitations, and aortic dissection. My methodological expertise is in clinical epidemiology with interests in diagnostics and late phase clinical trials.

I am currently Chief Investigator for:

• BHF Project Grant PG/21/10805. Qualitative study to explore the acceptability of an accelerated syncope strategy to patients and staff involved in the ASPIRED trial. Chief Investigator £22,004.11
• BHF Clinical Study; £1,303,649.37. A multi-centre open label randomised controlled trial of a 14-day ambulatory ECG patch monitor versus standard care in emergency department unexplained syncope patients: The ASPIRED study. Chief Investigator, January 2021

I am currently a Co-Applicant for:

• Diagnostic Algorithms for VTE in Emergency Care (DAVE); RCEM £8,974; Co-App (CI Ben Clarke; TERN)
• AORTA-AI: Rapid Acute Aortic Syndrome Diagnosis using Artificial Intelligence (Sep 2023); £16,101; Co-Applicant (CI Jim Zhong)
• Repurposing flumazenil for pre-hospital intramuscular treatment of coma due to recreational drug overdose; 01 October 2023 (54 months). DPFS MRC Biomedical Catalyst Reference: MR/X030237/1; £2,853,402. Co-Applicant (CI Professor Michael Eddleston)ASES (Aortic Syndrome Evidence Synthesis): HTA 21/555 Health Technology Assessment Programme Researcher-led (evidence synthesis): Diagnostic strategies for suspected acute aortic syndrome (AAS): Evidence synthesis and value of information analysis; £209,020 01/11/2022 to: 31/10/2023 (12 months) Co-Applicant (CI S Goodacre); https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR151853
• NIHR HTA: DENS Study: NIHR131118 DENS RCT: Duration of External Neck Stabilisation following odontoid fracture in older or frail adults: a randomised controlled trial of collar versus no collar. Call: 19/82 Conservative management of odontoid fracture in the elderly: to immobilise or not? £2,014,760, Co-applicant (CI P Brennon), December 2020
• Wellcome Trust ISSF3. Multimorbidity and Emergency Healthcare Provision: Improving Care through Data Driven Innovation (£39,056), Co-applicant (CI Nazir Lone), January 2020
• DTP Precision Medicine. Delirium as an acute brain injury in hospital inpatients: can clinical features and biomarkers predict outcomes? (£45,027). Co-applicant (CI MacLullich AMJ), January 2020

I am currently a Principal Investigator for:

• Biomarkers for RAtional Investigation for Neurological decision Support in TBI: BRaINS-TBI; NIHR EME; NIHR159241; £3,028,111 (2024 to date)
• Repurposing flumazenil for pre-hospital intramuscular treatment of coma due to recreational drug overdose; 01 October 2023 (54 months). DPFS MRC Biomedical Catalyst Reference: MR/X030237/1; £2,853,402. Co-Applicant (CI Professor Michael Eddleston)ASES (Aortic Syndrome Evidence Synthesis): HTA 21/555 Health Technology Assessment Programme Researcher-led (evidence synthesis): Diagnostic strategies for suspected acute aortic syndrome (AAS): Evidence synthesis and value of information analysis; £209,020 01/11/2022 to: 31/10/2023 (12 months) Co-Applicant (CI S Goodacre); https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR151853
• NIHR HTA: DENS Study: NIHR131118 DENS RCT: Duration of External Neck Stabilisation following odontoid fracture in older or frail adults: a randomised controlled trial of collar versus no collar. Call: 19/82 Conservative management of odontoid fracture in the elderly: to immobilise or not? £2,014,760, Co-applicant (CI P Brennon), December 2020