Meet the Doctors
Professor Jacky Smith
Jacky graduated in Medicine from Manchester University in 1992 and continued her training around the North West region in General and Respiratory Medicine. She took time out of her clinical training to study for a PhD in the 'Measurement of Cough' which was awarded in 2004. After completing specialist training she returned to research and was funded by a Stepping Stones Award from Manchester University. She is an inventor on a patent owned by the University Hospital of South Manchester, covering novel concepts for automated detection of cough from sound signals. Jacky’s main research interests are understanding why people cough, hypersensitivity of the human cough reflex and the testing new medicines and alternative therapies.
Doctor Imran Satia
Dr Imran Satia was born and brought up in Blackburn. He graduated in Medicine from the University of Cambridge in 2006 and started his clinical training in the North West. He developed an interest in chest medicine and has been on the specialist rotation since August 2010.
In January 2013 he took time out of his clinical training to pursue a career in research by starting a PhD under the supervision of Professor Jacky Smith. His main research interest is in trying to understand why and how asthmatics cough more. In addition, he also performs bronchoscopy and provides a clinical service in the cough clinic.
Doctor Huda Badri
Huda joined the team in 2013 as a clinical research fellow, splitting her time between seeing patients in the clinic and carrying out research. She has been a specialist trainee since 2007 and a respiratory registrar in the North West for the past 4 years.
Originally from Sudan, Huda grew up in West Yorkshire and did her undergraduate training at the University of Leeds. She is currently underaking her PhD around which mechanisms in the body produce coughing and why some people are more prone to developing a chronic cough than others.
Meet our Secretary
Danniella Watkin
Danni originally worked at the University Hospital of South Manchester as an audio typist, and joined the cough clinic team in August 2013. As many of you will know the clinic was without a full time secretary for some time, so we’re very lucky to have Danni on board. She manages all the clinical enquiries, letters and results, keeping Professor Smith and the doctors in the clinic up to date and organised.
She’s used to handling vast amounts of paperwork, having previously worked in the Warrants Team at Greater Manchester Police.