Dr Elspeth Whitby

Elspeth Whitby is a senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield and an Honorary Consultant Radiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. Her area of interest both in her clinical practice and research is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the fetus (unborn baby) and neonate (new-born baby). She provides a national service for MRI of the fetus for pregnant women where the detail available from Ultrasound is incomplete or uncertain. Her aim is to ensure the service is what the parents need as well as the Doctors, and to research around these needs to develop a well-respected high quality service for all people involved in the patient pathway and especially the patient. She has developed, along with her Pathology colleagues the world’s first clinical Minimally Invasive Autopsy service. This is based on the research they undertook over the preceding 8 years. The service is relatively new and expanding. In addition to her clinical work she works in close collaboration with medical sociology to understand the needs of the parents and the professionals from the services she provides and understand the social context behind the need for these services.