Dr Philip Platt

MD, FRCP

Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Born in Manchester 1953. Dr Platt was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School Stratford upon Avon and studied medicine at University of Birmingham Medical School qualifying in 1976. His general medical training was in Kidderminster and Stoke on Trent. He was introduced to rheumatology by Dr Richard Taylor, now independent MP for Wyre Forest. In 1980 he was appointed clinical lecturer in Dr Carson Dick's department of clinical rheumatology in Newcastle upon Tyne. He was appointed to his present post of Consultant Rheumatologist to the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals in 1984 based in the Musculo-Skeletal Unit Freeman Hospital. From 1998 to 2000 he was clinical director of the musculo-skeletal unit, which includes rheumatology, metabolic bone disease and orthopaedics.

Clinical interests include rheumatoid arthritis, gout and sports injuries. Dr Platt was chairman of the Northern Region section of the British Association for Sport and Exercise Medicine from 1996 to 2000 and chief organiser of the National Sports Medicine Congress in 1999. He has set up nurse led DMARD monitoring clinics in Newcastle producing all the necessary patient information, monitoring protocols and patient held records. As clinical director he was involved with discussions with the local health authority for North of Tyne for funding of anti-TNF therapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.