Chris Skilbeck rides for Facial Palsy UK

July 31, 2013

Chris Skilbeck in training

It’s not just people with facial palsy who are raising funds for Facial Palsy UK, health professionals are also passionate about our cause! Chris Skilbeck spoke to us about why he wants to raise funds for Facial Palsy UK.

“I am currently the Skull Base Fellow (ENT) at Guy’s, King’s and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen Square) working with Mr Rupert Obholzer and Professors Mike Gleeson and Shak Saeed. During my ENT training I developed an interest in the management of facial palsy. I was fortunate to win the Nan Blofeld Award to enable me to spend a period at the renowned Facial Nerve Center of the Masachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, USA, I was also able to join their impressive research program.

To further my interest and to increase my experience, I have been able to join Mr Charles Nduka and his excellent team at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead. I have also been involved in the facial function clinic at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital and more recently we have a new facial palsy clinic which Charles joins at Guy’s Hospital.

This autumn, I am due to take up a second period of Skull Base Fellowship at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, where I have also successfully gained a place to study for a postgraduate degree studying the electrophysiology of the facial nerve during skull base surgery.

Following my extended training I hope to secure appointment as a consultant skull base surgeon where I aim to further my interest in improving outcomes for patents with facial palsy.  I am passionate about providing a better service for people with facial palsy so I am raising funds for the charity when I take part in the Prudential London-Surrey Ride100 this weekend (Sunday 4 August).”

If you would like to sponsor Chris please visit his JustGiving page here.  Chris is also raising funds to support leukaemia & lymphoma research and has set up a separate fundraising page for this. We’d like to thank Chris for all his efforts and wish him all the best for Sunday!