Dr Nick Summerton has a background in general practice, academic clinical epidemiology and public health medicine.  Over the last fifteen years, as a general practitioner in Yorkshire, he has developed particular interests in primary care diagnostics; gaining a doctorate (DM) from the University of Oxford in 2002.

In addition to continuing as a sessional general practitioner Nick now also works part-time for BMI Healthcare (Clinical Lead) and as Co-Director of the Yorkshire NHS Regional Research Network. In this latter role his major task has been to develop a robust primary care research network (the Pickles Group) and to forge strong commercial links.

Nick has a broad range of academic interests in diagnostics, defensive medical practice and roman medicine. Recent publications include:

Diagnostics

• Almond S and Summerton N. Diagnosis in general practice: test of time (part of BMJ series `in press`).
• Summerton N.  Evaluating diagnostic tests: selecting diagnostic tests for evaluation.  BMJ 2008; 336: 683.
• Summerton N.  The medical history as a diagnostic technology.  Brit J Gen Pract 2008; 58: 273-276.
• Summerton N.  Diagnostic testing: the importance of context.  Brit J Gen Pract 2007; 57: 678-679.
• Summerton N.  Patient-Centred Diagnosis.  Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press, 2007. (book).

Others

• Summerton N.  Medicine and Health Care in Roman Britain.  Princes Risborough: Shire Publications Ltd, 2007. (book).
• Kessler DP, Summerton N, Graham JR.  The effects of the medical liability system in Australia, the UK, and the US. Lancet 2007; 368: 240-246.

Until 2008 Nick worked as the part-time clinical & public health advisor to NICE, and continues to sit on a number of DH diagnostics and screening committees. Nick also serves as a member of the UK Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Diagnostic Technologies and Screening Panel and recently gave the keynote address at the International Symposium on the “Evaluation of Medical Tests”.