Professor Jon Townend BSc, MB, ChB, FRCP, FRCP, FESC

• Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology since 2002
• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians since 2002
• MD University of Birmingham 1994
• MB ChB University of Birmingham 1983
• BSc (hons) University of Birmingham 1980 

Professor Townend was born in York and educated in Cumbria.  His undergraduate training was at the University of Birmingham where he included an intercalated BSc in Physiology.  Postgraduate training was in Birmingham and St George’s Hospital London. 

He was appointed Lecturer in the University Department of Cardiology in 1994 and then BHF Senior Lecturer 1997-2002.  He was appointed as a Consultant Cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in 2002. 

Alongside a career in interventional cardiology Professor Townend has maintained an active research programme.  He has published in a variety of fields including cardiac autonomic control, coronary artery disease including acute myocardial infarction, interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease. 

Professor Townend was Clinical Service Lead for Cardiology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham from 2011-2015.  He was secretary of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society between 2000 and 2003 and a member of the BHF project grant committee between 2002 and 2005. He was a member of the BCIS Clinical Standards Group between 2012-2016 and Associate Director for R&D at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust 2013-2017. 

1. Dr J C Vaile 1997-1999. MD (Awarded with honours) 2001.  ‘Human cardiac vagal control in health and cardiovascular disease’
2. Dr J Thambyrajah 1999-2001 MD (Awarded with honours) 2002.  ‘The role of homocysteine in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in chronic renal failure’
3. Ms K Kullar 1998-2000 M Med Sci 2000 ‘Cardiac autonomic function following ablation of re-entrant tachycardias’
4. Dr S Chowdhary 1999-2002  PhD 2002 ‘Nitric oxide and human cardiac vagal control’
5. Dr H Routledge 2000-2004  MD 2006  ‘ Air pollutants and the cardiovascular system’
6. Dr A Buch 2001-2003  MD  2006  ‘The effect of manipulating the l-arginine-nitric oxide pathway on cardiac vagal control in human heart failure’
7. Dr NC Edwards 2005-2008 PhD 2012:  ‘Mineralocorticoid Receptor Blockade in Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease; Effects on Conduit Arteries and the Left Ventricle’.
8. Dr Colin Chue 2008-2012  PhD 2013.  ‘Does phosphate binding with sevelamer carbonate improve cardiovascular structure and function in patients with early chronic kidney disease?’
9. Dr Will Moody  2010- 2014  PhD . Effect of a reduction in renal function on cardiovascular structure and function; a prospective study of living kidney donors
10. Dr Manvir Hayer
11. Dr Anna Price 2016-2020  Ph D 2021. Effect of a reduction in renal function on cardiovascular structure and function. A 5 year follow up study
12. Dr Ashwin Radhakrishnan 2018-2020   Studies on coronary microvascular function in chronic kidney disease MD 2021

The Birmingham Cardio-Renal Research Group has undertaken many clinical and laboratory studies examining the causes and potential treatments for cardiovascular disease in patients with early stage chronic kidney disease.  A number of clinical techniques hav been used including arterial tonometry, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, and Doppler coronary measurement of coronary flow velocity.

Laboratory and clinical studies are ongoing.

• Consultant cardiologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
• Chair of TSC, The High-volume Haemodiafiltration vs High-flux Haemodialysis Registry Trial H4RT, funded by NIHR HTA, University of Bristol
• Chair of end point adjudication committee, ALL-HEART, NIHR HTA, University of Dundee