Prof Benedict Michael

About Benedict Michael

Prof Benedict D Michael is an MRC Clinician Scientist and Director of the Infection Neuroscience Lab at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit for Emerging and Zoonotic Infection and an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at The Walton Centre.

He completed Post-Doctoral Training at the Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and UMASS where he was developed an intravital microscopy model of viral encephalitis to image leucocyte migration into the brain in real-time.

He has received The Royal College of Physicians Linacre Lecture Award (2022), The Liversage Award for Neurology and The British Medical Association Vera Down Award for Neuroscience, and for his neurological education work in Africa, he is Honorary Faculty for the Royal College of Physicians and his team were the 2020 Finalists for the Royal College Awards for Excellence in Education.

He has an h-index of 36, an i10-index of 67, with >200 publications, and >8100 citations, primarily on neurological infection and inflammation. He has grant income of approximately £4.3M as PI and also £17M as Co-I from the MRC, Wellcome, NIHR, WHO and Academy of Medical Sciences.

He is Vice Chair of the Encephalitis International's Scientific Advisory Panel and a Scientific Advisor to the Meningitis Research Foundation. He has worked as a Royal College of Physicians Faculty Tutor in West Africa and with the NIHR to promote Patient and Public Engagement in research.

COVID-19

He co-chairs the The Global NeuroResearch Coalition and also sits on the WHO Expert Forum on Neurology and COVID-19.

• WHO Guidance on Neurological Complications of COVID-19
• WHO Scientific Brief
• WHO COVID-19 Living Guideline

He leads the COVID-Clinical Neuroscience Study (£2.3m UKRI) COVID-CNS in partnership with Co-PI (KCL), to elucidate disease mechanisms of neurological complications of SARS-CoV2.

He also leads the National Surveillance Programme for Neurological Complications of COVID-19, CoroNerve, in collaboration with the Association of British Neurologists, British Paediatric Neurology Association, British Association of Stroke Physicians, Royal College of Psychiatry, The NeuroAnaesthesia and Critical Care Society, and other key stakeholders.

NIDAS

The Neurological Infectious Disease Advice Service (NIDAS) provides advice for clinicians on acute aspects of the diagnosis and management of patients with neurological infections and also support for those suffering neurological sequalae following the acute episode through our NeuroID Clinic. For more information, click here. 

Speciality

Neurological infection and inflammation 

Qualifications

MBChB(Hons), MRCP(Neurol), PhD 

Clinical/research interests

Neurological infection and inflammation 

Encephalitis 
 
Neurological complications of COVID-19  

Membership of professional regional and national bodies

Royal College of Physicians (Member and Educational Faculty) 

Association of British Neurologists (SIG Neuro-Infection co-Chair) 

WHO Expert Forum on COVID-19 Neurology 

WHO Clinical Exchange Platform Lead