Carl Philpott

Although only at Sir Roger Manwoods for the sixth form, Carl’s time at our school helped shape his preparation for medical school. Today Carl is a leading ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist in Norwich and Great Yarmouth whose areas of expertise in rhinology (medicine related to the nose and sinuses) includes research into smell and taste disorders and endoscopic sinus surgery (a non-invasive surgery that helps clear blocked sinuses).

Carl’s involvement in this specialist area of medical practice and research started after he completed his medical degree at Leicester University Medical School. He undertook advanced surgical training at the St Paul’s Sinus Centre in Vancouver. He also trained at the Dresden University Smell and Taste Clinic. His research career started by developing apparatus for olfactory testing (related to the sense of smell), where he discovered a passion for clinical research at the same time as discovering that Smell and Taste Disorders (SATDs) were an under-researched area. Today his academic contributions include over 190 publications, editorial roles, and teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

In 2017, he was appointed as Professor of Rhinology & Olfactology and has established a national and international reputation for leading research in his field. As a Chief Investigator, he currently manages over £4.5 million in research funding. During the Covid pandemic, when people’s sense of taste and smell were impacted by the infection, this quite niche area of medicine and medical research came to the fore and the years of hard work that Carl had put into this field became something that many people wanted to understand in more detail, as you can read in this article  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-65557028

When recently reflecting on his career, Carl wrote “This neglected area of research meant that I needed a lot resilience to keep going as there are many knock backs, particularly when trying to get funding in what’s seen as a niche area. If you had told me at school or even after finishing medical school that I would hold an academic chair in this area of medicine by the age of 42, then I would have not believed you! Last year our trial was published in the Lancet and was a major milestone, not only for me and for the project but for our specialty and the patients we serve." It is worth noting that the Lancet publishes only about 200 research papers each year and that is only about 5% of all the papers that are submitted. "So, my advice to any aspiring students is to follow your passion and keep going if you really believe in it…hopefully it will eventually pay off! So, follow your passion and keep going if you really believe in it…hopefully it will eventually pay off!”