Hailing from South Africa, Mark Gunning, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, qualified in Capetown in 1988, and has worked in the NHS since 1991. All of his cardiology higher training was undertaken in London, and he took up his post at University Hospital of North Midlands post since 2003. 

He says: “It has been a privilege to work in cardiology through a period of very significant evolution. The treatments we are able to offer now, for a whole range of cardiac conditions, are markedly superior to those at our disposal when I first qualified over 25 years ago.

“Important landmarks on that timeline include the introduction of intra-coronary stents, the development of primary angioplasty as a treatment for myocardial infarction (heart attack), and the introduction of TAVI - a means of replacing a diseased heart valve without the need for open heart surgery.

“Unequivocally the best part of my job is interacting with and treating patients. This is particularly rewarding when helping someone who is critically unwell, when they arrive within the department for emergency treatment, and we are able to offer both swift relief for symptoms, but also on occasion, life-saving treatment. All these years down the line, I still relish the front-line medicine.”