Dr John Willan

Supernumery Fellow in Clinical Medicine

Consultant Haematologist – Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Frimley Health Foundation Trust

Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Haematology – Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Science

Subject Clinical Haematology

Qualifications BA (Cantab), BM BCh (Oxon), DPhil (Oxon), MRCP, FRCPath

Academic Background

I am the Fellow of Clinical Medicine at Brasenose and so am responsible for coordinating and delivering the college-based teaching to students in their clinical years.  As the numbers of clinical students in each year are relatively small, I am able to get to know the students well, and I aim to tailor the teaching that is delivered to the needs of the individual students, giving many of the tutorials myself, but also calling on a large network of clinicians affiliated to the college to ensure specialist teaching can be provided as needed.

I have been involved in clinical medicine teaching for many years, previously working as an external tutor of clinical medicine at Magdalen College (2009-2016). 

In my role as a clinical haematologist I am heavily involved in the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of patients with haematological disease, especially malignancies such as leukaemia and lymphoma.  These patients may often require very intensive treatment (including combination chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation), and so managing them requires astute clinical acumen, and keeps me involved with all the different fields of medicine.  I also manage patients with other haematological diseases such as sickle cell disease, haemophilia and thrombophilia.

Undergraduate Teaching

I am mostly involved in teaching clinical medicine, though am happy to deliver pre-clinical tutorials as time allows.

Graduate Teaching

Clinical medicine, including bed-side examination in all areas of medicine and surgery, communication skills, radiology, blood test interpretation, ECGs etc

Research Interests

I have helped to direct the response of my local NHS hospital, and wider department to the urgent changes in delivery of care required due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have published practical guidelines for the management of patients with blood cancers. I have an ongoing interest in the risks of long-COVID to this group of patients.

I have a strong interest in the development of machine-learning algorithms to improve risk assessment of patients. I have developed an algorithm which is able (on retrospective data) to outperform current methods of risk assessment of patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and I am now working with leading international researchers to see if this finding can be replicated in prospective data for patients with suspected DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE).

I have also developed a web-based patient management system which uses individualised pharmacokinetic analysis of patients with severe haemophilia to help improve management of this condition. This project has won a local innovation award to support its development.

Selected Publications include:

Post-COVID-19-syndrome in patients with haematological disorders who have survived infection with SARS-CoV-2.  Willan J, Hernandez L, Katz H and Bienz N. British Journal of Haematology. 2022 April. doi: 10.1111/bjh.18010.

Care of Haematology Patients in a COVID-19 Epidemic. Willan J, King A, Hayes S, Collins G and Peniket A. British Journal of Haematology. 2020 March 15. doi: 10.1111/bjh.16620

Challenges for NHS Hospitals during COVID-19 Epidemic. Willan J, King A, Jeffery K and Bienz N. British Medical Journal. 2020 Mar 20;368:m1117. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m111

Machine learning algorithms in DVT risk assessment. Willan J, Katz H and Keeling D. Oral presentation at International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis Congress, Melbourne, Australia, July 2019.

The use of artificial neural network analysis can improve risk-stratification of patients presenting with suspected deep vein thrombosis. Willan J, Katz H and Keeling D. British Journal Haematology. 2019 April;185(2):289-296.

Email address John.willan@bnc.ox.ac.uk