Bhaskar Dasgupta

Professor Bhaskar Dasgupta (MB BS MD FRCP, born 1952) is a leading rheumatologist and Head of Rheumatology at Southend University Hospital, Essex, a leading UK Rheumatology department, offering specialist services for inflammatory arthritides. He is regarded as one of the leading clinicians in his specialty worldwide, and has helped Southend University Hospital grow to become one of the foremost centres of Rheumatological advancement globally. The Unit is renowned for research, teaching and training .
Dasgupta, also Clinical Director of Research at the Hospital, was awarded an Honorary Professorship by the University of Essex - the hospital’s first professorship at a UK university, and has been key to forging strong links between the hospital and academia, with the relationship of the University of Essex and Southend Hospital. Under his leadership, the hospital has developed a research culture responsible for the second highest portfolio activity within the Essex & Hertfordshire CLRN .
An international expert in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica , Professor Dasgupta is well known for his ground-breaking work on establishing criteria for diagnosing giant cell arteritis (GCA). Dasgupta and a cross border group of Doctors are seeking to educate their fellow medical professionals on the symptoms and prevent unnecessary blindness.
In March 2011, he attended the House of Lords, where Lord Michael Wills tabled a motion championing his efforts. Another prominent supporter of Professor Dasgupta's work is Dorothy Byrne, Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4 Television, who has written in national newspapers urging greater awareness of the condition and the easy prevention of permanent blindness.
Professor Dasgupta is internationally known in his field and has lectures regularly all over the world, most usually at conferences organised by The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), and International League of Association for Rheumatology (ILAR). He is the European leader for a groundbreaking international research study looking at ways to better diagnose and manage PMR.
To date, Dasgupta has had over 100 papers published in medical journals and remains highly distinguished in this arena . He is currently developing a worldwide initiative on the more accurate diagnosis criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica to reduce misdiagnosis, and therefore the unnecessary use of steroids. April 2012 saw an important milestone for Professor Dasgupta and his team - with landmark publications and accompanying press coverage on the classification criteria and assessment of patient reported outcomes in PMR. Dasgupta's article in the Lancet classed as one of the most read on-line medical articles of summer 2012.
His father, Professor Sabitabha Dasgupta, coincidentally, was also an eminent doctor, leading gynaecologist and editor of the prestigious Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dasgupta lives in Southend-on-sea, Essex, with his wife. He has two children.

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