Many people give little thought to the privilege of normal toilet habits, but large numbers live with intrusive urinary symptoms, or dread them as part of getting older. The symptoms can include having to rush to the toilet, sleep disturbance, uncontrolled urinary leakage, or being unable to pass urine at all.

The numbers affected are enormous. Yet society continues to be shy about the topic and from a medical perspective little research is done, meaning treatment options are limited. Big change is needed; doctors need to be encouraged not to be shy with their patients, and they need to come together to agree strategies for improving bladder care. 

Professor Marcus Drake is one of a large group of people at Imperial College trying to address the situation. In his inaugural lecture he will discuss examples of progress in supporting people to take steps to improve symptoms themselves, improvements to support GPs as they advise patients, and wider awareness in all the healthcare professions of this topic. The active engagement of medical professionals from different disease areas promises a good chance to make a difference.  

Biography

Marcus Drake is Professor of Neurological Urology at Imperial College London, and Honorary Consultant Urologist at Charing Cross Hospital. He is also Honorary Professor of Physiological Urology at the University of Bristol. He undertook his medical training at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and was awarded his research Doctorate Thesis by the University of Oxford. His clinical interests in Urology are Urodynamics, Neuro-urology, LUTS and Nocturia. 

He is Chief Investigator of UK National Institute of Health Research grants in Male LUTS (HTAs UPSTREAM & TRIUMPH), Nocturia (RfPB PLANET), catheter design (RfPB Flume), recurrent stress incontinence (HTA PURSUIT), and UTI diagnostics (i4i QUICK). He is co-CI of an NIH RO1 grant in Physiology (sildenafil effects on voiding). He was CI of the MeNiMS study of nocturia in MS. He was CI of the pharmaceutical trials BESIDE and NEPTUNE2. He is co-CI for NIHR studies in minimally invasive surgery of the prostate and male stress incontinence (HTA PREMISE and MASTER), urodynamics (HTAs FUTURE & PRIMUS). He is an investigator on the UK EPSRC emPOWER and HTA CATHETER studies. His total cumulative career grant awards are £33M, of which £10M are as CI. 

He is a Trustee of the International Continence Society. He is a board member of the European Society of Female and Functional Urology. He was Chairman of the International Continence Society’s Standardisation Steering Committee for 6 years, and board member of the European School of Urology for 8 years. He was a member of the European Association of Urology Guidelines committee for male LUTS. He has published major books, including the 4th Edition of “Abrams’ Urodynamics” and “Medicine in a Day”