Dr Esther Hobson
BMBCh PhD
Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Population Health
Senior Lecturer in neurology, University of Sheffield
Honorary Consultant Neurologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Full contact details
Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Population Health
Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
385a Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2HQ
- Profile
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I undertook my medical training at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge University and Green College, Oxford University. I undertook my junior doctor training in Oxfordshire and South Yorkshire before becoming a neurology registrar at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in 2010. I entered the NIHR academic training programme, completing an NIHR doctoral research fellowship and PhD between 2014 and 2017 before becoming an NIHR clinical lecturer and later a senior lecturer.
Outside of medicine I enjoy mountain biking and exploring the beautiful outdoors around Sheffield.
- Research interests
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She is a member of the motor neuron disorders clinical studies group at the NIHR Sheffield BRC led by Professor Pamela Shaw and Professor Chris McDermott.
Her core aim of research is on improving the quality and standard of care provided to people living with long-term neurological conditions, both patients and their family and carers. She is am particularly interested in complex interventions, digital technology, and evidence based care. She has experience in randomised controlled trials of therapies including novel genetic therapies as well as feasibility and implementation studies of complex interventions. She used mixed method approaches as well as person-centred design to ensure users are at the heart of effective NHS services.
Telehealth in motor neuron disease
This project is currently funded by MND Scotland, previously funded by NIHR Research and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It is an international multicentre implementation study of TiM (telehealth in MND). It aims to develop a digital service to support patients and their carers to gain access to a high standard of multidisciplinary care.
Improving NIV clinical services in MND
I co-lead an NIHR Research for Patient Benefit funded study which has developed evidenced based tools to help staff help their patients with motor neurone disease get the most out of non-invasive ventilation.
Other research interests
Other interests including improving the way in which we manage other symptoms of motor neurone disease and deliver education and information to people living with, and caring for people with neurological diseases. This includes the development of the award winning website www.mytube.mymnd.org.uk which translates evidence from a prospective study of gastrostomy feeding, led by SITraN, into information designed for patients and carers to help support them thinking about and using gastrostomy feeding.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Psychometric properties of LUN-MS: a new questionnaire to identify the unmet needs of people with multiple sclerosis. Advances in Rehabilitation Science and Practice, 12. View this article in WRRO
- Family experiences of antenatal counselling of spina bifida: a systematic review.. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed.
- Digital peer-to-peer support programme for informal caregivers of people living with motor neuron disease: study protocol for a multi-centre parallel group, single-blinded (outcome assessor) randomised controlled superiority trial. Trials, 24.
- Delivery of non-invasive ventilation to people living with motor neuron disease in the UK. ERJ Open Research, 9(1).
- Monkeypox encephalitis with transverse myelitis in a female patient. The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
- A road map for remote digital health technology for motor neuron disease. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(9). View this article in WRRO
- Cerebral venous thrombosis after vaccination against COVID-19 in the UK: a multicentre cohort study. The Lancet, 398(10306), 1147-1156.
- Using telehealth in motor neuron disease to increase access to specialist multidisciplinary care : a UK-based pilot and feasibility study. BMJ Open, 9(10). View this article in WRRO
- Process evaluation and exploration of telehealth in motor neuron disease in a UK specialist centre. BMJ Open, 9. View this article in WRRO
- The optimisation of non-invasive ventilation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis : a systematic review. European Respiratory Journal. View this article in WRRO
- Optimizing the noninvasive ventilation pathway for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease: a systematic review. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration. View this article in WRRO
- Monitoring and promoting effectiveness and adherence to non-invasive ventilation in motor neurone disease using EncoreAnywhere telemonitoring: a pilot and feasibility, randomised controlled trial. (P4.4-009). Neurology, 92(15_supplement).
- The TiM system: developing a novel telehealth service to improve access to specialist care in motor neurone disease using user-centered design. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 19(5-6), 351-361. View this article in WRRO
- PO198 The value of patient and public involvement in research in motor neurone disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 88(Suppl 1), A63.4-A64.
- Serum miRNAs miR-206, 143-3p and 374b-5p as potential biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Neurobiology of Aging, 55, 123-131. View this article in WRRO
- “Anything that makes life’s journey better.” Exploring the use of digital technology by people living with motor neurone disease. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 18(5-6), 378-387. View this article in WRRO
- A multicentre evaluation of oropharyngeal secretion management practices in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis && Frontotemporal Degeneration, 18(1-2), 1-9. View this article in WRRO
- Clinical aspects of motor neurone disease. Medicine, 44(9), 552-556. View this article in WRRO
- Supportive and symptomatic management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature Reviews Neurology, 12, 526-538. View this article in WRRO
- Using technology to improve access to specialist care in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A systematic review. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis && Frontotemporal Degeneration, 17(5-6), 313-324. View this article in WRRO
- Diagnosis of spinal xanthomatosis by next-generation sequencing: identifying a rare, treatable mimic of hereditary spastic paraparesis: Table 1. Practical Neurology, 15(4), 280-283. View this article in WRRO
- Book review. Seizure, 25, 191-191.
- Developing an outcome measure for excessive saliva management in MND and an evaluation of saliva burden in Sheffield. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 16(1-2), 108-113. View this article in WRRO
- Management of sialorrhoea in motor neuron disease: a survey of current UK practice.. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener, 14(7-8), 521-527.
- Act now against new NHS competition regulations. BMJ, 346(mar20 5), f1819-f1819.
- Thrombolysis in acute stroke in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield. Evaluating performance and learning lessons. CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES, 35, 666-666.
- Developing a regional telestroke service: The South Yorkshire Experience. CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES, 35, 673-673.
- Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome: a truly treatable neurologic illness.. Perit Dial Int, 32(6), 590-594.
- Medicine: a challenge for life. The Clinical Teacher, 8(3), 214-214.
- Emerging oral disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis: a review of the latest clinical evidence. Clinical Investigation, 1(7), 1049-1058.
- Mathematical Talent is Linked to Autism. Human Nature, 18(2), 125-131.
- Patient perspectives on digital healthcare technology in care and clinical trials for motor neuron disease: an international survey. Journal of Neurology.
- End-of-life care of people with long-term neurological conditions. Practical Neurology.
- Telehealth in long-term neurological conditions: the potential, the challenges and the key recommendations. Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology, 1-12.
- Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis care in the UK. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 1-9.
- Exploring patient and public involvement in motor neuron disease research. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration. View this article in WRRO
Conference proceedings papers
- Long-term unmet needs in multiple sclerosis. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS JOURNAL, Vol. 28(3_SUPPL) (pp 722-723)
- LUN-MS: validity, reliability and acceptability of a new questionnaire to identify the unmet needs of people with multiple sclerosis. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS JOURNAL, Vol. 28(3_SUPPL) (pp 474-474)
- Monitoring and promoting effectiveness and adherence to non-invasive ventilation in motor neurone disease using Encore Anywhere telemonitoring: a pilot and feasibility, randomised controlled trial. NEUROLOGY, Vol. 92(15)
- “Nothing about me, without me”. Using user-centred design to develop evidence-based solutions to common problems in Motor neurone disease. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Vol. 61 (pp e521-e521)
Preprints
- Digital peer-to-peer support programme for informal caregivers of people living with motor neuron disease: study protocol for a multi-centre parallel group, single blinded (outcome assessor) randomised controlled superiority trial, Research Square Platform LLC.
- IgG4-related Disease Presenting With Ataxia , Research Square Platform LLC.
- A Road Map for Remote Digital Health Technology for Motor Neuron Disease (Preprint).
- Psychometric properties of LUN-MS: a new questionnaire to identify the unmet needs of people with multiple sclerosis. Advances in Rehabilitation Science and Practice, 12. View this article in WRRO
- Teaching interests
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Course co-lead for the MSc in Clinical Neurology at the University of Sheffield. She supervises undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral research students. I have an interest in curriculum and teaching innovation and the use of digital learning for healthcare professionals.
- Awards
National Institute for Health Academic Clinical Fellowship, University of Sheffield, 2012-2014
National Institute for Health Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Sheffield 2014-2017
National Institute for Health Clinical Lecturer in Neurology, University of Sheffield 2018-2019