Professor Martin Birchall

Professor Martin Birchall is a world-leading academic in Laryngology with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. He specialises in complex voice, swallowing, and airway disorders, including vocal cord paralysis, pharyngeal pouches, stenosis, and chronic cough. He leads multidisciplinary teams in voice and airway management and has established a national referral network for complex cases, working closely with laryngologists, respiratory physicians, surgeons, anaesthetists, and specialist therapists.

As a medico-legal expert, Professor Birchall has 29 years’ experience and produces around 70 reports annually across a wide range of cases. Known for his impartiality and precision, he provides comprehensive court-ready reports, efficient screenings, and concise summaries with quick turnaround. He is regularly instructed to appear in court, delivers training for legal professionals, and was invited to speak at the Professional Negligence Bar Association in 2017, reflecting his status as a leading authority in his field.

Professor Birchall’s clinical and research interests centre on innovative approaches to restoring function in patients with a wide range of otolaryngological conditions. He is actively involved in research concerning voice disorders, swallowing difficulties (including dysphagia and the specific challenges presented by pharyngeal pouch), and the complex interplay between hypermobility disorders like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and the function of the throat. His work encompasses vocal cord paralysis and palsy, chronic cough, airway stenosis, neck lumps, and head and neck cancer. He is at the forefront of utilising innovative technology – including tissue engineering, stem cells, and robotics – to manage these conditions. He pioneered groundbreaking work in regenerative medicine, co-leading the team that performed the world’s first stem cell-based organ transplant in an adult (2008) and subsequently in a child (2010), in collaboration with Professor Martin Elliott at Great Ormond Street Hospital. His research findings are widely published in prestigious journals including The Lancet, Nature, and The BMJ.

Professor Birchall's research portfolio currently focuses on innovative medical technologies. His flagship programme, SoRo – Soft Robotics for Health – is a £2.2m EPSRC Platform Grant driving advancements in soft robotics for healthcare. Alongside this, he leads a Wellcome Trust-funded (£75,000) project developing an intracheal valve to mitigate aspiration, and an NIHR-funded (£120,000) surgical technology incubator. Professor Birchall is also a NIHR Senior Investigator (£140,000), translating cutting-edge engineering into improved patient care.

Professor Birchall demonstrates significant leadership within his field. He is President and Co-Founder of the British Laryngological Association, a progressive professional society known for its patient-centered approach. He has also played a key role in establishing quality standards and audit processes for head and neck cancer care across the UK. His expertise is highly sought after, and he serves as an advisor to industry, research councils, and government on matters related to regenerative medicine and advanced surgical technology.

Martin Birchall is a highly prolific researcher with a substantial body of work in the fields of laryngology, head and neck surgery, and regenerative medicine. With over 250 peer-reviewed publications and exceeding 9000 citations, his research spans a diverse range of topics, from innovative surgical techniques to pioneering tissue engineering and stem cell therapies. Recent publications demonstrate ongoing expertise in areas such as the endoscopic management of Zenker's diverticulum (Norton et al., 2024), exploration of novel treatments for vocal fold impairment (Mathew et al., 2024), and advancements in laryngeal transplantation (Candelo et al., 2024). Dr Birchall’s work extends beyond clinical application, encompassing investigations into the impact of conditions like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome on throat symptoms (Williams et al., 2023, 2022), the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care (Forster et al., 2022), and the development of innovative technologies for airway restoration (McNulty et al., 2021, Yue et al., 2021). Furthermore, a significant portion of his research has focused on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, notably including landmark publications detailing the development and compassionate use of tissue-engineered tracheal replacements (Elliott et al., 2017, 2012) and the foundational work on decellularised scaffolds for airway reconstruction (Partington et al., 2013). This highlights a sustained commitment to translating cutting-edge scientific advancements into improved patient care.

Professor Birchall is a nationally and internationally recognised educator, consistently invited to share expertise at leading conferences and institutions. This commitment to training is demonstrated through a long-standing history of invited lectures and keynote addresses, including recent presentations at the British Laryngological Association in 2024 and recurring engagements with the European Foregut Society Conference in both 2021 and 2024. Professor Birchall has been a featured speaker at the EDS Society Conference annually from 2021 through 2024, and has delivered keynote addresses at prominent international meetings such as the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in 2014, the Sin City Voice Conference in 2016, and ESPO in 2012. Further demonstrating leadership in the field, Professor Birchall has presented opening addresses at major congresses, including the World Congress for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology in 2012, and delivered prestigious named lectures such as the Charles Bluestone Lecture at ASPO in 2011 and the Chevalier Jackson Lecture at ABEA in 2012. Professor Birchall also served as a Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt University in 2017, Nashville, Tennessee, solidifying a commitment to mentorship and the dissemination of knowledge.