Mike Smith OBE MB BS, LRCP, DLO, FRCS (ORL, H & N, England)
ENT Consultant Surgeon trained in the UK. Qualified MB BS 1976. FRCS (ORL, London) and Diploma in Otorhinolaryngology (England). Trained at many centres including Oxford, Newcastle, London (Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, St Mary's Hospital) and overseas courses, principally in Otology. Surgeon at Green Pastures Leprosy Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal, 1980-82. Established ENT department at Western Regional (Gandaki) Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal, 1990-1998. Has organised, run and attended more than 50 INF ear camps in over 30 districts of western Nepal, twice or more annually since 1993. International medical and ENT experience in Ethiopia, Thailand, Uganda and North and South India.
Mike Smith envisioned a specialist ear hospital for Nepal with a strong training ethos. He was central in developing the ear hospital's business case, website and charitable fund raising activities. Since 2015 he has been Head of Ear Services and Lead surgeon at the INF Ear Treatment and Training Centre in Pokhara.
Michael Falter
Michael is a publisher who, on his first meeting with Mike Smith, was so inspired by his work and vision that he immediately offered his help in creating the EarAidNepal website. In 2013 he participated in the Pokhara Ear Camp.
Rosie Martin BA (Hons)
Rosie first became aware of the work of EarAidNepal when Tom started volunteering on ear camps and they have recently worked together on a couple of fund raising events. She used to work supporting students in Community Education and at Oxford University and is now part of EarAidNepal's administration team.
Tom Martin MBChB FRC(ORL-HNS) MD
Tom is an ear nose and throat surgeon living and working in Worcester. He trained as a doctor at Bristol University, in Birmingham and Cambridge. He has had an association with Nepal for many years, having first worked there as a volunteer teacher in the early 1990’s. More recently, Tom has joined Mike Smith and Ellen Findlay on ear camps run by the INF. He has also been involved in coordinating research projects in Nepal with the department of international health in Birmingham University.
Derek Skinner FRCSEd, FRCSEng, FCSHK (Hon), FHKCORL(Hon), Dip Med Ed
Derek is an ENT surgeon in Shropshire, recently retired from NHS practice, but still very active with out-patient clinics, work for the GMC and as an examiner and assessor for the intercollegiate FRCS (ORLH-NS) and MRCS(ENT)/DOHNS examinations in the UK. Derek has attended five INF Ear camps in Nepal, with Mike Smith, and most recently (2019) visited the Ear Centre in Pokhara to help with clinics both rural and hospital based as well as teaching/audit. Derek has an extensive experience working and examining/teaching in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Hong Kong/China. In the UK, he has been heavily involved with surgical education both locally and nationally.
Steve Broomfield
Consultant Otologist
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Following ENT registrar training in Manchester, Steve completed fellowships in otology, hearing implants and balance disorders in Sydney, Australia and Nottingham, UK. Steve was appointed as an ENT consultant in Bristol in 2011 and specialises in all areas of paediatric and adult otology, including middle ear disease, hearing loss, auditory implants and balance disorders. Steve is a consultant surgeon for the West of England Hearing Implant Programme, deputy editor for the journal Cochlear Implants International and undergraduate lead for ENT in Bristol.
Steve did his 3-month medical student elective in Kathmandu and later joined ear camps to Arughat (2010) and Jumla (2014). In 2022, Steve supervised a visit of Nepali surgeons to Bristol, with further visits planned in future.
Bhav Patel MB BS BSc. M Ed.(Surg) DO-HNS FHEA FRCS (ORL-HNS)
Bhav is a final year ENT Registrar with an interest in Otology. He graduated from Imperial College and completed his foundation, core and higher surgical training in London. He has trained in a number of international centres of excellence including Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Royal National ENT Hospital, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Royal Marsden Hospital. He has undertaken further periods of clinical observation and personal instruction in Copenhagen, Vienna and France.
Thanks to the generous support of Ear Aid Nepal he visited the Ear Hospital in early 2022 and was inspired by the work of Mike and the team in Pokhara. He joined the board of trustees shortly thereafter in a hope to help advance the objectives of the group.
Sara Timms
Sara is an ENT registrar based in Manchester, with an interest in otology. She visited the Ear Centre in 2022. She worked in a rural hospital in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, for a year before commencing surgical training, and she attended an ear camp in Tigray, Ethiopia in 2019. She is a member of the ENT UK Global Health committee.
Lisa Gurung (PA-R MSc)
Lisa is a physician associate in ENT department in London with a keen interest in otology. Born and raised in Pokhara, she has a fond interest in development of ENT services in Nepal. She has joined the Ear Aid Nepal as a trustee and hopes to increase awareness of the charity, including on social media.
Previous Trustees
Ann Dingle MBChB (Birm) FRCS (ORL)
Ann was an ENT surgeon with a special interest in Head and Neck surgery (cancer and benign). She qualified from Birmingham University in 1984 and trained in the West Midlands, the North East and South Wales before settling as a consultant in Cheshire in 1997. She has been involved in clinical leadership and medical management for many years holding various roles in the Trust and the region. She first worked in Nepal as a medical student and since 2000 had been a regular volunteer at a number of ear camps.
Philip Holt MSc MBA PGDip CS RHAD
Philip has worked in Audiology for almost 30 years, completing a Masters degree in Audiology at Manchester University and his Certificate of Audiological Competence before becoming Consultant Audiological Scientist at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire where he managed district hearing and balance services for adults and children. He completed a Masters in Business Administration in 2004 before working at the University of Manchester leading Audiology research networks with the Medical Research Council and Directing the Masters Degree in Audiology course.
Philip specialises in assessing, diagnosing and rehabilitating children and adults with hearing, balance and tinnitus problems through Holt Hearing and Balance Services.
In 2009 Philip was elected President of the British Academy of Audiology. As a Trustee of EarAidNepal he advises on the development and provision of audiology service.
Luke Smith
Luke spent much of his childhood in Nepal, living in both Pokhara and Kathmandu before returning to the UK in 1998. He has a degree in architecture from the University of Nottingham and a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art, London. He also holds a BA degree in Industrial design from Loughborough University. He now lives in Sydney with his wife, where he works for a large architectural practice. Luke assists with branding, design and mailing news for EarAidNepal, and helping to organise some fundraising endeavours.
