Professor Dudley Pennell

Professor Dudley Pennell studied at St Johns College, University of Cambridge and completed his medical training at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He continued his cardiology training at the London Chest Hospital (it is now the Barts Heart Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital).   

Professor Pennell has had a special interest in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging since 1988. The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance awarded Professor Pennell the gold medal in recognition of not only his exemplary service to the Society but for his outstanding achievement in the field of CMR.  The Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) elected Professor Pennell a Fellow in 2014. 

Professor Dudley Pennell is a specialist in cardiology, nuclear medicine and radiology including cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. He is an expert in myocardial perfusion imaging, thalassemia, dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease.  

He is the director of the British Heart Foundation Centre for Advanced Magnetic Resonance in Cardiology (CAMRIC) and is a senior investigator for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). 

Professor Dudley Pennell’s research interests include thalassemia, gene mapping and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques.  

Professor Pennell has a current research project on an international level to introduce innovative CMR techniques with the aim to increase the quality of life as well as the life expectancy for patients dealing with thalassemia.  His pioneering CMR techniques have reduced the mortality rate by 80 per cent with this iron scanning technique so far. 

Professor Pennell has led a major study sequencing all 200 known cardiac genes found in the human genome which are all associated with inherited cardiac diseases. 

Professor Dudley Pennell is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and has more than 400 papers published on his specialist subjects which include the early diagnosis of myocardial iron overload and cardiac magnetic resonance CMR of cardiomyopathy. 

Professor Dudley Pennell is a sought-after speaker on both a national and international level and gives regular lectures at key international cardiology events.  He is also a speaker for both junior doctor and international training meetings and is instrumental in their educational and clinical skills development.