Professor William L. Irving

Title: Professor and Honorary Consultant in Virology at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust since 2002.

Address:
Department of Microbiology
University Hospital
Queen’s Medical Centre
Nottingham
NG7 2UH

Qualifications: MA, MB ChB, MRCP, PhD, FRCPath

Professor William L. Irving has practised as a consultant clinical virologist at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, since 1990. He has extensive experience in the field of viral hepatitis and blood-borne viruses.

• Currently chairs the National Strategy Group for Viral Hepatitis, having previously chaired the Department of Health Expert Advisory Group on Hepatitis (AGH).
• A member of the Advisory Committee Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) which advises UK ministers and health departments on the most appropriate ways to ensure the safety of blood, cells, tissues and organs for transfusion/transplantation, and is currently chairing a SaBTO working group on transmission of hepatitis B virus from donors with occult infection.
• A member of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Policy Development Group which produced UK guidance aimed at increasing testing for HBV and HCV infection.
• Was a member of the Advisory Group on Dangerous Pathogens for 12 years, during which he chaired the subcommittee responsible for updating guidance on exposure to blood-borne viruses in the workplace

His research interest is in the natural history of hepatitis C virus infection, and he has received millions of pounds of research grant monies including from the Medical Research Foundation (to create and co-chair “HCV Research UK”, a multi-centre consortium creating a national cohort, clinical database and biobank of 12,000 patients infected with HCV), the Medical Research Council (Stratified Medicine to Optimise the management of patients with HCV infection, STOP-HCV) and most recently Cancer Research UK (Early detection of hepatocellular liver cancer).

In the more general arena of clinical virology, he has been a member of the examiner panel for FRCPath in Virology for the Royal College of Pathologists for several years, a member of the RCPath Standing Advisory Committee for Microbiology and Virology since 2018, and a member of the executive committee of the UK Clinical Virology Network since 2012.

He is a keen bridge player, and has an irrational passion for the fortunes of Leeds United.