University Assistant Professor in Healthcare Systems
Academic Division: Mechanics, Materials and Design
Email: tb508@cam.ac.uk
Research interests
Research groups: International Health Systems, Health Systems Design
Interests: Global health, perioperative medicine, systems engineering, neurotrauma
- FRCP Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, 2026
- PhD Engineering: A Systems Approach to Global Health. University of Cambridge, 2021
- FRCA Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, 2014
- MRCP Member of the Royal College of Physicians, 2010
- MBBS Clinical Medicine. St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London, 2007
- MBiochem (Hons) Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. University of Oxford, 2002
Tom Bashford is a practising Consultant Neuroanaesthetist in the NHS, and a systems engineer whose research interest is understanding complex systems in healthcare, particularly across cultural boundaries. Most of his work is undertaken with colleagues based in resource-poor countries and spans trauma care, conflict, frugal technology development and the role of communities. He also works with both UK and other international partners, with a particular focus on building resilient systems which function equitably.
Tom works closely with the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy, Cambridge Public Health, and Cambridge Global Health Partnerships to provide advice to global and UK policymakers on the design and function of health systems, as well as practical improvement in healthcare in partner countries. He has worked with the Regional Trauma Initiative of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office since 2021 to support their efforts in strengthening trauma systems.
Tom is interested in combing diverse methodological approaches, combining verbal, numerical and graphical descriptions of health system structure and function. This work in transdisciplinary, drawing on ideas and approaches from collaborators in engineering, clinical medicine, nursing, design, data science, public health, and education.
Tom is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Anaesthetists, and has held honorary positions at UCL as both a clinical research fellow and Associate Professor. At Cambridge he has held NIHR-funded Academic Clinical Fellow and Clinical Lecturer positions within the Department of Medicine, and he serves on the Editorial Board of Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Tom teaches Biomedical Innovation to fourth year students on the Engineering Tripos at Cambridge and is a module leader on the MSt in Healthcare Innovation run by the Department of Engineering. He also teaches on health systems for the MPhil in Public Health and the Clinical School. He supervises both PhD and MPhil graduate students, and hosts a range of projects for both medical and engineering undergraduates, as well as medical professionals on research placements.
Publications
ORCiD: 0000-0003-0228-9779
Google Scholar
Public engagement
2026 From silos to synergies: how health partnerships can drive integrated emergency care.
News & Views piece for Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development.
https://www.bond.org.uk/news/2026/08/from-silos-to-synergies-how-health-partnerships-can-drive-integrated-emergency-care/
2025 Patients three times more likely to die after abdominal trauma surgery in the world’s least developed countries.
Press release for the GOAL Trauma study published in the Lancet Global Health.
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/patients-three-times-more-likely-to-die-after-abdominal-trauma-surgery-in-the-worlds-least-developed
2025 Is personal the same as precise? How Cambridge is revolutionising healthcare on two fronts.
Article for the PHG Foundation as part of their personalised health fortnight.
https://www.phgfoundation.org/blog/how-cambridge-is-revolutionising-healthcare-on-two-fronts/
2023 Big Careers, Small Children: How to Navigate Shared Parental Leave as a Dual Career Couple
Podcast for Leaders Plus, a social enterprise supporting talented men and women with young children so that they can progress in their leadership careers whilst at the same time enjoy their young family.
https://www.leadersplus.org.uk/121-big-careers-small-children-how-to-navigate-shared-parental-leave-as-a-dual-career-couple/
2021 Healthcare systems: the future of global health Essay for the Coalition for Global Prosperity as part of the collection: The Future of Aid, Development in the 2020s. Published at Westminster Abbey, September 2021. https://www.coalitionforglobalprosperity.com/dr-tom-bashford
2021 Five Questions with…Dr Tom Bashford
Interview with THET exploring why expanding access to surgical care is so important, how we can ensure progress made towards health equity is not lost due to Covid-19, and what more needs to be done in this International Year of Health and Care Workers to ensure their voices remain heard.
https://www.thet.org/five-questions-with-dr-tom-bashford/
2021 Trauma care in Myanmar: the bigger picture
Interviewed for the ‘Anaesthesia Compass’ podcast exploring different aspects of global anaesthesia.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/anaesthesia-compass/id1519510083
2019 Partnership, collaboration, and working toward shared goals
Blog for THET exploring issues around collaboration within international health partnerships.
https://www.thet.org/dr-tom-bashford-on-partnership-collaboration-and-working-towards-shared-goals/
2016 ‘The Checklist Effect’
Interviewed for Lifebox film detailing international efforts to implement the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.
http://www.lifebox.org/checklist-effect-big-screen/
2012 ‘Into Thin Air’
BMJ Blog in support of Lifebox BMJ Christmas Appeal 2012.
http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2012/12/11/bmj-christmas-appeal-tom-bashford-into-thin-air/
2012 ‘Road to Safer Surgery’, Yekatit 12 Hospital, Addis Ababa
Produced in association with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Ethiopia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ4NrJJrP0Q
2012 ‘How to Implement the Safe Surgery Checklist’, Yekatit 12 Hospital, Addis Ababa
Produced in association with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Ethiopia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFG9ihbPT-A&feature=channel&list=UL
2012 Voluntary Service Overseas: Anaesthesia in Ethiopia
A video detailing some of the work of this placement can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWl8qau0glg&feature=youtu.be