Riina Richardson

Overview

Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Medical Education and Consultant in Medical Mycology at the University Hospital of South Manchester

Director of the Masters in Medical Mycology Programme

Topic co-lead for Undergraduate Infectious Diseases Learning

Biography

I am a Consultant Medical Mycologist at the University Hospital of South Manchester and a Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Medical Education in the Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester. I am a member of the UHSM Infectious Diseases team and associated with the National Aspergillosis Centre, and I have expertise in medical microbiology, medical mycology, infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention as well as mucosal immunology and oral and vaginal health and disease. I have a special interest in chronic mucosal candidosis and expertise in the management of a spectrum of other mycoses including fungal sinusitis and skin infections in compromised patients.

My research group undertakes basic research (genomics, pathogenesis and mechanisms of antimicrobial drug resistance and carcinogenicity of microbial acetaldehyde production), applied laboratory work (models of pathogenesis, molecular diagnostics, antifungal resistance testing, pharmacology of new antimicrobials), and clinical studies (antimicrobial resistance, tissue responses to chronic mucosal infection and acetaldehyde exposure). My main emphasis is on the pathogenesis of chronic mucosal infections as well as the carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of chronic Candida infections. To date I has published a total of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and books or book chapters in the field of medical microbiology, mucosal immunology, infectious diseases and oral medicine. I am also the Programme Director for the University of Manchester MSc in Medical Mycology and an enthusiastic educationalist.