Rate My Professor Tristan Clark

Professor Tristan Clark is Professor of Infectious Diseases in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton and Honorary Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. He earned his BM from the University of Southampton in 1998, Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2001, Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 2002, MD in Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity from the University of Leicester in 2013, and Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians in 2020. Clark splits his professional time equally between clinical work treating infections including HIV, tuberculosis, skin and soft tissue infections, complicated urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, influenza, COVID-19, neurological infections, imported infections, and fungal infections, and research developing innovative rapid diagnostic tests. His research emphasizes point-of-care molecular testing for respiratory viruses to enhance antibiotic stewardship, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, and improve patient care in acute respiratory infections.

Clark has led multiple clinical trials evaluating diagnostics for COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other infections, establishing point-of-care testing services at University Hospital Southampton. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he advised the Department of Health and Social Care on testing strategies. He chairs the British Infection Association since 2016 and the NIHR Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre since 2018. In 2025, he received the NIHR Research Professorship to address antimicrobial resistance through host response-based diagnostics. Awards include the University of Southampton Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Impact (2022), University Hospital Southampton Hospital Superheroes Awards (2021, 2018), NIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2016), and Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (2020). Key publications encompass 'Recent advances in the influenza virus vaccine landscape: a comprehensive overview of technologies and trials' (Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2024), 'Vaccine effectiveness of a bivalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pre-F vaccine against RSV-associated hospital admission among adults aged 75–79 years in England' (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2025), and 'Understanding risk of poor outcomes in adults hospitalised with respiratory syncytial virus infection: evidence from a multicentre UK cohort' (Thorax, 2026). He has spoken at conferences on point-of-care testing and respiratory viruses and contributes to advisory boards for pharmaceutical companies.