Dr. Antoinette Kenny, Director of HeartScan Ltd.
MB BCh BAO MD FRCP FRCPI
Dr. Antoinette Kenny is a full time Consultant Cardiologist and Specialist in Echocardiography (ultrasound heart scans) at the Regional Cardiothoracic Centre, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. She is also an expert in cardiac screening for individuals involved in sport.
Dr. Kenny qualified in medicine in Dublin in 1983 and trained in clinical cardiology at St. James’s Hospital Dublin and Papworth Hospital Cambridge. She was awarded the Grimshaw-Parkinson Fellowship from Cambridge University for her research towards an MD thesis in echocardiography at Papworth Hospital. She was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, in 1998 and of the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland, in 1999.
Following her clinical cardiology training and MD thesis she was appointed Fellow in Echocardiography at the Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA. There she undertook training in advanced echocardiography, including three-dimensional echo techniques, with Professor David Sahn the internationally renowned specialist in echocardiography. In 1993, at the relatively young age of 33, she was appointed Consultant Cardiologist and Clinical Head of Echocardiography at The Regional Cardiothoracic Centre, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. At that time only 19 (<5%) of consultant cardiologists in the UK were female and an even smaller percentage of cardiologists had achieved consultant status by the age of 33, facts which serve to highlight Dr. Kenny’s postgraduate career achievements. (Source Royal College of Physicians Census).
Echo experience:
As Clinical Head of Echocardiography at Freeman Hospital for over 20 years, Dr. Kenny has gained a vast experience in assessing patients with heart failure, valve disorders and inherited cardiomyopathies. Her expertise includes evaluation and selection of patients for advanced valve replacement techniques such as TAVI (transcutaneous aortic valve implantation) and minimally invasive surgery. She is a member of the Specialist Heart Valve Team at Freeman Hospital providing specialist echocardiographic expertise for the selection of patients for valve surgery.
Sports Cardiology experience:
Dr. Kenny is also a cardiology adviser to the Football Association (FA) and a member of the FA cardiology expert panel producing guidelines for cardiac screening. She has performed cardiac screening for the Football Association since this programme was introduced for young footballers in 1996.
Dr Kenny has also been involved with investigation and heart screening in premiership football players and elite athletes for the last decade and provides heart screening for Newcastle United FC, Sunderland AFC and Middlesbrough FC, including their first team players. Dr. Kenny has particular expertise in distinguishing between the normal changes produced by athletic training (athlete’s heart) that could be misinterpreted as abnormalities and abnormal cardiac conditions that can pose a serious health risk.
Achievements:
Dr Kenny holds full accreditation with the British Society of Echocardiography, the national benchmark of quality in performing and interpreting Echo scans. As an elected council member of the British Society of Echocardiography she has been involved with standards and quality in delivery of national Echo services. She also held the post of Chairman of the Scientific and Research Committee of the British Society of Echocardiography with responsibility for organisation of the annual meeting and educational sessions.
She is co-author of a well received textbook of echocardiography which has been translated into other languages. Dr. Kenny is also a leader in education in echocardiography, co-directing a national Echo course and invited to lecture at both national and international Echo conferences.
Dr. Kenny has developed and led research studies in advanced applications of echocardiography over the last two decades and has published widely in peer reviews journals.