Personal Profile
Dr Ghanem Aldik is currently a Respiratory Consultant at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, where he has taken the lead on lung cancer and interventional procedures like pleural effusion aspirations, bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound.
Training and Appointment
Dr Aldik graduated with Distinction from the prestigious Damascus School of Medicine in 2003. He completed his specialist Respiratory and Internal Medicine training in the Southwest of England region in 2017. During his training, he acquired extensive knowledge in both pulmonology and general medicine.
Dr Aldik completed a fellowship in the Plymouth teaching hospitals, developing significant experience in lung cancer, interventional lung-related procedures and teaching medical students. He acquired exceptional skills in diagnosing lung cancer, performing advanced lung procedures such as thoracoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound, cervical lymph node sampling and accessing pleural effusions under direct ultrasound guidance. During this fellowship, he was heavily involved in teaching medical students, helping them gain both theoretical and practical knowledge with excellent feedback.
Research and Publications
Dr Aldik is a published author in reputable journals such as the British Medical Journal (BMJ). He has presented at national conferences (British Thoracic Society, British Thoracic Oncology Group) and international ones (World Congress for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology). He is currently working on two research projects to improve the care of pneumonia patients and improve the efficiency of the lung cancer multidisciplinary team.
Current Practice
Dr Aldik is based at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford, where he has taken the lead on lung cancer and interventional procedures such as pleural effusion aspirations, bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS). He established the rapid access lung cancer clinic (RAC) alongside a team of practitioners in the Royal Surrey, to deliver the highest standards of lung cancer care in a timely manner.
In 2020 he won the clinical excellence award for his COVID-19 contribution and had also been nominated for the Trust STAR awards in 2019.
He treats a wide range of respiratory illnesses, including and not restricted to, lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), interstitial lung diseases (lung scarring), sarcoid, sleep disorders, bronchiectasis and lung infections. He looks after his patients in an inpatient and outpatient setting and is always dedicated to performing procedures in a safe and timely manner, putting the patients’ interests at the centre of their care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Aldik has been working on the frontline fighting the virus on daily basis, contributing to national research and helping his patients overcome this illness. After hospital discharge, he kept looking after his patients in clinic treating the longer-term complications of the disease (Long Covid Syndrome).
Current NHS Post
- Royal Surrey County Hospital
Clinical Interests
- Dr Aldik’s special interest is interventional diagnostic procedures, which complements his work with lung cancer patients on the diagnostic part of this pathway.
- Chest ultrasound, pleural aspiration/ chest drain and plurex catheter insertions are all procedures used in the investigation and treatment of a pleural effusion ( a collection of fluid around the lung).
- Bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) are cameras and small ultrasound probes that are used to diagnose conditions such as lung cancer, sarcoid and lung scarring. EBUS is used to get samples from the lymph glands near the windpipes, whereas bronchoscopy is used to get samples from the windpipes themselves.
- Dr Aldik works closely with a multidisciplinary team of GPs and Physiotherapists in the management of long term COVID symptoms. This MDT approach has proven to be highly effective.
- Treatment of airway diseases (asthma and COPD).
Professional Memberships
- General Medical Council
- Royal College of Physicians
- British Thoracic Society
- British Thoracic Oncology Group
