Dr Paul Chumas

Mr Chumas is an Adult and Paediatric Neurosurgeon and has been in full-time neurosurgical practice since 1988, taking up his consultant post in 1995. He undertook paediatric neurosurgical Fellowships at Sick Kids in Toronto and Hopital Necker -Enfants Malades, Paris. He is the Treasurer of the European Society of Paediatric Neurosurgery (ESPN) and teaches annually on the ESPN Training Course. He was the Chair of the British Paediatric Neurosurgical Group (2006-08) and Chaired the DoH Safe & Sustainable Review of Paediatric Neurosurgery (2011). He was a member of the Brain Tumour Group of the CCLG (Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group) which co-ordinates treatment trials for children and young adults with brain tumours. Mr Chumas is on the Editorial Board for the European Journal of Neurosurgery (Acta Neurochirurgia) from 2007 to present. He also regularly reviews articles for Childs nervous System; World Neurosurgery; British Journal of Neurosurgery and the Journal of Neuro-Oncology. He has published over 130 peer reviewed articles and 6 Chapters. Mr Chumas' adult practice included cranial and spinal neurosurgery until 2013. At that point, his department split the adult service into spinal and cranial, and he undertook general adult cranial neurosurgery and paediatric neurosurgery.

In September 2022, he went part-time and came off the on-call rota for both paediatric and adult neurosurgery but continued to be a core member in the paediatric and adult CNS oncology MDTs and general paediatric neurosurgical MDT. He continued to undertake paediatric and adult tumour surgery, including operating on adult and paediatric spinal tumours.Mr Chumas retired from the NHS in March 2024. However, he continues to have an honorary contract with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mr Chumas specialises in adult and paediatric neurosurgery particularly head injury, hydrocephalus, tumours (brain and spine) and craniofacial surgery.

Mr Chumas' research interests are in tumours/hydrocephalus/epilepsy. He co-led the NIHR(EME) grant for a Phase I/II study (2020) looking at an alternative to steroids in the management of brain tumour oedema (PROSSPER).

Mr Chumas was a member of the Special Advisory Committee of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons from 2006 to 2010. He was a regular trainer on the European Society of Paediatric Neurosurgery (ESPN) Training Course and the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies Training Course. He ran the ESPN Course over 5 days with 100 delegates in Harrogate 2019. He has been the Supervisor to 2 PhDs, 3 MDs and supervised many publications and presentations by other trainees. Mr Chumas was Integral in obtaining funding for appointment of first Academic Consultant Neurosurgeon in 2018 and a Royal College approved Paediatric Neurosurgical Fellow in 2019. He was a Supervisor for 3 Academic Foundation Programme projects in 2018, 2019 & 2021.

Mr Chumas has published over 130 peer reviewed articles and 6 Chapters.

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Mr Chumas was the Lead for Paediatric Neurosurgery from 1996-2016. He chaired the DoH Safe & Sustainable Paediatric Neurosurgical Review. He Led a successful bid for funding (£5million) to install a 3T intra-operative MRI scanner in to the Leeds Children’s Hospital which opened in 2019.