Dr Richard Ibitoye

Dr Richard Ibitoye is a substantive NHS Consultant neurologist and stroke physician based in Bristol, holding concurrent appointments in both the public and private sectors. At Southmead Hospital’s regional neuroscience centre he leads outpatient clinics and inpatient services, where he evaluates, investigates and manages a broad spectrum of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, migraine, Parkinson’s disease and peripheral neuropathy. His day to day practice integrates detailed clinical assessment with advanced neuro imaging and electrophysiology, ensuring that each patient receives a diagnosis grounded in the latest evidence. Within the same institution Dr Ibitoye also functions as a consultant on the comprehensive stroke service that serves a catchment of more than 1.5 million people. He is routinely involved in the hyper acute pathway, performing front door assessments for thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, coordinating care in the transient ischaemic attack clinic, and supervising the hyperacute stroke ward. His dual expertise in neurology and stroke medicine enables him to bridge the gap between acute vascular management and longer term neuro rehabilitation, offering seamless continuity of care from the emergency department to community follow up.

A subspecialist in vestibular neurology, Dr Ibitoye completed a clinical research fellowship at Imperial College London, during which he directed complex dizziness and balance clinics at two national centres of excellence—Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and University College Hospitals NHS Trust. This experience cemented his commitment to the evaluation and treatment of patients with vestibular disorders, a field in which he continues to see patients with chronic dizziness, vestibular hypofunction and persistent postural perceptual dizziness. Beyond vestibular medicine, Dr Ibitoye has cultivated a deep interest in cerebral small vessel disease, recognising it as a leading cause of both stroke and cognitive decline. He has incorporated this focus into his stroke practice, routinely investigating the microvascular contributions to ischaemic events and integrating neuro imaging biomarkers into therapeutic decision making. His combined interests in balance physiology and small vessel pathology position him uniquely to address the intersecting challenges of falls, gait instability and cerebrovascular risk in older adults.

An academic clinician, Dr Ibitoye’s research trajectory was shaped by a NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Bristol followed by a Clinical Research Fellowship and PhD at Imperial College London. His doctoral work applied computational neuroscience techniques to older patients with chronic dizziness, leveraging the Neuro otology Unit at Charing Cross Hospital and the Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory at Hammersmith Hospital. Building on this foundation, he secured a Guarantors of Brain post doctoral fellowship to investigate how cerebral small vessel disease impairs human balance, completing the project at University College London in 2023. His investigations blend advanced neuro imaging, machine learning analyses and rigorous clinical phenotyping, contributing novel insights into the pathophysiology of vestibular dysfunction and vascular cognitive impairment.

Dr Ibitoye is a dedicated educator, delivering lectures and practical workshops on vestibular medicine at local, regional, national and international forums. In Bristol he teaches neurology registrars, stroke specialists and advanced clinical practitioners about acute vertigo, while also providing general neurology instruction to nursing staff and internal medicine registrars. Nationally he has been invited to teach on the prestigious Queen Square Dizziness Course and the Audiovestibular Medicine Trainee Calman Day. Internationally his work on chronic dizziness has earned speaking engagements at the Neuro otology Society of Australia (2022), the remote Dr. Zee Lecture Series in the United States (2022, 2026), and a keynote slot at the 9th Apeldoorn Dizziness Centre Symposium in the Netherlands (2024).

Dr Richard Ibitoye’s publications reflect a distinguished and cohesive research portfolio spanning vestibular neuroscience, cerebrovascular disease, and translational clinical neurology. His work has advanced understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying dizziness and balance dysfunction, including influential studies in NeuroImage: Clinical and Cerebral Cortex that explored vestibular cortical connectivity, sensory–motor integration, and the impact of cerebral small-vessel disease on vestibular function. Alongside his original investigations, he has authored authoritative clinical reviews on neurosarcoidosis and oxidative-stress biomarkers in multiple sclerosis, providing practical guidance for diagnosis and disease monitoring. His clinical scholarship also includes notable case reports and case series describing rare neurovascular presentations and innovative interventional approaches, including vaccine-induced cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Collectively, these publications establish Dr Ibitoye as a leading contributor to neuro-otology, stroke medicine, and translational neuroscience research.

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Dr Ibitoye’s leadership extends to national and local health service governance. He chaired the Severn British Medical Association Regional Junior Doctors Committee, representing roughly 3,500 doctors, and served on the national Junior Doctors Committee during the pivotal 2015 2016 negotiations with the UK Government. More recently he co founded the vestibular neurology Special Interest Group of the Association of British Neurologists, organising educational sessions such as the May 2026 ABN SIG meeting and creating an online portal to disseminate resources and training opportunities nationwide. Locally, he leads the physician associate programme within the stroke department, establishing a formal scope of practice policy and a structured competency assessment pathway that has markedly enhanced supervision and professional development for these clinicians.

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