Sheffield Pelvic Floor Clinic
Personal, Private, Professional, Specialised
Research & Innovation
Professor Stephen Radley’s research spans clinical innovation, patient-reported outcomes, health technology development, and service transformation in women's health and beyond. His work integrates academic rigour with real-world clinical application, with a focus on improving diagnostic accuracy, care quality, and patient experience.
A central theme of Professor Radley’s research is the development, validation, and implementation of the electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire (ePAQ) - a suite of web-based tools that enable structured, patient-focused assessments across a range of medical specialties including urogynaecology, pre-operative assessment, pelvic radiotherapy disease, HIV care, and paediatric dentistry. These tools are now used across more than 20 NHS Trusts and have informed over 50 peer-reviewed publications. ePAQ-Pelvic Floor has been adopted nationally in UK mesh centres and is referenced in NICE guidelines.
Professor Radley also leads the Bladder Shape Test (BlaST) research project, a collaboration with medical physicists and imaging specialists at the University of Sheffield, using 3D transabdominal ultrasound to develop a novel, non-invasive diagnostic method for lower urinary tract dysfunction.
He is co-lead for the Women’s Health Theme within the NIHR-funded Devices for Dignity (D4D) MedTech Cooperative, contributing to national programmes that unite clinicians, academics, patients, and industry to co-develop transformative technologies in healthcare.
With a strong track record of securing competitive research funding, he has been principal or co-applicant on multiple NIHR, MRC, and charitable grants totaling several million pounds. His supervision portfolio includes PhD, MD, MSc, and BMedSci students, with projects covering digital health, patient-centred outcomes, ultrasound diagnostics, and clinical evaluation of novel service innovations.
Professor Radley’s research ethos centres on translating patient needs into practical tools, pathways, and technologies that improve outcomes and reshape care delivery.
Academic Qualifications and Achievements
1984
BA (Hons) in Medical Sciences, Queens’ College, University of Cambridge
(MA awarded 1988)
1987
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), King’s College London
Graduated with Distinction in Obstetrics and Gynecology
1991
FRCS (Gynaecology), Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
1993
FRCOG, Fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
2005
MD (Doctor of Medicine), University of Sheffield
Thesis focused on improving understanding of overactive bladder and its assessment
Academic Titles and Appointments
2001 - Present
Full-time Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
2014 - Present
Director of Research, Academic Directorate of Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Neonatology, Jessop Wing
Honorary Professor, University of Sheffield
Renewed in 2021 and again in 2024 in recognition of sustained academic contributions
2018 - Present
ePAQ
Professor Stephen Radley is the clinical lead and prime-mover for research, development and clinical deployment of the electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire (ePAQ)—a pioneering suite of digital health tools that allow patients to self-complete structured assessments online. Originally developed for urogynaecology, ePAQ has evolved into a versatile platform now used across multiple clinical specialties including pre-operative assessment, pelvic radiotherapy disease, HIV care, pediatric dentistry, and vascular services. Designed to enhance communication, efficiency, and patient experience, ePAQ has been adopted by over 20 NHS Trusts and has supported the care of more than 100,000 patients in the UK and internationally. As Managing Director and Director of R&D at ePAQ Systems Ltd; an NHS spin-out healthtech company, Professor Radley has led the academic validation, clinical integration, and widespread implementation of ePAQ. The system is now embedded in national registries and NICE guidelines, and has generated a large and growing body of peer-reviewed research, evidencing its impact on care quality, service efficiency, and health outcomes.