Dr Michael Ford has worked in Microbiology for over 30 years and was appointed Microbiology Laboratory Manager for the Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust in 2014. Michael has a wide experience in all areas of diagnostic service provision. He has recently worked very closely with Public Health England which resulted in the transfer of their Newcastle services into the Trust. A key part of this was the setting up of a new molecular diagnostic service for Newcastle. His main research area involved developing novel methods of bacterial identification, which resulted in a number of publications and two successful patents for the development of novel selective media. He has been a lecturer at Northumbria University on both the BSc and MSc Microbiology programmes. Michael has also been a key member of the IBMS Scientific Advisory Panel for Microbiology and IBMS Deputy Chief Examiner.
[I] would certainly adopt the third [edition]... I think the inclusion of chapter on whole genome sequencing is very welcome * Dr Christopher Ring, Middlesex University * [The} best text book around for undergraduate Biomedical Sciences students * Dr Cheryl Walter, University of Hull * I am very pleased to see the new chapter on whole genome sequencing * Dr Lewis Bingle, University of Sunderland *