Specialist respiratory care built on clinical experience, specialist diagnostics and a personal approach.
Dr Alessio Navarra is a Consultant Respiratory and General Internal Medicine Physician at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where he is Joint Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine (Outpatient and Interventional Services) and Pleural Lead. He is also the Trust’s Clinical Champion for Ambient Voice Technology, leading the implementation of AI-supported clinical documentation.
His clinical practice covers the diagnosis and management of a wide range of respiratory conditions, with particular expertise in lung cancer diagnostics, pleural disease and interventional respiratory medicine.
Dr Navarra has a particular interest in investigating unexplained respiratory symptoms, abnormal chest imaging and conditions requiring specialist diagnostic assessment. He performs and teaches a range of respiratory procedures, including EBUS, bronchoscopy, thoracic ultrasound and pleural interventions, and holds European Respiratory Society (ERS) certification in thoracic ultrasound. He was part of the team awarded BMJ Respiratory Team of the Year in 2021.
His approach to consultations centres on understanding each patient’s symptoms and concerns, explaining investigation results clearly, and agreeing a management plan that patients understand and feel confident about.
Clinical expertise
Lung cancer and diagnostic bronchoscopy
- assessment of lung nodules and abnormalities on chest X-rays and CT scans
- investigation of suspected lung cancer
- endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) for sampling enlarged lymph nodes and diagnosing lung cancer
- diagnostic bronchoscopy and tissue sampling
- coordination of further investigations and treatment pathways
Pleural disease
- pleural effusions (fluid around the lung)
- suspected malignant pleural disease
- pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
- pleural infection
- unexplained pleural thickening and abnormalities
Dr Navarra leads the development of pleural services at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with experience in thoracic ultrasound and image-guided pleural procedures.
He has undertaken advanced training in interventional pulmonology and advanced pleural procedures, including European Respiratory Society (ERS) pleural training and qualification, and regularly carries out complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Read about pleural disease.
Sleep medicine
- obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)
- snoring and suspected sleep-disordered breathing
- excessive daytime sleepiness and unrefreshing sleep
- assessment and interpretation of sleep study results
Breathlessness and general respiratory medicine
- breathlessness during everyday activities or exercise
- persistent or unexplained cough
- wheezing and suspected asthma
- COPD
- recurrent chest infections
- abnormal lung function tests
Background and training
Dr Navarra graduated in medicine with highest honours from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. He completed his postgraduate training in the UK, gaining MRCP(UK) and the Specialty Certificate Examination in Respiratory Medicine before obtaining his CCT in Respiratory and Internal Medicine. He has also completed an Interventional Respiratory Fellowship at Watford General Hospital, the Next Step Leadership and Management Fellows Programme at King’s College Business School, and an MSc in Data Science for Health and Social Care at the University of Edinburgh.