About Dr Bowling

Dr Jonathan Bowling is a family-centered doctor who is married with four young children. He and his wife work together in his practice, offering a friendly, holistic dermatology service with clinics in Oxford. He is a firm believer in enjoying the sun and outdoor life, whilst ensuring that your skin is protected.

As a Consultant Dermatologist and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Dr Bowling has 20 years experience in the field of dermatology within the NHS including as a Consultant Dermatologist and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Dr Bowling’s main expertise is in diagnosing and treating skin cancer. During his time as Clinical Lead for skin cancer within hospitals in Oxford and his chairmanship of the West Thames Valley Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) for skin cancer, he has pioneered the use of dermoscopy as a diagnostic tool. His work has led to dermoscopy being used widely within the UK to perform mole screening, aiding the earlier diagnosis of melanoma.

Dr Bowling is the UK board member of the International Dermoscopy Society (IDS), and a regular Faculty Member of the World Congresses of the IDS. His expertise in the field of skin cancer diagnostics is recognised internationally. He was a member of the Faculty at the World Congress on Cancers of the Skin. He is frequently in demand throughout Europe to lecture on using dermoscopy as a diagnostic tool.

Publications

Dr Bowling is author of Diagnostic Dermoscopy: The Illustrated Guide (Wiley-Blackwell 2011), an award-winning text book for the medical profession. It is the textbook of choice on this topic worldwide with Russian, Chinese and Portuguese editions in publication.

Throughout his career, he has also published many papers in peer reviewed journals. He has also authored several textbook chapters, including sections on teledermoscopy, a newly emerging field, and has contributed to the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties.

Education and training

Dr Bowling has been a leader in the teaching of dermoscopy across the UK. He has devised and run dermoscopy courses that have been attended by in excess of 3500 clinicians, including 400 British Consultant Dermatologists and Plastic Surgeons. One of his most successful courses is the Annual International Dermoscopy Course for Plastic Surgeons with surgeons travelling from Canada, Australia and across Europe to attend.

Educating the general public is also one of Dr Bowling’s keen interests and he has been a contributor to NHS choices over the last three years, running an online clinic on all types of skin conditions. Telemedicine and teledermatology are particular passions and he is currently delivering a pioneering teledermatology service for Shropshire, as well as the first TeleHealth service for patients with psoriasis.

Dr Bowling’s expert opinion is often searched out by journalists and he has been quoted or interviewed for a variety of articles in major newspapers such as The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Sun, lifestyle magazines such as Vogue, Tatler, Red and Cosmopolitan and he has contributed to National and local BBC Radio programmes and TV shows including Embarrassing Illnesses on Channel 4.

Research interests

Current interests include the development of a validated scoring system for determining diagnostic accuracy in skin cancer screening clinics.