Peter McCarthy is a neurophysiologist training at Universities of Manchester (Pharmacology and Physiology), St Andrews (PhD, neuropharmacology/physiology) and Bristol (neurophysiology) before electing to lecture in a private college on the south coast of England (Anglo-European College of Chiropractic).Additionally, Peter spent time doing research at the Max Planck Institute (Bad Nauheim), Playfair Institute (Toronto) and the Marine Biological Association (Plymouth).

Peter has been involved in chiropractic education since 1989 and has played an integral part in the evolution of chiropractic education from a diploma course in the 1980’s to an undergraduate (professional) Masters course that it is today. During this time he has held positions throughout the academic hierarchy from Module leader, Year tutor to Award leader, Scheme leader and has stepped in as acting Head of Research for the Faculty of Health, Science and Sport. His subject expertise appears eclectic, lecturing on Pathology, Neurophysiology, Pharmacology, Complementary Medicine therapeutics and drug interactions as well as research methodology; co-coordinating the undergraduate and postgraduate research for the Division of Clinical Diagnostics/Clinical School. He is also Head of the Clinical Technology and Diagnostics Research Unit (a cross faculty research unit).

During this time Peter also qualified as a Medical Herbalist (to put his Pharmacology training into practical use) and ran a part time practice for 5 years. Peter has published of over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journal articles was made a Professor (clinical technology) in 2009.

He has been awarded the National Back Pain Association medal as well as honorary fellowships in numerous European chiropractic organisations. He was the editor of the European Journal of Herbal Medicine as well as the managing editor of the European Journal of Chiropractic, reviewing editor for Clinical Chiropractic. Currently, he sits on the editorial board for the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The range of research study titles suggest an eclectic approach to research; however there has been a slow migration from studies on single cells in culture to whole human subjects based on a growing interest in studying the implications of change at the level of the whole body as well as the tools used to address this. Peter has organized and supervised various research trials and studies from complex studies involving patients (hospital based randomized controlled clinical trials) to simple laboratory based studies. He has designed, built and tested various devices for the non-invasive assessment and testing of humans; from elite sports to elderly falls clinic patients and chronic back pain sufferers.

He has successfully supervised 10 PhD and MPhil students and has been external examiner for universities around the world (most recently Macquarie University Sydney and Durban South Africa) and conducts research with collaborators situated globally (New Zealand, Australia, China and South Africa). Peter is married with two offspring and lives in Cardiff.