A Conversation with Carl Philpott

Smell is the sense we take most for granted — until we lose it.

In this episode of the Internet of Senses Institute Podcast, I sat down with Professor Carl Philpott, one of the UK’s leading researchers in rhinology and olfaction, for a wide-ranging conversation about smell loss, what it actually does to a person, and where the science is heading.

Philpott has spent decades working at the intersection of clinical medicine and sensory research. What strikes me about his work is how consistently he has to argue for the importance of a sense that most of medicine still treats as secondary. Smell loss affects roughly one in five people globally. It effects nutrition, mental health, safety, and quality of life. And yet it remains dramatically underfunded, underdiagnosed, and misunderstood.

We covered a lot of ground, discussing Covid-19’s impact on smell research as well as the importance of smell training and patient advocacy groups. This includes the evolution of Fifth Sense into SmellTaste. Philpott shares details of upcoming projects: new drug trials for post-viral smell loss, a hospital-based smell care service, and ICAST, a major program focused on nutritional and psychological support for people living with smell disorders.

For anyone interested in olfaction, this episode is essential listening. 

You can listen to the full conversation below—or wherever you get your podcasts.

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