Dr Chiho Song
Clinical Safety Officer. Healthcare AI consultant. Founder.
I'm a Guildford-based doctor, Clinical Safety Officer and founder of Spheno Labs. My work brings clinical experience to healthcare technology.
Clinical experience. Practical technology.
My NHS background spans OMFS, ENT and acute care. Today I work on clinical safety, healthcare AI and product development.
My published research also uses the names Chi Ho Song and Chi H Song.
Read the research →Where I've been.
I develop Sphenoid OS, a clinical AI suite including OralPath, MaxScribe, AeroPath and FlapObs. I work on clinical workflows, product development and validation planning. The company also makes Doctor Simulator: Resident on Call, a hospital game made by doctors, and an off-duty clothing range.
Visit Spheno Labs ↗I worked in trauma and elective maxillofacial care, dentoalveolar surgery and fracture pathways, with on-call cover, MDT handovers, outpatient clinics and ward management. My fixed-term post ended on 31 August 2026.
I worked across ENT theatres, clinics and wards, supporting elective and emergency pathways.
I worked in OMFS theatres, dentoalveolar surgery and trauma care.
I rotated through general surgery, acute medicine, neurosurgery, general practice and community psychiatry, with inpatient gastroenterology and endoscopy lists. That breadth shaped my interest in clear referrals and reliable clinical handovers.
I taught clinical examination and procedural skills to medical students, and tutored at Churchill College.
What CSO sign-off covers.
Under an engagement, the thing I formally sign off as Clinical Safety Officer is the clinical safety case for a digital health product under DCB 0129 and DCB 0160 — the accountable statement that residual clinical risk is acceptable before a system goes live in the NHS. That is a clinical-safety judgement about the defined software and use. The manufacturer and deploying organisation retain their release and deployment responsibilities; CSO sign-off does not replace medical-device regulatory approval.
My clinical background is what makes that judgement credible: hands-on experience across oral & maxillofacial surgery, trauma and ENT means I understand the real workflows a product has to be safe inside. The clinical experience informs the safety review; the formal sign-off is the safety case itself.
For the record.
My qualifications, professional identifiers and contact details.
ORCID: 0009-0000-6931-7290 · My LinkedIn profile · Spheno Labs at Companies House
Peer-reviewed clinical publications.
I have co-authored research in neurosurgery and oral and maxillofacial surgery. These records link to the published papers, with the author names used in each journal. They concern clinical research, not validation of Spheno Labs products.
The effectiveness of clinical frailty assessment in older patients with Traumatic brain injury in predicting outcome and quality of life: a systematic review
Neurosurgical Review · · Co-author, credited as Chi Ho Song.
Elizabeth Cray; Nida Javed Hayat; Chi Ho Song; Max Western; Ellie Edlmann.
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-025-03659-yA Paediatric Case of Sphenoid Sinusitis and Resultant Secondary Masticator Space Abscess Requiring Surgical Management
Cureus · · Co-author, credited as Chi H Song.
Nazia Hossain; Chi H Song; Maya Stewart-Rizza; Emma Wates; James Sloane.
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.94843
Discuss a research partnership · Clinical AI validation support
Who, what and where.
What is your background?
I'm a doctor with NHS oral and maxillofacial surgery experience, a Clinical Safety Officer and the founder of Spheno Labs. I work on clinical safety cases and healthcare AI, with responsibilities agreed separately for each engagement.
What is Spheno Labs?
I founded and direct Spheno Labs Ltd. Through the company, I build digital systems around each client’s needs and develop Sphenoid OS, my clinical AI suite, including OralPath and MaxScribe.
What is your role in clinical safety?
As your Clinical Safety Officer, I lead clinical risk management for the agreed scope, prepare or review the safety evidence, and approve the safety case where the evidence supports it. The manufacturer and deploying organisation retain their own responsibilities under DCB 0129 and DCB 0160.
What healthcare AI work do you advise on?
I advise suitable NHS-facing teams on clinical AI validation, AI clinical safety, AI medical-device and SaMD route mapping, DTAC, DCB 0129 and post-go-live governance. Start with the Health AI expert or AI medical-device pages.
How can I contact you?
Email cs@csong.health. Use this inbox for professional, clinical-safety and research enquiries. For company products, contact info@sphenolabs.health.
Want to work together?
NHS partners, fellow clinician-founders and digital health teams needing a CSO: tell me what you're working on. This site is for professional enquiries, not patient care.