After completing medical school in Cardiff in 1997, Professor Dev Datta trained in cardiology and general medicine in Wales and Edinburgh until 2006 and during this period spent 2 years as a British Heart Foundation research fellow at Cardiff University. He undertook research into the biochemistry of blood vessel function in heart disease and diabetes, for which he was awarded his MD. He then completed training in medical biochemistry and metabolic medicine in Cardiff and also undertook training in obesity management at the Imperial Weight Centre, London.

Professor Dev Datta runs a weight management service and also sees patients who have high cholesterol, or have other risk factors for heart disease and stroke such as hypertension or a strong family history of vascular disease. He has an interest in the evaluation of individuals who do not tolerate standard lipid-lowering therapies such as ‘statin’ drugs. Professor Datta runs a clinical biochemistry and diagnostic medicine service which involves evaluation and treatment of a variety of metabolic conditions, such as problems related to calcium and sodium metabolism, vitamin deficiencies including vitamin D and hormones.

He is an NHS Consultant at University Hospital Llandough, in Cardiff, where he runs a lipid and cardiovascular disease prevention clinic and is clinical lead for the lipoprotein apheresis unit, one of the largest of its kind in the UK. He also is clinical lead for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board NHS Weight Management Service. Professor Datta is a specialist in Chemical Pathology and Metabolic Medicine. He is active in both teaching and research and contributes to postgraduate education locally and nationally. He is course director for the MSc in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of South Wales, which he established. He was appointed as a visiting professor in recognition of teaching and research by the University in 2022.