Profile

I am a clinical academic whose core professional principles were founded upon recognition of the value of research and innovation for improving health and health care. After finishing my clinical training in Rheumatology, I completed both an MD and a PhD degree. This provided me with a basis for developing my research skills and interests within the fields of clinical research and immunology. As my career progressed I fulfilled many senior leadership roles not only within universities but also within large networks and partnerships. These roles included being Clinical Director of the highly-successful NIHR Comprehensive Local Research Network for Cumbria and Lancashire, and Medical Director of the North West Coast Academic Health Science Network. These, and other, such roles reflected my strong interest in the power of senior-level strategic partnerships to drive significant research and innovation within the Health system.

Prior to my retirement I was Associate Dean for Engagement and Innovation in the Faculty of Health and Medicine. Supported by my leadership, the University’s Health Engagement and Innovation Team established a range of strategic partnerships with public sector, business and voluntary sector organisations. Our approach was based upon establishing frameworks of mutual trust and effective lines of communication with senior leaders within these organisations, which enabled us to identify how our respective organisations could learn from and benefit from working closely together over a number of years, and how this would then benefit the Health system. Our work was one of the key factors in the University’s decision to build and establish a large Health Innovation Campus as a major strategic development. As part of this development, I was a member of the University’s senior team for designing and planning the new Health Innovation One building.

Since my retirement I have, as part of a team of staff, helped to facilitate Lancaster University’s participation in the national Cara (Council for at Risk Academics) scheme. Cara enables academics who are professionally and/or physically at risk within their own country to find sanctuary within a UK university. To date, Lancaster has provided sanctuary to four Cara Fellows.