Staff Profile

I have worked at Newcastle University for over 20 years in Research Administration and progressed in a number of roles.

I currently programme manage the NIHR Three Schools Prevention Research Programme, hosted by the NIHR School for Public Health Research. The programme aims to develop, evaluate and understand how to implement interventions which promote health and wellbeing, treat conditions early, and manage health problems to prevent severe disease.

In January, the Department for Health and Social Care published its updated areas of research interest outlining where research and innovation could facilitate a step change in how complex issues are addressed at a strategic policy level. The first of these three areas of research interest is early action to prevent poor health outcomes.

In the UK, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, many cancers and cardiovascular diseases is increasing. The costs of these diseases to the individual, the health and social care systems and economy are large. Research is urgently needed about how best to prevent disease and support early diagnosis, and so improve population health and wellbeing. In response to this, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded the Three Schools £10m to deliver a programme of prevention research between 2023-2027.

The NIHR Three Research Schools is a collaboration between the Schools for Public Health Research (SPHR), Primary Care Research (SPCR), and Social Care Research (SSCR). Together, the Three Schools are currently delivering two other collaborative programmes of work on Mental Health and Dementia.

More about the programme of work can be found here.