R&I Annual Conference 2026

Dr Kieran Zucker is a clinical academic splitting his between work as a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and delivering research on health data science and machine learning engineering at the University of Leeds. He is the current the AI and Data Science Lead for Leeds Cancer Research Centre and runs a diverse portfolio of research at the intersection of secondary care and AI, with a focus on applying machine learning to routinely collected healthcare data. His research spans cancer outcome prediction, federated learning, forecasting, natural language processing, data quality, bias and digital health tools.   

Kieran co-directs the Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical AI and  runs several novel AI education schemes including the UK’s first Foundation Training posts for newly qualified doctors that integrates data science and AI training across the full two years of the accredited training scheme.  Kieran holds fellowships with the British Computing Society, the Royal College of Radiologists and is a Leading Practitioner at the Federation of Informatics Professionals. He is a Member of the Radiology AI Faculty and Oncology AI Advisory Group at the Royal College of Radiologists and sits on advisory groups for the British Computing Society.

Steve is the Chief Clinical Information Officer leading the clinical digital team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) and works clinically as a consultant in emergency medicine. He leads a multidisciplinary CCIO team that provides leadership supporting the use of optimal, cost effective and sustainable digital systems that enhance patient safety, experience and outcomes for the benefit of patients, staff and families/carers.

LTHT is one of the largest acute NHS Trusts in the UK, is the regional Major Trauma Centre and is also the hub for many other regional services including cardiac intervention, vascular surgery and stroke management.

Prior to the CCIO post, Steve was Medical Director Operations and Clinical Director for Emergency and Specialty Medicine at LTHT. He chairs the Scan4Safety Board at LTHT, is a member of the GS1 Global Healthcare Leadership Team and is a non-executive director of GS1 UK.

Dr. Sundararaj Manou is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Lead for Adult Emergency Departments at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. With a strong focus on system improvement and workforce optimisation, he is dedicated to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. 

An innovative leader, Dr. Manou has supported the development of a medical device aimed at improving the management of pneumothorax, reflecting his commitment to translating ideas into practical clinical solutions. 

As Chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s International Education Committee, where he advances global Emergency Medicine training. He has played a key role in establishing a two-year Emergency Medicine core training programme across nine centres in three Asian countries, strengthening education and capacity-building internationally. 

Outside of medicine, Dr. Manou is a keen photographer and an avid follower of cricket and Formula 1. 

Alex has been working in digital pathology since 2006, developing image analysis algorithms and AI-powered diagnostic tools, using digitised histopathology slides. He completed his PhD at the University of Leeds in 2018, with his Thesis: “Automated analysis of colorectal cancer“. After joining the Leeds Teaching Hospitals in 2021, he worked on the creation of the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) Digital Pathology PACS solution, before changing focus to lead the development of NPIC’s Research and AI platforms.

 Currently, Alex is responsible for the development of NPIC’s national Secure Data Environment platform and leads the NPIC SDE team – comprised of AI Scientists, Data Engineers, Systems Specialists and Project Managers, who are working to provide research data, platforms and services for healthcare, academic and industry partners. 

Alex has worked on a wide variety of projects across digital pathology, including developing the technical infrastructure of both the clinical and research solutions for NPIC, the installation of the Digital Pathology AI FORGE and its scanners, various computer vision and machine learning projects, research and development tools, such as the QCC Point of Use Quality Assurance tool, as well as developing the University of Leeds Virtual Pathology website and infrastructure, which hosts thousands of educational resources, attracting millions of visitors per year. 

Simon is an academic psychologist by background and is an Associate Professor of Child Health Research at University of Leeds. In 2021 he commenced a 5-year National Institute for Health Research fellowship focussing on the school lives of secondary school pupils living with long-term physical health conditions. 

Simon is an experienced qualitative health researcher and favours creative participant-led approaches to interviews and focus groups to understand experiences of health and healthcare. 

He is currently the Academic Capacity Development Lead for the Child Health Outcomes Research at Leeds research programme where he is leading the development of an integrated child health research community in and around Leeds. Through this role he mentors early career researchers in child health and links members of this community to relevant training, peer support and development opportunities. Simon currently supervises four doctoral research students studying for PhDs or Clinical Psychology Doctorates, all of which are in the area of child health and qualitative methods, as well as providing mentoring to several researchers developing NIHR Post-doc, Doctoral and Pre-doc level applications. 

Prior to commencing the fellowship Simon worked for three years in Primary and Palliative Care, and ten years in the Patient-Centred Outcomes Research Group. He has a long-term interest in teenage and young adult oncology, and before entering academia worked for five years as a Specialist Learning Mentor with the Teenage and Young Adult Support Service in Leeds before completing a PhD looking at the education engagement and wellbeing of teenagers with cancer.

Rebecca Mottram is an NIHR Doctoral Fellow, Children’s Nurse, and Clinical Academic Researcher at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She specialises in childhood cancer survivorship, fertility preservation, and patient-centred research. Rebecca leads research exploring the experiences and support needs of young people and families following fertility tissue preservation alongside the development of UKSTORE, the national register of stored ovarian and testicular tissue. 

With more than 15 years’ experience in clinical research, Rebecca has contributed to studies published in leading journals including BMJ Open, The Lancet Oncology, European Urology, and the Journal of Paediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.

Rebecca is passionate about translating evidence into practice, teaching healthcare professionals, supporting patient involvement in research, and improving health outcomes for children and young people through collaborative, patient-centred research.

Dr Matu is a Reader in Nutrition and Metabolic Health, based in the Obesity Institute at Leeds Beckett University, UK. He has research interests which lie in mixed methods approaches to explore weight management interventions, including what works for whom, and why. 

Jess Morgan is a consultant paediatric oncologist at Leeds Children’s Hospital, providing acute care for children and young people with extra-cranial solid tumours, and leading the paediatric late effects service. Jess is project lead for the development of Leeds’ paediatric ambulatory chemotherapy service, alongside a programme of research in this area. In her academic role, Jess is Deputy Director of the Candlelighters Supportive Care Research Centre and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York. Her research expertise lie in evidence synthesis, including mixed methods reviews and living systematic reviews, as well as qualitative research and patient involvement. 

Dr Sunil Kumar Daga is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Leeds and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist and Renal Transplant Physician at St James’s University Hospital. He is also the research inclusion lead at NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). and HealthTech Research Centre (HRC). His clinical and academic career focuses on kidney transplantation, chronic kidney disease, and improving outcomes for patients with advanced renal conditions. Dr Daga is recognised nationally for his contributions to transplant medicine and has held advisory and leadership roles with organisations including the UK Organ Donation and Transplantation Research Network (UKODTRN), Kidney Research Yorkshire, and South Asian Health Action charities.

Alongside his clinical practice, Dr Daga leads pioneering research exploring transplant immunology, health inequalities in kidney health, artificial intelligence, and data-driven approaches to personalised kidney care. His work has particularly focused on improving access to living donor kidney transplantation for underserved communities and reducing ethnic disparities in renal health outcomes. A passionate advocate for research-informed practice and innovation within the NHS, he has secured support for studies aimed at enhancing early diagnosis, transplantation pathways, and equitable access to care, helping to shape the future of kidney medicine both regionally and nationally. He champions community engagement initiatives and has strong relationship with several VCSEs in Yorkshire and beyond and working to develop multidisciplinary research in Leeds mentoring colleagues across disciplines.

Carl works for Leeds City Council Public Health leading and managing our LTCs/cancer programme of work.  This includes supporting policy and strategy development across the local health and care partnership on improving population health with a focus on assessing need, prevention, reducing health inequalities and service development and design. 

Carl has been working in Public Health for over 20 years in a variety of roles spanning many different agendas including sexual health, obesity, children and families, physical activity, and tobacco. 

Neil works across a complex and often ambiguous health and care system to turn policy and shared ambition into change. His role sits at the intersection of local government, the NHS, and the voluntary and community sector—supporting partners to come together around some of the system’s most persistent challenges, including health inequalities. 

Neil’s work focuses on developing and delivering programmes that improve access, experience and outcomes for local populations, often where needs are greatest. This involves navigating competing organisational priorities, aligning different organisational perspectives, and creating the conditions for more joined-up, person-centred approaches to health and wellbeing. He is particularly interested in how partnerships can move beyond strategy into meaningful, measurable action. 

He began his career in applied public health research, designing and evaluating complex interventions in real-world settings. That grounding continues to shape his approach today, with a purposeful emphasis on evidence, evaluation, and learning to work with uncertainty and adaptation in complex systems.

Pippa Bird is a Consultant in Public Health in Leeds City Council. In this role, she leads approaches to improve health and reduce health inequalities in Leeds, including work to build healthy communities and reduce the harms of drugs and alcohol. Pippa is the lead for research in Public Health and is working with colleagues across the Council and partner organisations to further develop public health research to inform decision making in Leeds. Pippa has a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of York.

She has previously conducted research on global public health and child health inequalities, including roles at the University of Leeds, McGill University and Bradford Institute for Health Research.

Jenny Roddy is a Consultant Midwife in Health Equity with a specialist focus on reducing health inequalities in maternity care and improving population health outcomes.

Jenny works in the Leeds Maternity Service and her work is centred on addressing disparities in maternal and perinatal outcomes through evidence-based practice, service improvement, and system-wide collaboration.

Passionate about equity and inclusion, Jenny works across clinical, strategic, and community settings to drive sustainable change and ensure that maternity services deliver safer, more equitable care for all women and families.

Dr Camilla Nykjaer is a Lecturer in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds and an Honorary Research Fellow with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She leads applied health research to improve perinatal health and reduce inequalities, working in partnership with NHS, local authority, and community organisations across Leeds.

Her work focuses on the co-production and evaluation of interventions and care pathways across pregnancy and the early years, particularly in underserved populations, with an emphasis on physical activity, behaviour change, and service delivery. She is Principal Investigator on multiple funded projects, including the evaluation and development of the Athena enhanced care pathway for pregnant women with obesity at LTHT.

She is Programme Leader for the MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Leeds, contributing to the development of the current and future healthcare workforce, and was recently appointed an Inaugural Fellow of the University’s Civic Exchange.

Nigel Simpson is Senior Clinical Lecturer and a Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Leeds and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust respectively.

He has extensive clinical expertise in the prediction and prevention of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, growth restriction, and preterm birth, notably in his running one of the longest-standing and largest preterm prevention services in the country.

His commitment to the prediction and prevention of adverse outcomes in pregnancy and childhood is evidenced in his contributions as National Lead for the NIHR Clinical Research Network’s Reproductive Health & Childbirth Specialty Group until 2024, Chair of the UK Preterm Birth Network, one of the leads for the Tommy’s National Centre for Preterm Birth Research, current member of the FIGO Committee on Preterm Birth, past membership of the RCOG Academic Board, co-investigator and/or collaborator on several key interventional studies in the prediction and prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes (SCOPE, PELICAN, PARROT 1+2, C-STICH), clinical expert to the NICE Diagnostics Committee’s publications regarding the use of biomarkers in the prediction of preeclampsia and preterm labour (DG23 and DG33), as a contributing expert to the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle, as a course director for Baby Lifeline’s theoretical and practical days for its effective implementation, and is occasionally found on X as @crustymcrusty.

Kate is the director at Health Innovation Leeds.  This is the city’s unified approach to position Leeds as a leading health innovation hub. Behind this ecosystem identity is one of the UK’s biggest partnerships between academic and health – the Leeds Academic Health Partnership.  Together the city’s three main universities with NHS, council, third sector and regional organisations work on solving the city’s hardest health challenges.

Kate’s passion for health and care transformation spans her career to date.  She is a co-opted member of the Leeds City College Board. And before joining Team Leeds she managed complex change through senior roles at Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, BUPA, GE and healthcare consultancy.

Dr Richard Wilkins is a clinical academic podiatrist with a joint appointment between the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as a clinical research fellow and advanced clinical practitioner.

In 2016, he was awarded a HEE/NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship (CDRF), which combined advanced clinical training (independent prescribing, injection therapies, biomechanics), a PgCert in MSK ultrasound, and training in clinical trials, analysis, and qualitative methodology. His PhD titled “Haemarthrosis of the ankle in haemophilia A and B: prevalence, impact and intervention” identified the prevalence and incidence of joint bleeding in haemophilia, the impact of blood-induced ankle arthritis and used biomechanical methodology to test foot and ankle interventions for the management of blood-induced ankle arthritis.

In 2021 her was awarded a NIHR development skills enhancement (DSE) award. I undertook training in clinical trials with a specific focus on intervention trials and complex interventions, with a focus on foot and ankle disease. The skills gained in the CDRF and DSE award underpin cross-institutional research in foot and ankle disease, focusing on the translation of basic science to clinical studies, testing mechanical interventions and developing clinical care pathways.

This has led to the development of a non-pharmacological intervention work package within the NIHR Leeds BRC’s Musculoskeletal Disease workstream: Prevention of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). This work combined advanced clinical practice with clinical research opportunities, leading to a successful NIHR pre-application award to explore foot symptoms and early diagnosis of PsA in psoriasis. This work underscores the need for timely diagnosis and management of spondyloarthritis (SpA),

Richard is currently the holder of an NIHR biomedical Research Centre, Leeds post doctoral fellowship. This funding will support the development of research in inflammatory arthritis foot and ankle disease in develop research on first line non drug interventions used in the management of spondyloarthropathies.

Sashi Kiran is a PhD researcher in Artificial Intelligence for Medical Diagnosis and Care at the University of Leeds. She’s currently working on developing AI methods to improve heart failure prediction from looking at longitudinal patient data and support more personalised clinical decision-making.

Her work sits at the intersection of AI and digital health, with a particular interest in translating machine learning research into clinically meaningful and trustworthy tools. Prior to her PhD, she worked in healthcare AI at Roche UK and Arya.ai, gaining experience across both research and industry in developing data-driven solutions for real-world healthcare challenges.

Jordan Marwood is a Research Fellow at the Obesity Institute at Leeds Beckett University, using mixed methods to examine eating behaviour in clinical and non-clinical samples.

Jordan’s PhD considered psychological risk factors for the presence and severity of binge eating behaviours in a community sample, and her more recent work includes NIHR funded national evaluations of weight management pilots, including the ReMission low calorie diet intervention for type 2 diabetes, and the ENHANCE evaluation of Complications of Excess Weight clinics for children and young people living with severe obesity.

Stuart is an NIHR funded, internationally active academic clinician at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust who combines clinical work and scientific research in the field of Neuroradiology.

He is particularly interested in the development of imaging biomarkers for neuro-related disease including the use of artificial intelligence for translational utility into the clinic.

Bob Wheller is the Clinical Scientific Computing Lead for the Department of Medical Physics and Engineering at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He leads for the delivery and governance of clinical computing services across Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, with responsibility for connected medical devices, healthcare technology integration, clinical software development, and the application of data science to clinical datasets, specialising on medical imaging.  

He works closely with clinicians, scientists, engineers, and academics to develop and implement digital solutions that improve patient care, operational efficiency, and clinical outcomes. 

A registered Clinical Scientist and Chartered Engineer, Bob has extensive experience in the management of risks associated with medical device interoperability and the integration of diagnostic and therapeutic systems within complex healthcare environments. He leads a team of clinical computer scientists responsible for evaluating, configuring, commissioning, and supporting computerised healthcare technologies across a large NHS teaching hospital. As a Clinical Engineer, Bob also leads the engineering team responsible for equipment management services in a large radiotherapy department. 

Bob’s professional interests focus on clinical computing, the use of medical device and healthcare data to improve clinical practice, the interoperability of connected healthcare technologies, and the development of future clinical engineering and clinical scientific computing workforces. He has presented nationally and internationally on healthcare technology integration, clinical data utilisation, and digital innovation in healthcare.

Pete Culmer is Professor of Healthcare Engineering at the University of Leeds, where he leads the Healthcare Mechatronics Group.

His research focuses on developing medical devices with an emphasis on sustainability and global healthcare. He leads work on sustainable materials for circular medical devices (UKRI/NIHR Green Healthcare Hub) and co‑leads the Sustainability theme of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care. He also co‑leads SUSTAIN, a real‑world surgical simulation environment for research, training, and education in sustainable surgery (funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care).

Pete serves on the UK IMechE Biomedical Engineering Division committee (BMeD) and the Innovations in Global Surgery organisation, advocating for sustainable, globally oriented healthcare engineering. 

Professor Pete Culmer Engineering and Physical Sciences Profile

Professor Pete Culmer LinkedIn Profile

Adam is a Consultant Emergency General Surgeon and Lead Clinician for Leeds Institute of Emergency General Surgery in Leeds.

Adam’s clinical focus is on the acute management of complex biliary disease, hernias and all major acute and emergency abdominal surgical presentations.

He is the Director of Emergency General Surgery for Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. 

He is passionate about the delivery of sustainable healthcare and particularly decarbonising surgical procedures and surgical care pathways.

He led a Leeds based team to victory in a highly acclaimed national competition co-hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Health and Royal College of Surgeons (Eng) with a project focussed on the delivery of net-zero laparoscopic appendicectomy surgery.

He is a sustainability champion at the Royal College of Surgeons (Eng) and has spoken globally subsequently on the subject.  

He works closely with NHSE, DHSC and other stakeholders in this area, co-leading the sustainability theme for the NIHR Healthtech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care. Aligned with this he is delighted to be launching the new SUSTAIN high-fidelity simulated theatre lab based in LGI which will focus on carbon reduction and net zero research in surgery later this year. 

Mr Paul Nix is a senior Consultant ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) Surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where he specialises in rhinology and anterior endoscopic skull base surgery. With more than three decades of clinical and academic experience, he is recognised for his leadership in advanced endoscopic techniques and for his contributions to both adult and paediatric ENT care. 

Since joining Leeds in 2008, Mr Nix has served as Clinical Lead in Otolaryngology and was instrumental in establishing the regional endoscopic anterior skull base service, which now supports complex multidisciplinary care across Yorkshire and the wider region. 

Mr Nix studied medicine at the University of Oxford, completing his BM, BCh and MA and MD degrees. 

Mr Nix maintains an active academic profile. He has authored over 60 peer‑reviewed publications. He also supports the wider ENT community through editorial involvement with the Journal of Laryngology & Otology, where he contributes to peer review and academic development within the specialty.

I am a medical oncology consultant in Leeds with an interests in colorectal, gastro-oesophageal and hepatobiliary malignancies.

I have further interests in management of the older and/ or multimorbid patient with cancer specifically those with diabetes.

I am the Oncology R&I lead for the Trust and the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Research Delivery Network Clinical Lead for cancer and an active clinical trialist.

David Sebag-Montefiore is the Audrey and Stanley Burton Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Leeds. David is the Director of the Leeds Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Radiotherapy Research Centre of Excellence, Clinical Director (Radiotherapy) at Leeds CRUK Clinical Trials Unit, and previous Director of Leeds Cancer Research Centre.  

David completed his undergraduate training at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, London, and postgraduate clinical oncology training at Mount Vernon Hospital, the Middlesex Hospital and St Bartholomew’s Hospitals. 

His research focuses on improving outcomes for patients with rectal and anal cancer through radiotherapy and clinical trials. 

He has led several landmark studies, including MRC CR07, CRUK ACT2, ARISTOTLE, STAR-TREC, and PLATO ACT3, ACT4 and ACT5 trials, and has authored two Research Excellence Framework Impact Case Studies in anal and rectal cancer. 

He recently presented the practice-changing ACT4 trial results that show shorter lower-dose radiotherapy achieves high cure rates with fewer side-effects – the first anal cancer trial to change practice in over 25 years.  

He previously chaired CRUK’s Clinical Trials Awards and Advisory Committee. 

David received the Royal College of Radiologists Rohan Williams medal in 1989, and its Gold Medal in 2019 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of clinical oncology. He received the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology lifetime achievement award in May 2026. His work continues to define clinical practice and improve patient outcomes on a national and international scale.

In 2019, I started working for the NHS in Nottingham where I completed my clinical scientist training and qualified as a Radiotherapy Physicist. In 2022, I moved back home to Leeds and started work at the Leeds Cancer Centre in a combined research/clinical role. 

In my clinical role, I help to deliver safe and effective Radiotherapy treatments. 

In my research role, I have investigated AI applications in Radiotherapy, modelling patient motion during treatments, and the use of advanced MRI techniques (MROnly and 4DMRI).

I am passionate about adopting cutting-edge imaging techniques to improve the quality of care that we deliver.

I am also committed to making the department more efficient to help combat increasing workforce pressures and keep waiting times down for patients.

Bashar Al-Qaisieh is Radiotherapy Physics Research and Radiotherapy Imaging Lead at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT).

He oversees one of the UK’s largest radiotherapy centres, managing clinical service delivery and development for imaging equipment, including three CT-simulators, one MRI-simulator for treatment planning, and twelve Cone Beam CT units on treatment machines.

Over last 10 years, he has expanded the team to 15 clinical scientists, including 5.5 WTE research physicists, establishing a strong research infrastructure and driving advancements in radiotherapy. 

Bashar has secured, led and co-led key research grants, including: a NIHR Senior Clinical and Practical Research Award: aiming to become a recognised international expert in advanced technology integration within radiotherapy, thereby improving its quality, to subsequently enhance research capabilities and become a recognised international expert in advanced radiotherapy technology CRUK-RadNet: he co-leads theme 1, personalised radiotherapy, focusing on AI tools and 4D imaging for liver radiotherapy.

The role includes strategy development, co-authoring proposals, and industry partnerships. NIHR doctoral Fellowships: He supervised an MRI-only radiotherapy projects, successfully completing an anorectal cancer study in 2021.

He supervises two NIHR projects with ongoing cervical cancer research and the development of MRI OE for brain scanning. AI and MRI for Brain and Liver Radiotherapy: As principal investigator, he has secured funding for multiple projects launching in 2026 with anticipated wide-reaching impact.

David Cairns is Professor of Clinical Trials Research at the University of Leeds and Deputy Director of the Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit.

He specialises in the design, conduct, and analysis of large-scale cancer clinical trials, with a focus on multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and colorectal cancer.

His work integrates statistical innovation with translational research and biomarker-driven approaches to improve the efficiency and clinical impact of treatment pathways.

Caroline was appointed in 2017 as a consultant in anaesthesia at St James’ University Hospital.

Her clinical interests are anaesthesia for colorectal and thoracic surgery, and her research interests are in improving post-operative outcomes after major surgery. She is Chief Investigator for an NIHR-funded study on post-operative analgesia and she is a winner of the national RCoA/ NIHR consultant research award for work to understand and improve patient access to peri-operative research.

She is currently undertaking a part-time PhD on the impact of socio-economic deprivation on postoperative outcomes.

Her research delivery work includes a lead role in the Theatres and Anaesthesia peri-operative research delivery team in LTHT.

She is also Yorkshire & the Humber NIHR Research Delivery Network Hospitals Settings lead, and Anaesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain specialty lead.  

She a grant reviewer for a charity and for the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, and she is a journal editor at Anaesthesia. 

Simon Howell is Professor of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Leeds, UK, and a consultant anaesthetist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

He trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge and the University of London, and completed postgraduate training in anaesthesia, internal medicine, and epidemiology, including an MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He has held senior academic posts at Leeds since 2001 and has developed an internationally recognised research programme in perioperative medicine. 

He is Chair of the Board of the British Journal of Anaesthesia, having previously served as Treasurer and Editor, and is a past Chair of the Vascular Anaesthesia Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

His research leadership focuses on cardiovascular risk, frailty, and diabetes in surgical patients, with particular emphasis on perioperative myocardial injury, blood pressure management, and implementation science.

He has led and contributed to major national and international collaborations, including the ESAIC-sponsored OBTAIN study, the MET-REPAIR programme, VISION, OPTIMISE, and the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine (StEP) initiative.

He is anaesthesia and perioperative medicine workstream lead for the Yorkshire Cancer Research Bowel Cancer Improvement Programme, has been an investigator on research grants totalling more than £3 million, and has published widely in leading international journals, contributing to guidelines, consensus statements, and research strategy at national and international level.

Dr Louise Savic is a consultant anaesthetist with a clinical and research interest in drug allergy and perioperative anaphylaxis. 

Working closely with the Association of Anaesthetists, British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Clinical Immunology Professional Network, she leads the UK Perioperative Allergy Network – a cross-speciality working party for improving allergy care among surgical patients, including the implementation of routine penicillin allergy delabelling.

Helen Hughes is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, where she is Director of the Behaviour Lab, and leads interdisciplinary research on behavioural dynamics in complex socio-technical systems.

Her work spans aerospace to healthcare sectors, and she has secured £4.5M in direct research funding, collaborating with organizations like Rolls-Royce, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), and KPMG.

Helen is currently an Associate Editor at Ergonomics journal, and a Co-Investigator within the NIHR-funded Surgical Health-Tech Research Centre, where she leads the ‘Surgical Observatory’ workstream, and is the Human Factors lead on the ‘SUSTAIN’ surgical lab project that is currently being operationalised within the Leeds General Infirmary.

Her research has received the Liberty Mutual Award for contribution to the field of Ergonomics, and beyond academia has featured in outlets including the BBC, Forbes, and the Financial Times.

Rory J O’Connor is a physician scientist in rehabilitation medicine. His principal research interests are restorative rehabilitation technology, rehabilitation services research and rehabilitation measurement science. 

He is Charterhouse Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Chair of the Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Leeds and Director of Research and Innovation for the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine.  

He is Chief-of-Service for the National Demonstration Centre in Rehabilitation in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Deputy Clinical Director and Theme Lead for the Rehabilitation, Assistive and Restorative Technology theme of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Long Term Conditions. 

He was a member of the Healthcare Technology Strategic Advisory Team of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council from 2019 to 2026. 

In September 2023, he was appointed to the National Institute for Health and Care Research Yorkshire and Northeast Regional Advisory Committee for the Research for Patient Benefit Programme. 

Professor O’Connor was elected to the European Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine, the organisation for the top 50 rehabilitation clinical scientists in Europe in 2017, and elected Secretary-General in 2022.

His research has been awarded numerous national and international prizes. 

In 2022, he delivered the Distinguished Olle Höök Lecture. 

He is chief investigator of the NIHR-funded RESTART-PD randomised controlled trial of augmented reality in rehabilitation.

Chris is a Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist at LTHT practicing with the Complex Rehabilitation Team at St James’s University Hospital. His role involves providing neurological rehabilitation to in-patients and out-patients, clinical education, audit, and research.  

In 2021 the University of Huddersfield awarded Chris the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in recognition of his work exploring occupational therapy interventions for people with multiple sclerosis within instrumental activities of daily living. 

His thesis reports the findings of a multiple case study incorporating mixed methods that explores the occupations of five people with MS and the occupational therapy interventions they received. In 2022 he presented a poster related to his thesis at the 18^th WFOT congress in Paris.  

Chris is a Visiting Honorary Lecturer within the Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Leeds and has acted as an external PhD examiner for the University of Queensland, Australia. 

He was involved in a study evaluating the implementation of an occupation-based model of practice in the OT neuroscience service at LTHT, and co-authored the subsequent paper recently published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.      

In 2024 Chris completed the Mary Seacole programme with the NHS Leadership academy. He has acted as a mentor for the NIHR first steps into research programme and ICA Internship scheme. 

Chris was involved in establishing the Leeds Occupational Therapy conference in 2024 and 2025.

When Ali Abdi co-founded Cast3D, he brought a decade of hands-on experience in additive manufacturing for both titanium medical implants and aerospace components.

That dual-sector expertise now drives Cast3D’s work in bespoke splinting for neurological rehabilitation, applying precision engineering to patient-specific solutions.

I am an early career researcher with the University of Leeds, having spent over two years working in the Leeds Institute of Health Science.

I have spent my life living in Calderdale and Leeds, being the first member of my family to go to university and earn my PhD.

I have always had an interest in psychology and mental health, and I enjoy using what I’ve learned to support those in need through research. 

My main projects have been focused on two key areas; firstly, FReSH START – a new therapeutic intervention intended to explore the functions of self-harm. I have played a key role in the process evaluation aspect, speaking with service users on their experiences and sharing their stories through thematic analysis.  

My second project is DIALS – developing a new pathway of liver disease diagnosis and treatment. Here I created patient facing materials to both recruit and inform people about their health. I also, again, lead the process evaluation side by talking to those patients to explore their thoughts and feelings on the new approach. 

These highlight my love of qualitative work and speaking directly to the people we, as researchers, study.

I enjoy forming empathetic connections with people, hearing their stories and sharing them with the aim of helping others in the future. That is the main reason why I came into research to begin with. 

I am also happy to discuss my own eccentricities – I am autistic, which gives me a unique view of the world, and I enjoy using this perspective to help improve research approaches for everyone.

I also, like many others, have had my fair share of battles with mental health that remains an ongoing process. Again, I like to bring this personal experience to my research in hopes of offering an empathetic ear to participants during interviews.

Ally Whelan is a specialist Neurological Physiotherapist with over 20 years experience working in the NHS across the Yorkshire region.

She currently leads the Parkinson’s Physiotherapy service at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. This role involves direct patient care, running high intensity exercise classes, teaching and the development of links with community stakeholders. 

She is passionate about patient centred care and driving innovation through technology.

She provided professional guidance on the Cue X feasibility study for the use of augmented reality in Parkinson’s rehabilitation with STROLLL. This project is now at RCT stage across multiple NHS sites.

Her work with Kneu Health resulted in winning the HSJ Partnership Award for Most Effective Contribution to Clinical Redesign in March. 

Outside of her NHS work she is the Parkinson’s England Football team physio.

Dr Ledia Agley is a clinician-academic with special interest in ageing and neurodegenerative conditions, including dementia.

She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and works at the intersection of clinical innovation and digital health.

Ledia is the Head of Customer Success at Kneu Health leading the implementation of digital solutions across NHS neurological pathways. Her work focuses on translating evidence into scalable, patient-centred innovations that improve outcomes for people living with neurological conditions and the health system.

Jonny Carmichael is a Consultant Haematologist at St James’s University Hospital, Leeds, where he divides his time equally between the CAR-T and multiple myeloma services.

He is actively involved in the delivery of clinical trials in both myeloma and CAR-T therapy, with a focus on improving pathways to ATIMP delivery.

He has a number of research interests, including exploring the use of adoptive cellular therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and immunotherapy in multiple myeloma.

Megan is a fourth year intercalating medical student at Newcastle University completing an intercalated Masters of Research in Cancer.

Supervised by Professor Greystoke and Dr Bain, Megan’s research focuses on how the application of machine learning algorithms could enable clinical decision making aids in cancer diagnostics.

Megan has clinical interests in oncology and molecular therapies in cancer.

Chris is a medical doctor, who has been a consultant treating people with cancer for over 30 years. He has had a particular interest in new drug development and clinical pharmacology; his clinical practice has been treating people with colorectal and breast cancer.

Chris’ first degree was in Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology and his undergraduate MB ChB training was at the University of Sheffield. He trained as a medical oncologist at University College Hospital and Guy’s & St Thomas’s Hospitals in London.

As a Consultant, Chris was Senior Lecturer, then Reader, in Medical Oncology in Glasgow at the Beatson Oncology Centre before taking up his current post at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Chris has been involved in the development of several important new cancer drugs including capecitabine, eribulin and pemetrexed that are now used routinely in the clinic.

He has published almost 300 papers in journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of Clinical Oncology and BMJ as well as speaking at innumerable national/international meetings.

For many years Chris was led the Section of Clinical Cancer Research at the University of Leeds, Deputy Director of the CR UK Leeds Centre and led the CR UK Leeds Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre.

For 10 years he has been Director of the NIHR Leeds Clinical Research Facility, which delivers early phase and experimental medicine trial at 5 sites across Leeds that was awarded over £10 million funding in 2022.

Jim Bush serves as Vice President for Fortrea’s Clinical Pharmacology Services which oversees the conduct of Phase I clinical trials involving the study of investigational drugs in healthy volunteers and patients.

In his role, Jim provides global leadership to the Clinical Pharmacology Physicians working in four Fortrea Clinical Research Units, in the UK and the US, and has worked as Principal Investigator on more than 100 Phase I studies. His primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the participants taking part in Phase I clinical trials. 

Jim received his Medical Degree and PhD from the University of Manchester. He holds a Certificate of Completion of Training in Pharmaceutical Medicine; is a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians; a Global Fellow in Medicines Development of the International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Pharmaceutical Medicine; and an Honorary Fellow of St George’s, University of London.

Adel is a Professor of Cancer Medicine and Immunotherapy and a Consultant Medical Oncologist specialising in the treatment of liver cancers.

My research spans multiple key steps in clinical immunotherapy development, including pre-clinical laboratory conceptualisation and optimisation, early phase clinical trials, and translational studies using clinical trial samples.

My laboratory group focuses on harnessing the immune system to treat solid malignancies, optimising the efficacy and delivery of immunotherapies to tumours, and understanding the immunological effects of radiotherapy, histotripsy and oncolytic virus therapy.

As Chief or Principal Investigator, I lead a portfolio of translational clinical trials focused on oncolytic viruses and liver cancers.

I am a consultant geriatrician at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and clinical lead for dementia and delirium.

I am the course director of Leeds Frailty Education and British Geriatrics Society Clinical Lead for the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia.

Emma Nicklin is a Senior Research Fellow in the Patient-Centred Outcomes Research Group at the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James’s, University of Leeds. Since joining the University in 2013, she has developed a strong research portfolio focused on improving the quality of life of people affected by cancer and their caregivers.

Her research interests include supportive care needs and work outcomes among cancer patients and their families. Emma works closely with neuro-oncology clinical teams to design and deliver research that can be directly translated into clinical practice.

Emma currently leads the BE SPeCiaL project, a Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded service improvement initiative that aims to enhance supportive and palliative care services for people diagnosed with brain tumours and their families receiving treatment at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Through this work, she is helping to develop and implement evidence-based improvements that better support patients and families throughout their care journey.

Linford Fernandes is a consultant neurologist with a special interest in MS at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

He completed his research MD at the University of Leeds, focused on the use of kinematic assessment as a digital measure of upper limb function MS.

As a consultant, he is Principal investigator in commercial and non-commercial trials including MND SMART, OCTOPUS MS and other studies like INTERACT MS.

Hannah Roden is the Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Service Delivery Manager within Leeds City Council’s Adults and Health Directorate, a role she begins/began on 06/07/2026 having previously been a Digital Innovation Officer within the Integrated Digital Service.

She has over 23 years’ experience working in local government, with more than 11 years focused on digital innovation and how technology-enabled approaches can improve services and deliver better outcomes for the people of Leeds.

Her work centres on using TEC solutions to support people to live independently for longer, improve health and wellbeing, and enable a shift from reactive to preventative care. 

She has led and contributed to a range of system-wide programmes across Leeds, working with NHS, local authority and voluntary sector partners to embed technology as a core component of service delivery. 

Hannah is particularly focused on ensuring technology is adopted sustainably and equitably, with strong partnership governance, workforce engagement and digital inclusion at the heart of delivery, so that innovation enhances person-centred care and delivers meaningful outcomes at scale.

Dom leads the Library and Knowledge Services team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals in their mission to provide a high-quality evidence base for decision making within the organisation. 

He also chairs the Professional Registration Panel for the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. 

He has previously served in the library teams within Health Education England and NHS England and has over 25 years’ experience working in health libraries within the NHS.

Denise is Head of Healthcare Professions Academic Development, sitting within the R&I CSU at LTHT.  

Denise is a physiotherapist by profession and has worked in Leeds since 2005 as a clinical specialist within the complex neurological rehabilitation teams.  

Denise’s goals are to embed research into everyone’s practice,  and to develop and support a recognised clinical academic career pathway for the Healthcare Professions at LTHT; so we can truly embed research into the high quality patient care that all of us provide.

Alexander Coles works within the Research and Innovation team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, supporting the use of real-world healthcare data for research and innovation.

They recently completed a PhD at the University of Leeds, where their research focused on applying machine learning techniques to electronic health record data to identify cancer recurrence and progression.

Their interests include real-world data, health data analytics, artificial intelligence, and enabling the use of routinely collected healthcare data to support research and improve patient outcomes.

My name is Maryam Abbas. I am an Assistant Real-World Data Manager at LTHT R-DIT department.

I am working at the intersection of research and information technology within healthcare.

My role involves supporting the collection, management, and analysis of real-world healthcare data to generate meaningful insights that inform research, improve patient outcomes, and support evidence-based decision-making. I am passionate about leveraging data, digital technologies, and informatics to advance healthcare research and innovation.

I am pleased to participate in this conference and look forward to engaging with fellow professionals to share knowledge, explore emerging trends, and contribute to the advancement of health informatics and research.

Dr Tan is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, an Associate Professor at the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds, and a Consultant Rheumatologist at Chapel Allerton Hospital and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Leeds.

Dr Tan’s main research interests include using imaging techniques such as MRI and ultrasound to improve the understanding of the pathogenesis of arthritis and muscle conditions.

Dr Tan was awarded Young Investigator Awards from the British Society for Rheumatology and the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology, and was one of the first NIHR Clinical Lecturers, and subsequently held the NIHR Clinical Scientist Award. 

Prior to this, Dr Tan was the Clinical Lead for the Musculoskeletal Specialty Group at the Yorkshire and Humber CRN, and the Research and Innovation Lead for Chapel Allerton Hospital CSU.

She currently co-leads the Year 4 MB ChB at University of Leeds, and also co-leads the Movement and Physical Activity Interdisciplinary Research Network at the University of Leeds, and is on the steering committee of the Empower Leeds Women Network. Dr Tan is the Editor-in-Chief for BMJ Connections Rheumatology.

Dr Tan is an advocate for physical activity in promoting health and runs every day, volunteers as a Social Media Ambassador for parkrun UK, and is an active member of the medical community on LinkedIn, X (formerly twitter) and BlueSky.

Chris is an experienced Operational Manager, Business Strategist and Business Development and Innovation professional with a focus on the translation and commercialisation of innovative healthtech research.

He has worked in a variety of positions within the medical device and Advanced Therapy sectors with a focus on the development of translational R&D programmes led by clinicians, academics and SME’s.  

As Director of Operations for Research and Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Chris oversees the strategic development and operational management of Research and Innovation across one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK.

In this role, Chris is responsible for the strategic development and management of research at the Trust which at any one time supports >900 live clinical research projects and which hosts major national infrastructures including the NIHR Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Biomedical Research Facility and National Innovation Pathology Co-operative.

The embedded Innovation team supports both innovators in the Trust and businesses who are looking to work with NHS organisations to develop and evaluate innovative healthtech products across a broad spectrum of clinical disciplines. 

This growing portfolio of “innovation” projects includes the collaborative development of a wide range of medical devices, diagnostics and digital/AI tools aimed at improving the health of patients. 

Chris has a strong belief in open innovation and collaboration to develop solutions to problems and in developing business and reimbursement strategies in parallel with strong scientific proof-of-concept data at an early stage to facilitate the development of investable propositions which link to real-life challenges within the NHS.

Dr Helen Radford is the Associate Director of Operations: Research, at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, University of Leeds. Helen is a Registered General Nurse with over 25 years’ experience in designing, conducting, and delivering academic and commercial clinical research studies. 

Helen has held clinical research positions in the NHS (Research Nurse, Clinical Trials Manager, Operational & Scientific Manager, NIHR Leeds MIC Director of Operations, NIHR Leeds CRF Manager), Industry (Senior Project Manager Phase I-IIA) and Higher Educational Institutes (Project Manager/Lead Nurse).

In the NHS, Helen has extensive experience in clinical drug development studies (Phase I-IV: First in Human, proof of concept, singular and multiple ascending dose designs), interventional medical devices and observational studies (Phase II-IV).  

In 2015, Helen completed her Biomedical Science PhD which investigated individual’s clinical response to codeine, an analgesic drug which is reliant on biotransformation by the CYP2D6 enzyme to the active compound morphine for analgesic efficacy.

Through a series of research studies, she developed a biomedical model to predict long term codeine response using genotyping and measuring urine codeine metabolites to enable healthcare professionals to objectively assess CYP2D6 function at the point of care and in essence provide a personalised treatment plan. She is a manuscript reviewer for Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, the official journal of the International Neuromodulation Society.

Her research collaborations have resulted in 17 co-authored publications disseminating independent research in leading professional journals plus she has presented 15 abstracts at national and international conferences. 

Helen joined the NIHR UK Clinical Research Facilities Network (UKCRFN) in 2020 as a member of the CRF Managers group.

In 2023, Helen was appointed Deputy Lead of Work Package 2, Strategic Leadership and became the WP2 Lead from April 2024 to February 2026.

Sarah Kent is the Head of Nursing for Research & Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust since Jan 2024.  

Sarah qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1991 and began her research career as a research nurse in 2000 at York Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust establishing a research delivery team and trials portfolio across multiple disease sites at Scarborough Hospital.

She became the Lead Research Nurse for the Humber & Yorkshire Coast Cancer Research Network in 2002.  

Sarah joined LTHT in April 2017 as Senior Sister for the Clinical Research Facility in Bexley Wing at SJUH, before moving into central R&I as a Lead Nurse in 2021 and then successfully applying to be the Head of Nursing for Research.  

Sarah’s focus is to ensure that research is delivered to consistently high standards whilst maintaining and growing an agile workforce fit to deliver our research to our patients and increasing opportunities for our patients to be involved in research.  

She is passionately driven to strengthen the R&I CSU and work collaboratively with all other CSU’s in the Trust to support and integrate Research & Innovation into everyday practice.

Matthew Dalton is Project Portfolio Manager within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Research and Innovation Business Team.

With over six years of NHS experience, Matt has progressed from a biomedical support role to leading strategic initiatives that strengthen LTHT’s research portfolio. 

He oversees Recruitment to Time and Target across the NIHR clinical trials portfolio, providing financial and strategic guidance to optimize recruitment performance, workforce planning, and portfolio sustainability.

Matt collaborates with investigators, research delivery teams, finance, and external partners to overcome recruitment challenges, secure new studies, and drive targeted research projects. 

Matt holds an honours degree from Northumbria University and a postgraduate degree in Biomechanics from Loughborough University.

His professional interests centre on strategic and operational management in healthcare research. 

Matt also likes to keep active in team and competitive sports, such as Fencing and Badminton.

With extensive experience in basic science research, clinical trial management and the biotech sector, my principal role here at the Trust is Business Development and Innovation. This activity takes several forms ​

1. Nurturing an innovation mindset and helping develop any innovations that staff may have
2. Understanding what the unmet needs are across the Trust ​
3. Engaging with the external MedTech/DigiTech markets to understand what new innovations, technologies align with and may potentially solve the Trust’s unmet needs 

Graeme is Deputy CEO and Head of Innovation in Medipex, a healthcare innovation hub supporting innovation and IP development in the NHS, academia and SMEs and has worked in medtech innovation and development for over 20 years. Previously, he worked in the EPSRC Medical Technologies Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) based in the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering at the University of Leeds.

In the IKC, Graeme was responsible for identifying new technology opportunities and providing support in order to advance development and commercial investment readiness. He has developed and managed innovation funding calls to support academic technology translation and provided professional project management support for the projects funded.

Prior to the IKC he worked for almost 10 years in a number of research and innovation roles at Smith & Nephew, an international medical devices company.

Graeme has a PhD in cell biology and tissue engineering and has an excellent understanding of the medical device industry and its challenges, as well as a background in scientific project management and innovation management.

My name is Paige Uppal, I am a Computer Science student due to graduate from the University of Leeds this July. I have also worked as a Technology Consultant at PwC for the last 4 years alongside my degree.

Whilst I’m early on in my career, I have applied my data analytics and software engineering skillset to a variety of projects and have really enjoyed working with the R-DIT team this year to explore the usability of NHS datasets.

Associate Professor Carole Burnett is a diagnostic radiographer who has established herself as an academic clinician, undertaking and leading research to understand and mitigate the side effects of radiotherapy treatment for patients with a diagnosis of cancer. Carole was awarded a NIHR Senior Clinical Academic Practitioner Research Award in 2024. 

In addition to supporting research activity, Carole is also passionate about enabling individuals to fulfil their career aspirations to develop their research potential. Carole has contributed to the academic capacity development arena at local and national levels.

Carole is the academic capacity development lead for the NIHR Leeds BRC, Leeds Teaching Hospitals and is the director for the Yorkshire and Humber Community of Research Practice NIHR internship scheme.

Rachel is a Business Development and Innovation Manager, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Rachel delivers collaborative projects that bring together industry, academia, and healthcare partners to deliver impactful innovation.

She is the current lead from LTHT supporting the Health Innovation Leeds Incubator Programme, helping companies across West Yorkshire access NHS expertise, navigate clinical evaluation, and accelerate the adoption of high-impact healthcare solutions.

With experience in partnership development, innovation delivery, and building cross-sector networks, Rachel works to translate ideas into real-world health improvements.

Nathan is the Head of Collaboration and Health Tech Lead, Nexus, University of Leeds.

Nathan leads high-level collaborations between Nexus member businesses and senior academics at the University of Leeds, Nathan will also be responsible for advising on regional, national and international opportunities for the Nexus community.

With extensive experience in health-related businesses and within medicine and health and research and innovation at the University of Leeds, Nathan’s expertise will be utilised to support and grow business relationships and collaborative partnerships with the University.

Natalie is the Head of Business Partnerships, Leeds Beckett University

Natalie provides that human bridge for businesses to access the university, its research, expertise, and talent. Her work mainly focuses on supporting our regions SME’s and enabling Leeds Beckett to play its vital role in the innovation and business support ecosystem.

Natalie takes pride in working for an Anchor Institution, putting people and place at the centre. Harnessing the university’s translational research strengths in Health and Wellbeing, Sustainable Urban Environments, and Inclusive Economy to drive genuine impact through the exchange of Knowledge and sharing best practice.

Anne-Maree is Professor of Applied Health Research at the University of Leeds, Associate Director for the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Centre (BRC), former Associate Dean of the NIHR Academy and a podiatrist.

Anne-Maree has overseen a portfolio of £40M institutional strategic awards and personal funding of £11M.

Her research interests focus on multi-disciplinary approaches which improves the health of people with musculoskeletal disease in general, with a specific interest in midfoot osteoarthritis and is an NIHR Senior Investigator.  

Anne-Maree has been involved in the support of research careers for healthcare professionals nationally, as was the Chair of the Follett Guidelines for HCPs. 

She is Co-Chair of the NIHR INSIGHT Programme for Yorkshire and Humber.  Anne-Maree was awarded an OBE in 2018 for her services to podiatry.

Mary Claude-Perrin is a Lead Nurse in Research & Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with over 20 years’ experience in clinical research delivery across a wide range of specialties. she provides strategic and operational leadership to support high-quality research. 

Mary’s work focuses on workforce development, including implementing the Clinical Research Practitioner (CRP) role, developing career pathways, and building skilled, adaptable teams. She has a particular interest in workforce planning and recently supported the development of the “Leeds Integrated and Flexible Research Team “(Li/FT) to strengthen agile research delivery.

My name is Rachel Harrison I am the Lead Nurse for Children and Young People here at Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust. I have nearly 30 years’ experience as a paediatric nurse, first in general paediatrics and Paediatric Intensive Care, before moving into research in 2003. 

As part of my role, I am responsible for the management and leadership of the Leeds Children’s Hospital Clinical Research Facility and Children’s Research workforce delivery teams.

We currently have a portfolio of approximately 160 studies and clinical trials relating to 25 different paediatric specialist areas recruiting up to 800 children, young people and their families to research on an annual basis. I provide expertise and contribute to the Trusts strategic approach to clinical research delivery and research workforce development across all hospital sites here at Leeds, but specifically Leeds Children’s Hospital. 

I also oversee the Vascular Research Delivery Team which has a smaller more focused portfolio. 

I work closely with the Research and Innovation Senior Management team to ensure safe and effectively delivery of research across the Trust and in collaboration with external stakeholders including other NHS partners, the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR), National and International Research Networks, Charitable bodies and commercial stakeholders. We work closely to meet NIHR and NHS England research targets and priorities, ensuring that our patients and families are at the heart of what we do.

Karl Ward is a Registered Nurse with a clinical background in surgical and critical care nursing and over 18 years’ experience in clinical research, including early phase research. 

He has held several senior research roles, leading national workforce and training initiatives such as the Researcher Credentials Programme with the NIHR and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC). He currently leads the UKCRFN Leadership Programme, serves as a Senior Leadership Programme Trainer, and is an alumnus of the NIHR Senior Research Leader Alumni.

As Lead Nurse for Research and Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), Karl has, since 2018, strategically and operationally developed a specialist, trust-wide research training and education service, supporting early phase research and the Leeds Clinical Research Facilities. 

Under his leadership, the Leeds Research and Innovation Academy has established a strong local, regional and national reputation for excellence in the design, delivery and evaluation of clinical research education. The Academy has received multiple awards and secured regional and national funding to further develop and evaluate its distinctive training model.

A highly respected and accomplished senior leader, Antony Kildare brings extensive experience from non-executive, trustee and chair roles across healthcare and the NHS, as well as over 25 years in leadership positions, with experience spanning commerce, innovation, economic development and regeneration.

Antony was appointed Chair by NHS England in June 2025 and joined the Trust in August 2025.

He brings substantial board-level leadership experience across the NHS, public services, and the voluntary sector.

Antony is a former Independent Chair of Medway Community Healthcare and former Non-Executive Director and Independent Chair of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

He has also served as a Board Director of the International Health Alliance and as Chair of The Health and Europe Centre.

Alongside his NHS roles, Antony was Chair of national advocacy provider POhWER for over five years until August 2025.

He has held Chief Executive roles in leading national charities and was Board Advisor and inaugural Chief Executive Officer of a children’s services company.

Antony has more than two decades of experience in commercial and strategic leadership, specialising in partnership development, organisational change, and largescale transformation across health, education, children’s services, and community programmes in the UK and Europe.

Brendan joined Leeds Teaching Hospitals in September 2025 from Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

Brendan was Chief Executive at Calderdale and Huddersfield from 2022 until 2025, following almost four years as Chief Executive at Airedale NHSFT alongside his role of System Partnership Lead for the Airedale, Wharfedale & Craven Partnership.

He has previously held the position of Executive Director of Nursing/Deputy Chief Executive at both Calderdale & Huddersfield and Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts.

Brendan has a clinical and therapeutic background, and holds a Masters with Distinction from the University of Nottingham.

He has a proven track record for health and care leadership, and consistent improvements in the delivery of healthcare across hospital and community settings.

Lindsey Burrow is an NHS physiotherapist, charity patron of Leeds Hospitals Charity, author of The Sunday Times best seller, Take Care, and advocate for carers and people living with motor neurone disease (MND).

Through her professional career in healthcare and her personal experience supporting her late husband, Rob Burrow CBE, during his journey with MND, Lindsey has become a voice for patient-centred care, awareness and research.

As a Patron of Leeds Hospitals Charity, Lindsey has played a pivotal role in fundraising and campaigning efforts that helped bring the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds from vision to reality.

The centre, the UK’s first purpose-built facility dedicated to MND care, research, education, and holistic support, stands as a lasting legacy of collaboration between patients, clinicians, researchers, charities, and the wider community.

22 Alongside her advocacy work, Lindsey has inspired thousands through her fundraising challenges, public speaking, and commitment to improving the lives of others. In recognition of her public service, healthcare leadership, and charitable contributions, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Leeds Beckett University in 2025. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience, Lindsey continues to champion compassionate care, support innovation in MND services and research, and advocate for families navigating life-changing conditions.

Professors Sir John Burn was born and raised in West Auckland, County Durham and trained as a doctor at Newcastle University where he is Professor of Clinical Genetics.

He leads the Cancer Prevention Programme (CaPP) and is an honorary NHS consultant in the Northern Genetics Service which he led for 20 years (1984-2004).

Over 300 referenced peer reviewed publications have been cited over 45,000 times (H index 100).

He co-led creation of the Millennium Landmark Centre for Life opened by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2000; it houses genetics and fertility NHS services and genomic research and genomic laboratory services for the 8.5 million people in Northern England.

The Centre provides science classes to 40,000 children each year and receives up to a quarter of a million visitors.

He chairs DNA device company QuantuMDx Ltd.

He is a Trustee of the European Hereditary Tumour Group, the UNESCO NGO Global Variome and of HUGO (the Human Genome Organisation) London.

Past roles include President of the European Society of Human Genetics, board member NHS England and chair of Newcastle Hospitals. Sir John is a non-executive director of the national Medicines Development Catapult.

He is Chair of Research and Innovation, NE& Yorkshire Genomics Medicine Service and Chair of the Prevention and Population Research Committee of Cancer Research UK.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for services to medicine and in 2014 was recognised as a ‘local hero’ with a brass plaque on Newcastle Quayside.

John and his wife Linda have two children and four grandchildren. Their daughter and her husband and four children are the Marsh family who became famous in lockdown for their parody songs on YouTube which led to an appearance on Comic Relief. They have over 250,000 subscribers and recently released their first album. John says he is now 8th most famous family member, overtaken by the Marshes and their dog Boo.

Lindsey Hughes is Director of Research in the Innovation, Research and Life Sciences Strategy Group at NHS England.

During 30 years of NHS service, including 18 years in frontline service provision as an Orthoptist, Lindsey has held various clinical, professional and national leadership roles.

Lindsey joined NHS England in 2014 and led the Improving Rehabilitation Services Programme prior to joining the IRLSS group in 2016 where she developed the research programme.

She took up her current role in 2022 and is currently also co leading the IRLSS team.

Her portfolio includes Embedding Research, Patient and Public Involvement, Innovation Systems and Medicines Innovation.

After working in the higher education sector for many years, Becky joined Leeds Hospitals Charity in March 2018. Firstly, overseeing the development of Day One Major Trauma Support and latterly leading on the Charity’s funding strategy.

Having undertaken extensive charity fundraising in her personal life, Leeds Hospitals Charity presented a great opportunity to continue philanthropy whilst utilising her unique professional skills and experience in strategy and partnerships.

Becky is working closely with Leeds Teaching Hospitals to deliver the Charity’s research and innovation strategy and through charitable funding, contributing to Leeds Teaching Hospitals to deliver on its own.

TV’s favourite GP, Dr Amir Khan became Leeds Hospitals Charity’s first ambassador in March 2021. The Bradford-born GP has worked in West Yorkshire for over a decade. He first appeared on hit TV series GPs: Behind Closed Doors and is now well-known for regular appearances on ITV’s Lorraine and Good Morning Britain.

Dr Khan is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at both Bradford and Leeds University, as well as being on the advisory board for the Bradford School of Pharmacy and Practice Managers Association.

Dr. Dominic Pimenta is the Co-Founder and CEO of TORTUS AI, a British healthcare technology company established in 2022  He is an NHS-trained, practicing physician and cardiologist with over 16 years of clinical experience. His background spans clinical practice, pharmaceutical medicine, and AI healthcare research.

As a second-time founder, Dr. Pimenta has become a well-known figure in UK NHS circles, working to bridge the gap between clinical practice and healthcare technology innovation.  He holds an MBBS, MRCP, and BSc (Hons), and continues to practice as a cardiologist whilst leading TORTUS AI’s mission to transform healthcare delivery through artificial intelligence, now scaled to 2.5m patients and over 1000 NHS organisations in the NHS.

TORTUS AI was founded through Entrepreneur First and focuses on developing AI solutions that support healthcare professionals in delivering better patient care.

Matt Thomas is an experienced senior operational leader and is the Head of Technical Services & Sterilog Operations at B. Braun, with responsibility for the Sterilog decontamination and sterile services facility in Leeds and the B Braun Technical Services function based in Sheffield.

He has over 30 years’ of experience across engineering, technical and service led operations, including senior director roles in the Energy and Utilities sector where he led large, regulated service operations with a strong focus on safety, resilience, and customer outcomes.

Matt’s dual role enables the delivery of integrated Sterilog and technical support services, creating opportunities for added value through managed equipment, instrumentation support, and repair services, supporting safe, resilient, and efficient outcomes for NHS Trusts.

Gareth serves as Director of Clinical Operations where he leads the execution of our CHILL study. He has +15 years’ experience in clinical operations in Pharma and Biotech including roles at GSK, AstraZeneca and Bayer with a particular focus on complex early‑phase and rare disease studies.

Healthcare Business Development Manager, Brady Corporation (UK & Ireland)

Ben Ballester leads Brady Corporation’s healthcare business development across the UK and Ireland, helping NHS trusts and healthcare providers harness RFID and auto-identification technology to improve patient safety, traceability, and operational efficiency.

With a career spent at the intersection of technology and healthcare, Ben has held senior roles at The Barcode Warehouse, Genesis Automation Healthcare, and GHX Europe, giving him a deep, practical understanding of the challenges facing NHS supply chains, sterile services, and clinical environments. His expertise spans RFID and RTLS technologies, Scan4Safety, GS1 standards, surgical instrument tracking, and NHS procurement.

At Brady, Ben works closely with NHS trusts and technology partners to deliver real-world solutions — from pathology sample tracking and sterile tray location to asset management across hospital estates. He is a strong advocate for the role of point-of-care identification and location technologies in reshaping NHS operations, and for collaboration between industry and the NHS to turn innovation into everyday practice.

Dr Dan Gilpin is Medical Director for Partnerships and Integration at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where he leads work across neighbourhood health, integrated care and system partnerships. He is also a Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist and Senior Honorary Lecturer at the University of Leeds.Dan’s career has combined frontline clinical practice with leadership in healthcare transformation. He has previously held national roles within NHS England and is an alumnus of the NHS Digital Academy and Topol Digital Fellowship, with a particular interest in how data, digital technologies and clinical leadership can enable more proactive, person-centred models of care.

His current work focuses on redesigning health and care around neighbourhoods, bringing together specialist, community, primary care and local authority services to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and support people to remain independent at home wherever possible. He has led the development of neighbourhood health strategy within Leeds and works closely with partners across the city to translate national policy into practical system change.

Alongside his leadership roles, Dan remains clinically active in paediatric anaesthesia and is actively involved in research, education and innovation. His interests include health system design, population health management, the use of data to support continuous learning and improvement, and the role of specialist services within neighbourhood-based models of care.

Sarah Purchon is the Operational manager for the Integrated research Programme which is a joint role across Leeds community Healthcare Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Sarah is also an adult nurse and Healthcare specialist practitioner.

During her time at university, Sarah was a student & school representative and university senator. Sarah went on to study a post graduate certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice and became a General Practice Nurse (GPN) Sarah has worked in Primary care since registering and was a Lead GPN/ Nurse Manager for many years before moving to more strategic roles in primary care and integration, whilst still working as a locum in general practice. Sarah was awarded the Queens Nurse title in 2023.

Previously Sarah has chaired the CNO shared decision-making council for primary care, created the GPN Student & Nurse Network through funding from NHSE and worked with Smart Health Solutions on projects, ranging from Learn with Nurses, Covid support and training packages for GPN’s. Sarah is an advocate for quality improvement and integration and works with teams to encourage and create joint working and support.