Professors appointed Senior Investigators by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
Professors Catherine Bowen and Mari Carmen Portillo from the School of Health Sciences have both been recognised as Senior Investigators by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The NIHR Senior Investigator award recognises the most prominent and prestigious researchers of applied health and social care. Senior Investigators help shape the direction of health, and social care and public health research in the UK.
Mari Carmen Portillo, Professor of Long Term Conditions, said: “I am delighted to have been appointed NIHR Senior Investigator, through which I can continue building opportunities and tackling challenges in NIHR and community research.
“This award will be instrumental to optimise research impact and establish an inclusive talent pipeline amongst under-represented professions and public contributors who wish to develop a research career in multiple long term conditions applied research”
This is the second time Catherine Bowen, Professor of Podiatry and NIHR ARC Wessex Director, has been named a Senior Investigator.
She said: “Being appointed for a second term as an NIHR Senior Investigator is an honour, and it reinforces my commitment to ensuring that applied health and care research represents and benefits all communities.
“Much of my career has focused on addressing inequalities through research, alongside building capacity. This award strengthens my determination to continue championing underrepresented groups who are often missing from research.”
Senior Investigators are among the most outstanding and influential researchers funded by NIHR. They are recognised for the quality and global reach of their research and help to mentor the next generation of researchers, strengthen research culture and embed inclusion.
59 senior investigators have been appointed in the latest cohort, including leaders from a range of specialties and disciplines such as paediatrics, podiatry, dentistry, nursing and midwifery. There are also statisticians, discovery scientists and health services researchers working across clinical and social care. 42 are newly appointed and 17 have been reappointed as Senior Investigators.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “By recognising leaders across the breadth of health and care, we are reinforcing NIHR’s commitment to supporting excellence wherever it is found and ensuring that research leadership mirrors the communities and professions it serves.
“Senior Investigators make a significant impact to the NIHR and the wider research landscape and I look forward to seeing the contributions and impact they make across health and care research.”
Share this article on social media:
