Meet Our Team
Professor Quentin M. Anstee
Director of Newcastle Health Research Partnership and Pro-vice Chancellor Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University
Professor Anstee oversees the strategic direction of Newcastle Health Research Partnership, ensuring the partnership combines expertise to improve health and care from scientific research.
Professor Anstee is the Pro-vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University and currently the Ruth & Lionel Jacobson Chair of Personalised Medicine. A practising clinician, Quentin’s translational and clinical research has extended from the bench to the bedside with particular focus on the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).
He is also an NIHR Senior Investigator and has been named as one of the world’s most influential researchers in the Web of Science list of Highly Cited Researchers, amongst the top 1% of scientists by citation metrics.
Martin Dixon
Chief Operating Officer
Martin holds a dual role as the NHRP Chief Operating Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre.
In his expanded role with NHRP, Martin is committed to fostering collaboration across the partnership’s five member organisations. He plays a key role in aligning regional research strengths, building cross-sector relationships, and driving forward NHRP’s ambitious plans to maximise research impact.
His continued leadership within the NIHR Newcastle BRC enables him to bring valuable insights and connections to NHRP, helping to catalyse innovation and deliver benefits for patients across the North East and beyond.
Vicki Harris
Head of Public Partnerships
Vicki leads in coordinating public partnership activities cross Newcastle Health Research Partnership and the Clinical Research Directorate (CRD) in Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Vicki has over 7 years’ experience of delivering and developing health research with marginalised communities, supporting researchers on their community engagement skillset, and working across sectors to improve access to health services and health outcomes.
With over 20 years’ experience leading strategic partnership work with marginalised communities, Vicki is passionate about ensuring that public and patients can share their experiences and insights in health research, and this is supported through the collaboration of all our partner organisations and researchers.
Katie Pegg
Public Partnership Coordinator
Katie plays a pivotal role in coordinating public partnership activities cross Newcastle Health Research Partnership and the Clinical Research Directorate (CRD) in Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Public partnership activities include patient and public involvement, engagement, and participation activities in health research within the two organisations.
Katie also leads on the coordination and delivery of the NHRP Public Partnership Training Programme. She is passionate about giving the public and patients the opportunity to share their experiences and add valuable insights in health research.
Claire Heminsley
Communications Manager
Claire holds a dual role as Communications Manager for Newcastle Health Research Partnership and NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Newcastle, leading strategic communications and engagement activity across both programmes.
Experienced in communications, stakeholder engagement and content development, Claire works closely with researchers, partners and community organisations to translate complex research into accessible and engaging communications. Her work focuses on building strong networks, increasing visibility and supporting collaboration across the partnership and broader research infrastructure.
Matthew Hosken
Project Manager
Matthew supports the delivery of collaborative health research and training programmes. His work focuses on programme governance, project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and the development of effective cross-partner working arrangements.
Matthew holds the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) has previously supported the delivery of the LifeArc Centre for the Acceleration of Rare Disease Trials and NIHR HealthTech Research Centre activity, with experience coordinating complex multi-organisation projects and research processes.
Sian Johnson
Operations Administrator
Sian supports the core team and ensures the smooth functioning of our operations. With a diverse skill set, she oversees meeting organisation, travel arrangement, procurement and event support. Sian also helps with ad hoc administrative tasks and contributes to fostering a culture of operational excellence.
