Meet our community

Dr Megan Brown, Senior Research Associate in the School of Medicine at Newcastle University and Community Involvement and Engagement Lead within Workforce Voices, has been awarded a prestigious National Institute for Heath and Care Research (NIHR) Postdoctoral Award to lead a programme of research exploring disabled doctors’ career progression within the NHS. 

Dr Simon Lowes, is a Consultant Breast Radiologist and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University. His research focusses on imaging across the cancer pathway.

We spoke with Simon about his career journey so far – from completing his Pharmacology degree to helping establish the Northern Centre for Breast Research, why his research matters and how NHRP Academy has supported him.

Dr Emily Thompson is an Honorary Consultant Transplant Surgeon at the Freeman Hospital and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University. Recently appointed as one of the Newcastle Health Research Partnership (NHRP) Senior Clinical Fellows, Emily is working at the cutting edge of transplant surgery and research, focussing on making more organs available for patients who desperately need them. 

Dr Nehal Hassan is a Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy at Newcastle University currently researching how AI can be used to support clinical decision-making.

Nehal is currently supported by a NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement (DSE) Award. We asked her about her journey to the DSE, its impacts and the advice she has for others considering applying for one.

Dr Wezi Sendama, a consultant in respiratory medicine at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) Newcastle, has been awarded a highly competitive Clinician Scientist Fellowship funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

We spoke to Wezi about his research goals and how the NHRP is helping him to make progress towards them.

Vicki Macrae is a Clinical Trials Officer (CTO) and registered with the NIHR Clinical Research Practitioners (CRP Academy for Healthcare Science). 

We spoke with Vicki about her career as a Clinical Research Practitioner and the growing importance of CRP roles within the NHS. Vicki shared how she entered the field, what her day‑to‑day work involves, and why bringing clinical insight into research design is essential for meaningful, patient‑focused studies.

Danielle Ferraresi is a nurse, working as a Senior Clinical Advisor for the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) NHS Foundation Trust.

We spoke with Danielle about her clinical insights and research, and how they are fundamental to improving access to emergency care, appropriate deployment of paramedics and ambulances and supporting the shift from hospital to community care.

Ifeoma Amuji is a registered nurse currently working in the Urology department at the Freeman Hospital.

With a rich background in elder care, she has spent years supporting older adults in care homes, both as a carer and, for the past two years, as a registered nurse.

She continues to stay connected to this community by occasionally picking up shifts, ensuring her practice remains grounded in the realities of care home life

Dr Frank Ho-yin Lai is an Assistant Professor at Northumbria University, Honorary Senior Clinical Researcher at CNTW NHS Foundation Trust and Panel Member of the NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship.  With over two decades of experience in occupational therapy, Dr Lai has led and contributed to research that advances cognitive health, dementia care, […]

In this “Meet Our Community” feature, we introduce Dr Murali Subramanian – a clinician-turned-public-health researcher.   Dr Subramanian is a Research Associate with Newcastle University’s NIHR-PHIRST Fusion team and an elected member of the OpenSeat Initiative within the Research Oversight Committee of Newcastle Health Research Partnership.   He combines clinical rigour with a public-health researcher’s […]

Professor Vijay Kunadian is a leading cardiologist and the first female Professor of Interventional Cardiology in the UK with her post at Newcastle University. She is also an Honorary Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a member of the on the NIHR Advanced Fellowship panel.  Determined to […]

Catherine Stafford is a BSc Psychology student at Newcastle University. She is currently carrying out research for her undergraduate dissertation with the Newcastle Health Research Partnership Academy (NHRP Academy). Here, Catherine discusses the project and her experience of working with the NHRP Academy. What is your research? My project is called ‘NHRP Academy members’ cognitions, […]

Dr Eugene Tang is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University and a General Practitioner.   Dr Tang’s research focuses on post-stroke cognitive impairment, which remains highly prevalent and disabling for our patients. In the UK, there are around 100,000 strokes per year which often leaves the patient […]

Dr Kenneth Baker   Dr Kenneth Baker is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellow at Newcastle University and an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.   Dr Baker’s research focuses on Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a common disease affecting 1 in 100 UK adults […]

Dr Hayley Alderson is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellow at Newcastle University and a Senior Research Fellow with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria.   Dr Alderson is currently undertaking a research study that aims to understand the experiences of those who have endured […]

Dr Laura Jardine   Dr Laura Jardine is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University and an Honorary Haematologist at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She has been awarded a Clinician Scientist Fellowship by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to assess a new method of characterising leukaemias based on gene expression.   Clinical […]

Dr Felicity Dewhurst becomes the first to receive national award in palliative care research. Dr Dewhurst is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at St Oswald’s Hospice and an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University. Dr Dewhurst has recently received a prestigious National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellowship making her the […]

Dr Stella-Maria Paddick, Associate Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University and Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a Clinical Academic Research Partnership (CARP) fellowship by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to advance her research into cognitive impairment and dementia. […]

Dr Susanna Mills   Dr Susanna Mills is a medically qualified public health doctor. From September 2024, she will be embarking on a Newcastle University Academic Track (NUAcT) Clinical Academic Fellowship, where she will be aiming to identify and address excess weight amongst people living with severe mental illness, in hospital and the wider community. […]

Dr Lorraine Cowley is the first nurse to receive a prestigious national research fellowship. Genetic Counsellor and former Oncology Nurse Dr Cowley, from Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University, has been awarded a Clinical Academic Research Partnership (CARP) fellowship by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care […]

Dr James Faraday   Dr James Faraday is a Speech and Language Therapist and a Clinical Educator supporting Newcastle’s Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals though the multi-layered research landscape. He is an Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Dementia Fellow with a Dementia Career Development Award funded by the ARC NENC and the NIHR Three Schools […]

Dr Ken Baker Dr Ken Baker is a Senior Clinical Fellow at Newcastle University and an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at the Newcastle Freeman Hospital. He was awarded a PhD from Newcastle University in 2018 for his work on identifying predictors of drug-free remission for patients with rheumatoid arthritis at the Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). […]

Dr Sunil Bhopal We are delighted to begin a series of articles introducing some of our NHIP Academy community – sharing the stories of their research journeys and careers so far. The first features Dr Sunil Bhopal, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Paediatrics at Newcastle University and final year specialty registrar at the Newcastle upon […]