TEAM
TEAM
Core Team
PROF PAUL DIMITRI
DIRECTOR
Professor Paul Dimitri is Vice President for Science and Research at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Director of Technology and Innovation at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Paul has led on the development and implementation of national technology networks that focus on the development and adoption of technology for paediatrics and child health through both private and public sector collaborations.
DR KEITH PUGH
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
Dr Keith Pugh is responsible for the overall operational activities and strategic delivery of the NIHR HRC PCH. Keith is an experienced leader with numerous years of research governance, clinical trial management and research funding. Whether it’s simplifying processes, navigating governance, or facilitating ambitious studies, Keith is driven to enable researchers, innovators and research teams to accelerate frontier medicine and HealthTech for the betterment of the care we provide to children and their families.
DR NICOLE SAMUEL
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
With over a decade of experience across academia, industry, and the NHS, including as a practising doctor, Nicole brings a rare and valuable blend of clinical insight and commercial expertise. Her career has spanned international consultancy, strategic partnerships, the development of institutes of excellence, and new hospital builds, all with a consistent focus: improving health at scale.
DR PHILIPPA HOWSLEY
NATIONAL PROGRAMME MANAGER
Dr Philippa Howsley oversees our project managers and national programmes. Philippa has extensive experience as a project manager and researcher, with over 15 years’ experience conducting and managing medical and psychological research in academic, clinical, and educational settings.
DR GEMMA WHEELER
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Dr Gemma Wheeler is our Senior Project Manager, overseeing our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) and research inclusion programmes. Prior to joining the team, Gemma worked as a Design Researcher at Lab4Living, Sheffield Hallam University, exploring how to foster meaningful, creative collaboration between diverse stakeholder groups in health research.
JESS MCNEILL
PROJECT MANAGER
Jess McNeill is our communications and education programme lead. Jess also manages the Early Life theme and leads the planning for the Child Health Technology conference. Before joining the team, Jess worked in the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Clinical Research Facility where she managed a portfolio of studies covering infectious diseases, rheumatology, and gastroenterology.
EMMA MOFFAT
PROJECT MANAGER
Emma Moffat is our Project Manager for the Long-Term Conditions in Childhood and Transition themes. Emma is also our first point of contact for external enquiries. Prior to joining the team, Emma worked in various project supporting roles at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust within the e-Systems and Theatres departments.
MARIJA DRINJAKOVIĆ
PROJECT MANAGER
Marija Drinjakovic is the Translational Research Project Manager at the University of Cambridge, where she facilitates interdisciplinary collaborations to drive innovation in healthcare. Marija is also the Project Manager for our Mind-Body Integration theme, co-ordinating the development of projects and novel technologies that unite physical and mental health to support holistic approaches to health care.
ALASTAIR HILL
PROJECT MANAGER
Alastair Hill is a Project Manager at Great Ormond Street Hospital’s department for Data, Research, Innovation and Virtual Environments (GOSH DRIVE) and is the Project Manager for our Child Health Artificial Intelligence Network theme. Prior to joining the team, Alastair juggled a variety of roles in the NHS with a career in the Performing Arts.
Theme Leads
PROF DON SHARKEY
EARLY LIFE – THEME LEAD
Professor Don Sharkey is Clinical Associate Professor of Neonatal Medicine at the University of Nottingham and Neonatal Intensivist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Don is an academic neonatologist and has broad research portfolio aimed at reducing major morbidities in newborn infants.
PROF KATE WALKER
EARLY LIFE – DEPUTY THEME LEAD
Professor Kate Walker is a Clinical Professor in Obstetrics at the University of Nottingham. Kate’s clinical interests include high risk pregnancy, labour ward management, and obstetric ultrasound scanning. Her research work to date has focused on randomised controlled trials in obstetrics, neonatology, and sexual health.
PROF HEATHER ELPHICK
LONG-TERM CONDITIONS IN CHILDHOOD – THEME LEAD
Professor Heather Elphick is a Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Medicine and lead consultant for the respiratory service at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Heather’s main clinical interests are sleep medicine and long-term ventilation.
PROF HELEN CROSS
LONG-TERM CONDITIONS IN CHILDHOOD – DEPUTY THEME LEAD
Professor Helen Cross is the Prince of Wales’s Chair of Childhood Epilepsy and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Neurology at the University College London Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for Children, and Young Epilepsy, Lingfield. Helen developed the epilepsy surgery unit at GOSH for Children and is currently Clinical Advisor to the National Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service. Helen’s main research interest is the early intervention and improvement of outcomes in children with complex epilepsy.
DR RENUKA DIAS
LONG-TERM CONDITIONS IN CHILDHOOD – DEPUTY THEME LEAD
Dr Renuka Dias is a Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist working at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital and is an Honorary Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Birmingham. She is the Clinical Lead for the National Highly Specialised Service for Wolfram Syndrome (Children) in Birmingham. Her main research interests are in screening and management for Type 1 Diabetes and trials for rare diseases.
DR PRIYA NARULA
TRANSITION – CO-THEME LEAD
Dr Priya Narula is a Consultant in Paediatric Gastroenterology and the Trust Clinical Lead for Transition at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Priya currently chairs the British Society of Gastroenterology Adolescent and Young Person’s Section committee.
DR HELENA GLEESON
TRANSITION – CO-THEME LEAD
Dr Helena Gleeson is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. Helena chairs the Royal College of Physicians steering group for adolescents and young adults, and is a member of the Advisory Council for the Association of Young People’s Health, which leads the Young People’s Health Partnership. Helena has also worked closely with the National Clinical Director for Transition on NHS England service specifications for transition, and was a member of the NICE Guidance Development Group and NICE Quality Standards Advisory Committee for Transition.
PROF PAUL FLETCHER
MIND-BODY INTEGRATION – CO-THEME LEAD
Professor Paul Fletcher trained in medicine and psychiatry before completing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience. He is the Bernard Wolfe Professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and a Wellcome Trust Investigator. Paul is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Clare College Cambridge, and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
DR KATHRYN BEARDSALL
MIND-BODY INTEGRATION – CO-THEME LEAD
Dr Kathryn Beardsall is a Consultant Neonatologist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and a Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. Kathryn has considerable clinical trial experience and is driven by a belief that babies deserve to benefit from innovations in technology that could improve their care.
PROF ANDREW TAYLOR
CHILD HEALTH AI NETWORK – THEME LEAD
Professor Andrew Taylor is the Director of Innovation at GOSH, responsible for the Digital Research, Innovation & Virtual Environments (DRIVE) unit, the Cell & Gene Therapy manufacturing facility, and a new Paediatric Innovation hub.
Andrew has held university and hospital leadership and management roles over the last decade and was the operational lead for GOSH during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Clinically, Andrew is an expert in cardiovascular imaging and has established the Centre for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging at GOSH.
PROF NEIL SEBIRE
CHILD HEALTH AI NETWORK – DEPUTY THEME LEAD
Professor Neil Sebire is Professor of Pathology and Chief Research Information Officer at GOSH for Children. Neil was the inaugural national chief clinical data officer at Health Data Research UK, with a major role in establishing standards for healthcare data interoperability for secondary research use.
Neil also runs the GOSH for Children clinical-informatics research programme, and has a particular interest in real world and pragmatic issues relating to health data and informatics.
JEN PRESTON
PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT LEAD
Jen Preston leads our patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) work. For 15 years, Jen’s main role has been to develop and implement a strategy for involving children, young people, parents, and carers in the design and delivery of paediatric research. Jen set up the first ever NIHR GenerationR YPAG in 2006 and currently co-ordinates the GenerationR Alliance.
DR VENKAT REDDY
EDUCATION PROGRAMME LEAD
Dr Venkat Reddy is a Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician renowned for his expertise in clinical leadership, quality improvement, clinical informatics, digital health, and artificial intelligence within healthcare. As the Officer for Digital Health and Technology at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), he spearheads initiatives that integrate technology into paediatric care to enhance patient outcomes. Venkat’s work focuses on leveraging digital innovations to advance paediatric healthcare delivery and research.