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Appointment of new Chief Operating Officer to Clinical Research Network; North West Coast, Dr Chris Smith

Chris Smith

 

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which hosts the Clinical Research Network: North West Coast is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Chris Smith to the role of Chief Operating Officer. Steve Warburton Chief Executive of the Trust commented: ‘Over recent months, in an acting capacity, Chris has demonstrated his ability to bring Partner Organisations together from across the entire region and deliver research excellence through collaboration. We congratulate Chris on this appointment and look forward to working with him over the coming months."


The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the largest funder of health research in the country and helps patients to take part in research studies that contribute towards improving treatments for the future. The NIHR’s Clinical Research Network is it's delivery arm, supporting teams in the NHS and social care to carry out high quality research, as well as funding training and facilities. As Chief Operating Officer, Chris will ensure that the Network’s activities across the North West Coast continue to be carried out effectively, and that funding of approximately £16 million per year is allocated to local providers of NHS and social care services to support their involvement in clinical research.

 

The Clinical Research Network; North West Coast Partnership Group is chaired by Jane Tomkinson OBE (Chief Executive of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital) Jane also commented "We are delighted to appoint Dr Chris Smith into the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Clinical Research Network: North West Coast. Chris has been Interim Chief Operating Officer for the last 3 months and under his leadership our region has delivered an outstanding research response to the current national emergency. We have no doubt that research in our region will continue to flourish and make a significant impact to the health and wellbeing of our population. We congratulate Chris and look forward to working with him in the coming months"

 

Professor Martin Lombard, Clinical Director of the Clinical Research Network: North West Coast also commented: "Chris will bring a wealth of experience into the role of Chief Operating Officer. Chris has been Interim Chief Operating Officer for the last 3 months, and has worked for the LCRN for 9 years in roles including Deputy COO, Research Delivery Manager and Industry and Business manager.  In this time the Network has benefited from his focus on collaborative working and under his leadership our research delivery will accelerate, making more advanced treatments and medicine accessible to patients. Congratulations to Chris."


Chris has spent 13 years in clinical research, previously working at the Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research in Oxford and the Barts Cancer Institute in London. Chris who has a PhD in Immunology and an MSc in Healthcare Leadership commences his role with immediate effect and said: "I have worked at the Network for over 8 years and it is now an honour to lead the network and support clinical research in our region during unprecedented and challenging times. We have a wealth of first class researchers, organisations and infrastructure - with our support they will be enabled to deliver research that has an impact on a global scale"