CMO Dame Sally Davies to see medical innovation on her visit to Nottingham

Following her visit to the NIHR BRUs, Dame Sally will officially open the Nottingham Health Science Partners, a one-stop centre that provides expert guidance to researchers in the development, design and support of clinical trials.

Dame Sally will also meet with Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, and Professor Ian Hall, Dean of the University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Step change in clinical research

Professor Alan Smyth, of the University’s School of Medicine, said: “Dame Sally has been the key figure in establishing the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This is now the major source of funding for clinical research in the University’s School of Medicine and supports key research infrastructure within our school and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. This key infrastructure includes the Biomedical Research Units in Deafness & Hearing Problems and in Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases.

“NIHR also funds the Clinical Research Network, and several of its Local Research Networks which are hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: the Medicines for Children Research Network East; the Mid Trent Cancer Research Network; and the Trent Comprehensive Local Research Network. With her drive and vision, Dame Sally has brought about a step change in clinical research in the UK which delivers direct benefit to patients and will improve the health and wealth of the nation.”

Dame Sally’s tour will start in the city centre with a visit to the NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Deafness and Hearing Problems at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham at Ropewalk House, which is funded with more than £6m from the NIHR.

Technological innovation

The visit, hosted by Professor Deb Hall, will showcase the Unit’s research into alleviating the burden of disability arising from hearing-related problems such as tinnitus and the use of technological innovation including online hearing screening and DVD training for hearing aid users to improve hearing healthcare services.

After lunch on University Park campus, Dame Sally will continue her tour with a visit to the NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, hosted by Professor Robin Spiller. There she will have the opportunity to hear about the latest research on infections of the gut and liver, the latest advances in using MR imaging of the liver and gut and new work in the fields of Hepatitis C and H.pylori infection. She will also learn about how patient involvement in supporting research and will meet trainees set to become the next generation of researchers.

Following this, she will visit the Nottingham Health Science Partners based at the Queen’s Medical Centre, hosted by Professor Brian Thompson, and will unveil a plaque to officially open the facility which provides support services to five organisations: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s Research and Innovation Department; the NIHR Research Design Service for the East Midlands; the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit; the NIHR Trent Comprehensive Clinical Research Network; and the NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network East. During the visit, Dame Sally will tour the NHSP facilities and meet staff and patients involved with the research.

Pioneering work

 Professor Brian Thompson said: “This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the pioneering work being carried out by a broad based partnership in Nottingham in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

“Investment by the NIHR has created a strong and dynamic research partnership between The University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals and has allowed us to translate and deliver new medical discoveries into benefit for our patients.”

Later in the day, Dame Sally will attend the Clinical Research Training Forum. Dr Helen Budge, Co-Director of the University’s Integrated Clinical Academic Training Programme said: “Funding from the NIHR has been essential, not just for research studies themselves, but also in supporting those training for a career leading research for the benefit of patients.

Dame Sally will present the School of Medicine’s Clinical Research Trainee Prize and will deliver a seminar at the University’s Medical School on The NIHR and the Issues Facing Academics in Medical Research, which will be introduced by Professor John Atherton, Dean-elect of the School of Medicine.

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…