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Professor Chris Todd

Director (OPFPRU)

Chris Todd

Chris is Professor of Primary Care and Community Health in the School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, where he leads the Healthy Ageing Research Group, and Healthy Ageing Theme for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester. He is a NIHR Senior Investigator, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Chris has some 30 years of research experience, with a portfolio of research funding from UK funders (NIHR, UKRI Research Councils and Charities) and the European Commission. He sits or has sat on a number of research funding committees in UK and EU, and serves on advisory panels such as Public Health England National Falls Prevention Coordination Group and project panels. Chris is author and co-author of more than 300 publications.

All of Chris’s teaching is at postgraduate level. He has supervised more than 30 PhD students and mentored a number of early and mid-career researchers. He also has broad university administrative experience as a School Director of Research (2003 to 2013) and through leading RAE2008 and REF2014 submissions. During the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic, he sat on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) Social Care Working Group.

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Contact

Email: chris.todd@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Peter Bower

Theme Lead for Equitable Spread of Health Technology

Peter BowerProfessor Bower is a Professor of Health Services Research, an NIHR Senior Investigator and lead for the NIHR School for Primary Care Research at The University of Manchester.

He has a track record of research in the evaluation of treatments for depression, and on effective ways of improving management of long-term conditions, with a focus on self-management and patient-centred care. He is especially interested in the management of multimorbidity.

He receives research funding mainly from NIHR and MRC, has authored over 250 publications, and has extensive experience of PhD supervision and the mentorship of early career researchers.

He leads the return for Unit of Assessment 2 for REF 2020, and is National Speciality Lead for Health Services Research for the NIHR Clinical Research network.

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Contact

Email: peter.bower@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Debora Price

Debora is a Professor of Social Gerontology at The University of Manchester.  She is a former Director of MICRA, the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing, and held office as President of the British Society of Gerontology from 2016 – 2019.  She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of her research into poverty in later life.

Debora’s work focuses on social policy for an ageing society, especially at the intersection of financial wellbeing and health. She is also a Deputy Director of the UK Data Service. She works closely with stakeholders across government, local government, NGOs and industry to embed research evidence into our understanding of later life.

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Contact

Email: debora.price@manchester.ac.uk

Professor Andy Clegg

Professor of Geriatric Medicine, University of Leeds and Honorary Consultant Geriatrician at Bradford Royal Infirmary

Andy CleggAndy works as a Co-Investigator within the OPFPRU as an appointed member of The University of Manchester team.

Andy leads a large portfolio of ageing and frailty-related research, including leadership of a research theme focused on improving care for older people with frailty in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration, Yorkshire & Humber and as Associate Director for Health Data Research UK North.

His research expertise spans clinical trials of interventions, prognostic modelling using routine data, applied epidemiology and evidence synthesis.

Andy previously led the development, validation and national implementation of the multi award-winning and NICE-recommended electronic frailty index (eFI), with a major impact on UK health policy.

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Contact

Email: a.p.clegg@leeds.ac.uk

Professor Terry O’Neill

Terry O'NeillTerry is Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology in the School of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.

Terry has over 25 years clinical and research experience. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. His current research interests focus on musculoskeletal frailty, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. He has a portfolio of research funding including NIHR, Research Councils and Charities. He is a past Trustee, and Chair of the Clinical and Scientific Committee of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. He is author/co-author of more than 250 publications and has supervised over 15 doctoral students.

Contact

Email: terence.o’neill@manchester.ac.uk

Neil Allen

Barrister and Senior Lecturer

Neil AllenNeil Allen is a Barrister at 39 Essex Chambers and Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester.

With particular interests in human rights, mental health and incapacity law, he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, and regularly delivers training for a variety of audiences including health and local authorities, s12 doctors, GPs, AMHPs, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and law firms.

He has been involved in many of the leading cases in this field, including Cheshire West, N v ACCG, and Re X. Since 2014, Neil has been ranked by the legal profession in Chambers and Partners’ Guide to the World’s Best Lawyers and Legal500 as a leading barrister.

Neil co-authored the Law Society’s guide on Deprivation of Liberty, assisted ADASS with the DoLS forms, and is an Advisor to the Care Quality Commission’s DoLS Group. His published academic commentary on the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and DoLS is featured in legal books and journals.

As Clinical Lead for the University’s Legal Advice Centre, Neil provides and promotes the provision of free legal advice, which includes his award-winning Dementia Law Centre.

Dr Efioanwan Damisa

Academic Clinical Fellow in General Practice

Efioanwan AndahEfi is an Academic Clinical Fellow in General Practice based within the School of Health Sciences at The University of Manchester. This post enables her to combine academic work alongside specialty training in general practice.

She has previously carried out and published research on workforce issues while working as an Academic Foundation Doctor. Her research interests include healthy ageing, health inequalities and global health.

She is undertaking a Master of Public Health (MPH) course part-time while getting involved with ongoing research projects linked with the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit and the Healthy Ageing Research Group.

Dr Jayne Astbury

Research Associate

Jayne Astbury Jayne is a Research Associate in the School of Social Sciences at Manchester, working in the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit.

Her research focuses on socio-medical issues and healthcare ethics, and she has a particular interest in the area of moral distress. Jayne is currently working on an NIHR-funded project concerning the impact of the Care Act ‘easements’ on the experiences of carers supporting partners living with dementia.

Her background includes health services research, with a focus on workforce development and advanced practice training.

Prior to working in research, Jayne held several roles within the NHS and voluntary sector organisations.

Contact

Email: jayne.astbury@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Phil Drake

Director, Justice Hub

Phil DrakeDr Phil Drake is the Director of the Justice Hub, which co-ordinates all pro bono and clinical legal education work, including the Legal Advice Centre, undertaken at The University of Manchester.

He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a qualified non-practising Solicitor.

Prior to commencing his role, he was the founder, creator and Director of the Legal Advice Clinic at the University of Huddersfield. Prior to this, he was a practising lawyer working in several legal practices. While in practice, he gained experience of both contentious and non-contentious work.

Phil’s research interests include the pedagogical, sociological and ethical dimensions of the law, with a particular interest in values-based learning and the conflicts and tensions that arise within this sphere.

Dr Alex Hall

Research Fellow

Alex Hall

Alex is a Research Fellow in the School of Health Sciences, working in the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit.

His research focuses on a range of topics relating to ageing, dementia, social care and end-of-life care, including organisation and delivery of care, the role of technologies in health and care, and socio-legal topics in later life (e.g. advance care planning, later life finances). Alex has experience in policy research, having been a member of the Health Organisation, Policy and Economics group at the University of Manchester, and having held a policy fellowship with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

He regularly contributes to teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students. He is a member of the British Society of Gerontology, a former editorial board member of Health and Social Care in the Community and has served as deputy chair of a University Research Ethics Committee.

More information

Contact

Email: alex.hall@manchester.ac.uk 

Dr Louise Tomkow

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in complex health needs

This post allows Louise to spend 50% of her time working at Salford Royal Hospital as a medical doctor, specialising in the care of older people, and 50% of her time undertaking research at the University of Manchester.

Louise graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2008 and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 2012. Louise has spent time volunteering as a doctor in Malawi and India and has a MA with distinction in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response. In 2019 she was awarded a PhD at the Humanitarianism and Conflict Response Institute. Her ESRC-funded doctorate examined how forced migration impacts health in later life, and therefore integrated her interests of migration, ageing, health and inequalities. Louise’s current research projects include the NIHR-funded projects ‘Improving discussions about resuscitation for bereaved relatives in COVID-19’; ‘Palliative and End of life Care experiences of people of African and Caribbean descent during COVID-19 (PEACE)’; and work exploring the healthcare of asylum seekers in multiple occupancy accommodation during Covid-19.

Louise has worked as a volunteer Medico-Legal Report writer for Freedom from Torture and is an active is part of Medact Manchester, group of healthcare professionals who campaign on issues of social justice and health. Beyond work, Louise is a keen cyclist, a reluctant runner, an obsessive knitter and is currently working on walking all of the Wainwright fells in Cumbria.

More information

Contact

Email: Louise.tomkow@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Lisa McGarrigle

Research Fellow

Lisa McGarrigleLisa is a Research Fellow in the School of Health Sciences. She joined the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit in 2022. She has a background in cognitive psychology and holds a PhD from Dublin City University, Ireland, where her research focused on protective factors in cognitive decline and dementia. Lisa’s research interests lie mainly in the area of healthy ageing, with a particular focus on the use of technology in activity promotion and falls prevention. She has a background in quantitative research, with experience working with large longitudinal and clinical trial datasets, statistical modelling software, and advanced statistical analysis techniques such as structural equation modelling.

She is also experienced in conducting systematic reviews using Cochrane, COSMIN (for reviews on outcome measures), overview, and rapid review methodologies. Lisa is also a member of the Research and Innovation Workstream of the Manchester Falls Collaborative.

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Contact

Email: lisa.mcgarrigle@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Abodunrin Aminu

Research Associate

Abodunrin AminuAbodunrin is a Research Associate in the School of Health Sciences, where he works as part of the team leading the NIHR Policy Research Unit on Older People and Frailty. His research focuses on the ageing population, and he has a specific interest in the social determinants of frailty and geriatric oral research.

Abodunrin’s background is in dentistry, and he holds a PhD in Health and Social care. He is passionate about health promotion and has authored publications in the field of ageing research. Prior to his current role in The University of Manchester PRU, Abodunrin participated in the EU Horizon 2020 project (EUROAGEISM), where he worked as one of the 15 global Early-Stage Researchers investigating ageism in the UK and EU, with partners and beneficiaries including the WHO, UNECE, AgePlatform Europe, Age Alliance, European Centre for Social Welfare and Policy Research and other Higher Education Institutions in Europe.

Abodunrin was a former British Commonwealth Scholar and a member of the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Action Alumni. He received different awards for excellence in academics and research. He enjoys volunteering for social causes and mentoring students in health research.

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Contact

Email: abodunrin.aminu@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Kimberly Lazo Green

Research Associate

Kimberly Lazo GreenKimberly is a Research Associate in the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit.  She has a background in applied economics and her research interests include applied health, implementation science, knowledge translation, and public policy.

She obtained her PhD in 2020 from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), where she looked at informal institutions and collective action in the Greater Manchester health devolution. Prior to commencing this role, she was a Research Associate for the Implementation Team in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC) and an Associate Lecturer in Economics at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and MMU.

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Contact

Email: kimberly.green@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Nisar Ahmed

Research Fellow

Dr Nisar AhmedNisar is a Research Fellow in the School of Health Sciences. He joined the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit at The University of Manchester in 2023. He was awarded a PhD from The University of Sheffield in health services research (patient holistic needs/symptom assessment in chronic progressive disease).

Nisar has over 20 years project management experience of conducting mixed methods research in both academia and industry using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. He has successfully project managed numerous research projects that have led to over 40 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He has been a co-applicant on major research grants.

Nisar has a particular interest in health services research, digital health and lifestyle medicine research using an evidence-based, whole person approach to reduce symptom and disease burden, and improving health and wellbeing.

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Contact

Email: nisar.ahmed-2@manchester.ac.uk

 

Jane McDermott

PRU Manager / PCIE Lead

Jane McDermott

Jane leads operations, collaboration and impact for the policy research unit, working across our sites and in partnership with our extensive network of stakeholders, across the health and social care policy and practice landscape. 

Jane recently undertook a CAPE Policy Fellowship at the Department of Health and Social Care, working within Science, Research and Evidence Directorate and supporting the Women’s Health Strategy implementation.

Jane has more than 25 years’ experience working across a number of organisations as a senior programme manager, strategic relations and impact lead in the fields of health ageing, policy research and social inclusion.

A member of the Healthy Ageing Research Group within The University of Manchester’s School of Health Sciences, Jane is well versed in complex programme leadership, project management, policy influencing and delivering impact. Her work spans a number of local, regional, national and international networks, underpinned by her lifelong commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

She has previously worked with the Centre for Ageing Better, supporting the work of the Healthy Ageing priority theme and contributing to the vision of creating a society where everyone enjoys a good later life.

Jane has worked extensively across Europe, as a member of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP AHA) within Action Group 2 – Falls Prevention, and programme lead for the European Commission-funded Prevention of Falls Network for Dissemination (ProFouND) a thematic network that spanned12 countries and 60+ partners. She is a founder member and key operational lead for the European Falls Festival and a contributing member of the Greater Manchester Active and Healthy Ageing EIPAHA Group.

Jane is a thinking environment, open space practitioner and expert facilitator who regularly works with community groups as co-researchers and partners in the research of the PRU.  Through her extensive network she proactively seeks to involve and engage citizens in research, working in particular with those who are most underrepresented in health and social care.

Outside of work, Jane and her family have acted as foster parents to early career Paralympic swimmers based at the British Para-Olympic National Performance Centre in Manchester. She is a keen fell walker, wild-swimmer, cyclist and cook.

More Information

Contact

Email: j.mcdermott@manchester.ac.uk

Linda Welch

PRU Senior Research Administrator (Manchester)

Linda WelchLinda is the Senior Research Administrator for the OPF PRU team based at The University of Manchester. She has 30 years of experience working in administration and has been based within the School of Health Sciences at Manchester since 2014.

Prior to joining the OPF PRU, Linda supported other NIHR and ESRC research projects.

Contact

Email: linda.welch@manchester.ac.uk

 

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