Andrew Fry, FRSB
Chair
Carol Akroyd
CLAHRC Manager
Carol’s background is in operational management, project management, business intelligence, healthcare leadership including strategic and financial management within acute hospitals and primary care services.
Audrey Chan
Student Health and Wellbeing Coordinator, University of Leicester
I am responsible for student health and wellbeing, working with students to ensure they have information and support to stay healthy and to thrive during their time at University. I have worked for many years with diverse communities in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and East London – in health advocacy for BAME communities, public and patient involvement, and healthy lifestyle promotion and support.
Melanie Davies CBE, MB, ChB MD, FRCP, FRCGP, FMedSci
Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Leicester
Melanie Davies is Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Leicester and an Honorary Consultant Diabetologist. Research interests include the causes, screening, prevention, self-management and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Professor Davies is the Principal Investigator on a number of large global studies in the field of diabetes, obesity, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease and co-chair of EASD/ADA’s recent Consensus Report on T2DM Management. Professor Davies has published over 550 original articles and has over £60M of grant funding. She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 New Year’s Honour’s List for services to diabetes research.
Dr Natalie Darko
Academic Lead and Research Fellow
Dr Natalie Darko is an experienced academic and researcher, who has conducted extensive national and international based research exploring communities’ experiences of health and physical activity.
Professor Azhar Farooqi OBE
GP
Professor Azhar Farooqi qualified from the University of Manchester Medical School in 1983, and has been a GP at the East Leicester Medical Practice since 1987. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in 1991. Professor Farooqi’s main research interests have been in diabetes and ethnic minority health issues. He has published over 80 peer review papers as well as a book on diabetes in primary care and several book chapters. He is clinical lead of division 5 of the EM Clinical Research Network and his practice is a lead GP research site. National work has included advisory work for Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation and Department of Health. In 2007 Professor Farooqi was awarded the OBE for services to medicine and health services and in 2011 he was elected by Leicester GPs to chair the Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group. He was recently appointed co-chair of the East midlands Diabetes and Vascular Clinical Network.
Professor Kamlesh Khunti, PhD MD FRCGP FRCP FMedSci
Director
Kamlesh Khunti is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester. He is Co-Director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre (UK) and leads a research group that is currently working on the early identification of, and interventions with, people who have diabetes or are at increased risk of developing diabetes.
Dr Michelle O’Reilly
Associate Professor of Communication in Mental Health (University of Leicester); and Research Consultant (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust)
Michelle O’Reilly works for the University of Leicester and the NHS. At the university she is affiliated with the School of Media, Communication and Sociology, and the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour. She undertakes research in mental health. She specialises in neurodevelopmental conditions, self-harm and suicidal behaviours, and mental health ethics.
Dr Emma Palmer
Reader in Forensic Psychology, University of Leicester
Dr Palmer is a Reader in Forensic Psychology. Her research looks at: (a) the development of antisocial & aggressive behaviour and offending, particularly the roles of early experiences and social cognition; (b) the design and evaluation of interventions to reduce reoffending; and (c) bullying and victimisation, including online behaviour. She is a co-lead of the Leicester Prison Research Network.
Professor Lisa Smith
Director of Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies and Deputy Head of School of Criminology, University of Leicester
Professor Lisa Smith is Director of the Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies and an advocate for interdisciplinary approaches in her area of research expertise (forensic science and criminal justice). Lisa has led large-scale multidisciplinary research projects, and collaborates regularly with colleagues from a wide range of social, physical and natural sciences as well as industry, NGO and government partners. In her role as Editor-in-Chief of Science and Justice, Lisa champions high-quality, interdisciplinary research and debate about the role of science in the criminal justice process.
Marie Nugent
Public Engagement Manager, University of Leicester
Marie is Public Engagement Manager for the University of Leicester. Her work focusses on strategic development and capacity building for public engagement activity within the university, supporting best practise and knowledge exchange. She manages the Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Scheme to support public engagement with research and oversees a community engagement project ‘U.matter’ which aims to bring people together in a range of social, feel-good activities that has something for people of all ages, cultures, backgrounds and needs.
Martin Williams
Director of the National Office of the NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) and Chair of the RDS Strategy Group and Director of the RDS in the East Midlands
Martin has over 20 years’ experience of leading research support and delivery organisations. The Research Design Service is a national network that supports researchers to develop and design high-quality research proposals for submission to NIHR funding programmes and other open, national, peer-reviewed funding competitions for health or social care research. The RDS represents a key contribution to the NIHR’s commitment to the delivery of high-quality health and social care research. Martin is also a member of the NIHR Strategy Board.
Andrew Willis
Research Associate
Dr Andrew Willis has experience of carrying out a variety of academic research projects aimed at assessing the effectiveness of community-based interventions aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.