Three Leicester specialists receive prestigious national awards

Three esteemed Leicester specialists in heart and vascular diseases have been recognised with one of the highest honours in UK health research, after being named National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators this week.

Professor Andre Ng, Professor Gavin Murphy and Professor Matt Bown, who are all based at the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), were announced as part of the NIHR’s latest Senior Investigator cohort. This is an accolade awarded to the country’s most outstanding leaders in clinical and applied health research.

Professor Matt Bown, who is the British Heart Foundation Chair of Vascular Surgery, said: “It’s a great honour to receive this award which is testament to the hard work, collaborative effort and team approach of everyone in vascular surgery at both the University of Leicester and the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust – including research managers, trial managers, clinical academics, NHS research delivery teams, wider University support teams and last but not least, our patients and public contributors. I truly couldn’t have done it without them all.”

 

Professor of Cardiac Electrophysiology Andre Ng, who is Director of the British Heart Foundation Leicester Centre of Research Excellence and Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist, said: “I am truly honoured and grateful to be named an NIHR Senior Investigator. The recognition reflects the dedication and outstanding contributions of an incredible team - our fellows, research managers and patient partners - who continue to advance our understanding and management of heart rhythm disorders. I look forward to extending the work to maximise impact and improve patient outcomes."

Professor Gavin Murphy, British Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiac Surgery and Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, added: “This work reflects Leicester’s position as a national and international centre of research excellent in cardiovascular disease. The award recognises the success of the wider research team on obtaining funding, undertaking bench to bedside research and recruiting people to clinical trials.”

These appointments highlight Leicester’s national and international strength in cardiovascular research, spanning vascular surgery, cardiac surgery and electrophysiology.

Senior Investigators play a vital role in shaping the future of UK health research, supporting the development of clinical research leaders and driving improvements in patient care.

Professor David Cousins, Head of the School of Medical Sciences, at the University added: “It is inspiring that three of our cardiovascular colleagues have received this prestigious award in the same year. It’s a strong demonstration of the world-leading cardiovascular research expertise and national leadership we have across the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), the British Heart Foundation Leicester Centre for Research Excellence and our Division of Cardiovascular Sciences here in Leicester.”

The NIHR Leicester BRC is part of the NIHR and hosted by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in partnership with the University of Leicester, Loughborough University and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group.

For more information about the NIHR Leicester BRC visit www.leicesterbrc.nihr.ac.uk