Professor Jane Davies recognised with leadership award

Professor Jane Davies has been awarded a prestigious National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator award.

Professor Davies, who is an honorary consultant in paediatric respiratory medicine at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and a professor of paediatric respirology and experimental Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), is one of 28 academics newly appointed to Senior Investigator status by the NIHR in 2020.

Senior Investigators are among the most prominent researchers funded by the NIHR and the most outstanding leaders of patient-based research within the research community and beyond.

Awardees are appointed through annual competitions informed by the advice of an international panel of experts. 

Professor Davies, whose research interests include translational research in cystic fibrosis, clinical trial design, the validation of outcome measures, and who works on a number of commercially-sponsored clinical trials in CF, was delighted to receive the award and said:

“It’s a really exciting time to be working in cystic fibrosis, a serious inherited disease affecting around 10,000 people in the UK alone. The improvements in quality and length of life over the 30 years since the gene was discovered are enormous, but there is still some way to go. 

“The passion and commitment of the CF & Chronic Lung Infection research group at the Trust and NHLI is invaluable. Our partnerships with people with CF, their families, the UK CF Trust and the European CF Society are enriching and motivating. It’s a great honour to be recognised by the NIHR through this Senior Investigator award, which will allow our work to progress even further.”

The role of a Senior Investigator is wide in scope and includes:

  • Providing research leadership to the NIHR research community
  • Promoting clinical and applied research in health and social care
  • Engaging with and providing advice and suggestions to the Department of Health and Social Care 
  • Leading on training and development
  • Acting as an ambassador for the NIHR 
  • Championing Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in research


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